The Statesman.
London, England, 1821-11-12 00:00:00

TO ova ItEADERS AND THE PUBLIC.

Lryst, Noy. 9.—On Sunday last we experienced
the heaviest gale of wind, in this town, for a few hours,
which was ever remembered by the oldest inhabitant ;
it commenced about one o'clock and raged till near
four with uncommon fury, the wind being first in a
westerly direction, it then veered round to the north,
drove the receding tide back again, and caused the ut-
most confusion atnonst the ships in the harbour. A
small Bomber keel broke from her moorings, and was
forced against one of the Hull-traders—leer mast went
overboard in an instant, and in a short time afterwatal,
she sunk, but has since been recovered. The Lady
Annabella, laden with timber from Memel, also broke
her cable, and was driven to some distance above the
town, but fortunately received no injury. The Endea-
vour, of Whitby, went down in the Lynn-roads; the
crew were taken on board the Staines, of this port, and
providentially saved from a watery grave. Several line
ehn and other trees were blown down at Terringtoa ;
and we ate sorry to add, upwards of one hundred
sheep, the property of a gentleman at Long Sutton,
were drowned in the marshes, on that part of the Nor-
folk coast adjoining to Lincolnshire.
During the gale on Sunday se'nnight a post-wind•
mill, belonging to Mr. Abray, of Wellingham, (which
hail been erected little more than 2 months,) Was
blown down and considerably damaged; by this unfor-
tunate occurrence an industrious man and his family
were compelled to be melancholy witnesses of the
labour of many years blasted in a moment by this
dreadful calamity.
Oetaisav, Nov. 7.—On Sunday last a trialent Igor-
ricane came on from the west-north-west, which caused
several vessels to come on the Lincolnshire coast, and
several of their hands were drowned.—A sloop went
down near Stallingbro' Kiln; the master, his wife,
and live children were drowned ; their bodies were
afterwards washed on shore. The mate belonging to
the same vessel jumped into the water, and fortanately
fur bins, a tremendous wave carried him on shore.
A windmill belonging to Mr. Thomas Brewer, of this
place, which stood facing the South, was set agoing
by the gale the reverse way, which broke machinery to
the amount of 90/.
On Sunday week, during the high wind, an im-
mense Lombardy poplar, at the north-west corner of
the Fellow's' Garden, John's College, Cambridge, was
blown down. The tree was one of the finest of that
species in the kingdom, its girth was fifteen feet four
inches, its height very considerable, and it is suppoied
to be about 200 years old. One of the Fellows was
a Wan two yards of the tree when it began to Own trey.
but was fortunately out of its reach before it fell. and
the only damage it occasioned was the demolition of
part of the garden wall. A swallow was found is the
.hollow of the trunk. in a torpid state. The beautiful
weeping willow at the corner of Trinity College-walks.
near tlerard's Hostel Bridge, was blown into the river,
a tree in Queen's College grove was blown down. and
some other injury sustained. At Peterborough. on the
same morning, a large weeping willow in Archdeacon
throng's plantations. so many years the ornantefft of
the gravel walk in that city, was entirely .blown to the
ground.

We have hitherto airstitned from noticing. in our eolttrans,
the nnjustitiable conduct of one of ottrocotemporariet ; from
the feeling that any thing of a personal or-private nature •
should be studiously avoided in a Newspaper. But, how-
ever contemptible and unworthy of attention may be such
conduct as far as regards our own interests, where the
public are in any degree concerned, we think it but due to
them in our capacity of pablie censors to expese evey at tempt
at imposition and guard them against its effects. We shall,
therefore, waive all considerations arising from a sense of
false delicacy, and submit to them as to the fittest tribunal
that niatter'which weave:lr highly deserving of their atten-
tion. We are about to complain not of fair and honourable
competition. but of an organised system of misrepresenta-
tion and delusion; a system that has been artfully prac-
tised on the public, and intended for the injury of our-

selves and others.
It probably may be known to a few persons. that last year
Lieutenant-Colonel Torrent became Proprietor, or part
Proprietor of the Trareller' newspaper which was then
in its last stage of existence—its limited circulation at that
time not exceeding, according to the Lieutenant Colonel's
account, four hundred and eighty daily. At the period of
his joining it a Manifesto was published, stating, that the
conductors would occasionally receive assistance from those
whe were opposed to the " Party in Power ;" in short, that
they were to be supported by the Whigs—and that the Tra-
veller was intended to become a Whig paper ; it having
previously been -Ministerial. This Manifesto was expected
to operate like a charm upon the public. The great' Whig
Party' contributing to the Traveller "it was only ne.
eessary to be known to be admired !" But, alas!! the Whig
contributions, if any ever reached the office of the Traveller.
had no power to please. The Traveller "dragged its
slow length along"—its Whig associates were unable or en
willing to add to its celerity or promote its travels ; the ad-
vertising quotations of the (I) "rimer` proved equally un-
fortunate and unavailing ; "
.4 Change came o'er the Spirit
of his dream," and the Lieutenant Colonel deemed it ad-
viseabie to cut his old associates the Whigs, and court the
Radicals, thereby proving how little his boasted friends bad
assisted his paper. Iliad this been all we should never have
considered ourselves entitled to interfere with the i.ieutennnt
Colonel's Editorial functions, or with his vacillating politics.
If he could reconcile his own mind to these changes, it was
no affair of ours ; if he could work his paper into notice or
intoprofit by fair means. wehad no right to complain. We did
not complain. But that which eleited our animadversions
was the mean and unmanly system recognised and pursued.
when neither Whig nor Radical politics appeared to have
answered the Lieutenant Colonel's expectations. We have
heard of a stratagem practiced to bring into repute " Day
and Martin's Blacking." The inventors of the Shining Jet,
it is said. dressed up a dozen boss' in livery, and sent them
to ask at all the shoe-makers in London for Day and Mar-
tin's Blacking." The bait took—the shoe-makers' thought
the Blacking in high estimation; they accordingly purchased
and recommended it as being " highly approved of." We
have heard of a Ministerial Morning paper sending a group
of persons to order a dinner at a Coffee-house and call for
such a newspaper, they knowing at the same time, that the
landlord did not" take it in." On his intimating this to them ;
" Oh ! they must go then and dine where they could pee it."
Thus the landlord having lost some good 'dinner customers:'
would probably in future take caret* havetbat paper included
in the "Bill of Fare," and thins the objectwasaccomplished.
There are, indeed, a thousand ways bre/Web persons hate
sought " to drive a trade." Rut, what can our readers think of
the Proprietor of *newspaper-0f a London Daily News-
paper. that Proprietor too a Lieutenant Colonel, em-
ploying or encouraging a number of persons to go from
house to house in every street, lane, court, or alley in Lon-
don, where an Evening paper is taken in. and use every
possible stratagem to get it exchanged, whether it be a Star,
STVTESIIAN, Courier, or Globe for the Trareller. They en-
deavour to accomplish their aim either by hoodwinking the
landlord. or hoodwinking the company. The modes of at-
tack are various. To enumerate all would occupy too much
space. Two or three men wait upon the landlord and re-
quest him to take in the ' Traveller ;' if they have any per-
sonal influence o ier him. they of course 'sail themselves
of it ; it not, their solicitations must be accomplished with
some reasons for their request; of these they have abundance
at command—take as a sample. " 7'he 7'rareller is the
best paper published ; it is a fashionable paper ; it is pa-
tronised by the great Whigs and various Members of Partin-
ment, or it issupportcd Who Westminster people, by Sir F.
Burdett, Sir Robert Wilson, Alderman Wood. Mr.Rf-
cardo." and so on : then comes a good word for the paper
that is intended to be superseded. If it happen to be the
Svsrassess, " Oli ! the Statesmaa /s turning ! Its politics
hare been changed. It has not the same fire as formerly ;
Members of Parliament used to correspond with it, but
now the Traveller receives all their Communications." If
the landlord be humbugged by any chance. and consents to
change the paper, the next -thing is how to humbug his cus-
tomers, and reconcile them to the change; or if the land-
lord be obstinate a lure is thrown out. " it won't insult
kim,tkey will send the Traveller on trial for a fortnight or
three weeks gratis." In either case, their next manoeuvres are
the same ; they intermix with the company at night ; by a lit-
tle flummery, ingratiate themselves with those who ' rule
the Tease—they watch their opportunity to promote discus-
sions on the comparative merits of newspapers ; introduce
the same cogent arguments they had employed to dope the
landlord, and if alley do not meet with a powerful opposi-
tion, andthey think they can rely upon their own numbers, they
propose to put it to the vote, whether the ' old ' paper shill
not be exchanged in future for the Traveller.' (I) Be-
sides this. it is no uncommon thing to see a fellow go into a
house " Glee me a glass of brandy-and water. and bring
me the Trareller." •• We don't • take is' the Traveller.
sir." " Oh, then, gou need not bring me the brandy, and
water." Soon after. is will come another with a similar de-
mand, and with a similar excuse walk out. By this means it
is imagined that the landlord will be duped. sad the desired
object attained. A plausible story is never wanting. This is

-------- - - -
(1.) As a proof of the correctness and justice of these quota-
tions The Times seems so fond of announcing from The
l'rarcller, we will, out of a great number. jest select a slut le
instance. We published a very interesting avid original
anecdote relative to Horne Tooke and Sir William Curtis.
STehriTidwaryesllterne;elwrabraatus. andsithesaele paragraph appeared In
next day in The Teinea.
with Traveller annexed to it. thereby incurring a wrung
belief that it hail originated with The Traveller.
el.) One of The Traveller scouts very recently went to
a public-house for the purpose of turista/ out the paper that
that was taken in. The landlord happened to be absent
from home. The scout introduced himself to the company.
who consisted of a few eonstsnt frequenters of the house.
and sin or seven strangers. and after haranguing them In a
style suitable to the occasion.. proposed to substitatc io fu-
ture The 'Prareller for the saki p.per. The stranyers and
himself triumphed. Set the landlord hating returned horn*
two days afterwards. and finding the change that hid
Oakes placedering his absence. thought proper to counter-
mand the order for The Traveller. but The Traveller has
every sight since found its way gratis