The National Register.
London, England, 1812-03-08 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTER.

trade in the last year. The two subsequent years of pros-
pet ity render it unnecessary now to go into the particulars
of the losses in the former case, and we have no doubt
that the experience of one or two years will equally prove
that the stability of British commere;al prosperity is not to
be shaken by the disasters of the year 1810. Yet as the
effects of those disasters are still felt all over the trading
and manufacturing community, it may not be amiss to
remind the Public of their amount :—The seizures in the
Baltic did not fall shoo
that rt of te
amountn millio
tons,
th ae
Britinsnd c
hostitla tutedind g
,
a
total lobs of capital t
community. The trade of nations regulates itself ac-
cording to the same rules and principles which govern
the commercial operations of individuals. The capital lost
to the nation was, perhaps, not less than a fifth of the
whole of its exports. Any man who can suppose, that
an individual, who had in one year lost to the amount of a
fifth of his whole manufactured stock, could either
thane
the. spirit or the means to produce or to speculate o th
same extent the year immediately succeeding, can con-
ceive, that the Orders in Council, and not the losses of
an unparalleled magnitude to which we have alluded,
p:oduced the e.ecline of trade last year, and the distresses
and discontents of the manufacturing classes, which every
feeling heart must bleed to witness.

CATHOLIC MEETINGS.
The Catholics seem eager to encrease the political diffi•
culties of the times, by seizing every opportunity, even
the most unpromising, of intruding their claims on the
notice of the Parliament and the Throne. That they
possess the right to petition no one can deny : but that
they exert it at a wrong period, is equally clear. It is
now ascertained, that the force of the Opposition is in-
sufficient to carry the boasted measure of Catholic eman-
cipation through. Their numbers have been tried in the
House and found wanting ; to revive such a question at
this moment, when there is no prospect of its proving
successful, can therefore be done with no other end than
embittering political animosities. The Catholic mania
has extended from Ireland to this country ; for whilst, at
at an aggregate meeting held last week at Dublin, an
Address to the PRINCE REGENT and a Petition to both
Houses of Parliament, praying a complete repeal of the
Penal Laws ave been proposed and carried, along with
thanks to LPh rds GRENVILLE and GREY) for their refusing
all emolument for the Catholic cause, a meeting of Pro-
testant Noblemen and Gentlemen took place on Monday
last at the Thatched House, in this metropolis, to consi-
der of the, propriety of signing petitions to both Houses
of Parliament, in favour of Catholic emancipation.

LIBEL AGAINST CHRISTIANITY !
.11
A case, which we hope will never again occur in fuel
annals of British justice, .was tried on Friday in the Court
of king's Bench. It was that of a libel against God,
against the Founder of the Christian Religion ! A book-
seller of the name of EATON, indicted for republishing
parts of PAINE's works, not only vindicated the act, but I
continued in his defence in Court to utter the most infa-
mous blasphemies against the Christian Religion, its di-
vine author and its apostles, and attempted to prove that
the G.d of the Jews was Mars, the Cod of War ! He
was found guilty by the Jury, and instantly committed to
Newgate. The best punkliment which could be inflicted
upon such a being, would be to luck him up for life
3.-nong lunatics.

• FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE.

FROM THE LISBON MAIL.

LT sto•,:, Fr s. 2.3.—We have no news of importance. Head-quarters
remain at Frenada. Some divisions of the army have come int* the
rear to refit; in other respects every thing remains in statu quo.
Extract y an 0,17 i cid Dispatch, from Lord Wellington to. Don MiguelFwjas, dated Freyneda, Feb.l9..
gi I have received no details of the movement which GEILADADIA
has made faom Gatlicia. !believe he Intended attacking Astorga, but
retired to Villa Franca in the beginning of the present month ; and Ge-
neral CABRIR A, who hal advanced to Baneza, retired upon Puebla de
Sanabria, in consequence of finding the enemy were in force in Be:ie-
.:ante. I conclude that the right of the army of Portugal has marched
from Zamora to Benavcnte.
46 The detachment of the Conde DE AMARANTRS' troops, which
occupied Puebla de Senabria when General CASRSRA marched upon
Baneza, has returned to Portugal, in consequence of the Spanish troops
having arrived there."—(Lisbon Gazette, Feb.l9)
1......,......
I FROM THE FRENCH PAPERS.

•••••=••••
PARIS, FEB. ‘2 . —Peniscola, thirteen leagues from Tortosa, has just
submitted to Niarshal Suchet. This fortress, situate upon the border
le-
s
of the sea, by which it is almost surrounded, upon an extremely e
vated point of land, is between Tortosa and Valencia, and very diffi-
cult of access. Marshal Suchet contented himself with watching it, dur-
ing his operations against Blake's army. After the surrender of Valencia,
he commenced the siege of it, which presented new obstacles for the
engineers to surmount, and fresh glory to be acquired.
There now remains no place to he subdued from Tortosa to Alicant,
which the Duke of Altinfera is preparing to besiege in form; his airily
is already in mction, and will soon be under th v.-ails of that place, to
which the wrecks of Blake's army has retired.e