The Statesman.
London, England, 1812-01-18 00:00:00

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Mr. TIERNEY wished here to take notice of a
shameful waste of the public money in printing Re-
torts, which were sometimes done on a very expen-
ive scale, with large engravings. This might make
:hem very acceptable to libraries, but was certainly
. very unwarrantable application of the public mo-
Bey.
The SPEAKER was obliged to the Right Hon.
Gent. for drawing the attention of the House-to this
;abject. In a report from Portpatrick, which was
dluded to by the Right Hon. Gent. the printing and
lrawings were certainly on a very unwarrantable
scale, and he believed the Chairman of that Com-
mittee was imposed on with respect to it. He had
given orders that nothing larger than a journal sheet
should be printed, without communicating it to him.
—He then went into a number of explanations with
respect to some engravings and drawings from Ire-
land, some of which had been sent back, and re-
turned with a declaration, that if the subject was
wished to be understood, the scale could not be fur-
ther reduced.
After a few words from Mr. Tierney and Mr.'
Fitzgerald, the Resolution was put and carried.
A number of other small sums were voted in the
Committee; hut they were read so low and so ra-
pidly, that they were utterly inaudible in the Gal-
lery.
Mr. WHITBREAD, though the proper opportu-
nity was gone by, wished to learn the circumstances
which occasioned so great a loss of our shipping in
the North Seas.
Mr. YOItKE, evidently much affected, replied,
that with regard to the loss incurred it was cer-
tainly but too true. The ships and the stores were of
little consequence, but the number of gallant lives
destroyed by that unfortunate accident was import-
ant indeed.—[ Hear, hear !]—With regard to the
circumstances by which we had sustained so great a
loss, they were entirely owing to those accidents of
wind and weather which it was impossible to foresee
and to provide against. The ship Hero, the loss of
which we had also to lament, was cast away, owing,
he believed, among other causes, toa fault in the na-1,
vigation, and not making allowance for the current
which prevailed in those seas. It was a matter that
deserved consideration, in order to correct the error
in the tetvi,gation in the North Seas, and by that
means to provide against such occurrence hereafter.
With regard to the ships alluded to in the Hon.
Gent.'s question, he could state, that orders were is-
sued from the Admiralty, directing that no ships
should remain in the North Seas after the Let of
November. The weather, however, prevented the
convoy from arriving until the 17th of that month.
Its-the storm one of the vessels run foul of the other,
Which by the shock lost its rudder. After the De-
fence was sunk, the St. George was driven ashore,
but expectations were entertained of her weathering
out the storm, in so much so that the Admiral did not
shift his flag, as he might have done. Unfortunately,
however, those expectations were not realized. As
to the detention of the convoy, it was owing entirely
to the state of the weather ; and so far was the Ad-
miralty from being to blame, that many applications
were made for convoys to the Baltic, at a later pe-
riod, and were refused.
Mr. WHITBR EAD expressed himself perfectly
sa.isfied with what had been just stated.
'Col. HUTCHINSON inquired whether it was the
intention of Ministers to make any alteratiors in the
establishment of the Royal Marines, so as to an-
swer the reasonable expectations of that most useful
corps. If not, he should, on a future day, submit
a motion on the subject to the House.
Mr. YORKE replied, that he should have an-
other and a better opportunity of entering into the
subject, he did not now think it necessary to give
any direct answer.
The Reporrwas then brought up, and it was or-
dered that it be received to-morrow.
STATE OF THE METROPOLIS.

Mr. RYDER said, that in rising to move for an
inquiry into the state of the nightly watch, he did not
feel it necessary to enter at any great length into the
reasons by which he was induced to bring forward
such a motion. At the same time, he felt himself
justified in stating, that if the expediency of the mea,
sure rested upon the late horrible murders alone, by
which two whole families were completely extermi-
nated, the atrocity of those crimes would in them-
selves afford a sufficient ground. It was true that no
system of police could prevent the commission of such
murders, while there were persons vile and abandoned
enough to commit them, under such circumstances of
dexterous depravity ; but as a better regulation of
the nightly watch must have a tendency to diminish
the chances, it was right that it should be resorted
to. Those Gentleme►► who had seen other coun-
tries, and attended to their internal situation and go-
vernment, must know that even in places whore the
peace was committed to the care of an armed police, a
. police furnished with all those powers, with which
under a despotism it was possible to furnish it, with-
out any regard to the prejudices of the people ; they
must know that even in such places, and under such II
regulations, atrocities such as those were committed'.
almost nightly, without exciting any of those deep
impressions under which the mind of this country
at present suffered ; and it might be regarded as a
proof, that few acts of the kind were committed here,
when they looked to the consternation excited in the
present instance. It certainly was true that for the
last three or four months, offences, though not alto-
gether of so horrid a description, were multiplied
beyond the experience of former years ; and though
;tinny accounts had got into the public prints which
were true, many also were exaggerated, and many
false. lie knew not whether the Gentlemen around
him were acquainted with the law by which the
nightly' watch was regulated. In former times each
parish provided for itself, and it was not until 1774,
that Parliament interfered, and passed an Act which
applied only to 15 of the most populous parishes.—
By that Act, Directors and Trustees were appointed,
ender whose coutroul, the watch, the patrole, and
the beadles, were all placed, and who were entrust-
el also with the power of assessing the rates upon
each parish. It was no wonder that this Act should
be found insufficient at the present nay, when they
,considered the enormous increase of the metropolis.
He should not trouble the House by attempt-
ing to e?umerate the various instances in which
the provisidns of this Act were evaded and 'neg-
ected : it would be sufficient to mention one. The

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