Star. — London, England, 1817-01-01 00:00:00

11 AMERICAN PAPERS. PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE TO CONCUSS. il ~i New York Papers to the 7th ultimo, containing a c opy of the l'essiostres Message to Congress, if .l;ej at a late hour to-day t but the extent of the ex tracts from the French and Dutch Papers obliges ns t , . &fr.r giving at length till to-morrow. It breathes ti.roitglivut a spirit of great moderation and sincerity, sa d is evferenee to the attack said to have been made p a the American flag in the Gulph of Mexico, states, that every d6position had been :hewn by the Repre sentative of his Catholic Majesty, to bring the matter to an amicable adjustment. Intercepted Spanish letters (that is, intercepted by the Independents), published in the Baltimore Patriot, Edicate a strong feeling of hostility tow a rd s t h e u n i te d States. But we m ust be brief. The follow. ing *Lew: that Sir GREGOR lel 4 Gitaoott goes on in a career of victory in SOUTH AMERICA. GENERAL ORDER..—Cmtios SOUBLIITT, Major-General. " Head-quarters, at Aragua, Sept. I, 51118. CIRCO& ht‘Gazooft, General of Brigade of the' Repub.. lican Army of Venezuela, and in the Aliran. Soldiers—You have just gained a sign' and memorable vic tory, which will carry tenor amongst your enemies, and ream. owe the confidence of your oppressed brothers. The insolent or , y iv, longer exists that tyrannized over these provinces. -not by the superiority of its valour, but by that of its numbers.— Tht , whole of its infantry has perished! " hs miserabk remains of its cavalry run dispersed in the rinuivains, and even its Chief, who in the delirium of his pride, dared en despise you, flies frighteued, to hide himself in the woods Of Ar,ipia. $4,1(13 es of liberty, already the tyrants of Venezuela, with their winl.utd infamous partizans, tremble at your nante, let us teammate them at once, that the Republic may rise majestic and ternble, supported on your arms and sustained by your tuyonets. " Another vivo ry, tweet for you as gala than that of yester day, %al fur ever seal your glory, and ensure your happiness, awl your illusir.ous names will be recorded in history. (Signed) " 01116011 NPGRIGOILN NAVAL JNEELLIGENCR The Kitty. l'elortivatter., from Belfast to Liver poll, was totally lost on Saturday night on Hoyle Bank—crew drowned. The Neptune, COATES; from Leeds to London, sunk ow Sunday, off Lowestoff. FALMOUTH, DECEMBER 29. Sailed his Majesty's brig HtMOS on a anise.— Wind S. W. PLYMOUTH, DECEMBER Arrived the Turbulent, Haartos, from Copenhagen for Guinea, in 14. days.—Wind S. W. PORTSMOUTH. DECSMBER Si. Arrived the Regret, Banwiat, from Bengal : sailed the 30th July, and lett St. Helena 10th No vrmber—spoke the Hornet, Moots, lrom Batavia for England. off the Cape ; parted company off St. Helena : tell in with her again, and kept compatny with her time days in the N. E. trades : also spoke. on the Sl4th Noventber, the Asp, KENNY. in the line, outward-booed, all well.—Wind Southerly. DEAL. DECEMBER 31. Arrived and sailed for 'the River the Prince Eutts - sot, in 55' days from Demerara and the George Condu r , trom Cadia. Sailed the Pilot, PAXTON, for Botany liay. The wind, in the course of last night. gm in again to the Westward, consequently the whole or the East Indiamen remain.—Five o'Clock.— The Vansittart and Bombay Indiamen, are now in sight, and will be in the Downs this evening. NOR rH BHIELDs, DECEMBER 23. The Stockton packet, of and from Leith, to New castle, is coming into Shields, got on the Herd Sand. Toe crew were saved by the life boat, and it is hoped sle wilt be mild, but with great damage. GRAVESEND, DECEMBER Si. Arrived the Three brothers. Jatt.eu, from Amsterdam; Vrow Hearin, Roister, from Harlingen ' • Twee Chbrodtrs, Curet. front Amsterdam ; Moguls Angles.a, Brown, and Prit;cees Wales, Ito, free /!.head. 04,1 t he Cave..Chowo, f.r Cape et. Mary's; telekas, &user, fur Bourdeaux; Harmouta, Hourdburs, tor Atm:en:um ; anti Lett Luau. Plug, for Rotterdam. To the unfavourable accounts which have already been published of the disappointment of the at. teamed discoveries on the coast of Africa, we have to add, that of a setter from on board the Dorothy, %iith acc , nnpanied his Majesty's ship Covo., on this ill-fated expedition. The 13 irnthy had reached St. Salvador on the east coast nt Bra'ral on the 36th of Octobtr, the date of the letter in question, in a s 4 riole state from the stoicism which ha I attacked Le crews of loth vessels. Captain Tucker returned on the loth Septemorr to his ship, alter having beep eugaged with eight men in exploring the river, until limy were all seised with sickness. atad corn- Pelled to make the best of their way , back for me ted as.istance. On the 224 of the same month. the Dorothy and Cottoo, with the double boats, proceeded to Cabindo, with a view to obtain re tieihnients, arid to try the effect of the sea on the health of the crews. The vessels arrived there tit the 27th, and on the lit of October they quitted that place, the Congo having lost in all 17 men by death, and havin g th e n 32 on the sick list. Captain l'ucx.xt and Lieutenant HAKIM, of the Congo, bun t tell victims to the fatal Unease: The command the Congo* now devolved on the Master, and it vas resolved to proceed to Rio Janeiro. GE/ aglow, te Master of the Dorothy, at this time had his men 'early all sick, but had only lost one (the carpenter). !Id he was drowned by accident. Sixteen of the , ougo's nien were in a convalescent state. Such 45 their situation when the ships reached Ot- Sol"' 07. We lament to learn. that.when use Dorothy at Cabinda there weer gm Porto:we shifts ix the walliog for Slaves, wee I two front Smite. Proteswt • SIMI had died on board the Congo. Blm's Trade in the present Lottery, although he runt complain of his rstal Customers, has princi -414 been in the wholesale way: this has arisen in 'me measure, no donbt, from his having sold the . 1 0,000 Congo' Prize, in a whole Ticket, in the late 'titters.—The inducements of the Scheme, too, are Tenor to those of late Lotteries, particularly in the 'creve which has been made in the v.lueof the small sizes, of which we see there ale 800 of Twenty-five luineas each, and none lower than 5€17...-The bawing begins the Slst instant. ntE 4Rrn' A reduction of the standing army being spoken of, it seems but just, as well as politic, that this reduv. tion should commence with the Fbreign Officers still employed in our service, who are, in reality, eating the bread of a s massy equally deserving Briti s h Officers. now on half-pay. It is to be brped that some independent Member of Parliament will call for the names of those still retained, at the opening of the next Sessitm—and that we shall, as in France, place all foreigners oh halfisay, By the regulations lately issued from the Horse- Guards for the future dress of the British Staff, it appears that no Medical Officer, let his rank be what it may, will now be allowed to wear either an Epau lette on his shoulder or a feather in his hat. MAURITIUS-SLAVE TRADE. By the late arrival from the Mauritius, copies hate been received of the Official Correspondence between the Captor of the •numerous Colonial Slave Ships, Capt. Cytaari, of his Majesty's ship Tyne, and Mr. FARQUHAR, Governor of the Mauritius. It does tip: , pear, that it was from the application of Governor FARQUHAR * that Captain CURRAN was induced to run down the East coast of Madagascar, and that he was enabled to seize at Tamatave the three • small vessels alluded to by the Governor, , ias waiting for a i cargo of Slaves ;" but the captures of the two yes. sets with the victims on boaril, were made on the ' l high' sea. We rejoice, for the sake of humanity, to learn that the unaccountable contineance and impunity that has attended the nefarious Slave-speculators, English as well as French, at the Mauritius, has met with a sr sand exposure, and that the local authority, so enabled by the orders of his Majesty's Government to repress it, has been at length awakened to its existence; that the imputations are no longer (to use its own words, when some of the very guar now seized by Captain CURRAN were &aimed on a similar charge, by a ser vant under the local authority at Bourbon), consk dered as. , divested of all authenticity, .and the mere uffspring of general rumour and indisciiminati sur mise." The truth is, that the growing and bound less enormity had in those colonies exceeded all cal culation ; to be proved by the very circumstance de- monstrated by Captain CURRAN'S seizure of the very vessels that - hive been continually, for the last four years, engaged in the Madagascar trade, and denoun ced as Slave.dealers three years before. A humane public will estimate the intensity of its cruelty and horror from one short extract of the dis patch of Captain CURRAN to Mr. FARQUHAR. in an nouncing his capture of a Slave-schooner, with one hundred and thirty-seven Negroes on board :- 1 4 To us, Sir. who have witnessed their crowded state, it is a matter of surprize that such A number could have existed so long, respiring a Most suffo cating and impure atmosphere in the hold of a small veseri. in which so many were heaped 'nether. 41 Upon their removal to the Tyne, they were many of them in a state of extreme debility and emaciation. The transhipping this cargo of human wretchedness, I could, Sir, cordially have wished had been witnessed by the philanthropic founders of the Institution in Englaud fur carrying into effect the Acts of Abolition, and by those who have conferred such honour upon themselves by giving it every sup. port, legislative and ministerial; nun at least they could not have failed to have enjoyed the solid reward of their . lalsours. The extent of the Negroes' suffer. ing, even in these -short voyages, may be inferred from the extract of her log, which 1 transcribe :••• Fresh breezes and squally—at four the sea rising, put on the hatches—A. M. more moderate, took off the hatches, Arai Aar oldie Slava dead, beia siffseated far wane of air.' " We haVe not patience to prolong at this moment our extracts or remat ks ; but surely, surely, the Noe Earl at tine head ut the Colonial I)epartmeat will feel that the rescue of these unfortunate victims arose from the casual arrival of an active and benevolent officer, through an accident at an ; and that these horrors and ontrages, to the dishonour of our cons m:rcial wia be repeated, ulna some strung and ne:es;.it y example of the offenders shall be made by a inC4l Government, impleased with that necessity, and zralrus ani sincere in obeying those commands so creditably given by Earl Battiuser, f• of not suf. Icriml the hunoine Laws of the British Empire to be violated by any individual with impunity, or to be relaxed in favour of any particular Colony." It cutnot be prrtended that this command has been obeyed, when the captured vessels have only be•re condemned. while the Captains anal Owners have heeii lett to enjoy impunity and repeat their crime. Indeed. in the correspondence of Captain CURRAN, it a pp-dr s that the Master of one of his late captures was Master of the Egremont Slave-schooner, a few mouths before condemned as a prize at the Mauritius. But what comes of the poor wretches who are rescued front the fangs of their merciless entrappers ?, This is a subject to which the friends of Aftican emancipation should pay immediate Should they not be always, as soon as possible, re. turned to the shores whence they were carried away ? This would answer a double purpose. It would be ari intimation to the kidnappers of the place, that .their victims were no longer legal merchandise, while it would spread through the people. sentiments favourable to our future intercourse with them. Let this be persevered in. and we 'hall .hear no more of the natives massacring such Europeans as chute to settle among them. • We have the satisfaction to state, that the late Mrs. ANNE ELIZABITU MEYRICR, of Westminster, has bequeathed the sans of One Hundred Pounds to that excellent charitable Institution, the Quicit's Lying-in Hospital at Limon Green, Paddiogton. Coax EXCHANGE, JANUARY I.—W• had very little Wheat fresh in this morning, but there was a tole rable large quantity at Market that was left over from Monday's arrivals, for which there was no demand, but prices may be considered the same 'as on Monday. —Tine Barley being scarce, what little appeared to day was readily disposed of at an advance of 2s. per quarter.—Our supply of Oats is very abundant, both of our own coast and Holland, the sale of which was very heavy, at a redaction of from Is. to 2s. per quarter on the ordinary samples of newt but good old supports Monday's prices. to Peas, Beans, and other articles, no alteration. • 7 1 7 .." Poira. I EXTENSIVE ROBBERIESANO DISCOVERY OF A MURDiR. MAIMS Porace o,thcr.—aft will be remembered, that between seven and eight sears ago, the murder of Lieutenant Johnson, of tfic Royal Navy, took place neat the China-hall, Deptford, on the Kent road. All the efforts of the P4l.ce, for a long period, to discover the murderers, proved- unavailing : no probability existed that they would hi ever brought - to justice. Co n j ec t ure fi xe d i t upon several who have since been punished for similar offences, or who have put an end to their own lives it! consequence, it was supposed, of the terrors occasioned by their crime. At length it has been found, that the Murderers are no other than a gang of robbers, who have been,l since the dreadful act which proved them desperate enough for any undertaking, however hazardous, living upon -plunder. The circumstances which led to the detection of the murderers are so interwoven with those which attended the robberies, that we cannot do justice to the de.t.ription of the fatal event without mentioning some of the particulars of the robberies. About six weeks ago two men, named Cara and Gitidoar, both of infamous characters, were appre. hended upon various charges of felonies They were afraid of each other; and when in custody, volun tarily confessed that they were guilty of several rob beries; that they bad been together working hand in hand ; and that the dead of night always produced what made the day comfortable. The police of this office have been within the last 'five or six weeks oil the look-out for several men sus , spected of being concerned in extensive raberies in the East and West India Docks. Corns and Gid dons readily admitted, that they had been a party in 'those robberies, told the names of others of the prin-- cipals, and also of the receivers of the goods stolen. In the course of the investigation, irhich.wat canied on with great privacy, a man named Hetbe. against whom a warrant had been granted, was beought to the office, and immediately pointed nut by Guidons as having been• a principal in a highway robbery committed not long since. Giddons also stated, that Hatton had been concerned in another highway rob bery, at the last Epsom-Races, upon, a Mr. Holmes. Even while the esareinstion of ISatton was going forward, the very hat which Mr. Holmes wore on the night on which he w_s rfhlsed was taken from Hatton, and iJentified as Mr. Holmes's property. • Curtis was admitted King's evidence in art earlier stage of the business, in consequence of the very im portant circumstances I , sitess brought to light respect ing the robberies in the East India Docks. lie was the principal eviden .e against Baler and Gam. lately convicted at the OA Batley for robbing a iiPle•bUr tier at Limehouse. thdJons will, it is supposed, be admitted. King's evidence, in consequence of the disclosures he made Matins; to the murder of Lieutenant Johnson. Mr. 111SNAIRD ordered up the? prisoner Curtis, who, upon entering the office, said he should make an ac knowledgment of every bad affair in which he was concerned. He mentioned the names of several per sons. besides those whom. e already spoken uf : but it will be seen by his information, that the greater, offenders, With the exception of One, are all in cus tody. The follosiriag,parts of his evidence will shew the system with which the plans of this formidable band was conducted. ‘‘ Giddons and Hatton, and I," said he, vc were concerned in stealing a quantity of silk handkerchiefs, on board a ship, of which he did not know the name, in the East India Docks, in the month of July. last. We agreed to meet at she' end of Cnr-throat-lane, which leads to the Docks : we were punctual, and were all together at the place appointed at twelve o'clock at night ; we went into a potatoe-field, adjoining Elder Hedge-lane. Gid ' donsand Hatton said they had a ladder, and we went across a field and found it, and immediately pro ceeded across the marshes towards the East India Dock wall. We put the ladder up, and got upon .the wall, we then pulled the ladder over, and went down into the Duca, in which a skip lay, to which we directed our steps in silently as possible. We went on board, raised up the two hatchbars of the main hatchway, with pieces of wood called gluts, by which means we were enabled to take off the hatches, and by that menus to get into the hold. We were then sure of our prey ; we struck a light with a tin ' der bog, which Giddons always carried about bin, ler such occasions; looked about the hold and found a chest of, Bandana silk handkerchiefs, whfch ap peared all wet and damaged. We pot them is three bags, which we had provided for the purpose, and got them up the hatchways we then put the batches on as cleanly as we had taken them off, and came away. Having left the ladder on the wall, we were secure of getting away without trouble, As snon,as we got to the safe side, we took the ladder, together with our newly acquired property, and used it in crossing the marshes, which were difficult to be passed. We soon met Mrs. Giddons and her son, John Gardner, with a can; we pm the bags into the cart ; Giddons drove the cart to the road leading from Bromley to the Commercial•road. Hatton and I brought the ladder to the place from which we had taken it. Upon going home, we lotted the hand kerchiets into three parcels, each of which contained about sixty or 70 pieces, some of them were' very bad. Gates came, soon after we had committed , the rob herb to me, and gave me SSs. a piece for those that were good for any thing. I must not forget to men tion, that the person who gave us the information was named Murray, a labourer in the docks. For this job we gave him amongst us ale. upon receiv ing which be told us he should let us know when there was any thing more to be had. We were im patient for more work at this time, •for our success gave us a spur; but Murray gave as frequent iatel-s ligence that there was nothing worth while, and that watchmen were on the inside. At last he came to us in September, and bid us to brighten up, for the watch had been taken off the inside, and a ship of teas was at work. He however said, if we did not go that night there would be no chance, as the ship would be cleared out nest day; we prepared for the business, but upon going to our posatoe field, we found that it bad been dug up, and that our ladder had been stolen; we soon suppled its place with another; went to the Dock wall, and got into the yard as before, and got on bOard the tea ship which had been marked by our informant; got down the hatches, struck a light, and found the chests of tea rite i 6 flinch desried ; *e empthd tofti two I ben- three bag:, and returned, leaving ester/ thing in the neatest order (*hind us ; my share antrihnted to Ithcut 76 or //pounds of tea. [Some 1e:4,6440nd green, being produced in the office, Cutest s aid, ft i was part of that stolen by him and his ' patty front I t the ship is the Decks.] Bat our ptofits (continued Curtis) amounted to generally more than estt be easily conceives. t via concerned hi getting hold of some gold, silver, and muslin,, about three Or foie years ago, in the Exit India Docks, and evert body hot ourselves was in the dark about it. Hatton, Giddons, Btown, and I, met Ctsrby At the Cherry Tree at Brcmley, one day, and agreed to.gtt over the Dock-wall, to see what could be got. We opened dp a ihip, in which we found, to our great delight, gold bars, silver, and muslin. We lashed a chest of the mastitis, and took them, together with the pieces of gold and silver, to Corby's ho-ase, se re we divided the sprit equally. I took my gold to a man named Cohen, r •siding near the Brietir era.' Arms, who gave me upwards of £l4O for it. the first case in which I *as engaged in the India Docks, WAS a little More than lot* years . There was a large party of us at that tiale. Brown, Corby, Hatton, Pegg, who was - homed, Cliddons, Mills, Turner, and I, were all in it: We met at Cat-throat-lane. Mills and Turner watched outside, so that we were more cautious than we have been of hue. Success made us confident. We got hold of some bofes of taw silk, which ley packed up amongst bales on the quay. We unpacked the bales, and re , greeted that we were not able to take them all away, We, however, took as much as we were able. Our . bags not being l arge enoug h to contain such a roan city, we packed up the bales in the resola - r order s woe of with what we coald•carry. returned the next on which, being Staitlay night. we knew no watch would be set, and took away the rest. It being hard to get this silk ofrour hares, we intrusted to Mfas Turner to dispose of it for as ; but she was some tin* since exch:quered for I tying it in her possession, and of course we made little by this enteprize" • . Curtis acknowledged many•robberies of this des cripticn, and mentioned accomplices, softie of who* have been executed for felonies of different Linda. His intelligence is in fact so voluminous that oar columns would be filled by the evidence which he offered against himself and those with whom ht was concerned. . • Giddons shewed a similar disposition to erimmtini caw to the Magistrate his knowledge of the East India Docks' robberies- but Mr. Stenatan told' h ib t chat if he intended to make a coefenion calculated to prejudice his own arse, he must take the 'tense quencee, wahout expecting to have the benefit cf an• influenced acknowledgmeht. Thomas Giddons then t lid, he had other things to speak of otich were of vastly greater cortieqlteneet than his life, or any thing that had taken place dur ing the gist India Docks robberies, which Might put that life in danger. The httoisraafe having expected, from the re. prated assurances cf Giddons, that 1-e had he - %t c.:n. cerned in some enterprize of a darker nature thin ;slued I", questioned him upon the subject of the mys teriods promises he had beers making. Giddons then replied—../ will give roe Wdrsl , ira my voluntary information, and tell you what inA little expect to hear. I was concerned in the murder of Lieutenant Johnson, (lithe Navy, in the Kent foul, between seven and eight years ago. James Hatton, who is now in custody; William Rain-s, who w a s 'lately working as a burnboat man ,ac Chatham; 'and another man, who is a stranger to me, were eencelhed with me in that murder. 1 then lived at Deptford. About two o'clock in the afternoon of the d a y on which the °Tense was comninLed. Hatton. Reines, and the other man came to me at the lower water gate, where I was sitting on a lynch. They asked me why I was nut at work ? I said I had noneto go to. They told me they were doing to-L indoor to get impressed on board an Last Indiatnari, and that might go with them if 1 liked. I did go with them, and we went to the Swan in Leadeithall-street where we had three halt pints of gin and • some beert Jew crimp came in, and Raines asked him it he knew of a ship for four people? The Jew said, No; and If lie did, be Would say nothing about it, for Raines would take the money and run away when heshould get to Gravesend. After the Jew had n ,, loafers said he'd let it drop, and take um: 2 y 'n• Alter staying a good while, we left the d went on our way to Deptford. We called at a liquor-shop after we got along London-bridge, on the left hand side of the Borough, where we had a glass of rum each. We next called at the Swan, on the right hind side of the Kent•road, where we had ans. tier glass of rum each. When we got below ens Half-way house, Raines picked up a walking slick. We went on, and heard a man coming behind - us. I should think it was near upan 12 o'clock. Raines said, gi Here is somebody coming ; wlt it do you say for having his ,money from him ?" We' all agreed, and when the gentleman came up to as, we stopped him, and asked him for his money : be replied, he had none, and if he had he would not give it use • Raines said, It you don't give it us, I'll knack you down with the stick." The gentleman snatchedthe stick outot hishand,and madea blow atone with it. I put my hand up, and received his hlo w on my wrist which broke it. He then gave me another blow under the right eye; and across the temple, and knocked me into the ditch. I have the mark still under my eye. I in the ditch about a quarter of an hour, when Hatton, • Raines, and the other man came to ate, and picked me out of the cinch t they then told me they had done the job, and got his money c they said they hall palled him iato a place oet of the toad and done hit job, by which I understood they had killed They asked me if, I could walk, I told them no they took me into a field 20 or 30 yards off, and there ' left me : they told me they would call- on me the next night. I staid in the fields about two or threa ll ' q hours, and then was able to walk 'same. I did not ."." meet any one on my way. Hatton, Raines, and tfre' l44 other man came to me next n i g h t at my lodgings‘‘ . and gave roe £2. They did not tell me whit the Gentleman had : said they were going to Notthfitet,' • to see if they could get work oa board-an Indiaman, and went away. Hatton came back again in a little • while, end asked me if I had beard.any thing I I said, 4 4 Nothing partictder.P' When they met laity house, Hatton and. Raines said they killed the man.- I saw Hatton in the coarse of a week or two after, and be had returned to his work as usual. Some ,