Star. — London, England, 1821-10-18 00:00:00

N ilk Nit ..•- ~. IVIADAVEeCiITALANI. After an absence of seven years, Madame CATA• 14WS returned to Otis country, where, during ,her Arif s 7ft . Jeritse astOred a renown, and enjoyed a degree of success, till then without example. As, 'since her return, many persons have expressed a wish to be iJormed of the manner in which, since her departure, she bas employed the wonderful gifts for which she is indebted to nature, we think a brief account of her various travels and undertakings will be read with no little interest. We have only to ob serve, that if the facts which our narrative will pre sent, should seem to require proofs, reference might be made to almost all the diplomatic agents of the Courts of Europe. On leaving London, Madame CATALAN! pro ceeded to Paris, where the King of France granted her the patent of the "1 healre Royal Italica, and con descended to annex, by way of encouragement, an annual allowance of about seven thouiand pounds sterling. Madame CATALAN! continued for four years proprietor and sole manager of that Theatre, then the most elegant in Paris. She gave alternate engagements to the celebrated composers, Paer and Spontini, for the conducting the musical depart ment, and also engaged, during the time mentioned, almost all the first singers, both male and female, of Italy. Nevertheless, as when .Madame CATALAN! did not herself sing, the receipts were trifling, the establishment became a burthen to her, and she re solved on leaving Paris, and exerting her talents in all the capitals of Europe. The trumpet of Fame has successively announced to us the glorious fruits of this determination. From Paris Madame CATALAN! went direct to Berlin, where success the most flattering, and honours the most distinguished, awaited her. She excited no less admiration by her beneficence, than by her ex traordinary talents; and his Prussian Majesty be stowed upon her the most honourable reward, in deigning to write her a most gracious letter, trans mitting to her, at the same time, the grand medal of the Academy (similar to that which the Great Fre derick sent to Voltaire). The King's letter was pub lished in all the Journals of the time. Madame Ca- LANI likewise received from all the Court of Pius sia the most distinguished testimonies of kindness. t Laden with honours and presents, she went from Berlin to Hanover. His Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge, whose enlightened taste tot the Arts, and particularly for music, is generally known, re ceived her with all that amenity which distinguishes • him ; and all the Ladies of the Court hastened to make her sensible of their goodness. She gave a Concert for the benefit of the poor, and was, the ! same evening, crowned at the Theatre. Madame CATALA NI afterward went to Stutgardt.! The charms of her voice made such an impression on the late King, who, as we know, was passionately fond of music, that some minutes before his death, which happened a few days after his hearing her, he pronounced her name. From Stotgardt she went to Munich. At this first visit to that capital, in consequence of a trifling misunderstanding, she did not sing But returning - some time after, when she paid her duty to the Queen,- her Majesty embraced her, and lavished her goodness upon her, as if to indemnify her for the slight mistake that had occurred. The King was not less obliging in his conduct to Madame Cara- L A NI, and was so good as to recommend het to the friendship of his daughter, the Empress of Austria. Furnished with this powerful recommetwation, Madame CATALAN! went to Vienna, where f.: et 'with prodigious success. To give an idea .• without overstepping those bounds that rest.' ye which we have prescribed to ourselve., it in sufficient to cite the following facts :—At each ia r Concerts, the great room of the Redoubt was filled to excess, though the price of admission was very high : the Room contains three thousand persons.— She also obtained the favour of the whole Impe rial Court, and his Majesty the Emperor made her a present of a superb ornamental of opal, enriched with diamonds. The poor shared her success, and' blessed the benevolence of her heart. The Magistracy of the city testified at once their own admiration and the public gratitude, by causing to be struck, ex pressly for her, a medal which bears the most honour able inscription. For a long time, pressing invitations called for Madame CATALAN! in Russia, where the brilliant* of her reputation had excited an impatient desire to hear her. On leaving Austria, she made the jour ney to St. Petersburgh, where she commenced with a Concert, the tickets for which were fixed at twenty five roubles. Such was the impression she made, that the room could ant contain the crowds of per sons which came to the succeeding Concerts, and every evening several hundreds were disappointed of places. At length, she chose for the scene of her concluding Concert, the public Exchange; and more than four thousand persons were present. Always the patroness of the poor, Madame CATALAN' de termined that the large receipts of this evening should be devoted to the wants of two hundred unfortunate families in St. Petersburgh. When, after this, she took leave of the Empresses, their Majesties Con descended to embrace her, giving her assurances of the interest with which the pre-eminence of her ta lents, and the excellence of her conduct, had inspired them. The reigning Empress made her presents of a pair of gold ear-rings, and a diamond necklace...-. The Emperor Alexander was not less generous. la the presence of his whole Court, he graciously kissed her hands, thanking her for the good act she had done, and presenting her with a magnificent girdle of brilliants. Madame CATALAN! remained four months in Russia, and in that space of time the Concerts which she gave, as well in the capital as at Riga, at Mos cow, and at \Vilna. produced her, all expenses paid, • snore than fifteen thousand guineas, exclusive of pre sents of great value. The liberality with which the Russian Islobility encourage the fine arts is well known, and the following is a new testimonial When Madame CATALAN' went from Moscow tol Warsaw, she found on her arrival at this latter city, a letter from the principal Muscovite Nobles, in which they offered to secure to her 240,000 roubles (about ten thousand guineas), if, during the winter, she would come and give ten Concerts in their ancient capital. Fearing that her health would not bear the severity of tke climate, she was compelled to decline. 6011MEIMUMMIMNIKM this offer, advantageous as it was, and for which' she conveyed an answer in terms at once of gratitude and regret. • Besides the capitals we have named above, Ma dame CATALAN& has sung in fifty or sixty populous towns of Germany and Italy ; and everywhere the most august personages, as well as the Public at large, have shew•n her, by brilliant favours, that their esteem for her personal conduct, and beneficent dis position, equalled their admiration for the wonders of her talent. It may be said, that her success, and the distinctions with which she has been honoured at all Courts, have hitherto been, and will probably remain, without a parallel. Madame CATALANI had entertained, for some months past, the project of renouncing all public singing, and of effecting a complete retirement. With this idea, she has refused considerable sums which have been offered by several of the Courts of Europe, upon .condition of undertaking the direction of an Italian Theatre. A Sovereign Prince had even an nounced, that if she would consent, he would build a new Theatre for her use. The sole motive which has led her to defer the execution of her project was her desire to behold England a second time, and let it again hear her voice, now in greater vigour than ever ; to enjoy, in a word, a second time, that illus ttious and powerful patronage under which she ac quired her first celebrity, and those fervent national plaudits of which the recollection flatters her pride, and continually renews her gratitude. Madame CATALAN& is at present at Bath. She propses making a tow in Great Blitain and Ireland, and revisiting London. next spring. PIRACIES IN THE WEST INDIES, arc. (From the New York Advertiser.) It is but a short time since we turned the atten tion of our Readers to the subject of the piracies committed upon the commerce of our merchants in the We-t Indian seas, and all along the route from here to South America. As the robberies increase both in numbers and atrocity, and as no effectual measares, as far as we have heard, have been taken to pi event them in future, we consider it the duty of every publisher of a Paper to bring every fresh case distinctly before the Public, that the opinion of the Public may have a fair opportunity to produce that effect upon the Government, which we fear nothing else will be able to accomplish. If such daring vil lainy as this is suffered to exist, the external com merce of our country will soon be cut up root and branch. We are surprised that our merchantmen, despairing of aid from Government, do not prepare themselves for self-defence. They are now subjected to the disgrace of being plundered, not only by sloops and schooners, but by the crews of long-boats.— Armed with deadly weapons, they bring-to our un armed and helpless merchantmen, and with the most insolent as well as blood-thirsty ferocity, rob them of the indispensable articles of their own and their ' ; vessels' safety. If we had no armed ships—if we were entirely destitute of naval force, there would be something like an apology for suffering this aggra vated abuse and injustice to exist. Even in that case, however, our merchant vessels ought to be suffered to carry their own arms for their own protection. But we have armed national vessels that want em ployment—we have Officers and men that want active service—and the merchants pay enough for the support of the Government to demand protection. We think the subject one of sufficient importance to all concerned in foreign commerce, to claim their most serious and earnest attention ; and we should be gratified to see the merchants engaged in that com merce bestirring themselves, and adopting such mea sures for their own safety as the exigency of the case seems to require. A long list follows of American vessels captured : in some cases the crews were treated with great bar barity. MIRACULOUS CIRCUMSTANCE. (From the Plu7addishia National Gazette of Sept. II) Captain Howland, of the sloop Rising Sun, arrived at Providence on Sunday last ; on the sth instant, in lat. 37. 47. long. 74. 33. fell in with a schooner bot tom up; her masts and spars were alongside, held by the rigging ; her sails were blown or washed from the bolt-rope. We went on her bottom to cut a hole through, to see what she was loaded with. We cut a piece of plank out near the run, and were surprised to hear a voice, like that of a female, ask, 44 Who is that ?" but very faintly. We answered," Friends ;" and asking how many there were below ? she said, when the vessel capsized slite turned instantly bottom up, and all hands were on deck except herself and the Captain's nephew (Lewis Miers, of Charleston, S. C.), a boy about eleven years of age. We drew her out ; she was a woman of colour, about 22 years of age, wet, and her flesh all parboiled. She caught hold of the run scuttle-ring, and pulled the scuttle off, and went up into the run, where we found her, with the water constantly washing over her. She said, probably some of the crew might be in the forecastle. We went forward, on the keel, and cut through into the forecastle, and found nothing but a small dog, alive, jammed between the timbers, and the forecastle full of lumber ; the rest, seven in number, are sup posed to have perished. She says, the schooner's name was the Blake, of Charleston, South Carolina, Capt. James Hatch ; that she sailed from Boston on the 9th ultimo, for Portland, where she arrived, and loaded with lumber ' • had 14 pipes of wine on deck, and a high deck loa d of lumber; that they sailed from Portland about the 17th for Charleston ; that she heard the Captain say that' they were off the Capes of Delaware the morning the vessel capsized ; that on the 3d inst. about ten A. M. the gale com menced ; that they took all sail in, and hove to, cut their deck load adrift, and let all go overboard; that about eleven A. M. she capsized. She states, that her name is Ann Maroy Holden; that she belongs to Warwick, R. L ; that she was going with Captain Hatch in the capacity of servant, to wait upon his nephew, who was in a bad state of health. We took her and the dug on board, gave her clothes and nou rishment : sheis now very well. Letters of administration of the personal estate and effects of the late ClintsroruE, King of Hayti, mere, on the 3d inst. granted by the Prerogative Court to his widow. The property within :the diocese of the Archbishop of CANTSBIIO7 was sworn under £9,000. 'i'i ik EVENING STAR• LONDON. THURSD AY. 'OCTOBER 18, 1821. ST. larza.—Boliday at the Bank. The Paris Papers of Monday arrived at a late hour this forenoon. The KIND has addressed a letter to each Deputy, desiring his presence at the opening of the Chambers, on •the sth of next month. Letters from Perpignan, of the 6th of October, state, that the accounts received there since the 29th of September from Barcelona, are more distressing than ever. According to letters of the 3d instant, the mortality was still increasing; and they all agree in saying, that from 150 to 200 persons die daily.— It was once proposed to remove the whole popula tion into an encampment, but it appeared difficult to execute this extreme measure. Consternation and ' despair added to the intensity of the evil. The Physicians were not agreed as to the nature of the malady. By some it is called the yellow fever, while others pretend that it is the malady of the ne groes on the Guinea coast. There are others again who say that it is a stationary malignant fever. The five French Physicians arrived on the sth at Perpig nan, and set out on the next day for Barcelona. The Bishop of Torosa has fallen the victim of his devotion to the cause of humanity. He was seized with the fatal malady, and died on the third day. A Lisbon article, of the 29th September, states, that the Military Commandant of the Province of Algarves had transmitted to Government the melan choly intelligence that the yellow fever had com municated to Porto de Santa Maria. The same advices state, that the malady has greatly diminished at Malaga. The Commandant of Al gavves had taken the most energetic measures for preventing the spread of the plague. Little additional light is thrown, by the Papers be fore us, on the state of the question between Turkey and Russia. It is clearly shewn, however, that the Turks have not retrograded, as pretended, from the Provinces of Moldavia and Wallachia, which ALEX ANDER is understood to make the sine qua non of any arrangement. A Vienna article, of the 4th October, states that the Russian Cabinet had replied to the last Note of the Porte, which shews that the absence of Baron STROGONOFF has not put an end to the negotiations. We have received Papers, direct from Madrid, to the 4th instant. The following are extracts: BARCELONA. From the 22d to the 25th inclusive, died, In Barcelona - - - 199, Barcelonetta . . - 146 ' Seminary - - 44 Total --.-389. The above includes those who died in the city and in the Barcelonetta, in four days, of all kinds of dis eases; but the Faculty estimate that three-fourths are of the yellow fever. The number of patients now in the City, Barce lonetta, the Seminary, and the house of the Vice- Queen, is 431, being an increase of 31 since yester day ; the number of deaths having been 76 ; cured and removed 13 ; and new cases 120. By the accounts from Meguinenza of the 24th, 25th, and 26th, the contagion seems to be spreading there also, but not in so great a degree. TOILTOSA. This unhappy town, which is filled with death in all its parts and its vicinity, especially Las Roquelas, where the contagion commits dreadful ravages, is worthy of the greatest compassion ; and to an hospital of convalescence, confided to the direction of the sisters of charity of San Vincente Paul, and young dives, who have offered themselves for this service, compelled by feelings of humanity, the Committee of this Junta has, for the second time, given the as- 1 sistance of some vinegar, chocolate, and rice. The greatest care continues to be taken in main- 1 taining the cordon, and two unhappy wretches, who had the boldness to pass it, have been stopped, and given up to the rigour of the laws. An instance of the same kind carried the contagion to Mequinenza, which is now surrounded with a cordon. This fact, and that some persons from Tortosa and its country houses have entered Saragossa and Fraga, has caused the Junta to declare Mequinenza infected, Saragossa and Fraga suspected, and persons coming from all parts of that province in general subject to ten days' surveillance. The port of Malaga is again declared suspected, a person having died on board one of the vessels, though his illness was not contagious. An article from Saragossa, of the 26th September, says there was no fear of contagion in that city. Accounts from Lagnira of the Ist September, state, that three Spanish vessels, richly laden, ran in, igno rant of Laguira being in the possession of the Pa- , tricts, and w ere made prizes ; after which Laguira was blockaded by a Spanish squadron. Letters from Santa Martha state, that General DEVEREUX is at Santa Fe, where he was received with the most flattering cordiality, both by the in habitants in general and the Government. M'Carthy, the drummer, and two privates of the Guards, detained for the riot in the Almonry, on the last anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo, in which tumult the unfortunate COOLEY, of Orchard -street, lost his life, were brought up to the Sessions-house, Westminster, this morning; and no persons appear ing against than, they were discharged. RECEIVERS-GENERAL OF LAND AND -ASSESSED TAXES. The statement which we published yesterday te. specting the intended reductions in the office of R e . ceivers-General of Counties, though Corre ct i ss its general substance, was, in some of the dew tiro. neous. The folios% ing explanation comes, we h e is ees, from the pen of the eminent individual to *land Public are indebted for the ori g i nat i on o f this at ; sive scheme cf retrenchment It will be recollected that the Chancellor of t i e Exchequer agreed to the apponitmeut of a Co sa . mince in the last Session, on Mr. H ume ' s p • Itheirs to reduce the expenses in that b ranch a 2 collection of the revenue. The Committee, although the majority of them generally support Mi n i ster; offi ce of agreed unanimously to the abolition of the Receiver-General, as executed by deputies, an d th ... they should be reduced as speedily as possible G .: 65, their present number, to 44, the numbecte c ' oss, mittee considered fully sufficient to do the duty,' h e Committee unanimously recommended di e a b on. Lion of the permanent balances of £367,000, whi c h had been allowed very improperly to remain io th e hands of the Receivers-General for the whole year, laid out by some in mortgages, by others in the Th ies per Cents. and employed by all of them for d i n t private emolument. The Committee were perfectly satisfied that d ie duty of the six Receivers-General in London, now performed at an expense of £lO,OOO or EU) a-year, might be performed by one Receiver-Ger a ,' at an expense of about £1,500 or £2,000 a-year, mg they therefore recommended that course. Manyd the county collections had been divided to serve ; 4 , litical objects, or; in other words, to divide theta, luable patronage; and the Committee considered ( their duty to recommend these divided collections% be re-united, which would, with the London redr s tion, bring the number to forty-four. It was alw satisfactorily proved, that the consolidation couldli made with advantage to the revenue. The Committee, as appears from their Repcsi, recommend that in no case shall more than an a-year (and that sum to include travelling expense,) be paid to any Receivers-General; and that the larks should be reduced in general to the mum which it was proved the deputies had receivedfe performing all the duty. The Receivers-General lute all had the offer first made them by Governments continue their office, ts if they will perform the duty on the conditions recommended by the Committee: and in case of their refusal, the offer is then madea those Gentlemen who acted as deputies. Moisten are endeavouring to get that duty performed fade minimum charge. The deputies have stated that* would do all the duty of the Receivers-Generalkt the allowances they received as deputy ; and Aide allowance of the principal will be thereby sandal the country. The only condition they required war that the security should be proportionate to the amuse of money to be collected and pass through their bags The evidence before the Committee shews, thus of the greatest objections to the office was the lase and disproportionate securities required from thite ceivers-General, whilst the deputies, who alumina the risk, gave small and proportionate security to the principal. Real security is in all cases oc the new system to be taken, amply sufficient to cola every pound to be placed in the hands of the Receiver. General. The plan of remitting the Taxes as soon act& lected, to the Public Treasury, as is done by the else, is to be adopted with the Receivers-Generi,by which the Public will benefit by the Taxes axe as collected, instead of their remaining, as hithm at considerable risk in the hands of the Recap,. General, or his Deputy, to speculate in the Pit Funds, or make other speculations daring each," ter. Mr. Hums proposed to abolish the lDistriek ceivers-General altogether, and by means cid& spectors and others now employed, to have theta paid to the Collectors of Excise in their cimi through the country every six weeks ; but findiegi Commissioners of the Tax-office and some ell Committee altogether adverse to that radical amp he acceded to the modified reform, in order to it unanimously in the Committee. The only difference of opinion in the Committee was w the largest allowance to any one Receiver-Ge should be £7OO or £6OO a-year, and the latter as was carried by a large majority. The advantages which will be derived to the Mc by this reform in one department of the collection the Revenue cannot be better explained than by :11 subjoined copy of the estimate of the saving AO to be made, as stated by Mr. Hums to the Housed Commons, on the 27th of June last: COMPARATIVE ESTIMATE OF 1112 MONO Or TUL ROCLIVSIIII,GENIRAL Or LAND AND SAABS, awls, 1821, AS STATED AY 111. HOSII, IN FHA AGUSSO COIMMONS, ON THE 27rn aux; AND OF TDB SAVING TO ss TACT= ST TIM REFORM. The poundage now payable to 65 Receivers-Generalist Land and Assessed Taxes, amounts yearly to - AIIN The interest on Z587,0t0 of permanent balances left in their hands, at 5 per cent. - - 14 11 The current balances in hand,equal at least to two months' interest, on the whole amount of Land and Assessed Taxes, £7,898,896 - - Total - - - The Select Committee of the House of £ -1---'17,5.1 have recommended unanimously that these should cease to be sinecure offices, or to be el by deputy ; that the duty should be done by re/ dents iu person, with a salary of from £3OO to IV each, and from which the expenses attendant on duties of the office are to be defrayed ; that the say ber of Receivers-General be reduced, as soon as po sible, from 65 (some of whom now receive fro £2OOO to £3OOO a-year) to 44, and that none offA o , shall receive more than £ 6OO, thereby if called!' effect, producing a saving to the Public of g 16 .11 per annum, viz: Taking the largesoexpenditure for 65 Itte:ivesr-Gene• ral at £6OO on an average (instead of 44, the nun- Der to remain) at £5OO on an average - - 1 -7" Expense for bonds, audits, and incidents - - •;01 (Future expense) Total - C 4O Present expense, and loss by interest of money in the d hands of the Receiven-General as above, about - Zit. The proposed expense as recommended by the Coss- 00 n►ittne ..•, Being a &Wag of iiiii la AO veil frac Hal Boa kat Rip Kr wh Ibi AI IR ser as of OIL Ito