The Statesman.
London, England, 1818-08-20 00:00:00

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LONDON:

THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 11118

The facts that have tranqpired, in spite of all the
eforts to prevent communication with the Prisoners
at St. Helena, of the unworthy treatment to which
NAPOLEON and his Physician, Mr. O'M EARA. have
been subjected by the petty and pragmatical despots
who • now lord it over the mightiest of men, have
recited a genuine burst of sympathy from every
honest mind that has listened to the mournful
tale. We have alCeady given most of the documents
that have been so fortunate as to reach Europe in
spite of the vigilance of the chosen officials, who lay
their interdict upon all correspondence in or out of
the suspected Island. We are enabled to place the
question between the complaining parties and their
oppressors at St. Helena in a still clearer point of
view by. continuing the correspondence which has
taken place on the occasion of Mr. O'MEARA'S re-
markable case. The letters which we insert today
on this subject are of extreme interest, and it
is a duty we owe to the Public, as well as
to the parties most concerned, to lay the signal
instance of harsh, unnecessary, and undeserved
oppression which the Correspondence unfolds, fully
b.fore the British Reader. We now learn that
Mr. 09 MEen.4 has been reinstated in his attend-
ance upon 1414POLEON until the pleasure of the Go-
vernment here is signified respecting him. This is a
pretty plain admission that Mr. O'MEARA is in the
right, and that there are some doubts about the jos-
tice and propriety of the conduct pursued towards
the Illustrious Invalid, whose state of health was so
little calculated to sustain the consequences of the

illegal and unauthorised punishment inflicted upon
him, in addition to the effects of unwholesome cli-
mate and the other privations of his situation.

The letters from Madrid give este understand that
public distrust and dissatisfaction rapidly increase.—
No wonder. Such is the system of the Government
and the preponderance of the Inquisition, that no
body and no man's house are secure from their horrid
poser. The Holy Tribunal, aided by the Govern-
ment force, have lately seized a number of persons,
among whom is a Rev. Prebeudary, a Colonel of the
Guards, and some merchants, and shut then. up in
the dungeons of the Inquisition, confiscating their pro-
perty at the same time, on the appalling charge of
being Freemasons I It would seem that FERDINAND
feels by no means secure himself, notwithstanding the
vigorous support he is receiving from the Priests' t home
and the MIN Brotherhood abroad. Not the least cause
of danger and alarm to the virtuous Government of
this legitimate tool of the Inquisition is his own father,
CHARLES IV. who, it is said, has pledged himself to
accept and support the Constitution abolished by his
son, FERDINAND VII., establishing religious tolera-
tion. The Ministers are fools it seems, who do not
know what to do in regard to their foreign relations,
and are equally puzzled about their unsocial plans,
and the Government at home.

Mails from Hamburgh, and German Papers to the
16th inst. have arrived. The King and Crown Prince
of SWEDEN left Stockholm on the 6th inst. for Nor-
way. The object of this visit is, doubtless, to endea-
vour to conciliate the Norwegians ; and if the con-
qoeror of that country takes the proper method to
effect this, and stone for the flagrant ♦iolation of
rights which he pretends to respect, we shall not be
displeased to hear of his success. The Royal
Visitors will, no doubt, be received with the most
enthu►iastic acclamations of their Norwegian sub.
jects. This is not the only occasion on which
a serrowful heart has been associated with a
smiling countenance. Sweden, however, it can.

.:..am.

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hot be denied, it priifiting< largely trots rha "Imo
nistration of the new Sovereign. lii addition to the
many other benefitsr which he his con(prred ou his
subjects, it appears.lhat hi has procured from the
French Government a promise of indemnification for
the Swedish vessels and cargoes captured in the Baltic
in 1811,12,13, by French privateers. The Carnes
entsce has beet appointed Commander of the troops
in the province of Sonia.
The Russian Ambassador it Berlin has gnus is
Ais.la•Chapelle, to make the requisite preparations
for the reception of his Sovereign. •
It appears from the Nova Scotia Papers, 014
have arrived, with letters to the 21st nit. that Onto
the execution of Mr. ARBUTHNOT, the confereurro
between the British and Spanish Embassies at Wodk„
ington had hien more frequent, and of longer darstifir '
than heretofore. The Halifax Journal contains solos
articles complaining that she Americans persist in firb„
ing in the Straits of Belle Isle, and on the coast of 64,
brador, not withstanding the instructions recently ski
nut respecting the encroachments of the Almaden
fishermen on the coasts of British North Ammo,
direct, that when found in the Bays or narboori,
such Americans shall be seized and broughtiu kr
trial.

THE QUEEN.—The account of the state of her MA,
SESTY'S health yesterday The QUEEN hss
a Yeti, good night, and continues Netter"—En
dition to this, we learn that her 111a3corY gM
strength very fast.—Tne PRINCE REGENT confirms.
at Hampton Court.

The LORD CHANCELLOR did not sit in his prints
Lincoln's Inn, yesterday (as he promised)
to give judgments.
We cannot believe the statement in the follow's
paragraph The Grand Duke !•Itcti tut., whets'
Drummond, now the seat of Mr. B DRURIMOND,wu
presented with the sword of ROBERT BRUCE, which,
tradition says, was wielded by that hero at the bat.
tie of BAnnockhurn. The sward is so heavy, that it
requires both hands of even a powerful man to I 1
it." Is this the reason for the owner parting with its
We cannot believe that the descendants of Balmy
weak as they may seem, prize so lightly the smseest
emblem of their national freedom and glory, as is
" give their fathers' swords sway" in this manner...
The sword of BRUCE in the hands of a Russian Dakel
It saved Scotland from the fate of Poland. Such I
compliment to KOSCIUSKO might have been mond.
DRY ROT —lt is important to be well aware of
the progress of the dry rot in our ships of war, and
indeed in all shipping whatever. The ships et Ports-
mouth have lately underwent an investigation, free
the zeal and scientific research of Mr. Nl•Wtwee.
This Gentlemen, we are informed by a letter from
Portsmouth, proceeded last week to visit the skip el
war in ordinary in that harbour, which had hen
stated in the London Papers to be effected nithtlie
dry rot. After minutely examining the Nelson, Cla. ,•
Noce, Anson, Rivoli, and several others, he left that
place for the Isle of Wight. He was rather re-
served in repressing his opinion concerning the con-
dition of the ships in question ; though he said
enough to make us understand that he thought them
far from being in the deplorable state in which he had
been led to expect them. He remarked that the ship
which was most affected with the dry rot was the
Rivoli, which had been built by the French, and is not
many years of age.
Orders ere" gone down to the several dock-yards,
to repair and make a very considerable nom',er sf
anchors for the ships of the line, end upwards of tee
hundred for frigates end vessels of a smaller farce, es
on a survey there were not found a sufficient number
of the established weight in store.
We understand that steam-packets are new esti
in the Mediterranean, and that at Naples a beautifel
packet of 240 tons, and 120 feet in length ess
launched on the 24th June last, intended to sail frost
Naples to Palermo. The steam-engine for theatre,*
vessel was sent from hence ; it -has been contused.
by Messrs. HAGUE and Tomas, after the principles
of Messrs. BOLTON and WATTS, of Birmingham.
We understand that the Memoirs of Comfit de Las
Casa:, the companion of NAPOLEON, will be peb.
lished in London and Weymar, on the lit Septettes
ber. Besides the Letter to Lord BATHURST, writ-
ten from Frankfort, it will comprise the Secret Cor-
respondence of Count LAS CASA% with Least,
BONAPAIITE, discovered and seized by Sir 11U0Soll
Lowe, a copy' of which it appears the Author WS
preserved among his Papers and brought with him I.
Europe.
At a General Meeting held et Carlisle on the llth
inst. of persons interested in the prosperity of Caste
berland and counties adjacent, it was resolved imeres••
die fel), to commence the formation of a canal hetweee
the city of Carlisle and the Solway Firth. The esti.
mated expense is 71,0001.
rfettos FEYER.—Its the village of Govan, in the
neighbourhood of Glasgow, washing the inside
the houses with quick lime, has tended very much to
prevent the spread of the typhus fever. Some mer-
chants of Glasgow humanely subscribed a sum of
money towards the relief of the prior of the village,
many of whom were suffering under this disease.
It is certain that the management of Drury.lan•
Theatre, for the ensuing season, is confided by this
Sub-Committee to Mr. STrettesr KEetsce. Report
states, that the price of adnsisslous to the Theatre ars
to be reduced.
Mr. and Mrs. EGERTON, and Mr. Sleets's has
been performing with extraordinary attraction it
Gloucester and Cheltenham. The popular drama, of
Guy Mannering and Rob Roy have been got eft
with great care and taste. Mrs. EGERTON and hi%
CLAIR retain their original characters, and ECM'
TON performed Colonel Mannering and Rob Roy.
Sunday evening Mrs. Harvey, of Clarendon-00N
Clarendon-square, Semers"f own, was attacked en
the New Road, by three lads and two wow's, who
knocked her down, and robbed her of her ridicule,
and three ostrich feathers.
Oa the 27th alt. about one P. M. a slight shock of
an earthquake was felt at Albano, is Italy.