The Statesman.
London, England, 1820-07-26 00:00:00

TILE WAN VOR IWO.

Wasatxu?ox, Juxu 23.—The time fur receidag
Impost& fur the 6 per cent. Loaa of two million,
expired on Wednesday. The offer of the Mink of the
United States, which was 4 per cent. premium spots
the whole Loan, being the most favourable, has been
wepted--the whole amount which was offered above
psi
!.oats would
nearly six millions. The premium on this
would thrnbtless have been touch greater bat
for the uncertainty as to the term of its durations, it
Wag redeemable at the pleasure of Uovernment.
SAVANX.I.U. Jere 14.--Lettars from several of the
West India Islands state, that owing to the great
droa;ht the crops are spoiled. la some parts where
last yap 2 or 33100 llobeshearls of Sugar were natal',
64 2 or 710 can be produced this present season.

In the House of Lords last night the principal be-
appears to bare been to take measures for en-
suring a numerous attendauce of the Noble Members
en the second reading of the Bill respecting the
4,lvaax, and for providing adequate accotnenudations
for the occasion. So completely have the proceedings
ott this subject taken possession of the public mind
t!.at it way seem iucotupatible to notice the motions
of Lord latoruomer, by which this business was pre-
reeded. Ills Lordship's motion was fur returns of all
Commitments made out ander 'Listing flame Laws
since the year 1514 ; sad his object, which is of no
inconsiderable importaace to the peace and moral wel-
fare of the community In the inland parts of the
country, was to .uwertain the alterations that had
taken place in consequence of recut Acts. The
principle from which, as the Noble Lord had sag-
grated, these Acts arise, was salted only to the periods
.rhea within' was hell valuable bat lead, sad se
pursuits 'apse or to the plesiaaros of the chic.. Ms-
iittgartaat as the objects of the system; are II reopect
mosef Mu, 161 imaetweite of the redoes statutes
we et material areagereee to the geed spier of tbo
"asl7,_ • Coarsely patellar Orders es a &mewl
""N GAY a settled hostility semis; the awl.
*We wade, 4 nettled 654407 galifff I,he dlh
relate and daring. At wte time, the iota hofottr,6*.•
awe thee 11011 wee were ezpeeed to the ruldshwat

and moral contagion of prisons, on account of the
offence of poaching. For the sake, therefore, of the
public morals, as well as the public react, it is ex-
pedient that the system be revised.
The Motion of Mr. WermatteLL in the House of Com-
mons to direct the Attorney Ueberal to prosecute the
Editor of the Westrrn Luminary, for passages reflect-
ing on the QcztN, excited, as was anticipated, a high
degree of interest. The terms on which these passages
were censured on Saturday and Monday in the Covrier
and Marxist" Punt, were sufficient to apprise the pub-
lic that the libel on her Majesty was about to receive
each a kind of animadversion as began to make the
waiter feel alarm. Mr. Wernentu.'s motion though
„withdrawn, chiefly, it would appear, because the
offence could only by a fake construction be deemed
a breach of the privileges of the House, had the effect
of uniting every party in the Assembly in reprobating
the atrocious scurrility in question, and of producing
an assurance that it was the intention of the Arroa-
Nev-Uatinnah to proceed against the author of the
libel. Such an opportunity of declaiming against the
general litentiott.ness of the press was not. however,
neglected by the Members of the Uovernment ; and
with even-handed justice, they engaged to balance the
prosecution of the libeller of the QV FIN by prosecu-
tions of offenders in the opposite party. Thus, by the
sacrifice of one, who is justly termed a wretched
scribbler, and under the skew of candour and re-
gard for public peace, the artful unrelenting enemies
of the freedom of the press may take occasion to lav
further restraint. on its mutt wholesome and sea-
sonable exerei(en, and to harrass and to punish its most
virtuous as.erter..

• Most of our readers recollect-the circumstances of
the Parliamentary investigation into the conduct of
the DUKE of Vona. Few, however, are aware of the
oblique course which Ministers pursued at that period :
or of the pleasure with which they enjoyed, in secret,
the proceedings against the Commander is' Chief,
whilst they opposed them in public with the greatest
appearance of zeal, candour, and official influence.
At the time Cobnel Wardle brought forward his
charges, the nation was agitated in the extreme by
the results of the expedition under the commahi of
Sift Jonx Moony. The immediate subjugation
of the whole of the Peninsula was confidently antici-
paled ; and its immense line of coast, with its excel-
lent harbours, numerous dock yards and arsenals, was
expected to be added to the resources of the enemy for
the invasion of En; land or Ireland. The public feeling
pointed to Ministers as the cause of reverses that befel our
troops. Their incapacity to manage so great a war, while

diets, was supposed to be the reason that the country
MGM not mad out a single armament to say pot of
die continent, without the certain prospect of failure
and disgrace. The removal of the administration,
certainly the most incompetent and unsuccessful that
OM before governed this country, would have been
the inevitable consequence of the prevalence of such
' a sentiment. A keen spirit of inquiry both in and
out of Parliament was directed at the ties? to the sub-
ject of our military disasters. The usual supporters
of the Government were seen to waver ever alter the
affair at Corunna. The miserable defence, made by
Lord CASTLEREAGH, as Secretary of war, in his place
in Parliament, contributed to increase the alarm of the
war party ; and the ruin of that imbecile cabinet
would have been unavoidable, if the famous inquiry
into the conduct of the I)nke of Yoaa, had nut
been started ; which, for a time divertrd the public
attention Nom the consideration of every other topic.
The character and feelings of his Royal Highness,
were offe:ed up as a sacrifice to appease the national
irritation as well as to save a degraded and slaking
administration. The sacrifices answered the purpo-
ses of the Ministry ; who, to retrieve their character,
prepared the notorious expedition to Waleheren.
1 We shall shew that the proceedings against the
Wass have extricated, at least for a time, the present
Ministers

from the consequences of an inquiry as
intellise as that which followed our military reverses
i■ the Pesitriula. The new Parliament had scarcely

tact, when the tables of both /I..uses were covered
with petitions from the chief trading cities of the
empire, complaining of the unprecedented depression
of trade, commerce, manufactures, and agriculture.
The petitions were signed by persons, whose expe-
rience and loyalty were usinspeachable ; sad they
presented a ;deters of national distress, that was never
equalled in this, nor probably any other country. It
was proved that our imports bad fallen ed to the
alarming. amount of ten millions; and our exports to
the extent of six millions. It was also shown, or
rather it would hare been *hewn, had the inquiry
goo* on, that the landholders throughout the king-
doms bad not received for ems time two-thirds of
their nosisal rents. It would also have bees esta-
blished is proof, that the labouring classes, is the
two great branches of asissufsetures said agriculture,
were actually verglag oa a Mats of *tornados sad
did sot receive us 6111 tavetrage, see week with smother,
rues than nine ships. The piatsre was frightful I
and eoseined the goversasest of sash glaring lino-
raw, and of sigh seasolobana mismausgessest, that
the &weld of the ministry named to be aboolulsly
coetais ; whoa the arrival of the gnaw served than
se a Dore es mosiims, sad saved them heft Wood
rails. The procoodisgs is this east .were probsbir
on, with the thew of coverisg a 'satirise •4*
waolorption ; tits besot, of the 4/vssx4:wssirst, sad

-.• • ,
THE STATESMAN.

the best inserests ►f the Crown hart bidis exposed, to
the most imminent danger. Woe to the country that
is governed, or rather ridden, by an unprincipled Mi-
nistry I They will keep their Sean, and whip and
spur it on, till it falls down Convuhively under them ;
and there is reason to fear that such will be the fate

of this kingdom' front the treatment of the present Mi-
nisters.
We shaU resume this subject to-morrow.

The case of the three wretched men who are or-
dered for execution to-morrow, for uttering forged
Bank Notes, to which the attention of the public is
this day directed by our correspondent Huss 4NITAS, ex-
cites, from existing circumstances, an extraordinary so-
licitude in their behalf. The crime of forging the New
Bank Notes about to be issued is, by the Statute
passed the other day, to be punished not with death,
but with transportat;on for fourteen years ; and yester-
day Sir J. Macintosh's Bill which repeals the sin-
, gui nary law under which these unfortunate victims were
sentenced, received the royal assent. We will not
therefore ask what impropriety there would be in giv-
ing to the recent act a retrospective influence at these
unhappy convicts ; bnt we would boldly demand what
possible good can arise from making them a sacrifice,
fur the sake of being Me lest to be offered up, to the
vengeance of a law now declared, by the legislature
itself, too barbarous to be retained ? While that lawl
was fUll in force its deplorable operation was found
quite ineffectual for the ends it proposed ; and the ev-
ecution of its sentence, in existing cirtomstances would
be as needless an example of rigour as the world
could ever lament.

TO THE ED!JUR OF THE STATESMAN.

ON TIIE INTENDED EXECUTIONS FOR FORGERY

ON YiitiEßDAi MORMINO NEXT.

Mn. EDlloy.—ln scale of the Papers of this day
and yesterday, a communication, speaking the senti-
ments of myself and friends, and it is hoped the
heads sad hearts of the whole empire, has appeared,
in which it is considered, as satisfactorily proved, that
the punishment of death for forgery is unjust, trite',
and ttawaremsta6k, dad impolitic. it is there mini-

ouily asked
lit. Why the continuance of a law which has been
proved as above?
end. Why has not long, long sine, the po}sibilit►
been prevented or difficelty been incicased of imitat-
ing Bank notes ?
Aed Srd. Why, when some per•ous (alluding to
those who by an evasive plea had avoided the gallows)
have been saved. have others for the Jame offence been
sacrificed, while at this moment three store await the
ignominious* death which they will surely die vs
',norm* morning nest, rakes ransom and Arlin, in•

I have lakset, Mr. White, that by the mew kw, which
is passed, haft ollsadere of the same deseriptioa will
sot he prioishird with death, sad therefore it is ins-
ploriagiy tithed, why, in the name of justice and
met. y, should the victims now be sacrificed
1 am, Mr. liditor,
Your's, reesc chilly
July 44. lOW. HU M ANITA'S.
P S. A propolal fur petitioning is proposed is the
commuuication alluded to above.