The Statesman.
London, England, 1823-03-25 00:00:00

THE STATESMAN:

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Labr-Dar.—Holiday at the Bast.

Vie Sbtategonan.

TUESDAY EVENING, MARCH 2b, 1823.
PARLIAMENTARY COMMENTARY.
lrelifna Loans—The famous Sinking Fund Bill went
through one stage,without eliciting any thing either rich or
rare. We have often been astonished that men can be found
to talk seriously about this thieve. Every sensible man in
the nation knows, that it cannot tend to reduce the
amount of the debt. In short, every man in his common
senses, knows that it is a parcel of money raised iu taxes
to be laid out in stocks for the purpose of keeping up the
price of the Stocks and of carrying on the grand bubble.
Ain-'s library.—This subject was before the House of
Lords last night. The public have seen enough of it, to
be sure ; but one cannot help remarking on the fuss that
is made about this making the nation a present of a parcel
of books. If, indeed, the books were to be
sold, and the money applied to public purpose', it
Would look a little like a present to the nation ; but
at it is, the probabilities are that it will be the present
of a pretty heavy expense in one shape or another.—
There will be librarians and a pretty train of creatures
grOw out of this thing. Besldes, what are libraries
good for, if they do not make people wise; and what
has been the use to this nation of all the libraries which
have been at the command of those who passed Peel's
Bill! If libraries produce Peel's Bill, which take es-
tates away from landlords and capital away from farmers,
libraries can be of very little use. However, enormous
will be the expense of this present from the King to the
nation. There seems to have been a doubt as to the
point, whether the library were the King's to give ; and
the Lord Chancellor seems to say that he could out have
given it to any but the nation. This is a laugh .blo
affair enough, to be sure. It comes out of time. It is a
thing that would have done admirably well in the age
of Peg Nicholson ; and about the time of the "tight
" little island" songs. One cannot look hack to those
times without feeling infinite satisfaction at seeing
Jews and Jobbers grasping hold of the estates. The
adulation nn royalty which was in vogue five sod twenty
years ago, most richly merits all the blessings of "pub-
" lic credit," "national honours" "national faith," and
Peel's Bill.
In the House or Comma, agricultural distress be-
gan to be heard again: Notwithstanding the assurances
of the Morning Chronicle and the rest of the Stock-joto-
bing press, that corn Lad now attained to a proper price;
that things had come shout again ; and that Dobbett's
predictions were all falsified. The markets is the coun-
try have all come nearly back to the point at which they
were before the start. In London the return has been
rather slower ; but, yesterday, the wheat came down two
shillings a quarter with every prospect of a further fall.
The Quakers seem to be alarmed—They seem to have
no longer any hope that a sweet quiet war will take place.
These gentry will get as nice a biting as ever a set of
sharpers got in this world. The fellows would not be-
lieve me ; they would not believe my politics ; they
would not believe what I said about war and peace, be-
cause I bad lashed them for their greediness, avarice, ma-
lice and spite. The broad-brims took their revenge by
net reading what I wrote ; and sweet revenge they have
got ; for, in consequence of their not reading, or, at least,
not believing, they have rammed their hands right
into the fire of speculation on war.—lt would be
best for this country for the French to make
abort work of it in Spain and Portugal. Then we
should be flung back upon our own affairs. There
Would be no longer any hopes or fears about war. We
should come back to the dry question between Jolterhead
and the Jews. That is the question that we went to see
go regularly on to its natural issue.—Agricultural dis-
tress could not be heard while there was any hope of
• war. We have heard that the great, tall, stupid fellows
io blue coats with yellow buttons, in leather breeches
and top-boots, with ash sticks in their hands; we have
beard that whole parcels of these fellows who bare bees
so frequently seen about Whitehall and in the passages
leading to the Treasury; we have heard that whole
parcels of these fellows base lately been seen at Mark-
Lane! They certainly have been exceedingly upon the
alert. However, they begin to droop again, and
now they are beginning, also, to renew their cry of
agricultural distress.--There were several subjects
of minor importance before the House of Com-
mons, but, the only one worthy of particular atten-
tion was a motion of Colonel Barry for copies of
the information laid by Mr. Plunkett against the me,
who were committed on a charge of a conspiracy to mar-
der the Lord Lieutenant. This gave rise to a great dell
In the way of defence from Mr. Plunkett. His defense
(every ene to his taste, to be sure) was, in our opinion.
the lamest we ever beard in our lives. He said nothing'
to the point ; nothing at all to justify the charge of con-
spiracy to murder; sad still less to justify the laying of
the ieformations after the bills had been thrown out by
the Grand Jury. And, indeed, of all the defences that
we over heard, we never beard any thing like this before.
Mr. Peel made a short speech, " first•to this, and then to
that !fide leaning." On the division, Colonel Barry
lost his motion ; but carried another motion for copies
of pares relating to these transactions. The sub-
ject came ratheer prematurely before the House ; bat,
enough cme out to stow Olt before this quarrel be
over. theta mast be a change of some sort or other in the
gotettnnent-,of Ireland.--15 is worthy of remark, that the
great liberty losses appear all to be on the side of Mr.
Plunkett. Their dislike of the Orangemen is so great,
that •x-officio itifoimatioos
other. This

Wellesley.—During the evening there were several votes
of money brought forward, and all carried to the full ex.
tent without a single exception. Indeed, this is more sore
to be the case than ever. It is nonsense to talk about soot
nomy, when it requires a lopping off of more than half ell
the taxes. What signifies it to the landlords, or, indeed+
to the people, whether Mr. Huskisson or Mr. T. P.
Courtenay get a few thousands a-year more or less oat nil
the public money? Will Mr. Hume and Mr. Creevey,
who are so eager to lop off these salaries, give their assent
to the lopping off of two thirds of the National Debt
?
No : they will do no such thing; and, therefore, we, for
our parts, do not thank them for trying to get the money
away from poor Mr T. P. Courtenay, In order to make
the bonus to the Stock3pbber larger than than it now is.
Nobody shall receive from 'us any praise for that which
is not praiseworthy. These little cavilling efforts are
all useless: there most be a large reduction of the interest
of the Debt, or there can be no alteration for the better.— ,
This debt is at this moment, as all the world acknow-
ledges, compelling this country to crouch at the feet of
France. The moment it was discovered, that the Debt
must be reduced, or that we could not go to{
war, that moment all the bellowing press vine for peace.
In short, the nation never can revive ; but mast 'go on,
sinking lower and lower, 'till this Debt be got rid ot;
and, therefore, all the talk. and all the efforts about adult
is called economy, amount to nu more than attempts to
core pimples upon the skin, while a galloppiug consump-
tion is at work upon the longs.

Paris papers have arrived to the nd instant, bat they
bring little news relative to the preparations for isms-
sion, except an account of the Duke D'Angoulerne hav-
ing reached Montauban,- and a report that the declara-
tion of war against Spain will be formally published be-
tween the Ist and sth Of next month. The Chamber of
Deputies on Friday bad before them a great number of
the petitions we formerly mentioned from mercantile in-
habitants of Havre, Bordeaux, Lille, Rouen, Mortals,
and several other maritime or manufacturing places ; but
they dispatched them very briefly and unceremoniously.
by moving the order of the day. Yet the commerce of the
whole country is al ready n stagnation. One manufacturer
of the capital is stated in a Paris paper to have been
forced to discharge 150 workmen out of 200; and is„
Lyons, one third of the workmen are said to be as-
charged. On Saturday the attention of the Chamber
was principally occupied with the Reports of the Commi-
ttee on the Budget. On this occasion it. is curious to ob
serve that a sort of opposition, has by the secession of
the Liberals, arisen from among the Ultras themselves:
About 100 millions of Francs were proposed to bode.
ducted from the Grant; but it is needleu to add the
amendmeut was not carried. The Parisians had bees
wondering what was to be done with M. Mercier, the
Serjeant of the National Guard ; as fifteen days bad
elapsed since it had been announced by the Duke of•Clex-,
wont Tonnere that he would be delivered over to a Cass-
ell of Discipline; and no Council of Discipline had sa-
sembled. At length, however. the Cissernment felt bold
enough to take a step against him. In the,afoniteer• of
Friday, appears an Ordinance of the King, which
declares that Rt. Mercier is struck out from the
list of the National Guard. On this_ step the Con-
stitutionnel remarks that it is the first time that
" a non-commissioned Officer of the National Guard bail
been struck by a measure frOm so high a quarter, and
that the signature of a Minister of State had never be-
fore appeared at the bottom of an order for discharging I
a 'edema." The Serjeant-Major of the company to
which• M. Mercier belonged, as soon as he learned
the news, voluntarily gave in his resignation ; and•
it is asserted that a great number of sub-officsrs+
of the National Guard intend to follow his
example.—The subscription in favour of M. Mer-
cier at Lyons, emanated to 4,000 francs in a few
hours, from a few individuals, and on the 18th had
amounted to 30,000 francs. It appears, however, that
the Public Authority has interfered to check the: ad-
dresses to "the CA trade Mercier." A Serjeant-Major
Of the National Guard of Pariereceived notice from the I
Colonel of his Legiou, that his (the Serjeant's) functions
had teased. The reason was, his baring an address to
M. Mercier lying for signatures at his house.—The
Pilote has a statement that an extraordinary courier
had brought to Parisabe important news that King Fer-
dinand, with his consort, had quitted Madrid on the 14th
instant for Seville, accompanied by, the Cortes, the Na-
tional Tribunal, and all the officers of Government; bat
the Quotidienne expresses a doubt of the authenticity of
the account.
FUNDS. !deuce 22.—Five pet Cents. opened at 78f.,1
60c.; higheia. 7tif. 70e.; closed at 78f. 50c. •, Neapoli-
tan Five per Cents, 67f.: Spanish Bonds, 1821, D.

said. is owing to an Express from Paris which left yes-
terday morning, at one o'clock, bringing accounts from
Spain of a late date. It is stated, that on the 17th inst.
there was a change of Ministry at Madrid, and that the
King had demanded to delay his departure unlit the
20th instant, and that his request was granted by the
Cortes. It is also stated that General Abisbal had en-
tered the capital with the troops under his command, and
was immediately appointed Political -Chief of Ma-
drid; and it is imagined, that through the
interference of the new Ministers the King may yet
for some time remain in his capital. We no-
understand that the Public are great Bears in Spanish
bonds. Yesterday there was given 251. to barrow one
thousand till this day.
Foam's Fuzens.—There has been this morning a rise
of 11 per cent. on Spanish bonds, which opened at 26 to
11, and are up to this hour 271 1 with a brisk market.
Chill, nothing done—New Spanish, 2111-01d,S41—New
Russian, 772—01 d, St e—Danish, nothing done--Colombia,
ai bs—Spanish Scrip, Sfti.

New York papers have reached us this morning, one
day later in date than those which arrived yesterday :
nom CURACCIA.—The Hippomenes has arrived this
morning, in 17 days, from Curacoa, bringing papers to
the Bth Feb. inclusive. It was not known at Curacoa,
where Morales wa*, bet it was stated that his troops
,stillbeld-out at Maracaibo.
CUILACOA, Fes. B.—Ueneral Pass arrived at Porto
Cavell°, on the 6th, and was closely investing that place
avy land. The Colombian squadron were blockading
that Port.

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