The Statesman.
London, England, 1812-04-16 00:00:00

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up and cauterized the feelings of all who witnessed
the-punishment. To some men flogging might seem
marcy, hat he would not indulge them in their wish.
Could any thing be more displaced, than to set apart
a class of our. fellow-citizens, and demand from
them a callousuess and insensibility which we would
not allow in any other class in the British dominions.
%Vitae we cherished all the kindly affections in every
other branch of the comm u nity,and doomedthem tosttch
a rigorous and unfeeling system, had we not reason to
apprehend the effects either in after times, or in
times nearer our own ? If the soldier ought to be
set apart as Little as possible from the citizen, how
could they justify a punishment which was confined
exclusively to the soldiers, a punishment which de-
based those who suffered, those who inflicted it, and
those by whom it was witnessed. It was his firm
I conviction, that if our soldiery had not been trained
and accustomed to the system of flogging, they never
would have been seen to lend themselves as they
' did, in a certain reign of terror in a neighbouring
Ikingdom, which he hoped yet to'see investigated.
I [Hear, hear!] Ile had in his possession a book of
punishments in one ship, in 1809, kept by the mas-
ter of arms ; and in six months there were upwards
iof 14,000 lashes inflicted. This was enormous, when
the proportion as to severity 'of flogging in the navy
I was considered. In one part of the book a person
I was entered as having leaped overboard and been
r drowned, to avoid three or four dozen of lashes.
IMr. WILBERFORCE explained.
'Mr. ROBINSON could conceive nothing a greatet-
-4:lnsultto the service, than such allusions to flogging ,
in the navy as had been made by the Hon. and
Learned Gentleman (Mr. B.), without giving the
,i.House the means of ascertaining their truth. They
were little less_ than a flesh on the whole navy,-
Pear, hear!]—lle could tell the Hon. and Learned
Gentlera.an that there was nothing to. which the Ad-,
miralty paid so Much attention, as corporal punish.
meats ; that returns of all the punishments inflicted
in each ship were sent to them ; and that had such a
case occurred, it would have met with their repre-
, hension.

Mr. BROUGHAM professed himself, willing to
deliver up the book to the Admiralty. He believed
it might he of service to them.
Mr. LONG wished to correct an Hon. Baronet
(Sir F. BurdetOin an assertion he had made respect-
ing an order of the Commander in Chief, refusing
prosiints to persons labouring under blindness. •
Sir F. BURIATT and Mr. LONG mutually ex-
plained.
Mr. BROUGHAM wished to be informed by an
Hon. Gentleman (Mr. Robinson) at whet time Re-
Auras of Corporal. Punishments were ordered by the
Admiralty ? •
Mr. ROUIN'ON could not recollect when.
_ _ _

Mr. LAMBE, though not prepared to concur with
the lion. Baronet (Sir F. Burdett), or his Honoura-
ble Friend (Mr. Brougham), wished to rote for the
motion, 'because the production of the paper was ne-
cessary to the case of Gentlemen on the other side
bf the House.

Mr. BENNETT shortly replied, when the Hodge
The Noepbers were—Ares 17—!fees '
r••
The House then resolved itself into a Committee
upon the Irish Tobacco Duties Bill, when Sir JOHN
NEWPORT proposing to divide the House upon a
clause, Mr. WELLESLEY POLE said he would
[report progress, and ask leave to sit again, which
was aecordiutly done. The other Orders of the Pay
were then disposed of, when the House adjured at
Eleven o'clock.

_.....~.

litir-grirAiiimAN. •

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46 •

toot from 6 to $OO stand of arms, which they
broke in pieces. The military now arrived, and
pieserred. the remainder. The • volunteer cavalry
Mere called together, and the Local Militia drums
beat to arms' under a very strong guard. Many
thousands of people are collected, and we areal un-
der the greatest apprehension. The head-quarters
are at the Tontine, with a nuriber of cannon planted
before the house. Hitherto Oro lives have been lost,
bet we look forward with terror to the consequences,
as great numbers are out of employ. The cause is
obvious: those ridiculous Orders in Council (as they
are called), effecting for BONAPARTZ what he was
not able to do himself ; and I have no doubt there
is a spirit aroused in this country, that nothing will
allay but Goternment acceding to the wishes of the
people.
ANOTHF.R LETTER.
I have only just time to inform you, that a riot of
a most alarming nature took place this morning.—
Amongst other outrages, the rioters got into the ar-
mory, and have demolished all the stands of arms
belonging to the Local Militia, amounting to more
than six hundred. The soldiers are now scouring
the streets, and have taken several of the ringleaders
into cdstody. The shops are all shut in, and every
one appears to view with agony the complicated_ mi.
4ones which surround ut: .

/ .
b'
EXTRACT FROM ANOTHER LETTER.
When the Magistrates and Constables got amongst
the.mob, they were knocked down. The horse were
brought from the barracks, and the cavalry called up.
i An express is gone gone off' to fetch the Doncaster
rind Rotherham militia and cavalry, and all is now
1 (eight o'clock) dreadful confusion. The mob are
threatening to pull the Town.hall down, and the
military have levelled the cannon, chargedwith grape
I shot, against them, if they attempt to proceed. The
Riot Act has been read three times, but all to no
I parpose.
}XTRACT FROM ANOTHER LETTP.R.

The foot are presented acting; pa, the mob went
to the military store-room, burst it open, and, after
destroying about 700 stand of fire-arms, broke all
the windows of the house. It is as dreadful a scene
as I ever saw. Two post-chaises of rioters are gone
for York Castle, guarded by cavalry and two field.
pieces. Artinerymen hare just passed to guard the
ammunition. This has an awful aspect. It is now
eight o'clock and thousands of people are collected.

Letters received in town this morning from Liver-
pool state, that great apprehensions are entertained
there of a rising of the populous, and that the mill-
tart' had been called in from a►l qtiarters.

.04171.41.45,EA ERlGicrP..
11FILLIMITTI4 Ann. 4.—=Attires the brig Florezi.
from Jaseeice, is 55 days, and brings an account of
the capture of a frigate, of 44 guns and 400 men,
else SOO troops on board, belonging to CURISTOPRE.
She was, when captured,, going against PETION.
The following are the particulars :—Captain Sir J. L.
Yr*, in his Majesty's frigate Southampton, of 3.2
guns, when on a cruise, fell in with a large frigates
which he hailed to know what nation she fr.:longed
to, but getting no satisfactory answer, fired a, shot
over her, which was immediately returned, and a
sharp action instantly commenced, which lasted
for two hours, when the enemy, not having a
mast standing, struck her colours; she proved to
be, as above stated, commanded by a Frenchman,
who was killed in the action. Captain YE° had
only twelve men killed and wounded; the Amethyst
had 350 men killed and wounded, they were prin-
cipally blacks. Captain YEo, after landing those
that survived the action at St. Domingo, proceeded
with his prize, and has arrived safe at Mount Bay.:
A corvette brig was in sight at the commencement of
the action, but made off. • I

Though nothing has transpired to enable us to form
an accurate opinion respecting the views of BONA.
PARTE) the immense armies he is collecting together,
and the hostile tone which the French Journals have
of. late assumed, in reference both to the army and
any of that Empire, sufficiently demonstrate that
this extraordinary character is about to achieve some
"mighty project of the mind" with which he has all
along been occupied while confined to comparative
retirement at Paris, in th4posom of his family. It
was said of PoMrp', that le could raise legions by
the stamp of his foot : the same observation applies
with eqnal truth to NAPOLEON, who, before the ex-
piration of little mere than two monthi of the present
year, completed the Conscription for 1812. Formerly
the Emperor of the FRENCH, was in the practice of
announcing to the world, in an official Declaration
or Expose, the immediate object hr had in view
when he collected his armies together. In the pre.
.sent instance, however, be has merely confilted him! i
;off .to a desni-official statement of the amoent of
Military and naval strength, and noticed the different
stations which he hat allotted to each division, With.
out affording us any clue by which we can develope
hiaseal purpose. By this document, insetted in smother
column of ourjournal, it will be seen that thesrmy des-
tined to take up a position on the Oder sad the Visr
tole, amounts to 500,000 men--a foreesufticiant of it-
self to secure to NAP° Leos, the empire of the Conti neat,
even were he without troops in any other quarter. I
But, beside* these numerous legions, " 50,000 men
form pimps of reserve for die protection of the
coasts of 'France, Italy, the kingdom of Naples,
tad the Illyrian Provinces,' Mille " six armies,
salonntiet to nearly 300,000 men, are in the Peek'.

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Aoe