in their native country the blessings of literature and civilization.

GERMANY.

A negotiation has, it is said, been recently set on foot between the British government and that of Austria; through which there it some chance of our being repaid a part of the debt due to us from the emperor; if not in money, at least in money's worth. As long back as 1802, an agreement was entered into with the Austrian government for the purchase of a large quantity of timber; but the breaking out of hostilities soon after, and the subsequent state of the continent, prevented the contract between the two powers from being carried into effect. The timber was, at that time, to have been delivered in part payment of the debt due to us; and we understand the Austrian government has renewed its offer of payment in the same way. The timber is said to be of the first quality and growth; and the offer has been considered so far worth attention by our govern ment, that they have dispatched Mr. Smith, the assistant secretary to the navy board, to Trieste, accompanied by an experienced officer of Woolwich yard.

In the German papers we find an account of the celebration of the anniversary of Leipsic, at the Warteburg near Eisenach; which is, in many respects, highly deserving of attention. The students of the university of Jena invited the students of the other German universities to send deputies to Eisenach to join with them in this solemnity; and accordingly they were met on the afternoon of the 17th October, at the appointed place, by deputies from nearly all the universities. The students and professors assem

the 18th October to the Warteburg; when, after singing divine hymns, one of the students advanced towards an altar, and delivered an harangue; in which, calling to their recollection the great day of Leipsic, on which the sun of German freedom rose, he observed how little the result had answered the expectations which the people were entitled to form; and that no prince had yet performed the promise publicly made by him, excepting that prince in whose territories they were then solemnizing the festival. An auto da fe afterwards took place, in which several obnoxious works, and, among others, various productions of Schmalz, the writer who first advocated the re-action of the Prussian government, were committed to the flames. They burnt also several instruments and monuments of old German slavery: and, before they broke up, they pledged themselves to each other, in taking the sacrament, that they would conscientiously endeavour to carry into execution the obligations into which they had entered. Such a solemn expression of the discontent which the conduct of the different German governments has excited, affords much matter for reflection.

As proofs of reform being wanted in Saxony, no one is allowed to sit in the diet that cannot produce a pedigree of eight noble ancestors! The higher classes contribute little to taxes, while feudal services are still required of the peasantry.

RUSSIA.

The population of St. Petersburgh is 285,500 persons, military included. In 1764 the number was 130,000; and, in 1792, 225,000.

ASIA.

Count Yermaloff, the Russian ambassador to Persia, is commis(D3) sioned

sioned to engage at Ispahan and Cabul a number of workmen, who are to set up a manufactory of shawls and carpets, at Casan, in Russia, on very advantageous terms. The importance of the object is inferred from the fact, that 80,000 shawls are annually exported from Bussorah, which cost on an average 1000 roubles; so that the gross yearly exportation of shawls from Bussorah is about 80,000,000 roubles. Certainly this is a branch of commerce worth some little pains to get a share in from the people of the south of Asia; and if the wools of Thibet and the Persian silks are jointly so productive of profit to the shawl makers, the court of St. Petersburg displays a good eye to business, in starting against them for so rich a prize.

Extract of a letter from the agent to Lloyd's at the Cape of Good Hope, Sept. 15:-"Arrived this day the Blucher, Kerr, from Batavia and the Mauritius. She brings advice, that at the isle of Lupper. waro, near Amboyna, the natives had risen and murdered the Dutch resident and his family, together with the whole of the garrison. A detachment of about 200 men were sent from Amboyna, which the natives allowed to land; after which they murdered them all. An expedition was about to sail from that place under admiral Buyokus."

DECEMBER.

9. Louisa Perkins was tried at the Old Bailey for child-stealing.-Emma Potter, the only child of Mrs. Potter, widow, of Vere-street, Claremarket, was sent 4th Nov. to a ba ker's shop in the neighbourhood: the prisoner came up to her, and took hold of her hand, promised her some biscuits, and said she would

make her some doll's things, and took her up in her arms and carried her some way, then set her down to walk. Very fortunately Mr. Gilson (cooper to Messrs. Barclay and Co's brewhouse), observing the little child resisting and struggling with the prisoner, went up and spoke to her: she then said she was aunt to the child. An officer was fetched, and the woman taken into custody and carried to Guildhall.-Emma, a very interesting little girl, five years and seven months old, was examined on the trial, and gave her evidence in a clear and satisfactory manner. She was lifted on the table before the recorder, for the purpose of being more distinctly heard. She underwent examination by him, and cross-examination by the prisoner's counsel, with great composure. Verdict-Guilty. Sentence-seven years transportation, This is the eighth trial and convic tion at the Old Bailey since the act 54 Geo. III. cap. 101, for the pre, vention of child-stealing.

18. The trial" The king v. W. Hone" came on before Mr. Justice Abbot and a special jury in the court of king's bench. This was an information filed by his majesty's attorney-general against the defendant for printing and publishing a seditious and profane libel on those parts of our church service called the Catechism, the Apostles' Creed, and the Lord's Prayer. Mr. Hone addressed the jury in a speech which lasted five hours, in the course of which he brought forward many instances of men of character and talent having parodied the sacred or devotional writings, of which no notice had been taken by the legal authorities. The learned judge in his address to the jury expressed his conviction that the publication of the defendant was most profane

and

and irreligious, and peculiarly calculated to do mischief to the young and ignorant, from the cheap rate at which it was sold. The jury, after half an hour's deliberation, returned a verdict of-Not guilty.

On the following day Mr. Hone was brought up on a second information against him by the attorney general before lord Ellenborough. Six gentlemen only on the special jury pannel having appeared, a tales was prayed, and accordingly six common jurymen were put into the box. The information was filed against the defendant for printing and publishing a certain impious and profane libel upon a part of the church service in the common prayer-book, called "the Litany, or general supplication." There was a second count, charging the said publication to be a wicked and seditious libel, of and concerning the prince regent, and the houses of lords and commons. Mr. Hone defended himself in a speech of seven hours, citing precedents as in the former trial. Lord Ellenborough, in his charge to the jury, urged the importance of the case, and of their decision, to the cause of religion, and to the vital interests of the country, concluding with a declaration that, according to his conscience, and upon his oath of office, he believed the publication was a most impious and profane libel. The jury, after deliberating an hour and three quarters, returned a verdict of Not guilty.

Next day a third information against Hone was proceeded on, before lord Ellenborough and a special jury. Mr. Hone having evinced symptoms of indisposition, the attorney-general addressed his lordship, stating, that though on his own part he had no wish to postpone the proceedings of the

court, a postponement might be desirable, as the defendant certainly appeared unable to make any great physical exertion, and as it must be necessary to have a full controul upon so serious an occasion: this offer of indulgence, however, the defendant declined, and the trial consequently proceeded. The information charged him with having published a certain impious work, the object of which was to ridicule and turn into contempt that part of the divine service called St. Athanasius's Creed. Mr. Hone's defence occupied seven hours and three quarters, and was similar in kind to that of the two preceding days. Lord Ellenborough shortly addressed the jury, who in twenty minutes returned their verdictNot guilty.

Throughout these trials the court was very much crowded, and the proceedings were occasionally interrupted by the indecent conduct of the audience, which compelled the judges to order the sheriff to bring the offenders instantly before them: but the offence was too general for any one particularly to be selected. While the jury, however, were consulting on the last trial, a gentleman charged with riotous conduct on the steps leading into the court was brought up, and fined 20 pounds.

The whole interior and exterior of the New Mint, together with the military way and adjoining edifices, have been lighted with gas. The apparatus, which is on a new plan, is erected within the walls of the mint. The gas is prepared, not by distilling coal in retorts in the usual manner, but by means of a cylinder kept red hot, and revolving round its axis. The cylinder is upwards of ten feet in diameter, and produces, during its revolution in twenty-four hours, a sufficient quan. (D 4)

tity

tity of gas to light 1600 lamps. The purification of the gas is effected by means of chlorine instead of quicklime, and all the inlet and outlet mains and pipes are made to open and shut by mercurial valves. The quantity of gas daily made and consumed by the burners and lamps is registered, in the absence of the observer, on a dial-plate of a machine, the moving power of which is gas. There can be no doubt that the adoption of the new lights in this instance, as in all others where much light is wanted in a small space, must prove highly economical; and it is a pleasing reflection to see government giving effect to a discovery which cannot fail to increase the wealth of the nation, by adding to its internal resources, as long as coal continues to be dug in this island from the bowels of the earth, The effect of the new lights scattered upon so extensive a scale over the beautiful machinery of the coining processes, is uncommonly striking; and the new royal mint now exhibits the most elegant establishment of the kind in the world.

The duchess of Rutland has received the gold medal from the Society of Arts, for various experiments in raising oaks at Belvoir, Her Grace's decided conclusion, on five general experiments, is, that the best method is to sow the acorns where they are to remain, and after hoeing the rows two years, to plant potatoes, one row only between each row of oaks for three years. The benefit of the oaks from planting potatoes is incalculable; for, from the said experiments, and from others made at the same time, and with the same seedling oaks, planted with a mixture of larch, spruce, beech, birch, and other forest trees, and also with oaks only-in all cases she has found that potatoes between

the rows are so superior to all other methods, that the oaks will actually grow as much the first four years with them, as in six without them. "It appears," she observes, "that the great secret in raising plantations of oaks is, to get them to advance rapidly the first eight years from the seed, or the first five years from planting, so as the heads of the trees are completely united, and become a smothering crop: after this is effected, the trees will appear to strive to outgrow each other, and will advance in height rapidly; they will be clean straight trees to any given height. Experiments have proved the fact, which may be veri fied by viewing Belvoir.

A Roman mosaic pavement, of considerable extent, and in fine preservation, has been discovered in the garden of J. Matthie, esq. of High Wycombe, three feet below the surface. Langley, the historian of the hundred of Desborough, mentions a similar discovery as having been made in the grounds of the earl of Shelburne, in the same vicinity, about sixty years since.

A quantity of ancient coins, in good preservation, having the impressions of the heads of the em perors Nero, Vespasian, and Trajan, was lately dug up on the estate of șir H.St. Paul, bart. at Wednesbury.

lands, on the 16th inst. with a view to a new regulation of the import and export duties on tea in Holland and the Netherlands. The import duty upon teas into Holland, by the proposed law, will not exceed one half per cent. and the duty on exportation is only one fifth per cent. In short, teas will probably be sold in Holland, making the necessary allowance for the difference of price between a free trade and our monopoly price, at one-half what they are consumed for in this country. The encouragement which the measure will give to smuggling is expected to be very detrimental to the revenue here; and which, on this article alone, is computed at three millions sterling.

SPAIN.

A letter from Madrid, dated December 9, says, "We are informed that the council of Castille has ad. opted a resolution, calling on the public creditors to abandon twothirds of their claims, and that government has offered to acknowledge the validity of the remaining third; but it is not said how that will be paid off. It is supposed that the junta of public credit has funds at its disposal to pay the interest of the reduced debt. Those who will not consent to the reduction demanded, may preserve their claims upon the entire debt; but they will be obliged to wait for more favourable periods of payment. A statement of the general debt, which is publicly circulated, makes the funded part of it amount to 5,904,662,866 reals of Vellon, of which the annual interest is 195,573,391 reals of Vellon; and the floating debt, without interest, amounts to 5,232,976,520 reals.

The inquisition in Spain has recently arrested a number of individuals for the crime of free-masonry,

ITALY.

Rome, Sept. 23.

(From a private letter.) Highway robbery is carried on systematically here, and on a grand scale. At Veroli, a small town fifteen miles from this, a teacher, with twelve spiritual seminarists, walking in the environs, were taken prisoners by the robbers and dragged to the mountains. The robbers were polite enough to send to Veroli, and to offer to give up the pupils for 12,000 crowns, and the teacher into the bargain. A negotiation was entered into, and 4000 crowns were taken. Several days afterwards a young man, of a thick and heavy make, belonging to Angou, was walking with seven male and female relations, and the whole party were taken 200 steps from the gate and carried off. The alarmbell of the town, which contains nearly 12,000 inhabitants, was rung. The robbers flew with their pri soners to the mountains: the young man not being able to keep up with them, they cut his throat, and escaped with the other seven persons. These unfortunate prisoners were afterwards ransomed by their relatives for 5000 scudi. There are many hundreds of these robbers, and their numbers are daily increasing. They have their male and female leaders, and receive only people of irreproachable character: the investigation into morals, and the proof as to ancestry, is very strict on their reception, as persons of consideration take an interest in it.