first shall include the departments in which grain is usually dearer than in the rest of the kingdom; the second, those where it keeps at a medium price; and the third, those in which it is generally lowest. The corn, flour, and pulse, on their exportation from France shall be subject only to a duty of balance, while wheat shall be below 21 francs, the hectolitre, in the departments of the first class; below 19 francs in those of the second class; and 17 francs in those of the third class. When wheat shall bave attained in each of those respective classes of departinents the price of 21, 19, or 17 francs, it shall pay on exportation a duty of 1 franc 50 centimes, per metrical quintal. Rye, barley, oats, maize, and other inferior grain and pulse, shall pay only half the duty fixed for wheat, and flour of all kinds a mere duty of balance. The produce of the duties levied on the exportation of grain shall be expended premiums and useful works, for the improvement of agriculture. The exportation shall be suspended in every frontier department, when the price of wheat shall have risen to twenty-three francs the hectolitre for the first class, twenty-one francs for the second, and nineteen for the third. The suspension shall not be taken off till the price shall have fallen below the limits above-mentioned. The second French expedition sailed from Brest to take possession of the restored West India colonies, on the 8th of September, and a third was expected to follow immediately The valuable and extensive island of St. Domingo is naturally an object of much speculation, and various contradictory reports are circulated with equal confidence respectng it. The French, influenced no doubt by their wishes, assert that Petion, one of the rival rulers of the empire of Haiti, bas declared in favour of the new government, and signified his readiness to resign his authority to the king; while the English accounts maintain that the appearance of a French force would be the signal for a reconciliation between that chief and his sable antagonist. The probability certainly is, that after the struggles which the people of that island have made for independence, they will not be very easily brought to submit their necks again to a foreign yoke. So much is certain that the state of the island has been pressed upon the consideration of the representatives of the nation in petitions from several planters of St. Domingo, stating their wants, re 263 commending certain measures to be pur On the 25th of August the Duke of Such, we have no doubt, are the real sentiments of every member of that illustrious family; but that there are still in France perturbed spirits who would, if possible, rekindle the flames of discord among the powers of Europe, the papers of that country daily afford abundant evidence. We allude to different articles which carry on the face of them the stamp of fabrications designed to excite jealousies among the great potentates by whom the pride of the French has been 264 Netherlands-Germany-Switzerland-Italy. [Oct. 1, lately humbled, and their inordinate and the King of Saxony, besides all the self-love so cruelly wounded. Their minor German Princes, will personally hatred of England is as unequivocally attend to their respective interests; manifested: and we are convinced that while Viscount Castlereagh and Talleyit will require as much address as firm- rand will appear as the representatives of ness in the sovereign to prevent the dau- England and France. Spain, also, will gerous ebullition of these furious and de- have her minister at Vichaa, and it has grading passions. even been asserted that an ambassador would be sent thither by the Ottoman Porte. Monsieur left Paris on the 8th of September on a tour through the western and southern departments of the kingdom; and Talleyrand, minister for foreign affairs, quitted the capital on the 15th to attend the congress at Vienna. NETHERLANDS. Strong reinforcements of troops have been sent during the past month into the Belgian provinces both from England and Hanover; and these, together with the Dutch force in that quarter, will for a total of upwards of 50,000 men. It will, doubtless, be politic to maintain an in posing attitude on this side, till the congress of Vienna shall have confirmed the prince sovereign in these new possessions. Lord Lynedoch has resigned the chief command of the British troops to the Hereditary Prince of Orange. Expeditions are equipping to take possession of the colonies that are to be ceded by England. It is understood that Java in the east, and Surinam, Curacoa, and St. Eustatia in the west, will be restored to Holland: but that we shall retain Demerara, Issequibo, Berbice, and the Cape of Good Hope. GERMANY, The fate of Saxony is a subject of deep interest to the various German powers. Notwithstanding the positive statements that Prussian troops were to take possession of this unfortunate country, and that Frederic William III. would assume the title of King of Saxony in addition to Prussia, we cannot bring ourselves to believe that such measures will be adopted previously to the congress. Whether any and what provision is intended for the monarch who has been precipitated from that throne we are not informed. Great preparations are making for the approaching Congress of Vienna which is expected to open in the last days of September or beginning of October. Such an assemblage of crowned heads, statesmen, and distinguished persons, as will be there collected was perhaps never witnessed. The Emperors of Russia and Austria; the Kings of Prussia, Denmark, Sardinia, Wirtemberg, and Bavaria, the Crown Prince of Sweden, and, according to report, the Pope, Murat, The foreign prints assert that the Archduke Charles is about to receive the hand of the Duchess of Oldenburg, and hint that other norriages of illustrious persons are expected to take place during the session of the congress. SWITZERLAND. In consequence of the disputes between the cantons of Berne, Argovia, and Vaud, a note was addressed by the ministers of England, Russia, and Austria, to the governments of those cantons, threatening them, in case they could not adjust their differences, with an armed mediation on the part of their respective countries. This menace seems to have produced the desired effect. Berne has renounced its claims on condition of the payment of a certain sum of money, by instalments. ITALY. The Pope has issued two decrees which have excited considerable sensation. By the first, he re-establishes the order of the Jesuits, a measure which, as he says, "the catholic world demands with one unanimous voice ;" and by the second, all secret associations, and parti cularly those called Freemasons are forbidden under severe penalties. The lat ter have likewise been suppressed in the Italian states of the Emperor of Austria. Murat has raised his army to the ful complement of 55,000 men. The prin cipal division, we are told, is to occupy the countries contested with the Pope, "as during the late war." We have long been convinced that all is not right in this quarter; for conspiracies are now talked of, and Murat has even denounced in the official journal, the attempt of a Prince Moliterno to excite insurrection in the marquisate of Ancona and the Abruzzos. The insignificance of the preparations is ridiculed; but the ac knowledgment that Prince Moliterno has found an asylum at Rome, where be arranges his measures, gives him rank either as an agent of the Pope, or of the King of Sicily suffi iently, above com mon disaffection to render him worthy of all the attention of the last potentate of the Buonaparte family. 1814.] Spain, Poland, Sweden, and Norway. The apprehensions of King Joachim are, indeed, betrayed in all his official acts. Thus, alarmed at the suspicion of a correspondence with his brother-in-law and benefactor, Napoleon, in Elba, he has thought fit to assure the world that be never had any intercourse with that island. He has also issued a decree, recalling all military men, subjects of Naples, from Sicily, by the 15th of October next, under pain of being excluded for ever from their native country. Savoy has been completely evacuated by the Austrian force, which occupied the different provinces. The Queen of Sicily died suddenly at Vienna, in the night of Sept. 8, in her 63d year. SPAIN. A treaty of peace with France has been Signed at Paris, by Don Pedro Gomez Labrador, and Talleyrand, Prince of Benevento. The treaty itself is exactly the same as that concluded by the different Allied Powers with France, and is accompanied with the following additional articles: 1. The property, of what nature soever it may be, possessed by Spaniards in France, and by Frenchmen in Spain, shall be respectively restored to them in the state in which it was at the moment of sequestration or confiscation. The removal of the sequestration shall extend to all property in this predicament, at what period soever it may have been sequestrated. The disputes respecting money matters, at present existing, or which may hereafter arise, between Spaniards and French, whether they began before the war, or originated since, shall be adjusted by a mixed commission; and if these disputes fall under the exclusive cognizance of the courts of Justice, the respective tribunals shall be exhorted on both sides to administer due and speedy justice, 2. A treaty of commerce shall be concluded as soon as possible between the two powers; and till this treaty can be carried into effect, the commercial relations between the two countres shall be re-established on the footing on which they were in 1792. The ratification took place at Madrid, on the 2d, and at Paris, on the 9th of August. How far this treaty may tend to abate that inveterate animosity which the Spanish nation in general still manifests against the French, we cannot pretend to determine. A striking instance of NEW MONTHLY MAG, No. 9. 265 this feeling is said to have lately occurred at Madrid, where a respectable female, in passing a church, was torn in pieces by the congregation of a mouk, who had just been delivering a furious sermon against the fashions of France. Recent advices from Spanish America announce the complete reduction of the province of Venezuela by the royalists, after a sanguinary engagement on the 17th of June, in which several thousands of the insurgents perished. Those who were left in possession of the Caraccas, precipitately quitted that city, which was entered on the 7th of July by the royalists, who were masters alsoof La Guira, and the other principal places. POLAND. Most of the accounts from abroad agree that Poland is to resume her rank as an independent kingdom. On the other hand, it is positively affirmed that the Emperor Alexander is to be her king, and the Archduke Constantine bis viceroy. That such an arrangement would be highly flattering to the ambition of Russia, cannot be doubted; but whether it would prove equally satis factory either to the Poles themselves, or to the two powers who must in this case relinquish their portion of the spoil, to aggrandize their already overgrown col league, may justly be questioned. We shrewdly suspect that this will be one of the most difficult points to be settled at the approaching Congress. SWEDEN AND NORWAY. The successful operations of the Swedish army, under Bernadotte, have brought the northern war to a speedy termination. According to the Swedish bulletins, the second corps d'armée, near 20,000 strong, under Field-marshal Count Essen, crossed the frontiers on the 30th of July; while a smailer body of troops, under Major-general Gabu, entered Norway in a different quarter. This last corps, in its advance, suffered very severely from the enemy, who, by a circuitous route, threw themselves in its rear. On the 4th of August, Frederickstadt capitulated; and the same evening the Swedish troops entered that place and Kongstein, the garrisons of which were suffered to return to their homes. On the 7th the Crown Prince moved his head quarters to Frederickstadt, where his Swedish majesty arrived on the 9th. After several actions, the issue of which is represented by the Swedes to have been uniformly in their VOL. II. N n 266 Transactions in Norway and America. favour, the Crown Prince, on the 14th, made preparations to surround the army of Prince Christian, in his position between Moss, Isebro, and Kjolbergsbro, with an overwhelming force, on which the latter accepted proposals for an armistice. A convention was accordingly concluded at Moss on the same day, stipulating that Prince Christian should resign his authority; that the states-general should be convoked at Christiania as early as possible, and that the King of Sweden should communicate directly with that body. His majesty promises to accept the constitution framed by the Diet, and to propose such changes only as are necessary for the union of the two kingdoms. By a military convention, concluded at the same time, it was agreed, that hostilites should cease till fifteen days after the opening of the Diet, with eight days notice beyond that time; that the blockade of the Norwegian ports should be raised; that the fortress of Frederickstein should be surrendered to the Swedes, who, with the exception of two divisions, should return to their own country; that the troops of both nations should confine themselves to a certain line of demarkation, and that neither should approach within a certain distance of the place where the Diet shall hold its sittings: and a proclamation issued on the 16th of August, by Prince Christian, summons the Diet to meet at Christiania, on the 7th of October. In this short contest, instances of the highest spirit and warmest patriotism have not been wanting on the part of the Norwegians. Among the rest, the formation of a corps of female volunteers, under the daughter of a clergyman, named Pihl, deserves to be recorded; but we regret to learn, that these modern Amazons were nearly all killed or wounded, in one of the actions with the enemy. This spirit, however, appears to have been by no means universal; and the invaders seem to be partly indebted for their successes to the discord and treachery of the Norwegians themselves. The commandant of Frederickstadt is said to have given up that fortress without firing a shot; and two other general officers to have behaved so ill, that they were casbiered. General Ilaxthausen, governor of Christiania, suffered the army to be three days without provisions; while an opposition party openly declared its sentiments against a farther resistance. All these circumstances together, induced Prince Christian to [Oct. 1; listen so soon to terms of accommodation. A serious tumult has since taken place in the capital, and the popular fury was particularly directed against General Haxthausen. The latest accounts represent Prince Christian as very much indisposed, from chagrin at the unfavourable issue of affairs, and the desertion of those on whom he had depended: they add, that he was daily expected at Copenhagen, AMERICA. On the 25th July a severe engagement was fought at Lundy's Lane, near the falls of Niagara, where the division of the British army under Major-general Riall was posted. The Americans apprized of the advance of Lieut.-general Drummond's division, planned a combined attack upon the former, in the hope of annihilating his force before the junction should be effected. The naval part, however, under Commodore Chauncey, did not sail till a week after the action, and the army was thus left to its own unaided operations. With the lat ter, about 5,000 in number, General Brown, on the 25th July, attacked the far inferior force of General Riall. The same morning General Drummond pushed on to the Falls to his support; but instead of finding his whole division occupying that position, as he expected, he met his advance in full retreat. The enemy had almost gained the position, his columns being close at hand, and the surrounding woods filled with his troops. To form an army under such circumstances required no ordinary prompti tude; and this was scarcely effected, when the whole British front was warmly and closely engaged. The principal ef forts of the enemy were directed against the left and centre. After repeated at tacks, the former was partially driven back, and Major-general Riall was wounded and taken prisoner: the cens tre, however, was uniformly success ful, and the enemy constantly repulsed with heavy loss. So determined were these attacks, that the American guns were advanced within a few yards of the British-the artillerymen of the latter were bayonetted in the act of loading, and so mixed was the conflict in the darkness of the night, that the pieces of the enemy were in some instances mistaken for our own. The action commenced at six o'clock in the evening, and continued until nine, when there was a short intermission, the enemy be ing employed in bringing up the whole 1814.] Incidents in and near London. of his reserve. He shortly after renewed the attack with his whole force, but was every where repulsed with equal gallantry and success. The battle lasted till midnight, when the enemy retreated in great disorder towards his camp beyoud Chippewa. The following day he abandoned his camp, threw the greatest part of his baggage, camp-equipage, and provisions, into the Rapids, and. harassed by our light troops, continued his retreat towards Fort Erie. In this severe action our force for the first three hours was only 1,600 men, and did not, with reinforcements, at any time exceed 2,800. The loss sustained by the enemy is estimated at 1,500, of whom several hundreds are prisoners, and their two commanding generals Brown and Scott were wounded. Of the British, 84 were killed, and 559 wounded; 193 are missing, and 42 taken prisoners; total 878. As the second and third divisions of the British army from Bourdeaux, amounting to 10, or 12,000 men, were expected to arrive at Quebec early in August, we may reasonably hope that this will be the last time our gallant soldiers will have to encounter such disproportionate odds. By the latest advices, which come down to the 4th of August, the Americans were then strongly entrenched at Fort Erie, expecting an attack from the British army lying before it. The fleet on Lake Ontario, it was supposed, would have engaged in some enterprise; but on the 11th of August it was off Kingston, which is at the opposite end of the lake from the Niagara line, without at 207 tempting any thing. General Drummond states in his dispatches, that the Ameri cans, in their retreat to Fort Erie, set fire to Street's Mills, and destroyed the bridge at Chippewa. For this, and the atrocities previously committed by them at Long Point, Queenston, and St. David's, Admiral Cochrane bas resolved to retaliate, and has given the necessary orders for that purpose On the 9th of August, the British made an attack on the town of Stonington, fourteen miles from New London; but it was supposed to be subordinate to a more serious attempt upon the latter place, where the enemy have the Mace donian and United States frigates, and Hornet sloop. These our gallant seamen are determined to take or destroy. A detachment of British troops has also landed and taken possession of Montauk Point, the eastern extremity, of Long Island. In fine, all the assailable points of the coast are in a state of alarm and momentary expectation of a visit. The negociations at Ghent are continued; but we still remain of opinion that we must look to the sword, and not the pen, for the adjustment of our differences with the United States. It is understood that we have demanded an extension of our limits, and the dismanthing of the fortified posts on the Canadian frontier; and that these are the points of which the American commissioners have thought fit to send home Mr. Dallas, one of their secretaries, to apprize their government. Sept 23. INCIDENTS, PROMOTIONS, BIRTHS, MARRIAGES, DEATHS, &c THE reports of the commissioners for executing the acts relative to the improvement of Westminster, containing the accounts of their receipt and expenditure from May the 8th, 1811, to December the 31st, 1812, are printed by order of the House of Commons It appears that from May 8, 1811, to April 27, 1812, their receipts, consisting of 1,4341. balance remaining in the bank, of cash under the king's warrant 14,5451. 1,9951. from sale of old materials, and from divers rents, amounted to 18,3831, 6s. 8d. Their outgoings in the same period for compensations for different interests affected by the alterations, surveyors' charges of near 500l. and a bill for law business of 7661. were less than their receipts by the sum of 1,3181. left in the bank. From April 27, to December 31, 1812, their receipts were 6,4361. including cash under a warrant for 4,4361. Their outgoings in the same period left a balance in the bank of 1,645. The produce of the sales of the buildings pulled down was 1,995 5s 8d. Receipts from Dec. 31, 1812, to Dec. 13, 1813, were 3,4731. 125. The disbursements, including two law charges, one of 500l. and another of 6551. were 2,3061 18s. Then follows the consent of the treasury to a grant of land for the Westminster free school, and for the removal of Saint Margaret's watch-house to the New Way, Almonry, the parish of St. Margaret paying 150l. towards the expense. Their Lordships decline purchasing the New Courthouse, but recommend the removal of the portico from the south to the east side of |