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SATURDAY, June ij, 1796.
THE AUGUSTA CHRONICLE
AND
GAZETTE of the STATE.
~~ - ■ ' " ' ' " —'' ' ~ - ,sSg—aa
FREEDOM op thi PRESS and TRIAL by JURY shall remain inviolate. Conjlitution of Georgia.
AUGUSTA: Printed by JOHN E. SMITH, Printer to the State,* Essays, Articles of Intelligence t Adzer
tifements, &c. will be gratefully received , and every kind of Printing performed. \_Price Three Dollars per annum.
FRANCKFORT, February 12.
The accounts of what have patted in Persia and
Georgia, have heretofore been much confufed. Our
late accounts seem to throw some light on the parts
which Rulfia and the Porte mean to take. The
usurper Aga Mahmet, (an Eunuch) after having
dethroned and conquered, in two battles, the
young prince Lolf Alikan, and made himfelf matter
of Shiras, with the imperial treasury and the pro
perty of all the great families there, has invaded
Georgia.
Prince Heraclius of Georgia, (who for some
years part has put himfelf under the protection of
Russia) and the young dethroned prince ol Perlia,
have implored attiftance of the empress. The lat
ter has offered to give up to het any of his provin
ces which (he may choose, if (he will aid him
againtt the usurper.
Lolf Ali is returned with the wreck of his army
to Kerman; from whence he has sent to the Kan
of Mazandarn, ordering him to collect some troops,
and march againtt Ghilan, and attack the ufurpt r
before the promised reinforcements from Rulfia
are received.
Fifteen hundred Ruffians having set out from
Aftracan, are already arrived at Rechet, the capi
tal of Ghilan, byway of the Caspian sea. Some
Ruffian regiments have also joined the Georgian
troops of prince Heraclius, who are to attack the
usurper at Shirvan, at the fame time that the Kan
of Mazandarn attacks him by Aderbigian. If the
success is equal to what might be expected from
the superiority of the Ruffian troops to those of
Persia, there is reason to believe that the usurper
will not long enjoy his triumph, and that the Persian
provinces to the weft of the Caspian sea will be a
recompence for the aflittance of Rulfia to the de
throned prince.
We have not yet heard of the Porte having taken
part in the dispute ; but we may presume that it
will not be very well pleased to find the Ruffian
feeptre extended to the provinces of Asia, by the
cettion; which will be made to it on the noithern
part of Persia.
The Ruffian general de Derfelden, who left
Warsaw in the middle of January, has been attaf
finated at a few days’ journey from that place.
He is said to be mortally wounded.
March 28. We are allured in a German Print,
that the French are preparing to evacuate Dufl'el
dorff, which is to be occupied by Prulfian troops.
The fortreffes ofKonigltein and Falkcnfteiu, are
putting in the bell state of defence.
The general of artillery, Count de Werneck, is
arrived here to take on him the government of this
city.
The inhabitants of Manheim have been ordered
to lay in provisions for 6 months. The lines which
the Auttiians have erefled near Manheim, contain
upwards of twenty principal batteries, and the envi
rons of Rheingehuhein, &c. have been put under
water, by which several thousand acres of land
have been rendered useless for this year. The
imperial armies on the Rhine have received 90,000
cwts. of provisions, and 19 millions of cartridges
are ready. The imperial artillery of reserve,
which was potted on the Lahn, have received or
ders to proceed to Mentz, and the troops between
Neuwied and Wetzlaer are also making retrograde
movements.
BRUSSELS, February 22.
The arrival of admiral Van Stabel and several
engineers at this place is not only for the purpose
of the river Scheldt, but, in order to cleanse the
port of Antwerp, which has been choaked up for
ages, in such a manner as not to admit fbips to
anchor there. These engineers are employed up
on a plan for a general repair of the quays and
piles. They have frequent conferences with the
merchants, in order to be able to suit them as
much as possible. The minister of marine of the
French republic has written a letter on this fubjeft
to citizen Bruffi, commiflary of the directory, to
the central administration of the department of the
two Netherlands, the substance of which letter is,
that all proper measures had been taken with regard
to the opening of the Scheldt as far as Antwerp;
and he hoped they would soon be crowned with
success; that the obttacles hitherto thrown in the
wav by the Dutch agents had been complained of
to that government, and there was every expecta
tion of their being shortly put a stop to. On the
iidi February, the minister for foreign affairs
GEORGIA.
wrote a letter to the fame commiflary Bruflr, of
which the following is a copy.
“ The president of the executive directory has
fvnt me, citizen, your letter of the sth of this
month, relative to the free navigation of the
Scheldt and Hondt; you had already written to
me on this fubjeCt, on the roth Nivofe, and my
attention had been long engaged thereto. 1 have
submitted to the directory on this fubjeCt a report,
in which I have exj lained the real meaning of the
1 Bth article of the !aft treaty of alliance and peace
with Holland. The directory have just given
orders that citizen Noel, our minister plenipoten
tiary at the Hague, should be charged to deliver a
note to the ttares-general, to the end to obtain, in
execution of the said treaty, that the admiralty of
Zealand and all other authotities whaifoever,
should be forbidden to oppose the navigation of the
Scheldt, which, for the future, is to be oien to
all neutral nations who wish to trade with France
as with Holland. I know that the prosperity of
the new departments united to the republic is efl'en
tially allied to the free navigation of the Scheldt;
you may be allured that the commerce of the city,
the feat of the departmental administration, near
which you exercifeyour functions, will soon regain
its activity under a republican government.”
LONDON, April 12.
BANK DISCOUNTS.
The great speculation in the funds is the topic of
general animadversion, and the reports concerning
it are as various as they are contradictory. It is cer
tainly unexampled in its magnitude, and its conse
quences are extremely harraffing. The set of men
to whom suspicion p.oints as its authors, deny all
connexion with it, and it is therefore involved in
Inscrutable mystery. The bank, ferioully alarmed
at the operation, and cbferving that between forty
and fifty per cent, for money is new paid to carry
on these bargains for time have resolved to narrow
their difeounts so as to withhold from ali adventu
rers the means of feeding this fire with frefh fuel.
In doing this they cannot always distinguish between
the paper of fair traders, and the bills of
tion; and indeed no apparent dittinCtion is made,
as to the line of merchandize in which the houses
are engaged. Whether brokers or bankers, manu
facturers or mcichants, the quantity difeounted in
proportion to the quantity sent in is trifling beyond
measure. One great house, for instance, had 1400!.
difeounted out of 36,0001. sent in; another had
1501. taken out of 8cool.! One would imagine
that if ail other bills, in such a moment as the
present, were rejected, corn bills would be favour
ed, no such thing ! The heft bills by which the
importation may be forwarded, are said to be indis
criminately throwm our. Nay, the prizes of the
lottery, though they are national security, and
have only three months to run, are not difcour.ta
ble. One of the 2010001. prizes was offered in
vain at the bank, and one of the eoool. at length
was ealhed at a difeount of 7 per cent, which was
paying at the rate of 28 per cent, per annum for
the money ! This re'ufal of the bank to difeount
bills has involved in difficulties some very confide
rabie houses in the city, and has threatened them
with the mod fatal consequences. Againtt the
speculations in the funds, there is no remedy ;
mean while, we are assured, it has been resolved
to try whether the bank has aCted properly and
whether it cannot be brought to abandon its present
conduCt, and revert to its old system. For this
purpose, a committee is appointed to meet this
week to invefligate the causes of the scarcity of
money, and to afeertain, if possible, ihe reasons
of the bank directors for refufing to difeount, and
the eourfe they intend to pursue in that refpeCt in
future. M. Chron.
Mr. Boyd, and the other gentlemen of the com
mittee appointed to hold a conference with the mi
nister on the fubjeCt of the present alarming scarci
ty of money, had theii interview with him on
Tuefday, April p. All the causes of the present
distress, as ailigned by the gentlemen who have the
surest means of information, were fairly canvaifed.
They were stated to be four in number.
t. The advances made by the bank to govern
ment, amounting in all to fourteen millions.
2. The drain of specie out of the kingdom, in
consequence of the exchange being agaialt us, to
every corner of the world.
3. The monopolies of almost every article of the
firit necessity, particularly of grain,
4. The speculation in the funds to an almost un"
exampled amount, which drew within its vortex
all the floating money.
Such are the causes which, it was acknowledged,
had influenced the bank for the last two months to
limit their difeounts. r J he firft was an imperious
neceflity. They had perhaps gone too far in their
exertions, for a cause in which true patriotism and
enlarged wisdom would have been more sparing ;
but the advances were made. The three others
were causes of prudence. They fay the men were
a Cling on their difeounts: That they were looked
to tor fuel: Which was to feed the flame, and if
they had proceeded it is impossible for conjecture
to fay to what an extent the exportation of our
specie, the price of every neceflary of life, and the
bubble of speculation would have been carried.
They have checked the whole system. The ex
change to Hamburgh is now 3 j instead of 31, and
it is in favour of England from every corner of the
world. (It Teems to have altered very speedily as
the reverse was stated in the 2d of the preceed
ing causes of the scarcity of money.)
Ihe ltores of the monopolifers are opened, and
wheat, which was 120 s, is now at 80s, a quarter,
(about 2 dollars and 22 cents a bushel.)
'I he abandoned speculation is so blown, that it
is doubtful whether prudent men will agtee to a
further continuation on any terms.
r I he committee for enquiring into the causes rs
the above scarcity of money, in submitting their
proposition to Mr. Pitt, had no intention of mak
ing his or their judgment final on this important
operation. After learning the minister's senti
ments, it is intended to call a general meeting of
the merchants of London, to know their opinion,
and whether it is likely to answer that general
good effect which is the object of the propofol
plan.
It is said, that the paper to be iflued is to be at
fix months date, but redeemable at fight, (tfyefame
as bank notes) if the holder prefeis it. The foli—'
dity of this paper is to be fanCtioned by the signa
ture of a number of the most refpeCtable merchants
and others, who may be friendly to the plan, and to
give this paper a greater degree of currency, it is
to bear a premium of 1 1. x Bs. percent. The rea
son of ths notes being drawn at fix months date is
in order not to interfere with the bank charter,
which precludes any body of men from issuing
notes payable within that period.
Nothing further had passed yesterday between
the committee of merchants, who met at the Lon
don tavern, and Mr. Pitt. It is understood that
the proposition made to the minister will not have
effect in the manner in which it was made to him:
But that he himfelf will come forward with some
other to parliament, which may remove every
present difficulty.
Wednesday, April 6, Robt. Thcs. Crofifield,
Paul Tho. Le Maitre, John Smith, and Geo*
Higgons were brought up and arraigned for treafon
ably ccnf| iring the death of his Majesty by means
of a tube through which a poisoned arrow was to
be conveyed, &c. The prisoners pleaded not guil
ty.—From some informality in summoning the
jury the trial was put off.
PORTSMOUTH, April Si
CORNWALLIS’S TRIAL.
This morning, at tj o’clock, the court again
aflcmbled on board the Orion, in Portsmouth har
bor, and remained deliberating from that time
until one, when the court was opened and stran
gers admitted.
’I he judge advocate then called over the names'
of the members, and, after having noticed, in the
usual forms, the occasion for which the court had
been assembled, the time it had fat, and read over
the charges, he proceeded to deliver
THE SENTENCE:
“ That the court having heard the evidence in
support of the charges exhibited against the hon.
William Cornwallis, vice-admiral of the red ; and
having heard his defence and the evidence in liis
behalf; and having maturely weighed andconfider
ed the fame, were of opinion,
That v. ith refpcCl to the two firft charges, cf
his returning without leave, after having been or
dered to proceed to Barbadoes, and of his difobe)-
i;tg the orders he had received, vnijeondud. wis
ivip at able to him, for not having fhified bis flag on
board the Mats or Minotaur, and proceeded in ei
ther of them to the Wdt-lndic». Cut, intcufidc*
[Vol. X. No. 507.]