The National Register.
London, England, 1818-08-09 00:00:00

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No. 54g.—VoL. XI.

POLITICAL DISQUISITION.

SEIZURE OF FLORIDA.

THE seizure of Florida by the Americans has been
the only recent event of importance which has taken
place abroad. It has not yet excited much &Terence
of opinion, for most people must view it as prima facie
a great outrage and Usurpation. The Morning (Aro-
nick, however, does attempt a sort of defence which it
will put for* at more length, probably, when it shall
have further information to go upon; for the opinion
of the official paper of the American President is not
mare decidedly in favour of American politics than that
of the Chronicle, whose prejudices, it must be granted,
arc any thing but national. The following observations
are from the Timex, and arc worthy of attention :
American papers flow in upon us from all quarters,
but they do not bring more novel intelligence than
• that the contents of which we have already given.—
' The order of the day issued by General Jackson to
• his troops, after the capitulation of Barancas, still
harps upon the outrages of the unfortunate Seminoles,
as his justification fur seizing the towns and fortresses
'of the Spaniards. He tells his soldiers that they had
6 pursued the Indians to Bamncas f If sa, since he
6 got possession of Barancas, it may be inferred that
there was a force of Seminoles captured at the same
' time with the Spanish garrison ; and if it shall appear
by the next papers, (far no such thing is yet an-
' nounced), that a circumstance so important to the de_
fence of this invasion was omitted in the first efficial
narrative of the successes of the American army, we
shall admit that the Spanish Governor provoked the
6 siege of Barancus, by admitting into it, during open
• hostilities, a public enemy of the United States. We
cannot help suspecting, nevertheless, that this famous
6 apology for a violent action, prima facie revolting and
alarming to all civilized nations, will turn out rather
• lame in point of evidence, except the word of an in-
' terestad party be taken for demonstration of an impro-
bable fact. It has long been the ambition of the Amt.
• rican Government to extend their dominions to the
' Gulf of Mexico. The excesses of the savages dispersed
' throughout the desert, and incited as they have been
• by the dreadful persecution of the republican back-
' settlers, who treat them like wild beasts, have not been
either countenanced, excused, or protected by the
' Spaniards. There is no pretext of the kind set up
on behalf of the United States, where the Govern-
' ment itself takes up the parole. The incompetency
of the Spaniards to repress the Indians was not among
' the grounds assumed by the President for anticipat-
• ing the expediency of an appropriation of the Fioridas
to the federal union. The possibility of their being
' seized by a third power, and the chance of their de-
' generating into a sanctuary for bucaniers and pirates,
• were the principal arguments adduced in support of
an attack upon these Spanish provinces. flow should
• we feel if the NiVional a:clii.rncer were to tut;win us
• on the part of the Cabinet of P;ashington, that as
• the British Gaverumeet was taa strong enough to
pievant the Indians of it.; dependant territory from
committing. ravages on some of the remoter settle-
' meats of the United States, an army, commanded by
some Hannibal or Scipio of the West, had been
• thorized to march by ott-cal, and lay siege to the
• metropolis of Canada? Admitting the jack of
• Indian outrage, world the British natien relish such
retaining as that? Again, aNr. Munroe supposes the
' possibility of' a thick p trty paining pos=es ism of the
• Floridas to be ample ground of justification for a pre-
. ventive seizure of thaw by the United States. But
• it has for years been iinwc than passible. it has been a
' matter of strong
.belief, nsy, m rah certainty, that a
• third lamer (namely, the Gaited States) would lay
' hands upon the who:l:vet r.lu; 'i•as ah

Our Ling, Crontititution anb Uab4.

SUNDAY, AUGUST 9, 1818.

' --ergo, according to the Munroe logic, it was just
and wise fur the British Government to be before-
' hand with the Republic in bringing those provinces
under her own dominion. It will not be argued that
• the law of expediency is not alike fur both ; but
• tl ere is no end to the monstrous evils and mi3eries
• which spring from the substitution of that atrocious
low for the manifest rights and moral obligations of
'men in political society.'
We believe that the plain English of the matter is,
that the ambition of the United States longed for Flo-
rida, and the weakness of Spain could not keep it.—
Whatever, however, may be the justice of this pro-
ceeding, it is a separate question, what ought, under all
the eiructustances, to be the conduct of Great Bri-
tain. The possession of the Floridas gives easy access
to the ambitious Republic to our West India posses-
sions, and the unblushing violation of the law of na-
tions, though directly committed upon the Spaniards, is
indirectly an attack on all neighbouring nations. But,
if there are strong motives for our interference, there
are others which withheld our arm. The last Ame-
rican %vat., in which we were every where foiled, will
probably make us avoid another most sedultauly, though
the safety of our West India possessions be thereby es-
sentially compromised.

of
By tifi Amount laid on the table of theorlouse of
Commons, it appears that the ibllowing is the amount
of corn !Nil grain, meal and flour, imported into Great
BritainAn the years ended the sth of January, 1817,
and 1818

- - - - _
Ycar cnd,_%l the sth of Jamul,.
1417. tale.
Corn anal Grain . 1.141,r97 Qu. 4.10.171 Qn. 7. B
31eal and Flour . 141,03 b Cwt. 1.166,311 e LA t.

From this statement will be seen that the new Act
has not prevented the influx of corn and flour. From
the enormous increase of importation in the second year,
it will be seen that we have paid between six and seven
millions sterling at least for grain, since that law was
ena..:ted.

Extract of a letter ton mercantile house in the City
from Nassau, New Providence, dated June :—" We
have a report in circulation here, which, we fear, is
teo well founded, that General Jackson, on overpowering
the Indians in West Florida, caused Mr. Alexander
Arbutimott, who was fixed there as a harmless trader,
and Mr. Lewis Felix, the master of a vessel of his
called the Chance, to be hung, and the body of the
former to be mutilated. Surely, if this turns out to be
true, the Britis,i Govermneat will not pass it over in
silence. We have known Mr. Arbuthnott for years,
but never, we assure you, did we know a more harm-
less or more innocent man. You hate been in the
habit of' shipping, through our medium, for some years,
the goods made use of by iqr. Arbothnott in his trade.'
A New York paper of the 9th ult. conto'ns a dread-
ful order, issued in the American army of the South,
to an officer, who is authorised to pot to death every has_
t;,e Warrior that mats be Joand. He is to scour the
country between Mobile and Pensacola, and is to use
his own judgment, as to who may be hostile warriors;
provided, we suppose, that they be Indians. Such is
one of the first abuses which the Am :Ikons make
Of their superiority its the Smith. They are to show
no quarter. If the Indians should destroy the party
which has this sanguinary order, haw would New
York resound with clamours about Indian barbarity !
A detailed account of the battle of Malpo, in Chili,
between the patriots and royalists. dated head-quarters,
St. Jago, April 9, hits been received. The. contest
see,ns to have been of ,the most sanguinary nature, and
was not determined in favoor of the patriots without
great loss. The General, Joseph St. Martin, in his
despatch, sayis, that the patriots in killed and wounde,l
lost .2,000 men. The fince of the myalist army con-
sisted of 5,300 men; of these 2,900 were counted
dead on the field of battle. and above .3,000 were:
brought in prisoners; the small remainder, with their
General-ie Grief, Osorio, effected their escape. The
patriots bad in the field 4,!,00 men, being 4•)0 less in
number thou the royalis.s. This is, perLys. one of
the most remarkable battles ever fintght, for the Lear
equality of numbers, the obstinacy of the and
;.:.i o.l:4*.iira, if Oa:

PRICE 992 d.

Tne QUEEN.—Her Majesty has been somewhat
more at ease since Monday evening. On the pre-
ceding Friday, after having eaten a tolerably hearty
dinner, she was attacked with one of those violent
spasmodic affections in the. stomach which form so
alarming a feature in her indisposition, and she re-
mained partially under its influence during the greater
part of the three following days. On the Monday
evening she was again somewhat better, and has con-
tinued since that time rather improving in health than
otherwise ; at least, comparatively with her general
state for the last three weeks; and these favourable
appearances induced his Royal Highness the Prinee
Regent to make his long expected trip to the Pavilion.
Her Majesty's disorder, however, has several times as-
sumed an appearance of almost entire abatement, but
has constantly returned with greater violence, and it is
therefore to be feared her present improvement may he
but transient. The house in which her Majesty ne,
sides is that usually called " The fringe's old house,-
' (being the one in which the Prince Regent spent the
early part of his youth) ; and, independently of its
unfitness for a Royal residence in point ofaccommodatima
it is, in common with the whole neighbourhood of Kew,
most disadvantageously situated for invalids labouring
under that description of complaint with which her
Majesty is afflicted. On this account it is, as well as
from the desire her Majesty may have expressed to sea
the King, that her removal to Windsor has been con-
templated.
The precarious state of her Majesty's health and bes
adyanced age, have naturally turned she conversation
of all ranks to the exemplary virtues of her domesti:
character, which, however, is frequently mixed with
various coideclures as to the probable amount and dis-
posal of her personal property. For the information of
such of our readers as may he ignorant of the priame
rights of the Royal Family, as established by law, we
give the susstancc of Blackstone's Commentary on the,
personal rights and prerogatives et" the Queen. The
Queer-Consort, by virtue of her marriage, has many
prerogatives aliewc other women. The Queen may
purchase and convey lands, grant leases and copyholds,
and do other nets of ownership, without the concur.
rence of the King. She is also capable of taking a
grant from the King, which no other wife is from her
husband. In law she is considered as a I.mme sole,
as a single, not as a married wontan—and the reason of
this, according to Coke, is, that the King, " whose con-
tinual care and study is for the public good, may hot
be trot:hied and disquide:l on account of his wigs do-
mestic affairs." The Queen has also many exemp-
tions and minute prerogatives. She puys no tolls nor
direct tax, nor is she liable to any umercement in any
Court ; she has also some pecuuiary advantages, which
form her a distinct revenue. She is entitled to an an-
cient perquisite, called Queen go!kii./,(l7,tti.i reri tc.odfyabarlyei ois
nthr ie ('.runts,
King.egi, ,r
ez,,
arising front lines to the King.
other matters of Royal Etvour,
front licences, parlous, &c. and it becomesan actual debt
to the Queen's Majesty, by the mere recording the fine.
Bled:some adds (but without any commditary un the
fact, and referring, no doubt, to "brine,- times), that
" these matters of [[oval grace and favour, out of which
the ;Levin Beg:na• arose, were frequently obtained front
the Crown by the powerful inkreessiill of Mc Queen !"
The laarned Joke then mentions a curious anecdote
respecting the ;Lamm Regime, iu the reign of Charlet
I. a time (says he) fertile in expedients for raising mu-
nee. " The King, un the Petition (Allis Queen, Hen-
rietta Maria, issued out his writ for levying it, bat
afterwards iatechasrd it of his consort at the pier o/'
Ten ThimBand Pounds." As the accounts of the
Anion Regime have never been called tiff, nor sate.
[bitted to Parliament, it is bat fitir to presume, that it
has never been levied during the present reign. The
amount, however, of her Majesty's personal property
(independent of the accumulation of in jewels,
plate,
with the valuable pictures and ornamental fittire.
niture of Backinghant house and Fro more, which are
:.01 heir /owns (tithe Crown, mu be large.
Mr. Alesala+er Baring has been,inviteil teat teal the
i'osigreas at Aix-lu-Chapelle. This dis-
daubtless, owing to the intimate
approaching
etiottintitiwiLleTsrultists between that Gentleman teal
the peenniary arrangements made by Fleece for was-
f)dee the dementia of the allief Powers.
Nrondey tweeting the Deke and Duchess of Clarence,
iitteileed by Sir John iforhute %Vat ren, and the rotte,s
foram and suite, left their real icons in St. J.itiv's s
1'4:1.e0 to krecacti so Germany.