Hobart Town Gazette and Southern Reporter (Tas. : 1816 - 1821), Saturday 21 March 1818, page 2


THE LATEST LONDON EXTRACTS.

It appears by the last French Papers, that the King of France is still burthened by the effects of'the military system of the Ex-Emperor. It was the characteristic of Bonaparte's system to render the whole body of the French a military people ; and every credita-ble young man in France accordingly either entered the army, or was educated, with a view to it. Hence an infinite number of young men have been thrown out of employ in consequencc of the restoration of the Bourbons. Something was necessary to be done in aid of this class. Accordingly a royal ordinance has been issued, by which it is ordered, that the greater part of them are gradually to be restored to active service. This undoubtedly will be a heavy pressure to the French finances ; but as it is necessary for the pub-lic tranquillity, it is not to be lamented. Neither, indeed, are the French finances by the same state of embarrassment as those in En-gland ; and, indeed, of other continental nations. If the French minister has lately borrowed a large sum, he has at least borrowed it on the security of unmortgaged resources.

The French People, indeed, in this respect, that of the national fin-ances, have three striking and manifest advantages over every other nation: in the first place, they have no national debt ; secondly ; they pay no tythes ; and thirdly, they pay no poor rates. These two last articles, perhaps, make one-fourth of the annual expendi-ture of England, and therein of the direct burthen upon the lands. We must not be understood in any of these observations, as yield-ing to prejudices, becoming too popular, against either tythes or poor rates ; for we must candidly confess that we see no just or honest means of getting rid of either of them. The former being a kind of rent of land, properly payable from the proprietors (and not from the tenant), and the latter being a kind of Christian toll for the support and relief of those whom we are bound to support and re-lieve. It is easy to invent theories for throwing the poor at large upon the community ; but as they must be fed, it is evidently wiser to put our charity under the regulation of the law, than to leave so large a class at the mercy of their richer brethren. We have always considered our poor rates in this point of view, namely, that of regulating what is the duty of every man to do, and making

charity the law of the land, as it is already the law of Christian duty. (Bell's Weekly Messenger, Aug. 9.)

DREADFUL EXPLOSION.- Another dreadful explosion has taken place in a mine near Durham, by the obstinate conduct of a wretched man, who perished, in lighting a candle. We have re-ceived the following extract to a letter from the spot. —

" At two o'clock this morning (Tuesday, July 7), when the col-liers went to work, the Overman found it necessary to order Davy's Lamp to be used in certain places, which order seems to have been attended to by the first shift of men, till nine o'clock, when they were relieved by the second shift. An obstinate fellow, belonging to the second shift, when he relieved the than who preceded him in the farthest working (and at the same time the most dangerous, being in the last of the ventilation), persisted in lighting a candle, because he thought there was no danger, and because he thought he could see better with a candle. The poor fellow whom he relieved remon-strated strongly against the lighting of the candle, stating that the Overman's orders were peremptory, and he even put the candle out by force. The infatuated victim, however, persisted, and lighted his candle again, when the other left him working with it. On his way out to the shaft he met with one of the deputy Overmen, and told him what had occurred, who went with the intention of com-pelling the delinquent to do what was right, or to punish him ; but whether he reached his destination or not, we cannot tell, as the explosion took place in few minutes afterwards, just as my inform-

ant and a companion, who can also make affidavit of the fact, got out of the pit. We do not yet know the number killed, as I cannot get a correct list of the men at work, and the bodies are not all got out, but I fear it will not be less than 34 or 35 individuals, I do not think that more than four or five will survive out of 39 or so. We have already got upwards of 20 dead out. The explosion was very strong, as the pit is 82 fathoms deep."

AWFUL AND SUDDEN DEATH. —On Friday (June 20), while Mr. Cummins, a veteran and respectable performer of the York Company, was acting the part of Dumont, in Jane Shore, at the Leed's Theatre, he fell down on the itage, and in instantly expired. He

had just repeated the benedictory words,

Be witness for me, ye celestial Hosts, Such mercy and such pardon as my soul

Accords to thee, and begs of Heaven to show thee, May such befall me at my latest hour !

The performance immediately closed, and the audience separated under feelings of the mort painful kind. Mr. Cummins had been upwards of 50 years a member of the York Company of Comedians, and was much respected and beloved, not only by his fellows, but by the inhabitants of the town in which he performed. The com-plaint which led to his sudden indisposition was an ossification of the

heart.

Yesterday being Good-Friday, divine service was performed, and every due respect paid to the day accordingly.

DIED-This evening, at his house in Collins-street, in his 63d year, Richard Coleman, baker, who came out in the first fleet in 1803 with the late Lieut.-Governor COLLINS.