The Sun. — London, England, 1824-12-14 00:00:00

POPER.Y.-THE ETOILE. TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN. SlR—Partly through occupation, and partly Through the hope that the subject would be , touched by an abler pen, I have omitted to no tice a few more remarks of my worthy old friend the Editor of the Etoile, who seems to think that lie best replies to my last letter by pouring the most indiscriminate and rancorous abuse on the English Church and Nation. lam happy, Sir, to say, that the subject has not been entirely un noticed ; and a friend of mine, who is in all re spects far better qualified to undertake the task than myself, at present contemplates strew ing up the ignorant bigots of the Etoile, for reasoning from the superstition of the Shiloh people, and the ignorance of the Me thodists, to the state of the English Church. From this part of the Work, then, I am happily and honourably absolved. 1 do not write this with the hope of prodneing any conviction on the Conductors of the Polk, who have long since lost sight of sense and reason ; but it is right that the English people should know that the spirit of Popery remains unchanged by time and 'place, anti that the objects of the " Catholic Association," though winked at here, are well understood and untlisguisedly published on the Continent. .Not only is this nation, according to the Etoile, the most intolerant on earth, but it is the most superstitious. And for all this superstition eve are, of course, indebted to Protestantism, espe chilly 10 THE DESTRUCTION OF CONFESsIONALS The only way in which this assertion deserves to' be met, is by a direct assertion to the contrary : however, there is certainly much superstition in England, as in all other countries, among the un educated !classes, although, by the blessings of diffused education, it is rapidly decreasing. But there is this difference between the superstitions of England and those of Popish countries---that in the former case they exist by toleration only, while, in the latter, they are ithisted on by the Government as a matter of necessary belief, and those who do not conform to them may think themselves happy if they escape only with a few hard words from a priestly newspaper. Members of the English Church ridicule Joanna and be nfAst lights as much as the Etoile can ; but the highest Dignitaries of the Itomish believe the mi racles of Prince Hohenlolie. Superstition, then, which, like all opinions, is tolerated In this •country, is not ceutriennnced either by the Go vernment or the Church, while it forms one of the essentials of Popery. Our Lady of Loretto, .imacea, and relics in general, the liquified b 1 god of Januarius, the string of superstitious nonsense put together by Patoritti, infinitely surpass the Southcote fanaticism : yet alt these are firmly be- Peved by the enlightened Conductors of the Emile, and are the popular belief of his far more enlightened countrymen. The miracle which is daily transacting before their eyes, the transub stantiation of the mass, is in itself a piece of folly •far transcending nil the grossest superstition of Pagan idolatry. That man would ever have be. litved such monstrous and impious absurdity might have at one time seemed impossible to conceive ; yet, by one of those coincidences • which hear sometimes almost the form of pro phecy, Cicero has actually condemned this very superstition (De Nat. Deor. Lib. iii. cap. 16.) it Quiem fruges Cererem, vinurn Liberurn, dici " mus, genere nos quidem sermonis utimur " usitato: SED EEQUEM TAM AMENTEM ESSE PIJTAS, " QUI I LLU D, QUO YEW tTUR, DRUM CUED AT cc ESIIE?" What a Pagan idolator found too gross .for his credulity, is the leading article of the Ramis)) Church! Another complaint of the Eloile against us Is that the English Clergy are too much occupied with their wives and children to attend to their spiritual duties. St. l'aul is not, of course, much authority with men who hold infallibility to be resident in themselves ; however, St. Paul 58 75, that" A bishop mint be THE HUSBAND OF ONE " WIPE, one that ruleth well his own house, hav " ing his CHILDREN in subjection with a ll gravity; " FOR IF A MAN 1140 W NOT HOW TO RULE HIS " OWN HOUSE, HOW SHALL. IRE TAKE CARE OF Tar. " cHUILCII OF (ion ?" (1 Tinl. iii. 1. 4. 5.) In fact, the government of a family is of all things the heat calculated to leach the practical dis charge of pastoral duties ; and I defy the Etude to Show me any ten parishes in France, promis - clumsily selected, which shall exhibit the real re information, and good conduct, which 1 find him in any ten English parishes promis cuously selected, the capital being always ex clotted. The readers of the'Eroile are congratulated on the numbers who support. the Popish confederacy in this kingdom, and who are complimented with the title of 4 ' Mai as do not consider the decrees "of a libertine tyrant binding on their con " sciences." Does the Emile mean to say that we believe in the infallibility of Henry VIII.? he does, hr has committed another of the thousand bltuaders into which he is every day falling. We refer to the Articles of our Church for the standard of our belief, and we do so be. cause, and only because, we feel convinced they nuy be proved "r by sure.warra ills of Scat PTUfi E." But he DOES iYereVe4fr the INFALLIBILIT not: of orw, but .er b hesft. of libertines and tyrants, " who. gi opposed and exalted themselves above all that " is called Goo, or that is worshipped ; so that " they, as God, sat in the temple of God, show. " ing themselves that they were Gods."— (2 Theis. ii. 4.) Such is Popery, and suck its-manner of deal ing. And if .the people of England do not see the danger in wide,' they stand from Popish -As , : soeiationsobey must fall unpitii.d. Again I call upon the 'Moue, who has never answered the question., would a , PitoTtiSTANT Assoct APION he tolerated tin -hour in his land of universal religious liberty ? At ft ,receut, meeting of one of these o siemblies, a Mr. Law less, to whom we might s , iy , a s Ovid said to Carus, " Quint es vetA, vocar is," expressed himself surprised that it h h ou ld be considered necessary that their agent • should be a religious man What, then, are the, of the Association ? Certainly nut reli gions by this admission. PEOPLI OF ENGLAND ! the Etoile knows better than you! I write in the greatest haste, but I trust that those who have more leisure and ability► will not be silent on a subject" of such magnitude and importance. I am, Sir, Your obedient servant, BRITANNUS. THE LATE SIR JAMES BLAND LAMB, BART. ( From last night's Courier.) A friend who deeply regrets the loss, and highly reveres the memory, of the late Sir James Bland Lamb, wishes to offer his grateful thanks to the Editor of The Sun for his tribute of praise inserted in his Paper of the 4th December to that highly distinguished character. But, as some trifling omissions occur in that account, the writer of this article is anxious to supply such deficiencies, at the same time taking the liberty of ap plying to his own use the principal parts of that statement. The litlitor of The. Sun expresses surprise that this much respected character, who,. when known by the name of Burgess, made a distinguished figure in the political world, holding the situation for many years of Under Secretary of i State far the Foreign Department, and whose literary produc tions deserve such high notice, should have sunk in silence to the grave without a line of tribute to his memory ! This silence sprang from the general tenor of his life. He revered his God, and lived in peace and harmony with all men ; and the -general feeling of high respect and esteem for his memory being so universally acknowledged, made it appear unneeesary to his friends to communicate to the public their high sense, .of his distinguished merits, and their deep-felt sorrow for his loss. It i.c singular, that, even when in public life, no pen was ever employed personally against him. This may be accounted for by sts.being well known that any pamphlet that appeared from his 'hand was never instigated by, personal pique, but slmnly inspired .by an ardent desire to aid the general welfare of tat cause in which his party was engaged. The force and power of his *pen, joined to the genuine truth and open manli ness of his character, preyental any personal reply. He was well known to be the author of most of the extremely clever pamphlets which appeared in that clay, such as the Whig Club, &c. Ile possessed the private friendship of Sheridan, and many others of his opponents in public affairs, so highly did they ad mire and esteem his uprightness of character. The statement given of the cause of his having been one of the original founders of The Sun Newspaper, under the sanc tion of 111 r. Pitt, is perfectly correct.—( Here follows what ap peared in The Sun). - There is a mistake made by the Editor of The Sun in his account of Sir James's literary pursuits. His first publication WAS " The Birth and Triumph of hove," which he presented to the public in very early life. After which he published an heroic poem, celebrating the character and achievements of Richard the First (not Richard the Second)' in which the bold enterprising spirit of that Prince is finely portrayed; the verse is harmonious, and the poem abounds with rich and beautiful !limn .to , .—( The passages om itted here, also app 'tired in The Sun.) Sir James was originally intended for the study of the law, and was called to the bar; shortly after which he published same legal works of acknowledged merit and authority. He was, however, induced to relinquish this profession in conse quence of a close intirneey and friendship thrilled in very early life with that great Statesman Mr. Pitt, and with the late Doke ' of Leeds, who, being anxious to attach to their party one whose talents they were aware claimed such deserving admiration, prevailed upon bins to give up his original profession, and to, embark in political Orlin. In later life he devoted his talents to theological writings, some of which have been published. • This error was corrected in The Sun the day. after. the original article appeared. . . 4 ".• In addition to the foregoing article from , co # rkr, it hi proper to notice, that among th e s p r i g h t ly Artic l e* wr i t;!n. for T he Sun, by Sir JADIES BLAND LAM 0, there {ei:p kV: of humorous verses entitled The Cosirixt, in which he,PortraY : with poetical spirit, and characteristic truth, the chief Igen4)oa of the Opposition at that period. Ile was also the atithOr Of; several admirable tales,; among which was The Bishop's Wig, Indeed it may be justly said that his productions Whether serious or g a y, were mar k ed by learning, fancy, and Sportive satire, without party spleen or personal hostility.' qtll THE.. POIVAMOUTII BRA:Neff ;z'rn► All PSI! IR p OEN EIrAT, I EBE NE FIT SOMETY. A Meeting was held on Monday the 6th most. at the Beneficial : teitty's Hail, Portsea, by appointmeasof the Right Worshipful the Mayor, in pursuance of a requbtitinn tnost respectably signed, requesting him to convene a Meeting " on the subject of the Hampshire General Benefit Society, .to consider the propriety of establishing a Local Committee, Att. for these towns, in conjunction with the Parent Institution," when JAMES CARTER, Esq. the Mayor having been called to" the Chair,_ JOIIN FLEMTNO i Esq. M.P. (President of the Society), addressed the Meeting at some length, and entered into a per spicuous statement of the n a t ure anti objects of the proposed Institution, from which, he was quite persuaded, the greatest benefits would arise to the industrious and labouring classes of these towns. He stated, that his observations were similar to those which he had submitted to other meetings in the county. Ile felt it his duty to promote the welfare and comfort of his poorer and industrious friends; and should he succeed in fune- Harming their condition, he would venture to hope that the part w hich it had been his honour to take in promoting the objects of the County Benefit Society, would, in some measure, prove, when he should give in the account of his public con duct, that he had not altogether been an unprofitable servant. The !Lev. C. B. BENVILLE expressed his warmest appro bation of the plan and objects of the Institution, which he considered would be productive of the utmost advantage to that class of society for which it was intended. Ile had there fore the highest satisfaction in proposing that a Branch of the Hampshire General Benefit Society be established for the towns of Portsmouth and Portsea. _ Air. HOWARD observed, that after the best consideration which he had been able to give to the subject of the pro posed Institution, he felt it to be his duty to give it his sup port in the most unqualified manner ; and he could not but congratulate the Meeting upon so excellent a measure being submitted to them. He considered it to be not only one of the noblest schemes which had been formed for the benefit of the numerous anti important class of society whose inte rest* it particularly embraced, but an Institution that pro mised the most extensive advantages to the community in general. Indeed, he w a s convinced that it was only neces sary to be generally known, and better understood, in order, to obtain the concurrence a nd su pport of every benevolent mind. He was so strongly of dust opinion, that he thought the first duty of its supporters, at present, was, to render its plans and objects more extensively known amongst the class of people who would form its beoetlciel members. In considering the subject, one question had, at first, aris e n in his mind—whether the proposed Society might not, in some measure, militate against another. institution of recent establishment—an 'methadon which had been, and was cal culated to be, of extensive utility—he meant the Savings Bank. But, after having gone into that question, lie (Mr. Howard) was quite satisfied that such an effect was not to be apprehended from the adoption of the proposed Benefit Society. They both, possessed peculiar advantages t and would be mutually auxiliary to each other. Those who began with depositing in the Savings Bank, might avail thitii: selves of its advantages, until they b ecame ena bl e d to ma k e a single payment for the purpose of obutteing the, benefit of the proposed. Institution. Or, on the other heed, they might be gin by their subscriptions to the County Society tor' the sake of the advantages which it would aflbrd them to times of sick. ness or necessity, and having thus acquired habits of eep ewly , i they would gradually mprove upon them, so as to become positora in the Savings Bank , for the sake of obtain ing *u jute.. rest upon the amount of their savings, which .mtereatethey might afterwards apply to a continuance of their subscriptions in the Benefit Society. Thus, he thought, theSe two excellent' Institutions, so far from operating against each other, Would alike tend to the formation of good and provident habits among the labouring classes of the community. Another question, which had suggested itself to his mind walt—llwther, in a3arge town, like this, it might not be better to form u local sveiety upon. the same principles as the one proposed, rather than for so largeyeedistriet to become a branch of the County So slaty. But after considering this point, he thought that the latter Wait .th e mo re a dvis en ble- course. .Ther larger the Society, the more extensive anti general Od b# its influ ence; and he behaved, that from thte pec uliar •I?Ature. or this 'institution, it .w a s 'lik e l y to b e conducted tit Wititeo l t., inaulore successful manner than it :could' possibly die . District Society. There was, howover, one defect ! be thought,' in the present pl a n,, w hi c h i t was not, right to cqt/c 1- at th e same time,. it was not of a nature to form an objection rtol tea merits of the.lnstitution. Aiicortling to the present' the Instituti e n was not of so.popular a cast AS 1t night be renapro . by assimilating it in one respect to the Benstit Siwietie* Whies; had been hitherto established. Man was it greeirriotie animal: He loved soeiet ing which ch aracter i zed En Isirtion of infl uence in it. This was more o.lrQcularly the feel. Y t and he desired, more Or less, *certain pro. Oislirpen. lie did n o t object to the management of the Institution by Honorary Members ; but he still thought it was desirable, by some public anniversary meet ing, or sconethi.ig of that kind, to afford the beneficial Mem bers an opportunity of associating with the other Members of the Society ' • at which meeting there might be made some ex- Planation of the principles, and a statement of the progress of the Society. By some such modification of the plan of the ► institution, it might be identified more. with the feelings, the habits, and the customs of the people, He thought that this, was quite within the range of practicability, without at all compromising any of the peculiar advantages of the plan pro posed. As to the particular sort of .meeting which should be held, he would not then undertaketoirlye tor was it then neces sary. lie merely threw Out the suggestion for further coiiside ration. After: some further observations, on the excellence of the proposed Society, anti the amelioration it ,was caleulated to produce in the state of the Country, andalie claimait had to the support of: every well-wisher of his Country, he coneloded by seconding the that Resolution. Mr. EDWARD . CAILTER remarked that, friendly as" he was to the establishment of the County Benefit Society, he could not be very sanguine in his anticipations of any immediate good effects from it. He considered that its advantages might be comparatively remote; but then they would be substantial and permanent. There had existed in these towns, for years, a number of Benefit Societies of different tfescriptionse some of which, holding out very promising advantagei,.many had been induced to enter them, who after having paid, for some time, to their funds, were suddenly disappointed, by the breaking up of the Societies. Is some cases, he knew, that their fundamental rules had been formed in he very teeth of the calculations of the most celebrated actuaries. It was not from .any interested feeling that he made these remarks. They were merely the result of his general observation. An effect of the introduction of the improved plan of the County Institu tion watdd undoubtedly be, in sonic measure, to supersede the lesseteSerieties to which he hail alluded ; as it embraced, he thought, ni,ost.of their advantages, without being liable to their abuses. But still, this would be the work of time; it could not be immediate. The same question had occurred to him, as had been stated by Mr. Howard, as to the expediency of funning a Local Society upon the proposed principles, rather than a Branch ; and he confessed that he hesitated, for some time, upon this point ; but he now felt, that it would be snore ad vantageous to these towns, that they should constitute a part of the County Society. There was one reason in particular which he had for this opinion. It was a part of the plan of the pro posed Society, that its funds should be partly supplied by the contributions of gratuitous subscribers. Now, there could not be in these towns, so much of wealth and rank,' as would make these subscriptions of any very material advantage, coin. pared with the much larger proportion of Beneficial Ahem. bets which the pl a ce w as calculated to fattish. But if it formed a Branch of the County Society, this large number of Beneficial Members would be reaping the advantages of the liberal contributions of the rank and wealth of the County. He had said, that the effect of the Institu tion proposed, would . be, in some measure, to sups cue the smaller Societies of a similar natur e . H e cou ld not,llowever, but express a hope that it would not so far operate in that way as to destroy all other lesser benevolent societies. He trusted, for instance, that.it would never injure such an institution as that for which the place in which they were then met had been erected. When he looked at the record which hung up before their eyes, and saw, that the " l'ortsea Beneficial Society" had been established just 70 years, he felt satisfied that neither it, nor any other Society equally well-founded, could ever he in. jured, much less destroyed, by the County Society.—Mr. C. concluded by moving the second Resolution, which was second ed by the Rev. R. H. Cumyns. Mr. SOAPEK said there were two points which had been adverted to by Mr. Howard and Mr. Edward Carter, in which he entirely concurred. He certainly thought with them, that, 1 1 ' 1 4 ete4er to render the Institution more popular among those !OS° .viere likely to be the objects of it, it was necessary to Ree,iip something like a communication among them by an allinYcrasu•y meeting. He thought that while, on the one hand, it was decidedly right to get rid of that excess of social feeling which had proved, and must always prove, injurious to institu. tions of this nature, it was, on the other hand, very desirable to 'retain so much of that feeling as was necessary to cement it, 'and make the measure go on 'cordially and harmoniously.— tak taking 'And, however he may object to the frequent meetings as l itany used, lie Itaught e tor' the reasons he had stated, that an AntilVeroi t a h i ays, he advan tageous to Institution.ltthl ' wool s , . d t; n i 1 d many produce w 4 1. 1:;* ( t ti v iLI c r i those txt an identity .betaveatc the who were die obibettl of p i r t o t rn i o tt te a rs ny o rit f don. Ho Silly Concurred in what had fallen frond Mr. Edward of thteetheln it dosotit,:ettriit:i,o not, much at firstelind being, for a time, slow in its pregeme thought at toot for there was nothing in which created Carter, as , the :prod ability or idle imagination s , or was, in any ,Way, any false hope s ,of those WO Om to be ad dressed to the mere passions or feels Ire. the objects p e ee but it appeared to not, as far es lie had been able to jtafte of it,.4d of the tables and_calculatiens,:that they ware,founded mows* solid principles, that thos ;who' ent*tio i t it, the morning of life, would not, at three gl acid ten; be disappointed ; and it was p settled doctrine' 'hint, that every thing substantially well grounded always made its way it last. • • • i,.•• Dr. (tum m y '' , after some general remarks ; in : favour : of . . the object of the meeting, contrasted the defects, of •the sac 'u private Benefit Societies with' time excellent plaira of the projectisl C,mmtilnstittition. It was but fair, certainly, to says that the Benefit Societies at Gosport, Alverstoke, and Fareittitneemd at other platais in his immediate neighbourhood, diadebeen as well regu l a t e d and conducted as any other societies of a si milar nature. He woithl go farther and say, that they had,. perhaps, upon the whole, been as well conducted as was pos.' slide, considering; the defects, as he conceived, in their: origi nal formation. But he :feared that their. rules anti the calculations upon which they were founded, would ,not, in many cases, bear the lest of a mathematical examination. The Members managed very well for a short period; but, when it was too late t o rectify :their errors, they found them out, by bitter experience. But nothing of this kind was to be apprehended from the County Society. Its regulations were formed urion the minutette and most unerring calcula. dons of Mr. Morgan, who was one of the most correct Ac. marks that this or any other country ever produced, not even excepting the celebrated Dr. Bryce. There was one advan. tage in the proposed Society, which, he believed, was ern. braced by few, it' any, of the Societies to which he had alluded. In many of those, if a Member happened to be particularly healthy, lie would, perhaps, personally receive no benefit, and at his death, his family possibly looked back upon his sub scriptions with regret, as baying been of no use but toetraligers. But the County Society not only secured to its benelicial Members the usual advantages—it was also a Society for As surances on Lives. In certain cases, on the death of a Mem ber, there would be coming to his surviving family, a .sum which would be peculiarly seasonable. The .constant feeling of perfect satisfaction which the beneficial Members of this Institution:would have, respecting the security of the benefits promised by it, arising from the rank and respectability of its supporters, was K consideration which alone would be a great recommendation of it. After some. observations, explanatory of the nature arid probable advantages of the plan proposed, Dr. Q., in alluding to the remark which had been made as to • the expediency of an anniversary meeting, for the sake of Wen . tifying the feelings of the different clams in connection with the Institution, remarked, that in his opinion that was a suggestion which deserved attention. The only probable objection which he could see to its adoption in practice, was, the expence that might be supposed to attach to such a meeting. But if that objection could be removed, a meeting of the . kind al hided to might certainly he of some utility. No one was a greater friend than lie to such occasional associations in con nexion with benevolent societies. He had spent much pleasant time upon such occasions, and he hoped to do so again. But of course, in all such instances, it should be apparent that the meetings are, in some way or other, for the benefit of the In stitution.—dr. 0. concluded with moving the third resolution. Mr. SNooxE said, that he fully concurred in the observa tions which had been made in favour of the Institution whose plans had been explained and submit ted for adoption. He had ,no doubt, fruits what he lied hearth, that its atlYantageti w ould eventually. be found to exceed the wargieet expects titms of his friends. Its 'fruits, should they .would• not be iininediate, would be certain.. It had liaPPeued that he had been itcquainted with many Benefit Societies, of different kinds, in this place ; and, with sonie exceptionv , he must say, that in general, they were impro v ident I nst itutions., Ile. trusted that a remedy would now be speedily supplied. . lie much Ap proved of the ideteof an A n yersttrY Meeting. ,It need not be the means of any Additional exP 6 " c ; and it would, no dotiltt l keep up and difthse a feeling. which, let SO 11l MC.eailifb woul d , enhance the interests of the Societi• tl 1 "the Meeting to Mr. Mr. SOAPED., on lerring.--te, t 11" ' to these who did ituy Fleming, said, that If deities - Were due he were objet of this Aleettmr, t thing thing to promote the t aid sti ll more eepechilly especially due to those who dint 1 he had, therefore. Nreat due to him who had done most pt :all r the Meetin M r ' pleasure in moving the thanks 0 • in the wish one would join fit" , ming ; and he win, sure that every 1 anks of widow and that inay long live to enjoy the t „tow, and that nitherless, and or him that hatl none to " feel-oie gratification t e eo e g l i life, and at the end of life, he may _on this .or having witAnly contributed to the establishme nt In- Stitution. d that thoee who had the , The Rev. 'Ron. flow). obsPrXe wie e nd private virtnee honour an acquailitanee with the pu „ I _ vote of 4hanki to ' 151 r. Fleming, would ghully• unite In u a „ Ir e in , seconding. that (lentleoutn, which he hati much e }l r' upon . the attention D. (1. lIEWF:TT, after remarking, l, : Apen who presented the w ho, Alayor had paid to the (Jo - A • to Mil for is con d uct i n Requisition, moved a vote of than ks m r . It in. Lang. die Chair, which was seconded by THE BURMESE WAR. (See THE Sux (Jf yesterday.) • ON THE CONQUEST OF THE BURMAN PRO . VINCES OF TAVOY AND MERGUI. 6 C The capture of the provinces from Tavoy to Mergukappears to be an effectual and not difficult means of prosecutigg the war agairist the Burmans. The - following is a short sketch of these countries, derived either from well known European authorities, or from native communications entitled to credit. They extend from Marta ban, in about the lat. of 16. 30., to the island of Dornell, and the river Pakehan, in about 11., which is the Siamese frontier towards the south ; and they embrace generally about one third of the breadth of the Peninsula or of the territory lying between the sea coast and the river Menem. The Siamese territories bound these provinces every where to the eastward. The country is generally mountainous and woody • and a lofty range of Nils runs along in a north and south direction, the same which runs also nearly through the whole Malayan Pe ninsula. At Tavoy and Mergui, however, there are fertile plains cultivated with rice. The province of Martaban is scarcely included in the present scheme ; the river of that name, although large, is rendered useless to European navigation, in consequence of an extensive sand which runs along its entrance, and the obstruction occa sioned by which causes at the commencement of every flood tide a very dangerous bore. The coast front Martaban down to Tavoy is unknown to Europeans, and so represented indeed in the best charts. Mr. Gibson states, that it is a bold sandy beach with a few rocks close to the shore, but with a safe channel be tween the main and the islands, in which there arc five or six fathoms water. The river of Tavoy is very broad, but so shallow, and covered with innumerable islands, as to make the na vigation even of small boats a matter of difficulty.— Between Crab Island, at the mouth of the river, there is excel lent safe anchorage; the town of Tavoy is eight leagues from the mouth of the river, and situated upon its left bank ; it has a wooden stockaded fort in a ruinous state, the shortest rout to the town is from the sea-coast, lying directly west of it. From the village of i%lornangan, there situated, a march of three hours will conduct you to the banks of the river, opposite the town, over hills of moderate elevation. Mr. Gibson has frequently travelled by this road ; from Tavoy to Bankok, the Capital of Siam, the distance is only seven days journey. The plait) of the river of Tavoy is extensive and fertile, and well cultivated with rice, which is generally as cheap here as in any part of India : the highest range of mountains from the coast is distant about 10 leagues. The port of Mergui, in Siamese Merit, is accessible at all times without a pilot. The town is situated upon an island, and the houses are visible as soon as you have passed to the eastward of King's Island. A large ship may at flood tide ap proach in RIX fathom water to within a stone's throw of it, it has a stockade fort in a ruinous state, defended by a few rag ged soldiers :" the island on which the town is situated is exten sively cultivated with rice; but the plain on the main land is not above a mile and a half or two miles in breadth. The old town of Tannassarim in Siamese Tanao, which is also the name of the whole province, on the left bank of the river, is about 30 miles up, but can scarcely now be said to exist, as there are not above a dozen houses in the place. The river, after you pass old Tannassarie takes a North and North Easterly course, its source is in the Siamese territory, not very distant, and it passes through the highest range of mountains. At Mergui the first which is a low range of hills is within a mile and a half or two miles from the coast as al ready mentioned, the second range, which is very lofty, is full 10 leagues' off: The Burman frontier extends to a third range a few leagues beyond these. The breadth of the Peninsula at Mergui is about eighty miles, through the Si amese territory, a military road has been constructed fit fur the passage of Elephants and carriages from the post of Wang-alai on the Gulf of Siam, about thirty years ago, by . the late King of Siam for the purpose of invading ergut and Tavoy. The invasion was accordingly attempted and failed, the Siamese having retreated panic struck after reaching as far as Mergui. Mergui abounds in grain, cattle, poultry, and fish. The provinces of Tavoy and Mergui form ed a portion of the Siamese territory, until conquered between 40 and 60 years ago by the Burmans. The inhabitants are, however,, neither Burmans nor Siamese, but a peculiar race with a language of their own, they are called by the Siamese, Merg. Roth Mergui and Tavoy ever since they came into the possession of the Burmese have been in a state of decay, although at one period places of considerable commerce ; this has arisen.in some. respects from their situation having render ed them it constant subject of contention between the two na tionip—etposing them to the invasions and perpetual hostilities of atteparty. and to the violence and oppression of the other.— It toifided, that the bulk of the population, who, as already stated, are not Burnians, waold. be happy at any political change which held out any promise of amending their condi tion. Deeides these, it may be observed that a considerable portion of She inhabitants of the towns are descendants of Alahommedan settlers from Ilindoostan: it is asserted, indeed, that they would greatly prefer, the yoke of the Siamese to that of the Burman*. The recovery of theme provinces of Portuguese Christians, Is known to have been ever ,since their loss a great object of am bition with..the,Siamose Government, and that indeed to which their military efforts have been principally directed, there is little doubt too, but that as soon as the war between the Bri tish Government and the Burmans is known, they_will make an effort for their recovery. It is with much difficulty that the [humans are able to maintain these two provinces even against the feeble attacks of the Siamese. In fact, they are re moved from the strength and resources of both nations. They would only be easily conquered or effectually protected by a maritime force, which neither nation can supply. On the land side they are every where rendered difficult to approach by ranges of mountains and extensive forests, through which a Burman or Siamese army cannot be led to any effectual pur pose, owing to the difficulty or impossibility of provisioning and keeping them together, which is incident to t he ir b ar ba r o us mode of warfare Mr. Gibson is of opinion that a thousand British- troops would be sufficient for the conquest of Mergui any Tavoy. Mergui would fall the most readily as a broadside or two from a small man of war would drive the Burnians out of the stock. ailed fort, the possession of which would be a key to the whole province. From the hostile state of the population, the distance of these provinces from the resources of the Burman govern anent, the extensive and discontented conquered province of Peque intaveningi and our command of the coast it is presum ed, that it' necessary, there will be no difficulty in maintaining diem as a permanent conquest. The advantages attending the possession of these provinces may be shortly enumerated, the conquest would be effected with e a a n vc d son t ni h tg e yu t ea t e st dt at t t ihoen ambitionswaomou same .d t em e B o e w m nol o lua r l e nd s b ,b e enfoear less difficulty and expence than probably any other attack on h se lit v w er h e e b n lo m a a • d u e po , the Burman power u c t although the provinces in question are egregiously misruled or neglected by them, they attach much importance to them as being the only permanent and considerable conquest which they have made from the Siamese, their inveterate and national enemy. If permanently occupied by the British, it might rea sonably be expected that by thus separating the two nations from each ether, an end would in a great measure be put to those cruel wars between them which, for the last halt' century, have continued to desolate the frontier provinces of both na tions, wasted their own resources, and rendered an intercourse with them less beneficial than might otherwise have been rea sonably expected. The port of Mergui is the only safe and convenient one in the whole Eastern coast of the Bay of Bengal. It is accessible at all seasons and a constant intercourse might be kept up be tween it and Calcutta throughout the year. Forty years ago, when we had to contend for superiority in India, with the naval power of France, such a port as that of Mergui was eagerly de sired as a convenient place of shelter and repair for our disabled ships, and it may still be prudent to look to the possible recur rence of the same state of' things, during the last wars, the pri vateers of the enemy refitted both at Mergui and Tavoy, and to deprive them of such a resource, may be considered as an ob ject of some importance. Mergui, it may be presumed, is well fitted to become the station of a Naval depot, the alarbao Arse nal and Docks, the best wood of India next to teak is found in the neighbouring forests, and teak itself is floated down in abun dance by the river of Manahan, from whence it may be con veyed seaways by a voyage of one-third the length of that from Rangoon to Calcutta, the rise of the tide is from four. teen to fifteen feet, thus rendering the place than any sta tion to the Eastward, more suitable for the construction of wet Docks. Neither Mergui nor Tavoy are, as far as I have been in formed, unhealthy places. In a commercial point of view, great advantages may be derived - from the possession of Mergu I and Tavoy. The mountains every where, but particularly at Tavoy, produce abundance of tin mines, of which even at present are worked in sonic situations. The forests yield Sa pan wood, the dye at present in great demand in the English market, which none of our own colonies !Wind, nor indeed any other part of the world, in the same abundance. Ivory, bees' d wax, and rice, may be stated as th e other p ri ncip al commo ities ; while our wares and ma nufactures mi g ht at the same . time be disseminated through the southern provinces of the litirmen and Siamese empires, as, well by the two rivers, as by - hind carriage. From the vicinity of Mergui to the Malay islands, the cheapness of provisions, and the existence of the tin ores, the Chinese would soon resort to these provinces in great numbers, land we should, in due time, experience the Utmost beneficial results from the settlement and intercourse of that peek.-- The security and safety which the establishment of a British government would afford, would be the certain signal fot thousands of the native inhabi!ants to repair to, and thus re medy the depopulation which has been occasioned our standard- Emigrations, by the misgovernment of the Bumians, of this nature, are even at present taking place from the Burman to the Siamese territory. I heard, while I was at Siam, that not less than 32,000 of the Mon, or Pegue race, had, a few months before we arrived in that country,'imigrated from the province of Martahan f in a bogy, to,Siam ; and this statement has been confirmed to me, within the last few days; by the members of the Burman mission to Cachin China. Viewed as a military position, the situation of Mergui and Tavoy is peculiarly advantageous. Besides giving us posh'' sion, perhaps, of the only really commodious, secure, - and as part in the Bay of Bengal, we should he placed, in re ference both to the Bunnans and Siamese, in an attitude to dictate to both from 3largui. The capital of Siam is no more than seven marches distant ; and at Tavoy, the tributary and discontented kingdom of Pegue is immediately exposed to us. In the event of hostilities, therefore, at any time becoming ne cessary, we should unquestionably be placed in a position to assail our enemy upon the most vulnerable point, an d at the least risk and expcnce to ourselves. Fugitives from Tavoy and Alark,mi, in considerable numbers. are always to be found every i n V ee . es. l s r; information. '' at ev a b ti le on o . r . acting as guides, and furnishing SPANISH AND ITALIAN REFUGEES. / J M A NSION-HoUsE.--Testerdny a Deputation from about 60 or 70 Italian Refugees waited on the lioxn MaYoa, to intreat his assistance to save diem from perishing. They stated, in the French language, that they had not mit ,l any victuals for the Ltst four and twenty hours; o.e Govern ment of this country had allowed them a weekly sum till wittint ....,.. the last month, since which time they had been struggiing wit I want, and the humanity of the British people alone could ta.t': them ; many of them lied been turned out from their lodgings, and were about the streets of ilary -la- bonne, without shoes to their feet. They were all of good education and character, but knew not how to obtain the means of supporting them selves by their literary exertions, from the want of retonunea (lotions. A Spaniard, lik e wise, in a very feeling manner, de scribed the condition of his countrymen. He had himself re ceived three bullets in his body while fighting under Wel lington, and many of his countrymen. who had also been wounded in the wars, were starving in the streets of Lo ndon: a morsel of food had not entered his lips since the day bef ore yesterday. It was a dreadful humiliation for a man who had had judged riklitly, in a been an officer in the army for twenty-eight years to beg, but he knew no other mode of eacaping starved" The LolD Maxon. lamented the impossibility of his contributing, except in a very alight degree, to alleviate such misery. But he the powerful aid of the Press, and the sympathy of the attla ent throughout the country ; to the same source he again appealed on the present occasion, convinced that when it was the streets without bread, the hand of charity• would be and extended to their relief. His Lordship prior occasion, in calculating u2on stated that many Spanish and Italian unfortunates fere w' in i opene c money to relieve the immediate necessity of the Italians, of and recommended an application at the Of fi ce of the Secretary State. The donation of his Lordship, though considerable. Ima it been to an individual, could not serve such a vast multitude above a day or two at the most . He expected that in the coursc of a week a subscription would be raised for their aid ; a meet ing for that purpose ; the would shortly take place; mu. , ' n mean time, 3lr. Holder would receive any subscriptions, taking care that they were judiciously applied. then gave a sum o_ age ß f it o t r T BRITISH N mining s I t:S e i n th e Olds but New World, for while immense sums hale been subscribed in England for exploring O. gold and silver mines of South America (th e shares of which have risen to an unprecetleote' height in the Money Market), a nearly squid r vestment has taken place at home for prosecuting n those of oar own Islands by the ( 7 1 : 1 11 : i h o e n 3 17 soetnotosleyems quite sts United Mines' Company, who have already taken possession of, and are actively olt' ing above a dozen extensive m i nes in Core wall with the most sanguine hopes of success .-- The management 'and arrangement of these too vast concerns rests entirely in London Directors, who have appointed Mr. JOHN 1 AYi.ort to ° Engineering department of the first, and PO' fessor MILLINGTON, of the Royal I nst it u tion, 1 ° the second, and we heartily wish them all the success which their unwearied exertions for the benefit of their respective concerns deserves. We are informed that the proposed new road from this city, through Il r aludeao, to Peterstield t is so far advanced in the shares (tbe only poio . ever in question), as to a ff ord perf ect security 01 its success.—( Iffinehester Paper.) THE FRIENDS Or GOOD GOVERNMENT tilrOOgh. Out the world will no doubt receive pleasure from the assurance that the publication of The Oriel' (al Herald, which has now been before the Sr i' tish Public twelve months, has kindled, in ever, quarter of Great Britain, a spirit of enquiry il l ° the misgovernment of India, unknown since I L I! days of Warren Hastings's impeachment. 'DI spirit has evinced itself in a very general demo for more ji equent as well as more ample itlf°r mil : lion on Indian affairs than it has been hither': found practicable to lay before the rea ding claw', of this country, in the ordinary publicatiors t iy he in d le a r y e . ste l d 'o it Te th e le t t w h e e lf w a i r s e h o e f s t o h f o t hose fo° 9t f ae .s e i a r w hich can only be promoted by tit t P ra c e llliegot u fh d ie i P ti uu ot bl : Mr. BUCKINGHAM intends to co lic mind in Englund to their 0000' 1 t h e pre , Once a Fortnight, issuing Number 0 a Ifith of ever/ • sent size and price on the Ist and -- moo / . month, so as to unite, by this increaseVre'ansper ;' of appearance, the advantages of a' I. ` e ;P: B ar• with those of a Magazine and Review. d NI rangement will ensure its being earlier elt t,„ In d ,n • in all that forms the department Of l i l r oe l 6. Intelligence, whether Civil or Military, •L t e is o s, tile or Political, as well as in its RePor ls° p eg' lic Debates in England on all subjects colotiii, with the Government or Commerce of i'r Mout► l .! • titan can possibly be e ff ected by ail it publish his Journal 11 ado, Periodical ; at the same time that it, %‘ 1 Of its including within its pag es such " I°' I.a and variety of Original Articles 01 ' " , and European topics as could Dot of " " pressed within the usual lim its 11 0" .;. Paper—thus avoiding the d efects The del ° curing the advantages of eac h. ireo lf for this work in India has been IP Lo t' • f eacu s b o ein g g re l a a t n , de ti d ni ; t One Thousand c o Pi es ° J : 0 tlilt eel to be sent to at a Ki ll the several Numbers that had arrive," tip country had been sold off within a day a'tPordr" been wel n 5 sidencies to the remoter settlements. To meet li ll W 'ocla the incseasing sale of the Work in Engla ilt ' 41 ,t0 moretthe p e r o e as 1. 6. ji has progressively advanced during the ' hate a months, it has been found necessarY t alr separate and ex c l us ive establishment for ; 3 'old • lication, which will in future be at No` he' Bond-street, where communications f or , tor, Orders for the Publisher, a" monis for the Printer, of The Oriental rif ;I nt o are requested to be addressed. It will S ons to be sold also by Ms. J. itichardson,ona Cornhill, and by all Booksellers toT e" Country. II I 3p Sp Si Di