Page images
PDF
EPUB

France, to invade our Indian possessions on the side of Persia. His difficulties, under the most favourable circumstances, will indeed be formidable, and he is not at present prepared to encounter them; but they are not insurmountable, nor are we invulnerable in that quarter. The attempt may be yet long suspended; but we may woefully rue our mistake if we consider it abandoned: and if he shall ever be in a condition to enter seriously on the execution of his threats then will the political importance of Bombay be specially felt and acknowledged by both friend and foe.

contact with the force under sir James Craig, assembled on the frontier of Qude for the purpose of opposing him, as related in our historical sketch of that year.

For this memorable retreat, and all its consequences, so favourable to the ulterior extensive views of the supreme government, the British nation, and particularly the East India company, are indebted to Mirza Mehedy Aly Khan, who had the merit of first suggesting these measures, which afterwards produced, under his skilful management, a most unexpected reverse in the condition of all partics. The Mirza at that time filled the office of company's president at Bushire; having been appointed and deputed by the Bombay government to superintend their commercial and political concerns. Powers, de cal concerns in the gulph of other Persia.

- Notwithstanding all our treaties and alliances, there was a propensity in the native powers of India to combine the whole physical force of the peninsula against the English. Powers, de cidedly hostile to each coalesced for this purpose during Mr. Hasting's eventful administration. Their policy would have been the same in 1799, but incal culably more comprehensive; and had not the views of the original confederates been unexpectedly frustrated, all recollection of the deplorable disasters in the Carnatic would have been lost in the traces of more general and fatal calamities.

The peace with the Mahrattas, which was concluded in May 1782, chiefly by means of sir John Macpherson, at that time retrieved the British cause when nearly desperate. The dangers of 1799 were averted by Zemaun Shah's precipitate retreat, after sur mounting the principal obstacles of a long, laborious, and difficult march; and arriving nearly in

He was a native of Persia, where his father had been head physician to Nadir Shah, and the son still maintained respectable connexions at the court of the reigning king Futteh Ali Khan. Mehmood and Feroze, two brothers of Zemaun Shah, after an unsuccessful domestic quarrel, had been driven into exile, and were brooding over their misfortunes at Terhan the present Persian capital. Mehedy rightly judged that the absence of Zemaun with the whole of his army, on a distant and foreign service, presented to them an opportunity equally favou rable for vindicating their own rights and the cause of the company. company. He accordingly nego ciated with his friends at the Persian court so successfully, that for an expence not exceeding

85001. Mehmood and Feroze were equipped and detached with a force to attack the Shah's western border, at the time when he had actually reached Lahore in his route to the Oude and Bengal provinces. Mehedy's mission, including his travelling charges and other disbursements incident to negociations at an eastern court, cost the company about 26,000l. In succeeding deputations to the court of Terhan, where no essential point was gained that Mirza had not at his command when he was recalled, there was expended a sumnot less than half a million sterling.

Mirza Mehedy towards the close of that year proceeded, under the orders of the Bombay govern

ment, to the presence of the Persian monarch, to return públic thanks for his critical and efficient interposition. He was also secretly charged with the negociation of a variety of delicate points. He arrived at Terhan on the 4th of Dec. 1799, and was received by his majesty and his ministers with great distinction, friendship, and hospitality.

In little more than a month he accomplished the objects of his mission, as far as they were attainable; and being early in 1800, superseded in his diplomatic character by an envoy direct from the supreme government, Mehedy resumed his functions at Bushire,

CHAP.

CHAP. XV.

Dissentions and Contests in the British Cabinet.-Duel between Mr. Canning and Lord Castlereagh.-O. P. War, or Uproars in the Theatre of Covent Garden-Internal Affairs of France.-New Government ~established in the Roman States annexed to the French Empire.—Revolution in Sweden.-State of Russia.

DURING the last three months

of 1809, the affairs of Europe were not regarded by the people of England with much interest or concern, at least not with any emotions that might render them objects of pleasing and voluntary attention. Austria was completely subdued. The British army had been in part withdrawn, or in part lay languishing in the pesti lential marshes of Holland. Battles had been gained in Spain, but the objects of the campaign had been lost. The brave Tyroleans while they commanded our admiration, excited our pity. We admired their virtue but deplored their fate. In a word, the war on the continent had ceased either to feed our hopes, or amuse our leisure. In these circumstances the public langour was diverted by domestic dissentions and contests; not amounting to what is commonly termed war, but yet not altogether without bloodshed. There was a contest in the cabinet which led to action, and a contest between the audience and the managers of Covent Garden theatre, which also led to action: but both happily terminated without any convulsion in the state, and indeed without the smallest loss, but according to general opinion, in one of the cases very material advantage to the public.

When the new theatre was opened this season, towards the end of September, an increase of price was demanded for admission, This was resisted by the public as unnecessary and unreasonable, and as arising from an intention to take advantage of the town, which, Drury-lane being in ruins, had no other place of theatrical amusement. Another, and still more popular ground of resistance was, the erection of twenty-eight private boxes in the theatre, by which the audience at large was exceedingly cramped, and which were generally supposed to have been designed as resorts of impurity, and to furnish facilities, which in a British theatre ought not to be suspected. The performances of the actors were drowned and reduced to mere pantomime, by laughing, groaning, hissing, mewing in imitation of cats, barking like dogs, grunting like swine, growling like tygers-in short it seemed as if all the animal creation had

been assembled in Covent Garden, as in a capacious lyceum, for the purpose of proclaiming their existence by their instinctive sounds. To all manner of natural sounds, emitted or excited by all manner of natural organs, was added the aid of instrumental noise; such as coachmen's horns and trumpets, dustmen's bells, and watchmen's

rattles.

rattles. In the pit they presented their backs to the players, except when they thought proper to grin and make faces at them. Many came with the symbolical characters of O. P. in their hats, or upon their clothes, forming rings and making mock fights, or the whole joined in the notable O. P. dance, as it was called, which consisted in an alternate stamping of the feet, accompanied with the regular cry of O. P. in monotonous cadence. The managers, of whom some were also players, continued their pantomimical representations for week after week with wonderful patience. At last they lost their tempers. Bands of boxers, Jews, chairmen, and butchers, were intro duced into the theatres, as well as multitudes of Bow-street runners and constables. Bruises were inflicted and received, and some blood flowed. At last after a campaign of three months, the servants of the public made overtures for peace, and they were accepted.*

On the 22d of September the two secretaries of state, lord Castlereagh and Mr Canning, met each other pistol in hand, to settle a dispute for a full and particular account of which we must refer our readers to the Chronicle of Incidents. Mr. Canning supposed himself, and was supposed by many thers to possess greater talents than lord Castlereagh: lord C. again possessed very considerable influence by the number of votes he could command in the House of Commons, as well as great dexterity in managing members, and,

withall an extraordinary share of activity in whatever business was committed to his charge. Mr. Canning intrigued for the removal of lord C. on the ground of his in capacity, from office, while at the same time, his deportment towards his lordship, on all occasions, was such as if he had not harboured in the least any such lurking intention. This (though it does not seem to fall within the circle of points of honour) lord C. considered as a personal insult. On the second fire, Mr. Canning re ceived his lordship's bullet in his left thigh, and the combat was terminated. They had both of them, previously to the duel, resigned their places. The duke of Portland died in a few days thereafter. The remaining ministers now offered a coalition with the lords Grey and Grenville, which was rejected. The marquis of Wellesley was then called from Spain, to fill the place of secretary for foreign affairs, that had been held by Mr. Canning.

In the midst of these transactions his majesty entered on the fiftieth year of his reign. A reign of fifty years had happened but twice before in this kingdom. It was therefore thought by many to be a proper time for paying a signal mark of respect for the king. The proposal for celebrating the day, was received with pleasure throughout the united kingdom, and every where the 25th of October was distinguished by a singular display of loyalty and affection towards the person of the sovereign ‡; nor was

* For a particular account of the riots at Covent Garden theatre. See CHRO

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors][merged small]

this display confined to the united kingdom. It was seen in the most distant parts of the empire. And it was in one of our foreign dependencies that the JUBILEE was cele brated with the greatest judgment, taste, splendour, and effect *.

The legislative assembly of France convened on the 3d of December, when Buonaparte stated with his usual brevity, the conquests he had made since their last adjournment, and what had been done, and was further intended for the good of the empire. Among other particulars he observed, that three months had seen the origin and the result of this fourth punic war. That the genius of France had conducted the army of England, which had terminated its projects in the marshes of Walcheren.The conquest of the Illyrian provinces had extended the limits of his great empire as far as the river Save by which means he was enabled to watch over his commercial interests in the Mediterranean, the Adriatic, and the Levant; and to protect or to punish the Ottoman Porte according to the relations it should maintain with England. But the most remarkable feature in this address, is the change of style in speaking of this annual account of the state of the nation. On former occasions this statement was term

ed an exposé, a declaration or erhibition; which might seem to imply, that it was a compte rendu, that they before whom it was laid, might naturally conceive that it was submitted to them, as the king of Britain's statements are to the British parliament, and that they had a right to judge of it. In the speech containing a retrospect of the affairs of 1809, Buonaparte makes use not of the term exposé, but "l'historique, a narrative of the legislation and finances of the preceeding year." The heads into which this annual exposé was divided were public works; charitable establishments; public instruction, comprehending religion; agricul ture; manufactures, and industry; mines; commerce; finances; administration of the interior; and of war; justice; and politics. Under the head of public works, we find canals, the junction of rivers, the draining of marshes, bridges, establishments for the poor, and a hall, or, as we would say, a dispensary for vaccination. On the subject of war, intimation was given of an intended change in Holland, by which it would become a part of the French empire, to which in deed it naturally belonged, as it was nothing else than an allusion of the Rhine, the Meuse and the Scheldt, the great arteries of the

At the fête here allu:led to, a description of which will be found in Chronicie p. 703, several vakeels or ambassadors, as well as navigators from all parts of India, Persia and all the East, were present. These, and all the natives of the country, from the Indies to Cape Comorin, considered the long reign of the sovereign, whose beneficence had extended its influence even to them, as a peculiar mark of the favour of providence to the people of his empire, and of all its dependencies.—Here we shall take occasion to correct an error, not of the press, but that bad slipt into the copy from which the celebration of the jubilee at Eembay was printed in the Chronicle.

APPEND. CHRON. p. 705, column 2d. 1. 3.

For "celebris in flammis, celebris Gibraltar in undis,”
Read "victrix în damomis, victrix Gibraltar in undis."

empire:

« EelmineJätka »