The Statesman.
London, England, 1818-10-17 00:00:00

o=7---
Bat, alas! the only secure medium, ' or at leas
that which is imitated with the greatest difficulty,
namely gOld, is now no longer a part of our cur.
rency. Under the influence of a currency, which
every engravet's boy can imitate, crime and confusion
■lust prevail, and no man's property and personal
freedom can he safe. An instance occurred in the
early part of the week, to which we may be allowed
again to call the public attention.
It was stated in the report of examinations at
Guildholl, that a lad, about 18 years of age, named
William Brown, was brought before Mr. Alderman
WAITHMAN (on Monday), charged with uttering a
one pound fergrd note, a ith intent to defraud the
Bunk of England. The account of the examination
we wilt cr.py as follows :—`"Thomas LLoTo said he
resided in Aldersgate•street, and sold groceries. On
Saturday evening, between ten and eleven o'clock,
the Prisoner came to his shop and selected a few ar-
ticles, in payment for which he tendered a one pound
note. Witness suspecting it bad, asked him how he
came by it. Ile replied that it was a very good note,
but his other answers were equivocating. Witness
advised him ' not to trifle with his neck,' at all
events, but to tell the plain truth. The Prisoner
then said his name was Smith, that he was a watch•
maker, and resided in Barbican. This story was•
not believed; and a person known to the witness,
then is We shop, agreed to go with the Prisoner, and
ascertain the truth of his story. It proved to bei,
false. The Prisoner was immediately conveyed to
the watch-house, and the note deposited with the
constable. The witness afterwards gave his charge:
The officer produced the note, and Mr. CHRISTIAN,
the Bank Inspector, immediately pronounced it
forged. Alderman WAITIIMAN desired the witness
to look at the note again strictly. It seemed to him
well executed, and he had been made acquainted with
numerous mistakes respecting Bank notes. He had
himself known Clerks of the Bank to take in payment
• forged notes, as good, which sarhegtiently proved
bad. Mr. CHRISTIAN said be was ready to admit
thus! Clerks might make a mistake! but it was
impossible for an Inspector to do so ! Ile could tell
almost at a glance, whether a note was good or bad.
A Gentleman in the office denied this; stud said he
had knouts asst instance recently, where three out of
five in the Inspector's Office, declared a note to be
good, while; the other tzzo pronounced it bad! !!"
Now, if the latter statement be true (and there is
authority sufficient for the fallability of Bank Clerks,
if not for that of the all:perfect Inspectors, who,
like lights- in sepulchres, enlighten but theutsel►es
and call for judgment upon life on their ipse disit),
who shall say that a system fraught with such inse-
curity and danger to the Public ought to be tolerated ?
The cry is naterally far the remedy. We say the
Public ought not to be obliged to find the remedy.—
It is well known that the forgeries are chiefly u?on
the small notes, as these ate most abundant and moat
easily circulated. Why then does not the Bank call
in its small notes or, diminish their number, if it
can find no other remedy ? If we were to suggest a
means of checking the evil and of assisting the Cnan-
cectoaf of the EXCHEQUER in his distress, we would
propose that the notes of the Batik of England should
be stamped and bear a tax; and we cannot see why the
paper of that establishment, which derives so many
millions from Government, should not be taxed as
well as the notes of other Banks.

The Funds have experienced a rise of nearly one
per cent. yesterday and today, owing, it is said, to
the scarcity of Money Stock ; the Commissioners
finding some difficulty in obtaining their usual
quantity.
Yesterday the Earl of Livcoroor, end Viscount
SIDMOUTII had audiences of the PatNce lIEGIENT at
Cariton.house.

The Government of Hayti hes granted to the wi.
dow of PETION • pension of 4000 :minks, and 1500
to each of the nephews, in recompence for his ser-
vices.

The French say, that the diamonds in which Lady
CASTLEIIEA9II has appeared at Aix-In-Chapelle, are

wortl► four French Millions-167,0001.

A New O►leans Paper of the 25th of July saps—
There is reason to believe that the report circu-
lated in this city some time since, respecting the cap-
lure of a Spanish frigate by AURY, and his subse-
quent death, is unfounded. We observe in the Jo-
inaica Papers, that the Mexican Congress, Commo-
dore AURY, sailed from Lime-key, in Jamaica, on
the 20th ult., where she had anchored the preceding
day ; And that on the 25th she boarded the brig Suc-
cess, bound from Paraguatta for Kingston. Not a
word is said about an engagement, or the death of
AVKY." •

A merchant vessel which reached Cadiz on the
14th ult. reports having heard at Cape St. Vincent a
vigorous cannonade; it was presumed that an action
had taken place between the Insurgent corsairs and
the ships expected from the Ilavannah, with consider-
able sums of money on board. The circumstance
hid redoubled the anxiety of the merchants, which
had before been considerable. A frigate had left
Cadiz for the situation from whence the firing had
been heard.

On Thursday, Mr. FISIIER, an officer belonging to
the Dorothea, Capt. BUCUAN, arrived at the Ad.
miralty with dispatches, announcing the return of
that ship and her Consort, the Trent sloop, from the
North Pole. It appears that the highest latitude the
.‘0
ships ever attained was about 80. 30., longitude 12
east. They attempted proceeding to the westward,
bus, as in the case of Captain Purrrs, in the Race.
bore, in 1778, they found an impenetrable bar.
tier of ice. The ships proceeded nearly over the
same space as Captain nitres did, and met with
similar impediments as experienced by that officer.—
The Dorothea and the Trent an on their way to
Deptford,