Star.
London, England, 1808-03-22 00:00:00

STOCKHOLM, MARCH 7.

The Russians entered Finland on the 20th ult.
previous to which (on the 18th) they issued a Procla-
mation, of which you have t copy enclosed. This in-
sidious, but contemptible document, is evidently of
Parisian composition, though issued at St. Peters-
burgh; it is said to have been translated into the Fin
. language by the traitor Springporten, who, to the
eternal disgrace of himself as well as his employers,
at this moment commands a division of the army at-
tempting the invasion and destruction of his native
land. lam told, a second Proclamation has likewise
been issued, offering personal protection, and a pecu-
niary reward of five rubles, to every soldier that will
bring over his arms to the Russian Commander; but
I rejoice to addo.hat both Proclamations have met
with the contempt they deserve. GOD grant the same
patriotic spirit may continue, and I feel but little un-
easiness as to the issue. I sincerely hope England
will send a strong fleet into the Baltic as soon as the
season permits, which will prove that she is zealous
in onr support, and inspire a degree of confidence here
that will have the best erect. Our task is arduous ;
but I trust, with exertions, our difficulties are far
from insurmountable. .

The reports here of every day, and indeed every
hour, are so various at this anxious moment, that it
is difficult to collect the truth. You may, however,
depend• on the following particulars of the affair
which took place on the 24th ult. A division of the
Russian army, of upwards of 22,000 men, attacked
between S and 4,000 Swedes, composed of Nyland's
Dragoons, and two or three regiments of Infantry,
at Forsby, near Helsingfors, where they had, consi-
dering the disparity of numbers, a severe conflict ; but
the Swedes were obliged to retire, upon which the
Russian General determined to surround, and take
them all prisoners: With this intention, the Russians
crossed a small lake on the ice, without suspecting
any opposition ; but at the edge of the lake on the
other side, General Baron Aminoff had placed a
masked battery of six guns, and when the enemy
approached within gun-shot, he opened a tremendous
fire of grape, which killed immense numbers, and put
them into such confusion, as enabled the Swedes to
retire in good order.
The King is expected in town to-morrow, to remain
here some time
MARCH Io.—The accounts from Finland have not
been so favourable as could be wished, but the Swe-
dish army has now, concentrated itself. General
Klingspor has taken the command in chief : the
army is in high spirits, so that we hope for the best.
As yet no affair of any material consequence has
taken place.
On this side the gulph, the regiments are putting
in motion all over the country, and the utmost acti-
vity every where prevails. The cavalry is colic=
at Arboga, Orebro, Kioping, and other places towards
the frontiers of Norway, to oppose any sudden attacki
from that quarter. The citizens of this place have
been required to enrol themselves by the beginning
of April, to do duty in case the guards should be
withdrawn
The fleet at Carlscrona is getting ready with 41
possible speed, and will put to sea as soon as the brea-
king up of the ice permits. It will consist of at least
I I sail of the line, 8 frigates of 44. guns, and 5 smaller,
besides sloops, cutters, &c. and the y fleet.
With all these preparations, our ears greatly sub-
side. I am, however, extremely anxious to hear that
an English fleet has been dispatched, not only from
the actual protection it will afford us, but from the
confidence it will give us in the support of oar more
powerful ally.

PdRLIAMENTARr PROCEEDINGS.

HOUSE OF LARDS, MARCH 21.

At three o'clock their Lordships met, when several Ms re-
ceived the Royal Assent by Commission.
Several Ellis were brought up from the Commons.
Lord ERSKINE presented a petition from John Bcllenden
Kerr, Esq. against the claims of Sir John Innis, Bart. to the duke-
dom of RoxLargh, which was ordered to be referred to a Com-
inittee of Privileges.
The LORD CHANCELLOR brought in a Bill for the better
Administration of Justice in Scotland, so far as the same related
to the transmission of Appeals. With regard to the principles of
the Bill, his Lordship declined going into any discussion at pre-
sent, reserving any oh•ervations he had to mar t.:ttil the st.oend
reading of the Bill, which was then read a first, and ordered to be
read a second time.

MAW:TIPSTER PETITION.
Lord AUCKLAND presented a petition, sinned
by a number of the merchants and manufacturers of
the town of Manchester, trading to America, against
the late Orders in Council, and praying to be heard
by themselves and Counsel, upon the subject matter
of the said Orders.
The petition being read, and ordered to lie on the
Table,
Lord AUCKLAND again rose to move, that the
petitioners be heard by themselves and counsel upon
the subject matter of the said Ordirl, and prefaced his
motion by submitting to the House the great incon-
veniencies which arose .from the Journals not being
regularly printed, which had been the practice until
within the last thirty years. In consequence of this
omission, many NOble Lords were wholly unacquain-
ted with the proceedings of the House : and he men-
tioned this more particularly now, as he had searched
the Journals for precedents to suppiart him in this mo-
tion, many of which he had found completely in point,
but upon which several Noble Lords were perfectly
ignorant. His Lordship then proceeded to state the
various precedents be had found upon this subject, and
concluded with the motion Already mentioned.
Lord HAWKES BU R Y contended, that this pe-
tition did not go the length of complaining of any spe-
cific bill, or other proceeding then before the House,
except so far as related to the bill before their Lord-
ships for -discussion this night ; and that being a bill
raid and supply, there was no question at all as to
iiinpractickility of hearing Counsel upon that bill;

in order, however, to meet the wishes of the Noble
Lords opposite, as there was a bill in its progress
through the House which had a reference to the Or-
ders in Council, namely, the bill for prohibiting the
exportation of cotton wool, and ia which those pe-
titioners must natt.rally be interested, he moved, that
the words, " on the subject matter of the petition," be
'left out, and the words, " against the cotton wool
prohiVtion bill, and such other matters contained in
the Orders in Council as these petitioners could
shew a distinct interest in," be inserted instead thereof.
Lord GRENVILLE opposed this amendment,
conceiving that it was made upon a wrong founda-
tion. The object of the petition was to be heard
against the Orders in Council, and not against the
Cotton Wool Bill, neither of which had any refer-
ence whatever to the other. The object of his Noble
Friend's motion was to open the doors of that House
to the complaints of the people, that they might ex-
ercise those rights and privileges which they had so
long enjoyed undisturbed and unopposed : those
rights and privileges were the dearest objects of the
people of this country, and they were not now to be
debarred of them by any side-wind of the Noble Baron's.'
The LORD CHANCELLOR. asserted, that, as
the Bill on the table was a Bill of Aid and Supply,
upon which, according to all the usages and prac-
tice of the Houses Counsel could not b.. heard, he
should upon this principle oppose any such measure.
Lord GRENVILLE and the LORD CHAN-
CELLOR severally explained.
Lords GREY and ERSKINE contended, that
the people had a right to petition generally agair.st
any grievance, with -he view of procuring redress by
the proceedings of ...he Legislature.
Lord SIDMOUTH contended that the Petitioners
had a right to be heard by themselves or Counsel
upon the subject matter of their petition, nor did he
see that It was necessary that their petition should
relate to any specific measure before the House.
Lord HAWKESBURY said he should not permit
the Bill to meet with any delay in its f trther progress,
from any petitions which might be presented against
it. It was found to be a just, exped.ent, and neces-
sary measure. The mod-2 he had proposed would
have obviated all difficulties upon the subject. His
Lordship complained of procrastinating these peti.
tions to the last moment ; the parties might have
presented them at an early past of the Ses ion, when
they might have been fully discussed. The Orders
in Council had been on the table of that House from
the opening. of the Session, and were particularly
adverted to in his Majesty's Speech.
After some further observations from Lords Lau-
derdale, Grey, Auckland, and Erskine, in favour of
hearing Counsel, and Lords Hawkesbury and Buck-
inghamshire against it,
Lord GRENVILLE moved a further Amend-
ment upon Lord Hawkesbury's Amendment, that the
words, a upon the Cotton Wool Bill" he omitted.
Upon this the question was called for, and Stran-
gers were excluded; upon our re-admission we un-
derstood Lord Grenville's Amendment was with-
drawn, and Lord Hawkerbury's and the original
motion respectively negatived without a division ; so
that the petition remains on the table without any
further proceedings upon it.
ORDERS IN COUKCII.
Lord BATHURST then moved the seconchread-
ing of the Orders in Council Bill. He briefly stated
the grounds on which the measure was adopted. In
retaliating upon the enemy, he said the object of Mi-
nisters was to give every practical facility to neutrals
that could be Oven, consistent with that purpose.—
They might carry on a circuitous intercourse with the
enemy, if they chose to come here, bat to do so they
were not compelled. In adverting to some argu-
ments unidon a former evening, against the mea-
sure by Erskine, he put the case, that there
were two paths leading to the house which his Lord-
ship lately purchased in Sussex, and that lie had a
right to shut up both; and asked whether, if he chose
to leave one open, his neighbours ought not to thank
him for that indulgence, instead of complaining that
he had shut up the other. He then stated, that our
allies were ready to make every arrangement that *as
necessary for giving effect to the Orders in Council—
and also, that it was intended to prevent British as
well as neutral vessels, from carrying colonial pro-
duce direct to the ports of our allies.
Lord ERSKINE opposed the Bill, as being foun-
ded in a measure of whw.h neither the legality, justice
or necessity had been proved ; for their Lordships
had disposed of all the Resolutions proposed on
those topics by the previous question.' He mi-
nutely discussed the point of order connected with the
order of 1702, and contended that none of the prece-
dents quoted on a former day justified the House in
entertaining the Bill in its present state. In thb course
of three centuries, there had been no bill of aid or
supply, but what purported to give and grant to his
Majesty the tryniey of the people of England, and
not that or wiitral and unoffending nations, which it
was the ohje:t of the present bill to grant. Ministers
ought to have called it a blockade of aid and supply.
The Noble Lord who had last spoken' in alluding to
his estate in Sussex, had given a defective illustra-
tion. lie should have put the case of a man who
had quietly resolved to take the path which had
been left open to him ; but on entering it, found
himself obstructed by a person, who levelling a pis-
tol at his head, should say, Yes, you may proceed,
but you must first give me your purse, for I have
laid this path under a blockade of aid and supply.
Lord SELKIRK censured the Orders in Council,
as being almost nugatory with regard to the enemy,
and harassing and irritating with respect to neutrals.
Lord REDESDALE contended, that the Bill was
justifiable according to the law of natidns. He also
defended the course of proceeding which the House
had adopted with regard to it, asserting, that it in no
respect contravened the order of 1702.
Lord HAW KES BU RY supported ; and Lords
King, Lauderdale, and Grenville opposed the bill.
A division then took place, and the motion was
carried by a majority, proxies included, of 116 to 59.
The bill was accordingly read a second time, and or-
dered to be committed.
Adjourned at half past One o'clock.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.
lise B➢l foe constructing a Bridge across the Thames, from the
Savoy Precinct to Caper's Bridge, was read a second time.
Lord G. CAVENDISH presented Petitions against the Bill
from Earl Siemer, and other Proprtr!ors of Battersea Bridge.—
Ordered to be beard by Counsel against tilt Bill on the third
reading,