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'RETROSPECT OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS.

It would be difficult, either in ancient or modern history, to find a parallel to the spontaneous degradation of the royal family of Spain. That dynasty, for several successions, has manifested a weakness of intellect, extending to all its branches, which denoted the ultimate term of an effete race, and only served to shew how the machine of absolute monarchy can perform its ordinary movements, without a spring in its visible head. The reign of Charles IV. has been that of a queen and a favourite, and its unpopularity produced a revolution which hurled from the throne the incapable father, to place upon it an equally incapable son. But the intrigues of the Spanish court were the play of children, whilst the country was occupied by the arms of that power whose word is law throughout the European continent. The French emperor, perceiving that the period was come in which the royalty of Spain had lost all respect in the eyes of its own people, disdained any longer to consider mere pageants as realities, and resolved to take into his own hands the future destinies of this great kingdom. He summoned before him at Bayonne the late and the present possessor of the throne, with the rest of the royal family and the Prince of Peace, and they did not hesitate to obey. Soon after, Charles, the late king of Spaiu, issued an address, dated May 4, to the supreme council of Castille, and the council of the Inquisition, in which he made known that he had abdicated all his claims upon the Spanish kingdoms in favour of his friend and ally, the emperor of the French, by a treaty which stipulates the independence and integrity of the Spanish kingdoms, and the preservation of the catholic as the sole and exclusive religion in Spain. And the Prince of Asturias, Ferdinand, with the infants Don Carlos and Don Antonio, addressed the Spanish nation in a proclamation dated from Bourdeaux, May 12, declaring their renunciation, for themselves and all connected with them, of their rights to the throne, releasing the Spaniards from all obligation towards them, and exhorting them to look for their happiness to the power and arrangements of the emperor Napoleon. The abdicated Charles is since gone to Fontainebleau, where he has apartments assigned, and an establishment for the chace, which are amply sufficient to satisfy him for the loss of a kingdom. By this almost · unexampled act of baseness and cowardice has a whole dynasty, neither conquered in war nor expelled by its subjects, without a foe or an accuser, submitted to the doom of a foreign usurper, and consented to be regarded by the whole world as self-degraded from the rank in which fortune had placed it. And thus has a great and haughty nation been transferred from the rule of its ancient monarchs to the absolute disposal of a man of yesterday!

It was not to be expected that the lofty spirit of Spain would without a struggle bend to such a humiliation. The detestation of the French yoke which displayed itself in the bloody insurrection at Madrid, seemed to be the universal sentiment; and in the northern provinces of Asturias and Galicia the assembled states openly declared against the alienation of the crown, and prepared for resistance. One of their measures was to depute two confidential noblemen to treat with the English ministry respecting succour, They have arrived safe in England, and their proposals have been very favourably received. Vessels with arms, ammunition, and money, have been dispatched for

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the Spanish coasts, and the most liberal promises of assistance have been given. Confident hopes were entertained that a similar negotiation would take place at Cadiz, and in consequence, the blockading squadron was joined by transports with troops to act as opportunity might offer in taking possession of the ships and arsenals; but if any opening was made for a treaty with the Spanish 'governor, the interposition of the French admiral, and the terror of the French arms, rendered it abortive. Meantime Napoleon issued an edict to convene the Notables or leading men of Spain to an assembly to be held under his eye 'at Bayonne, in order to settle the affairs of that kingdom and assist at the transfer of its crown. By the latest advices it appears, that this last act has been performed in favour of Joseph Bonaparte, the king of Naples, who has arrived at Bayonne for the purpose; and that he has received the homage of the Spanish deputies. The next step will doubtless be to put him in possession by force of arms; but at this instant strong reports prevail of an almost general insurrection against the French authority in Spain and Portugal, which, if true, will render the execution of this grand scheme of family aggrandisement more difficult than was probably expected. That the Spanish patriots will finally be able to resist the formidable power of the usurper is, however, perhaps rather to be wished than expected. They will obviously labour under the disadvantage of wanting a name to place at the head of a national confederacy; for after the dastardly abdication of the royal family, the spirit of loyalty can scarcely find in it an object of attachment.

If there was left in the European continent any wisdom and courage to oppose the deluge of ambition that threatens speedily to swallow it up, another recent act of the French emperor would afford sufficient ground for alarm and resistance. By his own authority he has annexed Parma, Placentia, and Tuscany to the French dominions, and the Ecclesiastical State with Rome to the kingdom of Italy, alleging such reasons for this proceeding as avow the most gigantic and unlimited projects of farther aggrandisement. With respect to the pope, or "sovereign of Rome," Napoleon cha ges him with having constantly refused to declare war against the English, on which account he re✓ vokes the gift to the church made by "our illustrious predecessor Charlemagne," and orders all cardinals, prelates, and other officers of the Romish : court, born in the kingdom of Italy, to retire to the place of their birth, on pain of confiscation. His Holiness had, in fact, shewn a spirit of resistance to his arbitrary mandates which appeared surprizing in one who was thought to be his creature, and honourably distinguished him from the secular sovereigns. The northern seat of war has afforded little interesting during the past month. The Russians appear to have suffered some checks in Finland; and the isle of Aland has been recovered from them, and a body of Russian troops which had lauded in the island of Gothland has been captured. On the other hand the Swedes appear to have been effectually opposed in Norway, and to have entirely withdrawn from that country. The English expedition under General Moore has hitherto lain inactive in the port of Gottenburgh, waiting for further orders from home; for which, the reason given by ministers is a change in the plans of our royal ally. The Danes have been successful in taking with their gun-boats many ships of a slenderly escorted English and Swedish fleet in the road of Malmo.

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In America no relaxation has taken place with respect to the embargo, but the

the resistance to it among the people seems to have risen to an alarming height, The President has issued a proclamation, stating, that information has been received of the insurrection and combination of certain persons on lake Cham plain and the country adjacent to it, against the authority of the laws of the United States, and to obstruct their execution-and commanding all the civil and military authorities to assist in suppressing such insurrection. This, doubtless, refers to some attempts to carry on by force a trade with the British provinces in that quarter.

The proceedings in parliament during the month have engaged a small share of the public attention. The bill for augmenting the national defence by establishing a local militia, has encountered much opposition in its progress through the two houses, and has undergone various modifications. It has not yet passed.

MONTHLY COMMERCIAL REPORT.

The first homeward-bound fleet from the Leeward Islands left Tortola on the 3d of May, and arrived nearly ten days ago. It was numerous, and has brought a considerable add tion to our stock of West India produce, although it appears that the crops will not be large in several of the islands. Among others this applies to Trinidad and Jamaica, which are the two islands most abundant in new land. Moderate, however, as is the crop in our own colonies, the whole in portation, including the Danish islands, cannot fall far short of 300,000 hogsheads. Our consumption was formerly not much above half this quantity, but since the great fall in the cost of sugar, it has increased to nearly 200,000 hogsheads. Were the continental market open, there would be no difficulty in disposing of the remainder; but in our present exclusion from it, we must devise the means of consuming it amongst ourselves. Two measures are about to be adopted by parliament with this view-first, the Distillery Bill, the merits of which we have already canvassed at length, and next, the lowering of the duties on coffee, so as to introduce coffee into common use on terms as low, or rather lower than tea. Coffee being more pungent than tea, will require more sugar; but this is only a collateral object-the principal motive for the measure was, to take off the discouragement from coffee, and to promote its sale, even at the hazard of tea, because the one is the produce of our own colonies, whereas the other is of foreign growth. In the culture of coffee, employment is given to British manufactures and British subjects: the planter, after earning a competency from his laborious struggle, comes home and settles amongst us; he has all along a stake in our national concerns, and he bears a share (and not a small one) of the public burdens. None of these advantages exist in the case of tea; it is not even purchased with our manufactures, at least not to any considerable extent, for it drains us of our hard cash. The law of political economy is to burden no commodity whatever for the sake of encouraging an other. The nearer governments approach to the principles of this most liberal and most important science, the more they will promote the public happiSo long as coffee was a product of foreign colonies, the nation approved of restrictions on its consumption; but now that it has become British, the case is widely different. This change was owing to the troubles of St. Domingo, which stopping the growth of coffee in that island, left the market of Europe unsupplied, and which at the same time drove the French plauters to Jamaica as a tranquil retreat for the pursuit of their avocation. Here they occupied the uncultivated lands, obtained loans from the English merchants, shewed the English planter the method of raising coffee, and in fifteen years inereased the culture of that plant ten fold.

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The Committee of the House of Commons appointed to consider of West

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India affairs, have been very assiduous. They have made a third report, in which they go a step farther than either the shipping interest or Ministers will go with them. The case they state is as follows: The planter buys many articles from America which this country cannot furnish him, as flour, lumber, and fish. For these he is not permitted to pay in sugar, being obliged to ship to Great Britain every cask that he makes. Rum he may offer, but of this the Americans will take only a limited quantity, perhaps not for one-third of the stores. What then remains for him to do? He must part with his hard dollars, or he must get in debt at home by drawing bills. No sooner does the American receive these dollars or bills, but he proceeds to an enemy's island, where he buys sugar and coffee at a cheap rate, ships them to Europe, and beats the British planter out of the continental market. Pernicious, however, as these consequences are, it is very doubtful whether permission will be granted to the planter to exchange his sugar for stores. The old prejudice, that it is for our advantage to make all sugar come to this country in the first instance, still continues. We have great difficulty in persuading ourselves that we shall not be great losers by letting any part of it out of our hands. The shipping interest in particular will exclaim against it as the worst policy, although it would not deprive them of one-tenth of the West India trade. The public will naturally expect that the merchants at home, who sell sugar by commission, would also oppose it; but this is not the case. These merchants are deeply involved with the planters; they consider that the proposed measure would benefit the planters; and they very properly think it good policy to wave a small commission when the capitals of their debtors are at stake. Parliament not having time to take up this matter in the present session, we may expect to see it keenly agitated through the press during the recess.

Our situation with respect to America is still doubtful. On the one hand there is reason to think that Bonaparte's late insolence will turn the current of national hatred more strongly against the French; on the other, we have a proof in the resolutions of Congress, adopted just before they ended their session, that they will on no account submit to our orders in council. They have declared that all who shall submit to them, shall be expatriated; that is, they shall lose their privileges as American citizens. This decree, however, is strictly defensive; the Americans will not lightly come to blows with us; our naval preponderance would extinguish their commerce; and the temperate and judicious measure of offering an apology for the affair of the Chesapeak, has greatly lessened their hostile spirit towards us. Whatever may be the temper of Jefferson towards England, he must be aware, from the disposition both of the Senate and Representatives, that to make a war with us popular would exceed the compass of his means; besides, the time approaches when he must resign his power to a successor, and the concluding measures of his administration must necessarily have a reference to the feelings of that successor as well as his All these considerations are in favour of the prospect of peace. The experience of the evils of war, through the embargo, is also in favour of it. It has given the American people some idea of the situation in which they would be involved, before, as is too often the case, a step had been taken which could not be recalled.

own.

The trade of Holland continues the sport of French tyranny. One day all export trade, whether to neutral or friendly states, is prohibited; another day this prohibition is relaxed in favour of certain commodities, the growth of the country; while, in the third place, this relaxation is clogged with such restrictions as to render it in a great measure useless. On another day a decree is issued, prohibiting all loans to foreign states. So arbitrary a measure excites considerable surprize, but its policy if not its justice is discovered when the French come forward and modestly ask to make a loan themselves. We record with pleasure that the Dutch treated this demand as it deserved, and positively refused any loan during the present oppressed state of their trade.

We have seen a return of British exports for the last quarter, compared with a similar quarter in 1805, 1806, and 1807. In the manufactures there is no great falling off, but a very considerable one in the export of our colonial próduce. The year 1806 was the most favourable of the three; and as Bona

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parte's edicts had been promulgated by that time, the inference seems to be that our trade did not suffer materially till the time of our Orders in Council. Stocks, after fluctuating considerably, left off at the end of last month at a high rate. These fluctuations were ascribed to different causes, but were ge nerally considered the manœuvres of the parties who had not succeeded in getting the loan. Money continues plenty, owing to the difficulty of suitably vesting it in trade,

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The Average Prices of Navigable Canal Shares, Dock Stock, Fire Office Shares, &c. in JUNE 1808; at the Office of Mr. Scott, 28, New Bridge-street, London. The Trent and Mersey, or Grand Trunk Navigation, 9801. to 10001. per share, with half-yearly dividend, paying 401. per share per ann.-Oxford Canal, 4501. to 4651. per share, the last half-yearly dividend was 111.-Grand Junction, 1161. with half year's dividend of 21.—Ditto Bonds, 901. for 1001.-Kennet and Avon, new shares, 41. 10s. per share prem.-Ashby, 221. per share.-Globe Insurance, 1161. per cent.-West India Dock Stock, 1551. to 1561. per cent. with halfyearly dividend of 51. per cent.-London Dock, 1171. to 1191. to 1161. per cent. ditto.

AGRICULTURAL REPORT FOR JUNE, 1808.

The wheats continue in a most prosperous state of growth, and, exclusive of some particularly cold unfertile soils, it is the general opinion that Britain never stood a fairer chance for an abundant crop of bread corn. To all appearance the blooming season will be favourable. The stock of wheat on hand also is very ample.

All the spring crops have succeeded, excepting the peas, which have again failed on most cold lands. The beans do not run much to haulm, but are full of blossom. Oats and barley have a very healthy appearance, and, without being very bulky in the grass, are sufficiently so to produce great crops. Turnips plant well, and look generally healthy. Same of potatoes. The crop of fruit promises great abundance, as does that of the hop, the duty of which is already laid at 150,0001.

The rains came most fortunately for the grass crops, and in the early dis tricts and around the metropolis, much hay is already carted. The produce is very heavy, and hay will be a general good crop. Hemp looks very promising, but the breadth sown this year is by no means answerable to those ideas of its consequence, in the present state of the country, entertained and promulgated by our most patriotic landholders.

Rent of land has suffered no decline, although there seems great reluctance in the eastern and southern counties to comply with the terms demanded. But the marsh land in the vicinity of London has fallen of late nearly 30s. per acre. Live stock, both fat and lean, have sold readily at high prices, which may, however, soon suffer some diminution, from the decreased consumption of the metropolis, consequent on the season.

Smithfield.

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