The Statesman.
London, England, 1818-04-20 00:00:00

!;-V.

FESTIVAL, op SAINT PAM__
On Satorday the Annivereary Festival of the St.
Patrick's Benevolent Institution was held at the
City of London Taverns' his Royal Highness the
Duke of Kent in the Chair. The Royal Chairman
was accompanied by Lord Castlereagh, the Duke of
Leinster, the Marquises of Heedfort and DOwstshite,
and several of the Irish Noblemen. The Royal
Chairing', took Incision to enlarge ott the merits of
this benevolent Institution. He observed, that three
hundred children were slow dependent on its bounty,
including those under the course of instruction, and
those nho were out on apprenticeships—as number
far exceeding the amount on any presinus occasion
since the Institution was first founded. It was,
therefore but tight In him to assure the Meeting, that'
the Governors in making the exertion had in fact
forestalled the fruits of the liberality and kindness .4
the Meeting on that day. Protection had been af-
forded to the very extent of their means, for he must
tell them that in consequence there was little more
than forty pound: in the 'nutria of the Trea.urer.—t.
did indeed afford him a aistc.revatisfaction to ace hi*.
leg there supported hy such a respectable number of
the Irish Nobility:. lie wished from hiithyall, that the

•1

Wolin'lion had been doubled, nay tripled —[//ear,
hear !"1— For he must he allowed to say, that it one
the duty
of the Irish Nusiiii!y la sacrifice a small
'Portien of their lime, to uphold an institution which
dispirited the blessings of into to 1
pretection one
the helpless children of their poor countrymen in this 1
metropolis, thus preserving to the State a number of
useful subjects, who, without such aid, might pro-
hably, from the poverty of their unfortunate parents,
!meow. the victim, of ignorance and crime. - -[Cunt
timed cheering] 'Two years had, passed since he
Led the honour of meeting the society, but it • was
with pride, that on his temporary return to his native
country, he had accepted the invitation of presiding
there that day.—Uleae,hear!l—Not that he could be
unheedfel of the just regret which those whom he
addressed, in common with the country. must feel
at the melancholy event which deprived them of the
presence of that respected character (the late Mr. Pon-
sonby) who was at the last meeting appointed the
chairman for the present anniversary, and whose
vacancy he, with a full persii.iun of his comparative
inability, was that day called upon to supply. On
that invaluable and lamented character he could itt-
sdeed speak long ; hut as much of what be could say
Weight lead to topics tootling to produce political feels
log, the introduction of which there he had been the
most ottlicitoes to deprecate, he would abstain.
All 'mold eive him credi' when he assured them,
that though little was sail iso that subject, much
went to the beam—pear, hear!]—And here he
lest also state, that though absent for the two
last years he a not inattentive or uninformed
of their proceedinga. It was with pleasure,
of no light degree. that he found that the N&,le Lord
' (Castlereagh) near him haul so ably mointained in the
Ch•ir, 8,0 ill, last year, the spirit of charity, conies
harmony, which tt e object of the Ileitis
twine was SO ralrutaterl to inspires and which it
:would be his highest gfirifiration to see continued so
long as ha' had the honour of being its patron.
(near. par!). Let the Meeting but direct its vittw
at present .to the place from *notice he addressed
them, end they • ould see highs public characters i'f
all political parties, all united in the benevolent work
of epholdieg the intereats of the charity. Ile would
not presume to arrogate to himself the credit of think-
iog, that Bich a beneficial effect was his wools. hut he
must feel that on the occasion alluded to, he had felt
it his duty to tell some home truths, whit It he per.
coifed were received in tbe.spirit in which they were
meant. (Hear, hear!) He had only to repeat his
hopes, that the meeting would feel the necessity of
the claim he had made on their liberality. They
would remember that 115 admissions took place last
year in the fullest confidence that the subscriptions
of this day would slimily the deficiency. Ile en-
, treated them to follow the pimple of his illustrious
tektite. (the Prince Regent), to persevere as he did
in the constancy of his bnusaty. As Irishmen they
must recollect, that the support of the helpless and
the u..prntred of their poorer countrymen, was not
a favour but an obligation. (Bear, hear!) To himself
it would be a bonsolation to know, that he had not
made the appeal in vain. When he consitlered the
warmth of generous feeling which characterized the
Irish heart, he flattered himself that he would not be
disapponited.
The Marquis of Dowesetes begged to be per-
mitted to call the attention of the cutnpany to a sub.
Jett which was of great importance to the Institution.
When the Welsh Charity was proposed he most
Iseartily assented to it. fur he highly approved of the
ftettner in which that Charity was conducted, and he
thiteght that if the present Charity were upon the
same plat, it would be a great improvement. Ile did
not meats to ray shit there was any neglect on the
part of those who so meritoriously conducted it, hut
'he conceived that there was still something worsted,
which in his mind was very necessary. Re alluded
to some public building, where the business of the
Soelety might be carried on. The Welsh sod other
ehatities had such building', and he thought it a dis-
grace to Ireland that she should tint have a similar,
possessing such means as the did. Ile begged, there-
fore, to propose that a Meeting should he held neat
Saiur•lay, at Freemasons' Hall, for the purpose of
eettsideting a proposition to that effect, and of the
best means of carrying it into effect. If there was a
building where the children might be educated, with.
reference to different sects of religion, it
would, be thought', be productive of very, good
etfeC' s.
Mr. Ilistteeoit, approved of the object of the
Noble Marquis's (Downshire) motion, but would
trespass for a moment to propose, that instead of
meeting on Saturday they should adopt an earlier
day. By meeting at the Freemasons'-hall, a couple
of hours before St. Patrick's ball on Friday nest,
after transacting the business of this Charity, they
might give pcolOtion to another Irish Institution,
conducted by a disinterested Lady, whose eulogist*
the Roes! Chairman had heard pineoenced by an
Irish pastor, and whose wrongs liad been recognized
by his Illustrines Colleague in benevolence. Some
Gestilionais litothei celled order, Mr. 11. appealed to
the Chair, that as the wrongs to which he elleded
were not of a polities, eaters, he was perfectly in
order.—Teti Mb of Kest haring informed Alta that

TAE grATitgMAN.

I •

%tardily had been selected on aectient of a Parlia-
mentary 7idjournment intended for that day, the
Speaker expressed his perfect ihtisfactioh, and sat
down.
Lord CatetcatAder,in jsrapttilegthehealth of the
Royal Chairnsati,'corogratolated the Meeting on hav-
ing his first assistance on his arrival in this country.
The Duke of Kest, in returnioe thanks, did dot
know that he might have the pleasure of Again pre-
siding at the Annirepary,lnd took that opportunity
of proposing as President,'in future, a Nohl*liton
well qualified to the Office, the Duke of Liinstet.-'—
(Loud Alidanse.)
A large subscription was Mae in the room, and
the Mooting continued to enjoy contiilal intetederse
until a late hour.

•
RUssIAN FINANCES. •
A Meeting was lately held at St. Petersburg'', Of
the Couocil of the different establishments of Na-
tional Credit. The Minister of Finance read *to
them a long export relative to the progress of the sys-
tem of credit and its present state. Betook • review .
of the benoficial effects which had 'mired from the
Pot/vial Banks established withal' the lest 30 years,
and fro* the solicitude manifested by the Goferb-
fraeo.troatta amidst all she embarrassments of remit
hies, ter,
,keep faith with regard to the public credi-
,tom. H then particularly directed their attention
ti the financial measeres of last year. 'The proposed
'lea.► had to.ly answered the eapectationof the Co-
vernmeist, and foreign c..pitalists had taken a very
constdrrairie. share of il,'lhe advantages resulting
from which wet'. too (Winos 'to require being diss
14ted ups's' at any length. It demonstrated the
confideirce that prevailed abroad in the recterces
and good fai,h of the Government, and enabled
it to improve its system of finance, without divert-
ing too great a portion of native capital twin the
c'sannels in which it usually flowed. The loan had
already produced a sum of '28,000,000 of roubles;
by the aid of which, and other appropriatious. Go-
vernment had been enabled to withdraw front circu-
lation paper-money to the amount of. 38,000,000 of
enables; this was doings great deal for the first year.
Government, indeed, had no wish to proceed with
too rapid stride. its the redemption of the paper; for
a iyttem of gradual, but steady and certain opera-
limo, was in every respect preferable, inasmuch as it
would prevent those 'hocks which too sudden a re-
duction might occasion to private fortunes. The ac-
, counts of the different establishments, be said, would
be aohnsitted to their recision, and the Government
would gratefully receise any °bye. vatiotss the Coots-
cil might have to make upon the subject. The
I Council thee appointed a Committee to eaamine the
laccounts.

The E,ri of FIFE has presented Mr. KEAN with II
the identical disk. which was worn by his Lordship's 1
aocestor, M'l)urr, in the combat in which Macasvir
fell ; the weapon has been in posseision of bis Lord-
shid's family ever since that memorable day.
Mrs. Fay rind her daughter have recently been on
board one of the vessels destined for Botany Illy, In
which are between two and three hundred female
convicts. She caused them to be separated into
classes, snit kindly laid out their little stock of mo.
sey in articles of clothing, &c. best suited to their
wants on their arrival in the Colony.
Yesterday, Mr. J AMES WILLIAM, printer, of
Portsea, *ho had been sentenced to a year's impri-
sonment in our jail, and to pay a fine of 1001., for
publishing Parodies on the Litany, Bc. was released,
by an circler from the Secretary of State.—(l./antp-
shire ntegraph, Saturday.)
On Saturday se'nnight there was a numerous Meet-
ing of the Gentlemen and Freeholders residing In the
neighbourhood of Epping Forest, to oppose the
Bill which Government is about to bring into the
Ilouse, to disforest the Crown lands. 'Dupe of
the Verderers were present; Mr. MONTAOUI BUR-
novirra, one of them, declared himself a friend to
an enclosure, which would provide employment and
food for a seperaboodaut population,' who were
starving for want of work, and said, he thought
Government was in duty bound not to permit
12,000 acres to remain a waste in the vicinity of the
metropolis. He declared that he thought he could
not betfrr serve the Freeholders, who had elected
him a Verderer, than by prarnoting the cultivation
of this waste, and making that useful to the com-
munity, which at present was an encouragement to
plunder and eery species of immorality. 11e es-
pressed himself convinced, that thoup the Free.
holders of Chigwell and the vicinity were hostile to
the measure, that of the great body of Freeholders
of tile county, 19 not of t.lO were friendly to a
measure which would find employment for the
poor, and produce a considerable quantity of food ;
the opposition, however, was agreed on to the Bill,
end a Committee appointed.
Lord MILTON met with a verinnv accident when
hentinir on Saturday week. In taking a leap his
horse felt with him, and bis Lordship's collar-booe
was broken. .
It is rumoured that a matrimonial alliance is iti
contemplation between the sister of the much-heloved
Prince LEOPOLD and a member of our Royal Family.
Should this event be brought to the desired conclu•
Simi, Prince LEOPOLD is said to have signified his ill.
fruition of relinquishing a part of the princely in-
come which he owes to the liberality of this country,
towards improving the situation of his favourite sister
and her Royal Consort.
1 colts Exceasin ms, Ara ?O.—The supply of Foreign
and Eneti-h when, ()tang low canard a redaction 4444. twat all
dr.eriptouti..—F"reigo 114rlev 4.. lower aline liaglishls.theaster
it oa thi, 'toy werk.—Oats is. lower.—La Peas and other
al Otter no alterataoa.
a sou oinglinr) .... 70 V 2 ' Grey Pam AS SI
Sew ditto i• • ... Beans . .
Ditto (Foreign). ..... -156 96 Oki do. .
Rye ......
.........40 Si rink do 4O SO
sat ler • - .... ..... ..14 Si • Oats
New. .. g
M*lt
*kite .Peas 44 44 I Feed do. ' .• 4•• • IS Yet
New ditto.... — 1 Visa. rlOtsc • ...s.•••. 15 114)
Ditto Builds ....... ; 54 FG ! &valid,— •
........ 70* '0
31dITtlYliLD MA Ith F.T. APRIL 70. ' •
To vial (be Ofal. peremoe of SID& ..
loot; --- So- • td. to 4a. 'M.( Head of Cattle UP. as..
tattoos ..4s. 6f. to 6• 64. Ream
treat,.: fir fir Od. te Os. OL Sheet and Lambs . .... Hake
rottt_42, §. s. 0.1. ti is 44. Cases ..... .... Mt .....
1511' ."76.' 11. "ItlrNiArtitrill'...LlC;ii. n r
,I' Mt
' fa..4a.s: M. OA. nil. to CIPI'3OI ail a:l el I
av •- - . bt. 11.. 04. to it. 7, (M. . . ~
SM. ........ X . at: till. to SI. Ss: 04. ',