Star.
London, England, 1818-02-27 00:00:00

•

LONDON.

1G STAR.

.THREE PRIZES OF .150.000.-
One Hundred Capitals.--Tweioe Pipes of Port.—
Next Wednesday, 4th Mara, Loner! draws.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 1818.
THE !FUNDS.

R OF STOCKS THIS DAY AT TWELVE O'CLOCK:
Reduced 790—Cons. 79I—Cons. for April 79i
4 per Cent. 99ii—Navy Annuities 104
India Bonds 94 pr.—Exchequer Bills 17 21 pr.

This morning we received Halifax Papers to the
18th of January: they contain no news of any im-
portance. • The General Assembly had been pro-
rogued by a proclamation by the Earl of DALHOUSIE,
from the 21st of January to the sth of February,
in consequence of the death of her Royal Highness
the Princess CHARLOTTE. The Levee that was to
be held at the Government House on the Anniver-
sary of the QUEEN'S Birth-day, by an order from the
Governor, had been put aside.

We are sorry to observe that the Bill for regu-
lating Steam Engines, now before the House of Com- '
mons, contains a clause to compel the adoption of
boilers for their Steam Engines made only of wrought
iron. Legislative interference in matters relative to
Machinery can only be productive of mischief, and
we hope that sense enough will yet be found in Par-
liament to resist any attempt thus made to fetter the
ingenuity of our Mechanists. From the Steam Boat
Report of last Session, it is apparent that great im-
provements have of late years been made in Steam
Engines ; and it is evident that a regulation, which
if applied to the mining concerns of the Kingdom,
would entail upon them absolute ruin, cannot ulti-
mately be beneficial to the Steam Navigation.

The examination of Limbrie.4 before the Commit-
tee of the House of Commons, at Newgate, respecting
the two boys Kelly and Spicer, now under sentence of
death, has disclosed a scene of habitual intercourse be-
tween thief-takers and thieves, which is very shocking.
There are many simultaneous or consecutive measures
'no duubt necesssary for perfecting the police of the
metropolis and the country : but of this one existing
evil of thief-taking—throwing all the others out of
our consideration—we are quite certain, that so long
as it continues unimproved, our prisons will still teem
with callous offenders preserved as decoys, and youth-
ful depredators marked out for destruction ; and the
next generation will be more profligate than the pre-
sent, and so in succession tell the evil remedies itself-
-The father of Kelly, the boy, says, 4. Finney sold
his boy like a bullock ;" and so he might ; but how
did that father bring his boy up ? We observe, from
Limbrick's evidence, that he knew young Kelly
when his father kept a disorderly house. What
could such a father expect from his children? If
Finney disposed of the boy when he was fit for slaugh-
ter, who bred him and fed him for the shambles?
0 parents! attend to the education of your children,
if you hope to be happy in them ; and above all, give
them that best of education, a good example.

The following is the substance of the Petition now
CON the table of the House of Commons, from the Bri-
tish Claimants on the Government of France:
.6 That by a Convention signed by Lord Castlereagh, the
Duke of Wellington, and the Duke de Richelieu, at Paris, on
the 20th day of November, 1815, concluded, in conformance to
the 4th Article of the principal Treaty relative to the examina-
tion and liquidation of the Claims of the subjects of his Britannic
Majesty against the Government of France, it was provided,
amongst other matters, that the subjects of his Britannic Majesty
having Claims on the French tiovernment, who, in contraven-
tion of the eal Article of the Treaty of l'untmerce of 1786, and
since the Ist of January, 1797., had suffered on that account by
the confiscations and sequestrations decreed in France, should,in
conformity to the 4th additional Article of the Treaty of Paris
of the year 1814, themselves, their heirs, and assigns, subjects
of his Britannic Majesty, be indemnified and paid : and which
Convention your Petitioners believe to be already before this
Honourable I louse, and printed by your order.

" That on the part of the British Government, ill Claims for
the maintenance of French prisoners of war in England, during i
the late war, were abandoned, on the express condition that
the Claims of your Petitioners, and all other British subjects, to
their property (which, though considerable, is yet very inferior in
atr.ount to the sum so relinquished), should be satisfied and paid
by the French Government.—That the Commissioners appointed
to examine the Coausercial Claims of British subjects on the
Government of France, In pursuance of the said Convention,
and provided for in the 6th Article of the said Convention, have
not, at nearly the end of three years (notwithstanding the pro-
cess prescribed on the part of the said British Claimants have
bzen complied with, and vast expense been incurred in the pur-
suit), determined, liquidated, or settled, any one Commercial
Claim, as far as your Petitioners are informed.—And your Pe-
titioners shall ever pray."
We understand that a proposal has been made by
the French Commissioners, to pay some of the claim-
ants of that class according to the depreciated value
of assignats when the embargo was removed in
France, and which would reduce the debt due to the
English merchant to only one third of the original
amount without interest. A very liberal offer this
certainly, when contrasted with our conduct towards
the French claimants, more especially when it is
known that, by a decree of the 16th October, 1793,
the French Government forced their own subjects,
under pain of death, to exchange all their specie of
every description in their possession, against assig-
nat., at par, thus depriving them, by a forced circu-

lation of paper, which ultimately became of little or
no value, of the means of satisfying their creditors in
this country. By such a measure, it is very obvious
that the Government of France is alone responsible
for

the debt owing to British subjects, and no other
instruction is put upon it by the Treaty concluded
with her. We trust then, our Army will not be re-
moved, till it is fully and fairly liquidated.

The following is an Abstract of the Bill now be-
fore Parliament intituled an Act for indemnifying
Persons who, since the Ist day of January, 1817,
have acted in apprehending, imprisoning, or detain-
ing in custody persons suspected of High Treason or
treasonable practices, and in the suppression of tu-

multuous and unlawful Assemblies :
The preamble states, that " Whereas a traitorous conspirac.
was formed for the purpose of overthrowing, by means of a ge-
neral insurrection, the established Government, Laws, and
Constitution of this Kingdom : and whereas divers persons have
tumultuously, unlawfully, and in a disorderly manner, assem-
bled together under pretence or for the purpose of proceeding
tb London in such numbers as greatly to disturb and endanger
the public peace and tranquillity, and to cause terror and intimi-
dation in the minds of his Majesty's loyal and peaceable subjects:
and whereas in order to secure the internal peace and tran-
quillity of the country, and to counteract such traitorous con-
'piracy, it has been deemed necessary, since the Ist day of
January, 1817, from time to time to apprehend, commit, Ito-,
prison, and detain in custody divers persons suspected of nigh
Treason or treasonable practices, and to seize the papers of
divers of such persons, and also to disperse the persons so tu-
multuously, unlawfully, and in a disorderly manner assembled to-
gether as aforesaid, and to apprehend, commit, and detain in
custody divers of such last-mentioned persons, and to search the
houses of divers persons for arms and other offensive weapons
concealed or suspected to be concealed therein ; and whereas hi
case the acts and proceedings of the several persons concerned
or employed in such apprehending, committing, imprisoning,
and detaining in custody, and dispersing and seizing and search-
ing as aforesaid should be called in question, it may be impos-
sible for them to justify or defend the sans: without an open
disclosure of the information given, and the means by which the
said traitorous designs and unlawful purposes were discovered ;
and it is necessary for the safety and protection of the persons by
whose information and means the ikune have been discovered,
and for the future prevention of similar practices, that such infor-
mation and means should remain secret and undisclosed."
It is therefore enacted, that actions and proceedings on ac-
count of any thing done in apprehending and imprisoning per-
sons charged with High Treason, &c. shall be made void, and
the persons against whom such tions are brought shall be in-
demnified. If any action or suit has been or shall be commen-
ced, the general issue may be pleaded, and this Act given in
evidence, and defendants shall have double costs. In actions
brought in Scotland, defenders shall be allowed their expenses.
Application may be made to the Court in which the action shall
be brought, or to one of the Judges if the Court be not sitting,
to stay proceedings, &c.

By the Royal Marriage Act two modes are pro-
vided by which the Princes of the Blood may marry :
1. By the KING'S previous approbation, by and with
the consent of his Privy Council, and consequently,
by the same authority, in the name and on behalf of
his MAJESTY, by the PRINCE REGENT. 2. By the
Prince intending to marry, if he shall have attained
the full age of 26 years, entering on the books of
the Privy Council such his intention, specifying the
person, which notice shall authorise the union, unless
both Houses of Parliament sh ill, before the expi-
ration cf twelve months, from the date of such entry,
expressly declare their disapprobation of such in-
tended marriage.
A marriage ts said to be in contemplation between
the Earl of Hoszantsty and La yCA ROLINE GRAHAM,
daughter of the Duke of Mo .TnOSE.
The late Lady MARY KER was the sister of the
late JOHN Duke of ROXISUR and was one of the
claimants of his immense es .ites. She resided con-
stantly in London, and th-Pigh a Lady of the Old
School, she seldom saw the Still—she lived chiefly by
candle-light !
The Will of Lord WALSINGH %NI has been proved
by GEORGE Lord WALSINGHAM, the son, and ED
WARD BOODLE, Esq. the Executors, on the 19th inst.
and the personalty sworn under 200,0001. the stamp
duty on which is 2,700/. The Will is principally con-
fined to family connexions, with the exception of
some pecuniary legacies to his friends, including one
of 100 guineas to his very intimate friend, Lord EL-
DON. He lays a strict injunction upon his sons, or
into whose hands the same may fall, not to publish
any of his manuscripts, memoranda, or papers of
office whatever.

The State dress in which JOSEPH BONAPARTE ap-
peared as Sovereign of Spain, at his first Levee, is at
this time exposed for sale in the window of an old
clothes shop at the west end of the town. The coat
is of the finest blue cloth, most superbly embroidered;
in gold, down all the seams, cuffs, collar, and pockets,
with oak leaves and acorns, and it is said originally
to have cost between two and three hundred pounds.
Green Room Report speaks in high terms of a
Musical Piece, forthcoming at Covent-garden, from
the pen of Mr. TERRY, Author of the popular Play
of Guy Mannering. '
A Drama, founded on the Romance of Rob '
is getting up at each of the Winter Theatres. The
music of that at Covent-garden is selected by DAVY,
and of that at Drury-lane, by LANZA.
The Falls of the Clyde, and The Cobler of Preston,
.are amongst the novelties preparing at the Dublin
Theatre. In the former, Miss KELLY is to resume
the character of the heroine, which she performed at
Drury-lane Theatre.
The following fracas happened in a public house
in Glasgow on Tuesday se nnight :—A mechanic
taking a draught of porter, was asked if he had any
news ? when he replied that the only thing which he
had heard was the melancholy death of the physician
who had attended the Princess CHARLOTTE. A mes-
senger (Sheriff's Officer) sitting with some other per-
sons within hearing of the conversation, now pounced
on the mechanic, collared him, and charged him with
uttering sedition, and added hat the statement was
not true. The man was detained nearly two hours a
prisoner. They at last relented so far as to offer the
man his liberty if he would give them a gill or two
of whisky. The mechanic was not disposed to ac-
cept his release on such terms, and was then escorted
prisoner to the Procurator Fiscal's Office. Here the
messenger charged the prisoner with having said that
the Doctor who had killed the Princess had shot
himself. The mechanic therefore was guilty of sedi-
tion. This was pronounced by the Public Prosecu-
tor to be absurd, and the man was forthwith released.
This doughty messenger and his concurrents were
probably so drunk that they were unable to see any
difference between sedition aa4 nonsense.