Star. — London, England, 1824-08-05 00:00:00

C *, THE ASH 4NTEE WAR, Considerable anxiety anxiety twssarily . awaits the arrival of further accounts fro ape Cox* Caster as out settlement there is placed in the utmost danger by the A stintees, the most numerous and the must warlik e people of Africa. ,The force that we ems now depend upon to oppose the Asitanteeemay be estimated nearly as follows : Regulars about - - 500 Militia and Artificers - - - 800 Cape Coast People - - 500 Annatnahoe People - - - 800 Aecra People . - 2,500 Fantees who have remained staunch : Affoe's People A duko'4 People Ainistas' Peopk Appias' People 200 400 200 1,200 Total 7.100 But this is too small a force to cape with the King of Ashantee in person, at the head of 16,000 armed men. Beside., the King, if he should find himself in want of men, will instantly call upon the people all:latch Elmina to join him l and as they have acknowledged them selves his .laves, it is more than they dare to refuse him. The Ehrinese are brave determined men, and can turn out 6,000 muskets. _ The inflow ing letters on this subject are interesting. —The first is a copy of a letter from Captain James Loader, of the brig Turners, dated Cape Coast Roads, June 1, 1824, addressed to his owners:—.• The war we are waging against the Ashantee nation has proved very disastrous. The coun.ry round our forts is in a dreadful state for want of provisions. Thousands have fallen from the sword, but tens of thousands must perish from famine. Beef is now sixteen guineas a tierce at Cape Coast; and flour or bread is not to be had for money. We are as badly off as possible: the season is carrying off daily seven or eight of the white troops; and there is not more than fifty of upwards of three hundred which I found here, remaining. The enemy's camp is very near to the town, and this day we expect an attack. What will become of this devoted place Goo only knows." The following letter is from an Officer who com manded during the late operations: James Fort, Jane 4, 1824. "Although my time is now, and has been much taken up in this war, ever since your departure, I cannot let the present opportunity for England pass, without giv ing you a t account of the changes, state of affairs,&c. " We were ordered to the camp, if you recollect, early in March, and we pushed the forces on to the Pra, in order to cross and attack the enemy, but in conse quence of some palavering at Elmina, in the shape of overtures, a cessation of hostilities followed for a few days, and the unorganized forces crossed without us.-- In the meantime the enemy advanced, a panic flew amongst our allies, and at the distance of a quarter of a mile fa om them, without even 6ring a musket, they took ware water, like ducks, and in one night every soul recrossed. Having no canoes, the whole of their ammunition was destroyed, and a considerable number of firelocks lost—so much for their courage in this af fair. We had kept the whole Ashantee army for eight days previously from crossing with a very small force (skirmishing daily, and to effect), in the expectation of the main body coming up, when we should have been all ready to cross in canoes, and attack them in the rear. However, we were disappointed. " Some charges have been brought against one or two of the Chiefs, as the ringleaders of this infamous transaction: they were taken to Cape Coast to undergo an investigation, when the whole blame, it appears, fell upon Joe Aggery. This done, the camp was again formed at Fettle with all possible dispatch, and every thing promised well for advancing with a large body of men (say 4,000) before the enemy' could possibly come upon us; but here again the Chiefs, contrary to orders, thought proper to provoke a battle, although our rein forcements were pouring in hourly, and nothing would satisfy their folly but dividing themselves (in all about 1.200 men) into three parties. They commenced their march, and, as might be expected, were defeated in an hour. This was on the 26th of April. Here, however, I must do them the justice to say, the enemy suffered dreadfully. _As we were just getting up to their assist ance with about 860 regulars and militia, the Chiefs were beaten out of the field, and the rush caused such confu sion and disorder, that we could not render them that assistance we otherwise should have done: however, we covered a very good retreat for them, and, in fact, our rear was engaged all the way to the Government garden. " The necessity of keeping the Ashantees from the water-side, if possible, was obvious, and accordingly we again opened the camp (then at the Garden), and in less than a fortnight 5,600 armed men were inspected: ti is was about the 14th of May, and every arrangement was made for our advance to Penile, where the enemy were encamped. We had commenced our march, and our divisions were occupied in cutting the path to pass through, when Colonel Sutherland arrived from Sierra Leone. He, of course, assumed the command. Colo nel Sutherland highly approved of the proceedings, and all seemed bursting with desire to get at the enemy.— On the 20th, we were within two miles of them ; had excellent information as to their position, &c. and on the 21st, by noon, our wings were up sufficiently to en gage, and at one P.M. the battle became general. It lasted till sun-set, with great.obstinacy, the enemy en deavouring to turn our right, and we their left, alternately. " The whole of the Royal African Corps and Militia formed our centre, (seventy of the 2d West India Regi ment the reserve), and we were two hours and a half in a valley, beating (and I will say fairly thrashing) about 1,000 of the enemy in a thick wood upon a high hill. At five, Major Chisholm was on the point of ordering forward the centre division, when the Quarter-Master reported the ammunition was out. Several of the Chiefs messengers at this instant were waiting fur some powder, ' when a was discovered, that'nearly half of the ammuni tion-carriers bad deserted With'their loads, and gone back to our camp. In consequence, the forces were called off, and night coming on, we returned to our camp, with the gratification that we did not lose an inch of ground the whole day, and that circumstances during the battle led us to know the . enemy had suffered severely. Nearly 2000 of the Fantees never fired a shot. lam happy to say they are now expelled the camp as unworthy our support. Our loss you will of course see at home. The King of the Ashantees joined the main body about four days ago: he brought *bout .3000 men down ssith him, not more. The ealai Are heavy, and the severity of the duty for the last three Months,has been no joke ; scarcely an Officer that was in the camp is now living." =17...••••0••••••• To Ireland the season has ~ been fine. While on the north-western co-at of England, the cutting of grass was postponed Tor several weelts, owing to the Kate of the weather; the hay in Ireland., at least hetweou Dublin and 13clust, was all housed, and housed well too, helot.: the end of Juuc. ~....iiilidgM SPA IN. 711051 THE MADRID GAZETTE ell THE 15Tlit JULY. CIRCULAR OF THE MINISTER OF TIREIMEASURT. The Secretary of Dispatch of Grace and Jpstice com municated to me on the 9th of June last what follows.: - " The Junta - of Civil Purifications pf Madrid Tas atc' dressed to his Majesty the following Cansulta " Stns—the anterior Junta, obliged by the continual clamours of those who had commenced their purifica tion, who had no other subsistence than that of their salary, which they did not receive till they were puri fied, represented to the Regency, on the 2d September last, that to avoid these clamours there were no other means than that of giving them their salaries on their producing an attestation from the Secretary of the Junta, of their having demanded to be purified. The resolution was, that conformable to the arrangements of the Ministry of the Treasury, the 26th of August next should be taken as the date of this measure of grace; but it has not had a general effect in all the establishments, because every individual has given to it the interpretation which he, no doubt, thought the most just. It has hence resulted, that from the moment this Royal Junta was installed, these clamours have not only been repeated, but augmented in proportion as the necessity increases, and these same clamours and solicitations interrupt the march of affairs. The Junta, desirous of avoiding this evil, has treated the point in all its bearings, and finds it necessary that there should be adopted such a general measure as jus tice, policy, and equity dictate tot aid., the parties in. terested. The reasons on which it proceeds are, that no one ought to suffer a punishment till he is declared guilty, and a person in office cannot be punished more severely than by being deprived of his salary, on which the subsistence of his family depends. In the depart ment of your Royal Treasury, it is the practice. that when an employ& is accused of a crime, he is com manded to appear to the charge; and even when he is imprisoned, he is never denied his just aliment in pro portion to his income, till it be determined whether he is condemned or a:quitted. If this takes place in the case of those who are suspected of delinquency, it ap pears that equity dictates those should not be worse who subject themselves to purification, especially when this measure is general, and comprehends all ; and it is better that the benefit should be felt by many who have no title to it, than that one innocent person should be de• prived of it. In this undoubtedly was founded the Deeiee of your Majesty respecting the military; RAJ if the not paying entployis during their purification we e generM, the junta would abstain from molesting the sovereign attention of your Majesty ; but it sees that some dra w their salaries, and some do not, and hence the measure is criticised; and it is desirable, under present circum stances, that all predilection should cease. Such being the case, wishing to conciliate the interests of your Royal Treasury with those of the employis. and what the pub lic conveniency exacts, it cannot do less than repre-ent to your Majesty, that it would be proper to circulate through all the Ministries a Royal Order, that in no esta blishment payment be made to any one, be he, or be he not, in actual service, till he shew the certificate of puri fication, or the having commenced it, whether they are Chiefs or Subalterns, and whatever their class; with the distinction that those who are on actual service or super annuated, be paid their whole salaries, and those that are not; on actual service be paid the half of what they received on the 7th March, 1820, the period back to which all things have been carried by the general Decree of your Majesty. And the King our Lord having considered the above; has approved of the plan of the Junta. " I transmit to you the Royal Order for your infor mation and guidance ; it being understood that the payments are to be verified from the 9th June last. God preserve, iftc. " LUIS LOPEZ BALLASTEROS. " Madrid, 10th July, 1824." Extract of a letter from Madrid, dated July 19:— " It is rumoured here to-day that several detachments of French troops have been dispatched in all haste to Oviedo, to quell a very serious disturbance that had taken place between the Negros and the 131ancos. It appears that several on both sides have fallen victims, but that the Blanco had the ss orst of it, as it was they who applied for succour, but which succour arrived too late, as the Negros had, after soundly drubbing their antagonists, taken t flight, and most probably have sought a reiuge in Portugal. Although Ido not give entice credit to the alarming reports of a contagious disease having broken out in Carthagena and Murcia, yet, as the last courier brought no letters from those! places, though many were expected. I am beginning to have my fears. Besides, the appearance of such a scourge would not be at all unlikely, seeing the excessive heat which is felt in Spain at present. We have had latterly several violent thunder storms, and the last was accom. panied by a tremendous shower of hail, so thick and heavy that a great portion of the vines in the neighbour- hood have been utterly destroyed. Since the departure of their Majesties for Cuenca, the re-establishment of the Inquisition is talked of more confidently than ever." THE DISCOVERY SHIPS. -.+1111111.- Extract of a letter from an Officer employed in the Expedition, dated on board the Hecla, Whale Fish Isles, Davis Straits, July 2:—" As the transport is about to leave us, I address a few lines to let you know how we get on. We put in here on the 26th ult. for the purpose of clearing the transport and sending her home again. You would be really surprised to see us ; I never in my life could have imagined a ship so full, and I am satis .fied it will take us one year to eat the ship tolerably clear. Only fancy to yourself 44 quarters of fresh beef hanging about the vessel in different directions. How much more favourable everything looks this trip than it did this time three years ; we are now in 69 degrees I l north latitude without having met the least obstruction, and during the whole time we were out before we never got higher than 70. In short, we were at least 18 months before we could reach our present parallel, and we cer tainly have a very different prospect. Our means are good beyond every hope,. our Captain able and willing, and, take my word for it. we shall either do something or lose everything.—l am now writing in our Mess, at twelve at night, with as good daylight as you have in England at noon. We shall, of necessity, have to pay for this next winter. The place we ate at present laying at is a Danish settlement; the inhabitants are composed of Danes and Esquimaux ; the latter are in my mind, very Inferior to our acquaintance of last voyage, their mixture with the Danes appearing not to have improved them. Their language and dress are much the same, and I am not aware that they differ in any material points. We shall leave this either to•morrow or next day, should the wind permit us. I think in all my trips I have never seen a more barren spot than the place we are now laying at, the greater part of the land being covered with snow, and such as is clear is nothing but rock." solid THE EVENING STAR. LONDON. THURSDAY, AUGUST 5, 1824. THE FUNDS. STOCK EXCHANGE. TWELVE O'CLOCK. Consols opened this morning at 921, and went up to 921; soon after some heavy lots were sold, which made them 921, at which price they now remain. . It is said that the French Rentes of Tuesday were at 98f. 35c. and after 'Change hours at 98f. 90c. FOREIGN FUNDS. A good deal of business was done in the Foreign Market this morning in Mexican, but little in. other Foreign Securities. Current Prices : New Spanish 151, Old 211 to 1, Russian 9411, Alliance Shares 124 131, Mexican 521 1, Ohilian 77 to 1, French Scrip 101 11, Austrian 93k, Portuguese 751, Buenos Ayres Ig pr. Colombian Scrip 6 to 41. RUSSIAN LOAN, NEGOCIATED BY MR. N. M. ROTHSCHILD, IN LONDON. The Half.yearly Dividend on the above Loaa, which becomes due on Wednesday, the lst of September next, will be paid by Mr. N. M. ROTHSCHILD on that and every succeeding day (Sundats excepted), between the boors of Ten and Two, at his Counting house, No. 9. New-court. The Dividend Warrants, with a list thereof in numerical order, must be left one day previously to payment, for the purpose of being examined. PRICE OF STOCKS AT ONE O'CLOCK. 3 per Cent. Reduced 93% 9278 3 per Cent. ('.ons. 92 3 /s VB-31, per Cent. 101% 4 per Cent Assented 101% 100% 5 4 per Cent. New 105% % bank Long Ann!. 23—India Bonds 78 9 5 9 £l,ot►o hequer it'll, (2d.) 38 9 ; (1 1 4 d.) 38 6 1:500 Do. (2 )40 2 ; (Phd.) 38 6 £lOO and £2OO 110. (2J.) 37 42; (1 1 ,4 d.) 87 40 • •06 tor Acct. 92% A. It appears from the German and Italian Papers re ceived this morning, that the v‘eather has been extremely sultry, and that the thunder storm, which has been so uni vet sAI, has done considerable injury on the Continent. On the 14th ult. the thermometer had risen at Rome to 28° Reaumur. At Bologna the heat was excessive: oa the 16th, at three o'clock, the thermometer of Reaumnr, in the Observatory, was at Si. one line (102° of Fahren heit). This is the greatest degree of heat that has been observed there since 1782. The Pre:burg Gazette gives an account of numerous accidents from lightning and fire. On the 24th of June, a number of persons tending their cattle, in the fields near Lutmansburg, seeing a heavy storm coming, about twenty of them took shelter under a large pear tree ; the lightning struck the tree immediately after, and several of these persons were stunned and thrown to the ground with the shock, who soon recovered ; but four young men, who had leant against the trunk of the tree, were killed. The heat has been very great in some parts of Hungary, and considerable damage has been done by hail-storms. This forenoon we received the Frankfort Papers to the 29th ult. One of them contains an ordonnance of the Grand Duchy of Baden, relative to the Clergy of the Evangelical Church, who are charged with neg lecting the important doctrines of Christianity, and even disputing them in their sermons. They are therefore charged, in future, to teach the Gospel as it is to be de• duced from the Bibles, and not to impeach the credibi lity of the miracles in the New Testament. Private letters from Hermanstadt, in the Frankfort Papers, dated the Bth of July, and from Cronstadt, of the 10th, assure us that the Hospodar of Wallachia re ceived from Constantinople, en the sth, the firman of the SULTAN for the evacuation of that province. In consequence of this news, some of the Boyars who had quitted their country are about to return to it; and pre. parations are making in the Office of the Russian Con sul in Wallachia, to remove from Hermanstadt to Bu charest. We need not state that the evacuation of the Principalities has been frequently reported before. The CAMSLION frigate, which has arrived from Vera Cruz and the Havannab, brings letters from Mexico of the 4th of June. They state that all was quiet there; another arrest bad taken place of some of Imastox's party, and a French Commissioner had arrived there. The Editor of a respectable Morning Paper, in noticing the account in a Dublin Journal of an Irish Priest having pulled a man's tongue out, instead of the Devil, for which he was poking in the man's throat, says, if any person 4 1 can produce a spoon, silver, pewter, or horn, that will cut through a beef-steak, he may then draw upon our credulity, with some hope that we may honour his draft." As for a silver spoon in an Irish cabin, we suspect that is out of the question, nor do we mean to say that the tongue could be cut out► except under peculiar circumstances, which may not have been stated to be done with any spoon; though there are iron ones, one end of which we certainly would not trust in our mouth, if a Roman Catholic Priest had hold of the other. Whether this case of fanatical atrocity may or may not be true, it is certain that neither the Roman Catholic Clergy of Ireland, nor their flocks, are getting more enlightened. The case of the Priest CA tutoLt, who killed the child under the pretence of casting out a devil, is a proof of this. For, admitting the exorcist to be in sane, can the same excuse be made for his sister, who it appears attended, or for the wretched mother, who calmly looked on while her child was murdered ? Or will it be said that the people who had assembled to see the miracle,-and who asked the father if he was mad, when he attempted to rescue his child—will it be said that they were insane ? We suspect not, unless it h. contended that bigotry is insanity. Another Morning Paper, in alluding to this subject, has the following observations,in which we fully coincide: " It is of no use to express a wish that the Church of Rome would renounce the casting out devil , , which can only be productive of the most mis. chievous results, because that Church does not, like the Protestant Churches,-, accommodate its doctrines to times and seasons. ...With respect to the ordi nary run of miracles, they do little harm. If any one recovers, supernaturally, a leg or an arm, or escape s through the intercession of Prince Hostem.onx, from the jaws of death, we do not see how any other persc.n can object to this. It is otherwise, however, w i le ,. persons are deprived of life, or severely injured, by attempts to drive the devil out of them ! Against th;s branch of the miraculous powers of the Church ef Rome, some precautions ought undoubtedly to be taken. " The English Legislature, in the analogous ca:e of witchcraft, fell on a means of putting an end to a dreadful evil, without interfering with religious be lief. At the time the Act of 1730 passed, the beiief in the existence of witchcraft was nearly universal; and it was only by a side-wind that the Members durst attack a tenet which is now only believed in a few remote corners of the island. Cannot, in like manner, ache pretence of] casting out devils be made penal? This would leave the doctrine untouched, and would preserve the lives of the people. To prevent per sons from committing murder can hardly be deemed religious persecution. FRRDERICK, of Prussia, in the case of the devout soldier, who was supposed to have robbed an image of the VIRGIN of its orna ments, but who pretended that the VIRGIN had made him a present of them, on finding that presents of this kind could be made, got rid of future difficulty by threatening with punishment all who should accept them. From the accommodating spirit of Protestantism, it is seldom necessary to grapple with inconvenient te nets : and in that respect we have certainly a great ad. vantage over the Catholics." THA ARMY. Major-General Sir Hants , Tolman, has been to Weedon, to in spect the 53d Regiment of Foot, and to ascertain the proficiency acquired by that corps in the improved system. the 3d Division of the 96th Regiment, under the command of Major Hums, sailed in the Borodino transport from Liverpool, for Halifax, on Thursday last. The 4th and last Division, under Ma jor Want, embarked on board the Kain for the same destinatics on Saturday. Three veteran companies, consisting of 100 rank and file melt, are to be formed immediately out of the Pensioners of Chelsn Hospital, under 45 years of age.. They are to do garrison duty is Jib DUELLING. The cue of an Officer being called out by a private of Colonial Militia at Antigua has created much observation in the I.aewatd Islands. The following Order has in consequence been issued: " Amcor*, JUNE 9, 1824. " MILITIA GENERAL ORDERS. " 1. The Captain-General has learned with equal surprise and regret, that a Captain of brigade of Artillery hairpermitted himself to go out and fight a duel with a private of the same corps, who has most unwarrannibly sought a quarrel with him, upon no other grounds than his having faithfully discharged his duty as President of a Regimental Court-Martial, - under the sentence of which the private had legally and deservedly suffered punishment. " 11. It is obvious that such proceedings cannot fall to be subver. sive of all discipline in the Militia, and eventually to destroy an esta blishment so essential to the security of the country ; for it would be at onee absurd and unfair to expect that Officers can enforce su bordination, and perform strictly and effectually their various dude., under the penalty of answering for that performance so soon as that parade shall have been dismissed, at the provocation of any in dividual la the ranks, who may choose to considet himself aggrieved, and seek revenge upon his Officer in personal insult and outrage. " S. The CaptaineGeneral is confident that the truth of this positinu must strike every one to•whom be addresses himself, with convic tion; there is an end of all military rule, if the Officers must per. sonally meet the private soldiers upon points of duty. The nig ence of the Militia is at stake iu this question ; and for its preserva tion, he exhorts the Officers of the whole body of it in general, and of the brigade of Artillery in particular, to enter into a joint resolution, That no Officer, under such circumstances as have been detcribed, shall think himself warranted in going out to fight a duel, and that this recorded opinion and resolution of the whole shall bear the re putation of the individual stainless.' " 4. No man can or has a right to question the courage of the Officers of the Militia of Antigua; and the Captain-General, en tirely convinced of this, solemnly calls upon them to abstain front proofs of it, so mischievous to the interest of their country, and to adopt the line of conduct which he has suggested. " By command of his Excellency the Captain-General, (Signed) WILLIAM MUSGRAVE... Mr. Secretary CANNING remained on a visit to the Earl of trrsavoos. yesterday, at his seat at Coombe Wood, Surrey, but returned to town this forenoon. The Earl of LtvnaPool. will be in town tomorrow. Earl and ' Countess BATHURST and family left town on Monday, for their seat in Gloucestershire. Yesterday, EMILY, Marchioness of LONDONDERRY, gave a grand entertainment,:at her seat, in North Cray, Kent, to the CHatocsr.t.oa of the Excumosa, Lady SAILAH ROIIIMON, and a numerous party. Letters from Italy say, that her Majesty the Duchess of Paulo arrived at Palermo on the 6th ult. and was received with the honours due to her rank. Amongst the latestk. arrivals at Cheltenham are, the Duke of Rovuom, the Earl of Lasauaws, Lord liott.ano, Lord VAUGHAN, and Lady ALVAXLIY. The Hon. FRSDRRICK LAME, we understand, is ap poit,ted Ambassador to the Court of Madrid. Amongst the passengers on board the Stanmer packet, which arrived yesterday from Lisbon, were— The Right Honourable Lord BERESIPORD, MARCUS 131- RESFORD, Esq. and Lieutenant THOMAS E. Blocs; Se nors FRANCISCO DIAZ, and ALONZO MARIA BARRAN. TES, also came as passengers. The arrival of Lord BRRESFORD was expected by the packet, as private let ters received some days since, stated that his Lord .laip was about to leave Lisbon, being completely disgusted at the proceedings there. • • The DIAMOND frigate has sailed from Portsmouth for Mexico,Witk Mr. Moans on board. The first importation of copper from Colombia has taken place at Liverpool within the last feiv days,a small parcel of 10 tons having arrived there in the Sylph, from Puerto Cabello. The ASIA, 34 guns, Captain CURRIE, has arrived at Portsmouth, from Bombay, having sailed from thence on the 29th of March. No accounts had reached that Presidency of the operations against the Burmese subsequent to the affair at Doad patlee. With regard to the force about to be employed in this net► war, the Bombay Courier of 27th May says :- 64 The I n dia Car its of the 11th March states, that a force of not less than 20,000 will concentrate is Cachar. The Hurlers, of the 10th of March, men tions that 2,000 men are to be sent to Arracin ; and if we add to these the illadru contingent, which we understand to be 3,000. and the naval force, both of King's and Company's, now collecting, it must be owned that the dominions of his golden-footed Idajeul are ill no small danger." tj • •f VIA .• Wt CI the t 6 I eve thou and Wa' the asse to p dire A the to fi alai did as ts ill of Id ice with imusi EZ' that i wbiel of th walla kV al Jo oberil for d Clod aim for a Onto Oft Id coda toe a of Ms to tea bays. 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