scribe; and in the Note of the 9th September, after | ceived. We have the honour to be, with perfect No. XII.---NOTE from the British to the Ame- the receipt of the note addressed to them by the tory of the United States, such events would not LATIN. The No. XI-Copy of a Letter from the American SIX---The detention of the Chauncey at Ostend, enables us to send the inclosed vote from the British Plenipotentiaries, which we have just re the 21st instant, all the points upon which they are hesitate to bring forward, in form of articles or 1 Capt. Blakeley's official Account. Copy of a Letter from JouNSON BLAKELEY, Esq. felt myself compelled to forego the satisfaction of destroying the prize. Our braces having been cut away, we kept off the wind until others could be rove, and with the expectation of drawing the second brig from his companions, but in the last we were disappointed. The second brig continued to approach us until she came close to our stern, when she hauled by the wind, fired her broadside, which cut our rigging and sails considerably, and, shot away a lower main cross tree, and retraced her steps to join her censort, when we were necessitated to abandon the prize; he appeared in every respect a total wreck. He continued for some time firing guns of distress, until probably delivered by the two last vessels who made their appearance. The second brig could have engaged if he had thought proper, as he neared us fast, but contented himself with firing a broadside, and immediately returned 10 his companions. It is with real satisfaction I have again the pleasure of bearing testimony to the merits of Lieutenant Reilly, Tillinghurst, Baury, and sailing-master Cart: and to the good conduct of every officer and man on board the Wasp. Their divisions and departments were attended and supplied with the utmost regularity and abundance, which, with the good order maintained, together with the vivacity and precision of their are, reflects on them the greatest credit. Our loss is two killed and one slightly wounded with a wad. The hull received four round shot, and the foremast many grape shot, Our rigging and sails suffered a great deal. Evety damage was repaired the day after, with the exception of our sails. Of the vessel with whom we were enga STR-After a protracted and tedious stay at L'Orient, I had at last the pleasure of leaving that place on Saturday the 27th August. On the 30th captured the British brig Lettice, Henry Cockbain, znaster, and 31st August the British brig Bon Accord, Adam Duiny, master. In the morning of the 1st September discovered a convoy of ten sail to leeward, in charge of the Armada, 74, and a bomb ship; stood for them, and succeeded in cutting out the British brig Mary, John D. Allen, mas ter, laden with brass cannon taken from the Spaniards, iron cannon and military stores, from Gibraltar to England, removed the prisoners, set her ou fire, and endeavoured to capture another of the eouvoy, but was chased off by the Armada. On the evening of the same day, at halt-past six, while going tree, discovered tour vessels nearly at the same time, two on the starboard, and two on the larboard bow, hauled up for the one most on the starboard bow, being farthest to windward. At seven the chace (a brig) commenced making signals with flags, which could not be distinguished for want of light, and soon after made various ones with lanterns, rockets and guns. At 26 minutes atternine, having the chace under our lee bow, the 12 pound carronade was directed to be fired into him, which he returned; ran under his lee to pre-ged, nothing positive can be said, with regard to vent his escaping, and at nine minutes after nine commenced the action. At 10 o'clock believing the enemy to be silenced, orders were given to cease firing, when I hailed and asked if he had surrendered. No answer being given to this and nis fire having recommenced, it was again returned. At 12 minutes after 10, the enemy having suffered greatly and having made no returt. to our two last broadsides, I hailed him the segond time, to know if he had surrendered, when he answered in the affirmative. The guns were then ordered to be secured, and the boat lowered to take possession, In the act of lowering the boat a second brig was discovered a little distance a-stern and standing for us. Sent the crew to their quarters, prepared every thing for another action, and awaited his coming up; at 36 minutes after 10, discovered two more sail a-stern standing towards us. I now her name or force, While hailing him previous to his being fired into, it was blowing fresh (and then going ten knots) and the name was not distinctly understood. Of her force, the four shot which struck us are all thirty-two lbs. in weight, being a pound and three quarters heavier than any we had belonging to our vessel, From this circumstance, the number of men in her tops, her general appearance and great length, she is believed to one of the largest brigs in the British navy.—I have the honour, &c. &c. J. BLAKELEY. P. S. I am told the enemy, after his surrender, asked for assistance, and said he was sinking. The probability of this is confirmed by his firing signal. guns for some time after his capture. The action took place in lat. 47. 30. N. long. 11 W. Printed and Published by G. HoUSTON: No. 192, Strand; where all Communications addressed to the Editor are requested to be forwarded, VOL. XXVII. No. 5.] LONDON, SATURDAY, FEB. 4, 1815. 129] HAMPSHIRE MEETING. Property Tax.Trick of the London Press. [Price 1s. [130 that it first reached the High Sheriff, notwithstanding that, in all other cases, an application to the former is looked upon, and, in law, is an application to the latter. HAVING taken a part personally at this meeting in my own county, it was not These circumstances would have bean my intention to have made its proceed- almost unworthy of notice, if they had ings a subject of observation in print, not had an effect upon the proceedings because it seems rather unfair to avail of the day; but, as will be seen presentmyself of an advantage, not possessed ly, they had a very material effect upon by those gentlemen, from whom I had those proceedings, and tended to shew, the misfortune to differ in opinion. But, in no very amiable light, the character I am compelled to do this, on the present and real views of the party, by whom occasion, in my own defence, seeing that the second Requisition was urged farthe London daily news-papers have ward. For my part, I signed neither of wholly misrepresented the proceedings; the Requisitions, and, until my arrivalat have garbled every thing that they have Winchester, had had no communication touched; have suppressed the Petition with any ones upon the subject. I had which I moved; have exhibited me as determined upon the course to pursue, guilty of the most glaring inconsistency, and left co-operation to chance, beand as having behaved in a diorderlying ten thousand fines more anxious to and even ridiculous manner. I shall, I inculcate a sound principle or two, as to trust, therefore, be excused for giving the rights and liberties of my country, an account of the Proceedings, through than to relieve myself from the Property the only channel that I have access to, Tax, and all the other taxes put togeespecially as the discussion embraced ther! some great political principles, in which the nation are, of course, deeply interested. When I have given an account of the Proceedings, I will give an account of the Trick of the London daily Press, and endeavour to open the eyes of the public to the true character of that xenal instrument of all that is hypocritical and corrupt. Before we come to the Meeting itself, we ought to notice the previous steps. A Requisition to the Sheriff, signed, by 53 gentlemen, was left with the Deputy Sheriff at Winchester. These gentlemen were, principally, land-owners as well as farmers, but none of them distinguished as belonging to either of the Parties, as they are usually termed. After this Requisition was set on foot, another was put in circulation by what is, ludicrously enough, called the Whigs; and, though the former petition was first in the bands of the Deputy Sheriff, the Meeting was called upon the latter, on the ground, About eleven o'clock, that is to say,about an hour before theMeeting took place,some gentlemen joined me at the inn where I was. Sometime after this, I drew up a petition to offer to the Meeting, in case the one to be presented by the Whigs, should not be such as I approved of. So far was I. from having time to copy the paper, I was drying the ink at the fire, when word was brought us, that the Meeting was begun. Cramming the pa per into my pocket, without reading it even once over, I hastened to the Castle, and entered the Court-house in the middie of a speech of Mr. PORTALL, who, I learnt, had opened the business of the day. The fairest way for me to act as to this Speech, is to insert the report of it as I find it in the Times newspaper of the 25th of January. The speech was an hour long; but, really, the reporter has had the ability to bring into about ten minutes compass all the material points of it. The Speech was delivered with E great clearness and eloquence; but, ge-" who by their mental energy, and bodily nerally speaking, there was nothing new in it, which the report here inserted does not contain : health, were just in a condition to "maintain their families, and from whom "much of the fruits of their industry "was torn by the operation of this tax. "What could be more unjust, than that "such men should be obliged to pay the "same tax for an income so acquired, as "if their income bad been the regular "Mr. PORTALL came forward to move for a petition to be presented to "the House of Commons, against the "revival of this tax. He, as being a Commissioner for collecting this tax, "had many opportunities of consider-" produce of large sums invested in the ing the machinery of it, and witness- "funds This was not like the other ing its unavoidable oppression: on this taxes which were paid indirectly or account, he did not hesitate to put collaterally. It was a tax on the thing "himself forward on this occasion, al- " itself. If he had ten guineas on his tathough there were many present of "ble, the tax-gatherer took one of them. superior weight and property in the "This appeared in its principle to be "county. He should begin by entirely something of a highwayman's-tax. It disclaiming all party motives, and was extorted, not by the means of a "therefore he should not consider who" pistol, but by the surcharges and surwas the man who first proposed the veyors. The surveyor administered to tax, or who it was that increased it. If "the party the oath of purgation, and he felt any confidence that this most" then the inquisition followed. This "obnoxious tax would be suffered to die" tax went to destroy all confidence be away of itself at the period which the "tween man and man. No man dared "legislature had marked out for its de-" to speak of his circumstances, for fear cease, he should not have thought it of being exposed to the surveyor. In necessary to disturb its expiring mo- "this country there were men who would "ments. Ministers had, however, both "not be afraid to take a lion by the "by their demeanour and their language "beard, but who trembled before the "in the House, as well as t of it, by" surfeyor, who is, in fact, the greatest "their refusing to answer questions, and" bug-bear in the land. 46. great objections to it. He was "convinced, however, that this tax which "professed to be equal and impartial," was in fact the most unequal and the "most partial. It was said to be a tax " It might be by their sending private letters to their "asked, how came it that such a tax "friends whom they supposed to have" was ever suffered? It was because it "considerable local interest, shewed "was then stated that the enemy was at "6 pretty clearly to the country, that it"our doors, and that every thing which was their intention to propose the re- we valued was at stake. Under such "newal of the tax. If this tax was real-" circumstances, the country was not ly as good in itself as any other tax by very particular in enquiring into the "which the necessary supplies were to means which were proposed for our "be raised, he should not have such safety. The Legislature had expressly " stated those circumstances in the first "act, the 38th of the King, and mentioned in the preamble, "that the safety of his Majesty's Crown, the security of our holy religion, our laws, upon profits, and yet no deduction was "lives, and properties, were at hazard." "made on account of the necessary ex"If Ministers now wished to renew the "pense of repairs. Was the expense tax, it would be for them to shew that "that a landlord or farmer was obliged "the same circumstances now exist. The "to incur for keeping the premises in re- "Legislature had always shewn the "pair, to be called their profits? Were" greatest anxiety about the time in which "the three-fourths of the tax upon land "the act was to expire; and after fixing "which the farmers are obliged to pay "that time in all their acts, they added "to be called a tax upon their profits? " and "no longer." The period at which * When a lease was taken for 21 years, "its expiration was fixed, was the 6th subject to a heavy fine on the renewal," of April, after the conclusion of the "no deduction was made on account of war then existing. If ever there was this fine. The case was still harder" a pledge given by the Legislature to the "with professional men and tradesmen, country, that a tax should expire at a "moving a resolution, that it was expe"dient to present a Petition to the House "of Commons against the revival of those "taxes. a "certain time, that pledge had been given in this instance. The country "had performed its part of the contract, "and submitted to the tax with unex"ampled patience, as long as the war " continued. They had now a clear and "irrefragable right to the benefits of the "engagements on the other side, and to expect that the tax should not be re"newed. If the tax were now renewed, "it would not only be a gross violation "of the contract, but it would be an ag"gravated, breach of trust, by making "the very violation of their contract "a sort of precedent for further viola"tions. It was his firm opinion, that if "the tax were but submitted to for an"other year, it would never be taken off. "New circumstances and new pretences "would then arise; and rather than give up the tax, Ministers would pre"fer another war, perhaps with the Dey of Algiers, the Nabob of Arcot, or some The petition was then produced and "of those gentlemen. He should object moved, and, having been read, was seto any modification of the tax. If it conded by SIR HARRY TICHBORNE. were reduced to one per cent. or one Here Mr. HUNT requested that the first "fourth per cent. he should equaly requisition might be read. It now apobject to it, as an unfit tax to be intro-peared, that that requisition included, "duced into a free country. Every man by name, the War Tax upon Malt, "who is now summoned before the sur- which, as the reader will perceive, had veyor goes up like a culprit, and feels been embodied into the Whig Petition, "like one. The difference is, that by though not mentioned in the Whig requi"the law of England, every man is pre- sition. The motive for this act of irre sumed innocent until he is found gularity was clearly this: that the Whigs guilty; whereas, before the surveyors, knowing that, if they left it out, an every man is presumed guilty, until he amendment would be moved, and that, is found innocent. He did not mean thus, they would be defeated upon their "to cast the slightest reflection on the own dunghill, seeing that the Malt Tax surveyors personally, but without such is full as burdensome and as odious as a course the tax could not be raised. the Property Tax. The getting over this "There was another subject which af- irregularity by "taking the sense of the "fected the people of this country al- Meeting," as it was called, amounted to "most as much as the property-tax.just nothing at all; for, by the same rule, Among those taxes which were called any thing might be introduced into the war taxes, and which by law would Petition; and yet, as the reader will expire about the same time with the presently see, great efforts were made to "property tax, there was one of no less set my Petition aside upon the ground, "than two shillings a bushel on malt. that it contained matter of complaint, "This bore no less on the comforts of the not specified in the requisition. poor and middling orders, then it did Having thus shewn the tactics of the upon the interests of agriculture. He Whigs this far, and exposed the motive, had, therefore introduced into the peti- whence they were led to introduce the tion a prayer, that this tax also should Malt Tax, I now proceed to the discussion "not be revived. As this was not regu- of the Petition, into which we were perlarly introduced in the requisition, it mitted to enter, though we had not been was only by the pleasure and sufferance permitted to oppose Mr. Portall's resolu"of the Meeting, that he could incorpo- tion. The Whig Petition, as the Times "rate it with his petition. (The sense of newspaper observes " was then read the Meeting on this point was testified" by the Under-Sheriff. It was of con"by loud applause. He concluded by "SIR W. HEATHCOTE shortly second"ed theResolutions, and observed that he "had voted against the new Malt Duty. This motion being made and seconded, Mr. HUNT rose to speak; but was called to order by Mr.PORTALL, and the Sheriff decided, that he could not be permitted to speak till Lord NoTHESK had read a petition; that is to say, Mr. Portall was permitted to make a long speech and a motion, which motion was seconded, and Lord NORTHESK was to make another motion, and that was to be seconded also, before any person on the other side was to be permitted to speak! If this was fair and regular, it must be acknowledged, that Hampshire has its peculiar mode of conducting debates and discussions. ་་ " E 2 |