The Sun.
London, England, 1812-05-28 00:00:00

MR. pEitd.BVAL:

The follnwing, extract is made from a *lark re;.
eerie)/ published under the form of a funeraledisa
Coarse upon that distinguished Statesman and most
amiable man
He Was born in London in 177g2e He was the
second' son of the late Earl of Egmont. He was
sent at an early age to Harrow School. It usually
happens, that the boy gives Some indications of
what will be the 'future man'; and this is said to
have'been remarkably conspicuous in the late Mr.
Perceval. He was a school-fellow with Sir Robert
Wigram ;
,and Sir , Robert, as may be seen in the
public papers, in a recent testimony to his depart;
ed friend, mentioned with '-the most affectionate
sorrow, that the boyhood of Mr. Perceval was
almost as amiable as his riper life 5 and that the
same gentleness, the same benevolence, the same
goodness, were conspicuous in him from his ear-
liest years. His meekness; • indeed, which wets
one of his marked characteristics, seems-to have
been theconcutrent fruit of his nature and prin
ciple ; in early life he had it from nature, and
therefore was gentle and benevolent lvithont re-
flection ; in his riper years the discipline of Cheis,-;
tianity improved his natural sweetness, and he be-
came still More gentle, and still more benevolent,
because• he belonged to a religion, whose end and
origin are universal love,
It is of great-advantage to a young man to
have the example of goodness, and in some de-
gree, of greatness, before his attention, froni
early life. Mr. Perceval had this advantage even
whilst at HarroWe He was cotemporary, I be—
lieve, with Sir William Jones-5 a name which it
is impossible for any. Christian or Scholar to men-
tion.without veneration.-- I know not who, was at
the head of Harrow School at that time ; but if
the venerable Man be, now jiving,: his % sorrow,
which must be great, will still- be softened with
the consderation that he has given two such men
to his country as Mr. Perceval and Sir Williah
Jones. After having passed the usual time at
Harrow, he was sent- to Trinity College, Cam-
bridge. Mr. Perceval was eotemporary, in this
college, with many of the dearest connections of
his future life ; and from the manner,in which he -
apnecars to have been beloVed by them, it is a na=.
tural, and indeed, a necessary inference, that the
amiable qualities of his youth became strengthen-
ed with hiseyears.
He took the degree of Master- of Arts whilst he
was at Trinity, and was afterwards appointed one
of the two. Counsel of the University.
Upon the conclusion of his collegiate studies,
he entered hiniself a Men ber of Lincoln's
and pursued the study of Law as a profession.
He carried
.into this profession what it is to be
wished could be oftener found there. I linoev not
how it happens, bat' it has been, observed of the
. law, that.the profession are somewhat le.x both in
their religious notions, and in, their Moral prac-,
tiee. It is therefore' to , the high praise of Mr.
Perceval, that, instead of finding• and adopting an
example of laxity where so many Were laa arol:nci
him, lie became himself an example of piety and
goodneas.Tie
commenced his course as .a Barrister by ac-
companying the JudgeS through the Midland Cir-
cuit. Mr. Perceval buckted to the conflict of ta-
lent arel industry eyith all the aeimation which
made part of his character bat his emulation
itnrirtai not the sweetness of his temper nor the
evenness-of his mind. 'lt is in hurnanenature, that
our epasadons should be heated, and that our
lanzuage should be edged; in -the course of ci)n-
flict ; but the warm retort, or the biting sarcasm,
was no sooner -off the,tongue, than the heart, as
it were, came forward to healand to soften ; and
theie was no more grace in the atoneihent, than
there was pain or mischief in the errror. There
was something most delightful to the feelings in
this Splet.acie of the contest of 'the heart and of
the rssions—of e man and of his 'virtue.
It is not, perhaps, too much to say, that his
virtue helped him forward in his profession
much as his talents ; it very shortly procured him
attention and esteem ; and the immediate fruit of
such attention was that his talents became known,
and thereby duly appreciated : he was accordinga
ly considered as one who must eventually become
eminent. He was appointed Counsel to the Ad-
trnbiartalttlymeii
at an.r
nearly age, and in 1799 was honoured
with a silk gown. It was, about the same period
ersity of Cambridge expressed 'their
respect for him, by nominating him one of their
Counsel.

Mr. Perceval married very early in life, and the
.exemplary manner in which he fulfilled 'all.the do-
mestic duties is not the least pleasing part 'of his
character.' .A great, part of 'his youth was passel
at Charlton, in Kent; and froth the family of Sir
:Thomas SpenCer Wilson, Bart. in the sane pa- •
rish, he selected his lady. With her did he litre
more than t*enty years, in ithat sff)te of happi- •
ness which virtue and affection at all times se-
cure :—he has left. a large family behindllin, aad
has left them 'the rich inheritarKe of paternal vir-
tue and the public loge., r •
It would be unpardonable not to dwell upon
the simplicity in which he lived in the midst of his
numerous family. Many of those who shall 'read
this are, no doubt, good. husbands and affectionate
fathers; yet none of theM, though they may be
in•priyate life, can pass .a greater portion of their
time with their family than did .this first Minister
of the first kingdom in the world. if any of his
brother Ministers made him an ordinary visit,
they found him at' a simple family meal, or,
haps, writing in--the midst of his children playing
round ding.'

No one, indeed, dispatched the most important
public business with more ,ease, more simplicity,
and less ostentation. One of his young boys ac-
companied him to the House of Commons on the
fkal day which proved his last; and final
meeting of his children was at a simple family
dinner, taken in the midst of them; about half-
past two o'clock in the afternoon, on that ever-
to-be-lamented day.
• Mr. Perceval, was not ranch given either to
public amusements or fashionable visiting; and
when he did frequent them, he wa3 usually ac-
companied by •the greater part of his children.—
No man, indeed, passed:so much of his time in
this endearing societr..;• If, in any unexpected
emergency in publicsinesz, there WIS a. sudden
cssll for him„ no one ',had any difficulty in finding;

; every one I,neW where to seek him;. it was
in th; I.,:dniahr, rout, the gaming-house, or
ti-,e revel :2 of the tavern, but in the society of
own hearth and family.
Perceval entered into Parliamentary.life in
cOnequence of the-decease of mother's bro-
ther. A vacancy was hereby created in the bo-
rough of Northampton : Mr. Perceval was elected
I..lember, and. thereby entered the House of Coin-
inons. He entered upon action almost as soon
as-he entered upon duty ;he supported the mea-
sures of Mr. Pitt; and apparently, adopted that
system of policy upon which be ever afterwards-
. acted. Mr. Perceval adopted the zeal of Mr. Pitt
in his resolute opposition to redgious innovations.
He considered the Established Church as part of
the Constitution -of the country ; and that it was
no more a mere matter-of-course adair to- Make
any change in such establishment, and to depart
from the eeclesia.sticalinstittition,of our ancestors,
than it would be, to alter the succession of-the
Crown, .and to convert a monarchical into a re-
publican system.
It was another character in Mr. Perceval's po-
litical life, that he carried into it his private. vir-
tues ; there ,was a stream of candour running
throuubb the whole of his conduct, not very usual
in politic-al dealing. . • •
-Mr. Perceval became,Attorney-General inlßo6.
Vi' hen he ente.-ed Parliament, he deemed himself
to have entered ePon a course of arduous duty,
such as required an intimate knowledge of every_
branch of the Administration. He, therefore,
made it his study through alliti.detail ; and, per-
haps, no merrher (with the exception of the late
Mr. Burke) ever sat in that House who had ob-
tained this knowledge so early in life;- and.hav-
ing obtained that knowledge, he employed it more
for the public good than for oily personal pur-
, poses. Ile was particularly eloquent in support-
ing-the Bill for coprecting abuses in the Navy ;
and when he afterwards became - the head of an
Administration hinaSelf, no one did more, though
with little ostentation, to reform, purify, and
niethodise, the practice of the offices. This was
an effort of .as much delicacy, and even danger,
a:: of virtue and duty.
Mr. Perceval first appeared in opposition, on
the occasion of Mr: Fox and Lord Grenville be-
coming-the Minristers.tipon the 'death of Mr. Pitt.
I meddle: not with the political questions, and dif-
ferent and coutraryrvicm's of policy, which per-
haps honestly , divide the country : it is sufficient
to the present slubject to mention, that the con-
duct of \-.).1r. .I)eceyal in opposition, was animated
without aspefitirearnest without ostentation—
and attichzd to his own party, without an indis-
criminate contention witli his adversaries.
Upon the Mi-histry of 1806 quitting office, Mr.
Perceval becarrie Chancellor of the Exchequer, and.
thet'ein, I might sad, the first Minister in Europe;
. at a time when Europe had no hope but in the
ability of the Finglish Cabinet, and at a time when
a powerf-d party had -sufficiently seated itself in
Go. ern;nent influence and connection, as to be
enabled, by the operation of mere gratitude and
decent returns for favours bestowed, to array the
itoiume of the- Crown against itself, and to op-
•pose and ,impede Ministry with weapons taken
from its own armoury.

i It is stated, that the day before llr. Perceval
met death (Sandav), he inquired of his valet
what engages eats he had for that day ? Ile an-
swered; noae: " What not any one to dinner ?"
o. " Then.l and happy; for I shall have' a
plcasare I very seldom enjoy, of dining with my
family alone.", It so happened, that all his chil-
dren dined at home that day. In the evening he
called for a Pra}=er-bonk, and read the service to
Whole -family. At the usual hour, Mrs. P.
ordercd the children to bed, but he begged her
to give them leave to stay up 'a little longer, as
he so seldom had the enjoyment of their com-
pany altogether. When the time expired, he
kisied them all; and gave them his blessing very
reUtarkably. A Sunday passed in this manner
miLst be remembered by his relict with satisfac-
t.un, though tinged with the severest sorrow.
3144. Perceval,. very early on the morning of
execution of Bellingham, assembled her whole
family in her chamber, to pray forgiveness of the
Almighty to Elie murderer of her beloved has-
. banti, and their affectionate father ! The heart-
rimilingS of this pious and afflicting scene will
yeodily be imagined by every mind not insensible
to the natural impression of domestic virtues.

Extract of a letter from Lisbon, May 9:—

" Badajoz, Estremoz, and Elvas, have for some
time been crowded with about • 5000 officers and
men. The wouhied are doing well. - G,euerals
Colville, Harvey, and Bowes, will soon be fit for
service. Olonel Erskine, Colonel Blakeney,' and
,t64.tle others, are going to England;„ as welt as
Generals Stopford and Stewart. The Light Pi-
: which was 'commanded by the late Gene- •
ral- Crawford, has been given to General Charles
A:ten.."
A letter from an eminent Merchant at Liver-
pw)l,-dated.the 23d inst. says—" The AmeriCan
vessels arrive here in shoals, forty, in a week,
. bringing 25,000 bags of cotton, besides other pro=
of all, kinds. Does this look as if they syere
p+,,g to war with this, cour:try ?—Their - whole
navy carries 330 guns, equal to three of our first
rnes,.vet somne. would- have us to believe, they
attack us band And foot. A pretty. figure
ill cut if they do !"
Three hundred of the "German regiment of Hesse
~I),...anistodt,' who formed part of the
,garr'hOn of
lladaioz., and who volunteered into the German
3 ,e;.: ion, -.tere lately lauded at Plymouth. They
..
are fine' looking plea- and eN. press the highest de-
, t'stati6n of the hardships they suffered in the
•rench service. *They say the French owe them
arrears of pay.
Majeslv's Justices of Assize (Dallas and
Li‘!-, or) , du r ',the 'Special Commission, arrived
in Chester ot, AiloAdaylvening, when they
(I,ened
_the Court.-. On Tuesday,. their,
attended church ; after :which Judge
!'. i• ; deli\ charge to the Grand Jury :
i* • - :etoref, likely;business would be pro-
' ceeded on I,2fore -Wedueschqtruorning.

MINUTES OP EVIDENCE,
Taken before the Committee of the whole Itouse,
to whom it was reftrred; it() consider of the•seueral
Petitions, whicii. hare been presented to the
House olCommons, in this Eession OfParliament,
against the Orders in Council.

Joy 30° die -IpriliB, 1812. •
TIMMAS BABINGTON, ".,3(z. h the Chair.

Mr. SHAI.i, called in and examined.
[Continued front our Paper of Yesterday.]

Upon the subject of the probable benefit to be-
derived from opening the ports of America, the
examination proceeds : •
Do you believe that if the • manufacturer at
Birmingham had 'a tree open trade to the United
States .of America, and to all parts of Spanish
America, arid to such parts Of Europe as are not
in pbssession of the enemy, that in that case the
workmen' of Birmingham would have tolerably
good' employment %—Every one. of them would
have 'employment,. I think, with the United
States of America and the Continent.; without
.the near ports we should_ be Nay employed.
Then is it your opiniOn, that if there was an
open track to the States of America, and all other
parts of America, that that, without .a continent-
al.ciemand; would give fiill
.employ to all the ma-
nufacturers of Birmingham ?-I\l6t without some
portion-, of trade to other ports that are now
open ; my answer was,- that if the United 'States
were open, with "what we now have and what
we might expect in that case, I think we should
be fully employed. .
Therefore, if we, had a -free intercourse with
America, the manufacturers of Birmingham would
have employ taent beyond the reach of 'the enemy
to controul think they would, and I judge
from 1810, when we were shipping ; the last
opening to the United States seemed to employ
every hand, with that trade we had besides.
The great sufferings of Birmingham, therefore,
have existed only since the trade to the United
States has been cutoff?—The greater part of it ;
we had a less demand from other places, but 'we
could bear it better. -

When you state that
,You might export goods
to the Continent, if the Berlin and Milan De-
crees were repealed, do' you take into account
what is called the Continental system i.do you
knorci what is called by the Goyernment of France
the Continental system ?—Not particularly.
Do you know that France 'has declared that
British merchandize shall never be imported into
the Continent, although the Berlin and Milan
Decrees are repealed?--No, I do not know that ;
they would not send the goods without the mo-
ney being lodged here, of course ; I should sup-
pose they would not. -
If there were a law in Francseto. seize and con-
fiscate the manufactures of Birmingham in.all the
ports of the Continent to which the power of
France extended, do you think the repeal of the
Berlin and Milan Decrees would restore the trade
to the Continent ?--No I would not send any
thing wilt the money. •
Do you t link the money would be sent when
the goods. could not be exported ?—.l should think
not. •

Do you remember the state of Birmingham in
the year 1800, when there was a former scarcity ?
—Yes
_5 we suffered very much from the scarcity
then, but not so much from,the want of trade ;
we-suffered a good deal fr(im the high price of
provisions ; but the middling arid higher orders
having a good trade, they made subscriptions for
the poor ; I was Overseer of the Poor at that
time, and when we have a good trade, we forget
our sufferings entirely ; if our people are em-
ployed, they arc in general contented and com-
fortable.

Can you speak as to the general disposition and
state of mind of the workthen of Birmingham
now ?--They are generally very wen affected, so
far as I have seen, and very patient under suffer-
ing's ; the masters have taken in , goods much
longer than' it answered their purpose;: I have
myself bought goods when I- did not want them,
in consequence of the sufferings of the poorer sort
of manufacturers 5 they Will come and offer their
goods, but they seldom complain ; they are ge-
nerally very decent, orderly people, and very well
disposed ; I believe they suffer very materially,
indeed I know they do.
And in general with patience ?.—ln general
they bear their sufferings with great patience ; all
they cry out for is work. -
Do you know whether, within the last 'three
or foiir years, money has been consigned by Ame-
rican merchants-to England, to be laid out in Bri-
tish manufactures on the repeal of the Orders in
Council ?—I have heard so, but I cannot speak
to that myself.
[The Witness was then directed to withdraw.]

Mr. JAMES RYLAND, called in, and examined.

In what trade are you engaged ?—A plater of
coacb-harness and saddlery furniture.
Where' have you carried on this manufactory ?
—At Birmirfgham.
How long have you been engaged in it ?
About twelve years ; more than thirty the hOuse
has been in the American trade, but I have been
in-the connection only about twelve years.
Has your family, as well as yourself, been en-
gaged a long time in this line ?—Yes. .
To what market has the principal part of the
goods nianufactured by the house been exported
--The United States of America.

Have the house been considerable exporters of
this article there ?—Yes, the principal part of our
manufacture has been exported there.
At what time did this trade begin to fall off?--
In the Spring of 1808.
In what state has it been „since that ?—ln a
very bad state indeed ; at intervils, we have ma-
nufactured a great many goods but it has been
very bad-indeed the greater part of the time since
the Spring of 1808.
How was it after Mr. Erskine's arrangement in
-1809 ?—Very good jrtstat the fall of 1809.
How vas it in 1810 ?—,Very goad indeed. •
• How was it in 1811 ?—Nothing at all; we did
not manufacture any thing in 1811 for that
market ; nothing since the fall of 1810.

LO,NRON: I,!.rint,d.by THOMAS WOOD, of No. 35, Maiden-lane, Covent-garden.; and
At the SUN OZFICE, Nro.. 112, Strand, where Advertisements, Orders fa

. .
! What proportion tiots that inatlit bt!at tg Four
manufticture t*O=thirdsj if not
three-fourths. •

Are there other houses in the same line,
_in
which it bears a similar proportion ?.--.Yes, se-
veral.

Is it upon the whole a considerable line of
trade at Birmingham %----Very great.
In consequence of the, fall off' of this market,
and the decline of yOur trade, have you turned off,
or 'noty any part of the 150 hands you used for-
merly to employ ?.--A-few of theta; the rest have
been pa.rtially.employed..
By partial employment of remainder, what
wages have they earned fatterly3.--Those that
Would before earn from thirty to thirty-five and
forty shillings a week,. about twenty ; those
from twenty, to eleven
.or twelve, or thereabouts.
Has there been in general the deduction of
about due-half upon the wages 1.---Yes, I think
there has. •
_ _ _

You have said that., you keep a considerable
number of your . men still employed ; does, the
proportion of your men; whom you keep still in
a certain degree. of employ, 'exceed those for
whom you haiVe occasion ?-0 yes, very much at
pre:sent.
Do you inconsequence, accumulate more foods
than you haVe -an. effectual demand for ?—Yes,
our stock is tA'vo or three times as large as ever 'it
was ; 'indeed our shelves are so loaded, that it
will be-impossible after a time, if there is no
market 'open, to take off the goods that we should
continue to manufacture ; the greater part of our
capital is absorbed in. stock.
In the event of no.such favourable change-hap-
pening, what will you do with the hands you at
present keep employed ?--We must of course dis-
miss them. . .

, Canyon Cal to what amount yourself, and your
neighbours in the same line of trade, will be ob-
liged, if no favourable change takes place, to dis-
miss your hands Clare say to .the -amount, of
two-thirds of those at present employed for that
trade.

How niany have you at present emp►loyed (
About the same number as in the year 1807 about
150.

Hitherto, then, you have not turned off many
of.your hands ?---Not many, very few. -
The diminution in their 12.bour you have'effect-
ed, has been to employ them few erdays per week ?
—Yes.

- -7 -
And to pay them in the proportion you have al-
ready de§cribed, smaller wages ?—Yes.
To what cause do you` attribute the falling off of
the trade in your line of business ?----To -the An‘e-
rican market,being closed against us.
To what do you attribute the closing of the
American market against you I say to the
Orders ill Council, I shall say, that prTious to
the Orders in Council, our trade was in a very
flourishing state, that we were-full of orders, and
our workmen full of work ; but since the issuing
the Orders in Council there has been the falling Off
I have stated.

You mean to say, that you attribute the falling
off of the trade in your line to, the Orders in. Coun-
cil ?----Before the Orders in Council were issued,
we had a good.trade, and since the issuing the 'Or-
ders in Council, we have not had that trade.

. _
Did you state that there was a very great trade
in 1809 ?—We were very full of Orders in the fall
of thatyear,-when the arrimgement was; made by
Mr. Erskine, and in 1810 we were very full of
trade; from the beginning of June during. the re-
mainder ofthe autumn, we could have manufae-,
tured double the quantity of goods. we did manu-
facture, if we had hadhands.
_

= -
Were not the Orders in Council at that time in
force in 1809 and 1810?-1 do not exactly recol-
lect the date of the is,uing the Orders in Coun-
cil; •1 believe they might be; but since 1810 we
have had nothing at all to do for the American
market.

Then, when. you stated that .the fallirkg od'' had
been since the Orders in Council, you :supposed
the Orders iii Couaeil to have passed in:1810y
No.

How can you state that the falling oLhas been
since the Orders in Council issued, if you do not.
knoW. when the Orders in Council issued I—The
moment I was asked the question, I did not ex-
actly recollect the date; the, Orders in Council
were issued in November 1807, and in the spring
of 1808 our trade fell off very much. indeed, indeed
".;o much that we did not manufacture . any thing
for the American market during the year 1808 ;
we Inv had partial demands since the issuing of
the Orders in Council, but that is all; , but I came
to represent the present state of our trade, and the
consequent state of our workmen, who are in .a
state of extreme distress.
You have stated, that in 1809 the demand was
very great, and in 1810 so great that you could
not supply it ; that if you could have made double
the number of manufactures, you could have ex 7
ported them; do you then mean to say that that
effect which was felt in the spring of 1808 alone
was the effect of the Orders in Council :--I must
beg to say that our trade has not been any thing
like, since the issuing the Orders in Council, what
it was before:
If those years were averaged, would they be
greater or less than the emplOymentS in former
years
,of your business I—Very much less, because
when I state that.we had a good trade' in 1809 and
1810, I do not say the whole of 1809 or the Whole
of 1810, but merely- for the fall of bOth those
years.
Are not the principal shipments to America in
:the fall; in the autumn I—Spring and fall, perhaps
the principal in theffall.
Was not the business of 1809 and 1,810, taken
together through the whole of those years greatly
beyond yOur former_eXperience I—ln 1809, not in
1810, certainly it was for the goods for the full
trade ; I do not mean to say, that for the fall of
1810 we mannfacturedsmore than we had in any
former year.,

(To be continued.)

Recent letters from Paris notice the recut of
intelligence there of the assassination of Mr. 'Per-
ceval. ' The fact is stated in the papers, with the
observation, that .it had caused a. great sensation
in London but without any:further comment.

_ - •"
LONDIJN (LIZE TTE, May .Z 6.

-
IT ar-nMer illam 9.6 'l'l. -
Vatteville'snegittmot—:Major Ref_iolishe tie May io he Li ,•-
teliant-Colonel. vice Wattevilie, appointed to the cominan4
Of the Regiment. '
Cominksions signed by the Loth Lieutenant of the Cnauty of
Soinerset.

SoMerton and Langport Regiment of Local. Militia.—Jolin
Frederick Phiney, L3q. to be Lieutenant-Colonel C,,ni-
niandant;, William Pylie, Esq. to be Lieutenant-Colonel;
Richard Welch, Esq.!to he Major. •
Poiden-Hill'Regiment.—lienry Strangewayds, Esq.• to
be Lieutenant-Colonel
,Cominandiut ; Gc.uld, Esq.
to be Lieutenant-Colonel ; Sbuckbrough How,' tsq. to" 1)e
Major.

Ei;siS;)nerset Regtment.—Will;am Woodfortte, Esq. to
Lieutenant-Colonel Command4ot ; Trison; E 44. to
be Lientenaot-Colonel • Riebard t,eir, Eqy to be 111a.o.•

.
West SometiSetßt.gituent.—Tho;nailineliler Lett; frriige,
to be Lieutenant-Coionel Coto:namiant •, John F0w!..e.,.; Late;
r,.;11, juu. to be Lieutenant-Colonel ; John Ashley I,:i7;trre;
Esq. to be Major.
Bfldgewater Regiment—Jorevs Alien, ,Esq. to be Lieui
ant-Colonel Commandant. ; Joseph Jefft.,.r,i', Esq. to be 1.:e:1,
tenant-Colonel Robert Codrington; Esq. to be;slajor.