The Statesman.
London, England, 1823-07-30 00:00:00

FROM SOUTH AMERICA.

LIMA.—Jose Tatle was elected by the Congress, Pre-
sident, on the 27th Feb ; but owing to the dissatisfaction
of Sarta Can, and a few others, he was removed the fol.
lowing day, and Rovaquera chosen in bis place. Boli-
var's assistance, and tbat that of Chili bad been solicited
without which, it is sapposod they could make no resist-
ance. Despatch's from La' ltmel Miller represented him
in a dangerous situation; the movements of the Royal-
ists left him little hope of escaping.
SANTIAGO.—The Peruvian Deputy Lanes,. bad ar
rived at Santiago front Callao, to pro•mre asiistan—ce
and it was said 4,000 men were about embarking for
Entremedos. The town of Tacapila, Lad been taken by
the Royalists, and the Governor Madrid. Government
had decided on accepting the loan from England, and
one million bad been sent separate for fitting out the
expedition for the assistance of Peru.

r._. - .

Mr. Owen took the chair at the meeitink which he bad
advertised for yesterday, at the London Tavern, and
went into a detail of the nature of the plan by which be
proposes to redress the grievances of Ireland and Great
Britain. When this Gentleman first addressed the
public of the metropolis upon this subject, we thought
there was a much more important business in hand—
namely a much shorter road to the same object; and
we were therefore unwilling that any tub should be
thrown out to divert the whale. What can be effected
by Mr. Owen's plan would be necessarily distant.. The
villages are to be built, the minds of those who are to
inhabit them are to be formed anew—in short, an expe-
riment is to be tried; which, though it has succeeded
with Mr. Own, in one instance, may even fail with
him in another; and is most likely to fail under the
superintendence, or even with the interference, of any
body else. Those who have read Mr. Owen's works,
must have been compelled to conclude that Mr. Owen was
wanted at every step to be taken, in the progress of
carrying his ideas into effect : and we do not believe there
is another Mr. Owen in the kingdom—that is, that there
is no other man with hie means of doing good, who will
be content to live as much for others as for himself.—
There is one indispensable preliminary to the success of
his plans. The earth will bear enough for all. There
is no doubt of this :—and when Magistrates can award
the sum of two-pence farthing per day for the mainte-
nance of a pauper, even Mr. Malthus must admit that
there could be no fear of " the pressure of population
against the means of subsistence," if twopence farthing
a day would represent the amount of produce to be con-
sumed by every individual. But how will Mr. Own
settle with those who will have the labour of a hundred,
or a thousand, to provide the daily subsistence• of one?
—This is the question. " Meat, clothes, and fire," may
be all that nature requires ; and the multitude might be
satisfied with them, and happy ; though no gold had
ever been dug" out of the bowels of the harmless earth."
But the oppra asors of the multitude will not be so content-
ed. While palaces must be built for idlers, the labourers
mast be content with cottages ; and if the idlers have
more than ordinarily sublime ideas, and would raise " more
splendid columns to insalt the skies," the labourers:may be
driven to stretch their limbs upon the bare ground. There
is one important benefit that might be derived from
the association of INTELLIGENT men in the villages of
co-operation. They might be TOO WISE to labour for
others the oppressors see this. They do not want
men; but' drudges upon two legs to do their work.
Hence those who did not seem averse to Mr. Owen's
plan, at first, having had time to reflect that Mr. Owen
means to instruct as well as feed them, hold back their
hands :—and after fire years of exertion Mr. Owen finds
the New Lanark Institution a solitary example. The
meeting. yesterday was respectably attended ; bat the
speakers, except Mr. Owen, appear to have understood
nothing of the matter. They seem to have gone there
fur the purpose of speaking only; and would not waste
any time in thought the subject. Mr. Owen was neither
supported, nor refuted. He was amongst men, as far as
the speakers were concerned, who agreed, or differed
from him, as their incli nations prompted ; bat they had no
power of supparting either the difference or the agree-
ment. The Duke of Leinster, and the Hon. Col. L. Stan-
hope, were present, but did not address the meeting,
which was adjourned until to-morrow.

AN.

The alarm lest the contest between France and Spain
should produce any serious differences between the French
and English Cabinets, is gaining ground ; and in spite
of the assurances of our Ultras, that the French are do-
ing nothing that can be construed into an offence by
Great Britain, the speculators in the funds seem to have
but little faith in such declarations. A Ministerial, or
we should rather say, a Bourbon paper of this morning,
endeavours to show, and from our own authorities too
that the pretended blockade of the Spanish ports of
Cadiz, Barcelona, Santotia, and St. Sebastian, are re-
gularly formed; and that the French have a
right to capture all vessels attempting to enter.
Though the authorities to which he alludes, are none of
the best, consisting only of Admiralty reports, a speech
of Lord Orenville's, and a declaration of the Whigs of
1806,—we are ready to.take them as authorities, and to
shew that the blockades in question are not regularly
formed ; and that any capture of a British vtssel at-
tempting to enter either port, is an insult to, and an
outrage upon, this country, which a British Administra-
tion would resent, if it dare. Lord Grenville says,
" that it is lawful to Naval Powers, when engaged in
war, to block the ports of their enemies by cruising
squadrons, bona fide allotted to that service, fairly com-
petent to its execution." Now, perhaps, the French
force at Cadiz may deserve the name ofannad,•on; though,
for the blockade of such a place it is evidently in-
competent to perform a tenth part of the functions
of a blockading squadron. Ships, under all flags, hold It
daily in contempt; and it is a question whether a couple
of well manned British frigates would not either blow
it out of the water, or send it borne again. It is al-
manac& as well as trifling in nominal force; and could
hardly do any thing more than bring a steam-boat to,
if it bad the wind in its favour. Our Bourbon scribbler
next quotes from the Admiralty Reports, that —" A
blockade is a sort of cireuravallation round a place,
by which all foreign connexion and correspondence is,
as far as human force can effect it, to be entirely cot
off."—(Vol. I. p. 151) One would really think the man
was here quoting against himself, with as much fury as
he abuses his opponents. Nothing can be farther
from the character of the French blockade of Ca-
diz, than this description. The foreign connexion
and correspondence continues nearly uninterrupted.
We know • of nothing but a British steam-boa
which has been absolutely prevented from entering.
Other vessels have been held in check, for a little while ;
but a little skill and perseverance enables most of them
to reach the port in safety, in contempt of the French
d citcumvallation!" We are now speaking of Cadiz.
Before the other ports of Barcelona, Santos:, and St.
Sebastian, the Preach have not even the pretence of hay-
ing cruising squadrons. All the vessels of war which
the French have on the coast of Spain, mi3Ost form a

small squaitonea t half uunrritas edough to form the
Aileckade of Cadiz; but scattered about the m, u he of
some half dozen ports, and of a Lich there is no part
stationary, except at Cadiz, the pretence of block-
ade is one of those monstrous absurdities, of which
aloe but a Bourbon Government could be gulty;
and with which none but a weak and trucklhrg
stration like oars would submit to. It is guile at
ridiculous as if Napoleon bad declared the Thames in a
state of blockade, with a French privateer (depending
on ite swiftness in sailing for its security) to enforce ir.
As the Spaniards have no Navy, they cannot protect end
mouths of their harbours from the depredations of the
French; bu. our traders would mount a few carrot:.
ades, and chew a disposition to ascertain whether there
was a sufficient strength to enforce the blockades, there
would Soon be an end of them.

The French scrip is declining. Yesterday it fell to
par., and though it recovered a little, the. fears of the
contractors must be a little roused as to the -success of
the speculation. We have no regard fur the contractors,
nor for the subscribers.—On the contrary, we most
sincerely wish they may never have it in their power to
fulfil the obligations the loan imposes opon them. Those
who are so ready to arm the hands of murderers with
the means of destruction, cannot be too soon deprived of
the power to, do mischief. Nor do we much pity the
dupes who second the contractors by purchases. It is a
horrid feeling that persons should depend upon the suc•
cess of their speculations, on the success of the French in
butchering the Spaniards. Yet this is the case with the
subscribers to the French loan; and their hopes, if they
have any regard for their own pecuniary interest, most
be :or the eventual establishment of a despotism, after the
slaughter, in the field, or on the scaffold, of men whu are
guilty of nothing but the crime of sharing in the English
wish for freedom.