The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1826-07-11 00:00:00

FIRES IN THE NORTH.

On Sunday, the approach of the fire to the woods of
Glentanner called forth the united exertions of the country
and neighbourhood. Hundreds of men, under the diree-
lion of Major Leith Hay and Mr. Farquharson of Finzean,
who have been most itidefatieble on this occasion, and
including the Earl of Aboyne s tenantry, convervel to en-
deavour to stop its progress, but with no great success. On
Monday, the danger became so imminent, that prepara-
tions were making to remove the furniture of the workmen
belonging to the saw-mill of Glentanner, as not only the
heath, but the whole surface of the hills and moss, to the
depth of five or six feet, were in one mass of fire. The
exertions of the people continued unabated, although many
of them were completely exhausted with extreme fatigue
and want of sleep. On Wednesday, providentially, a storm
of thunder and rain took place, and we are happy to say
that its effects on the same night were such, as to enable
those engaged to get the tire considerably under. Some
trees were burnt on the outskirts of the forest, but no great
damage is done to the plantations.
On the Don, the hills and mosses at the head of the
tributary streams of Noughty and Ernan, exhibited a very
terrifying appearance. The flames raged with great vio-
lence, and a brisk wind springing up, they soon spread
along the hills for several miles, burning the pests which
the inhabitants had prepared for their winter fuel, and
the very uncast moss to the depth of several feet ; at one
time the fire even threatened the plantations pertaining to
General Forbes of Auchernach, but the exertions of the
people checked its progress. The hill of Coreen has like-
wise been burning for several weeks, and report says that
a large extent of peat moss and turf is entirely consumed.
The following we have received from an intelligent gen-
tleman who was on the spot, and witnessed the progress of
the fire in Glentanner

" The fire commenced more than a fortnight since, upon
the lands of the lion. William Maule ; and no great ap-
prehensions from it were entertained at Aboyne until about
Friday week, when it began to assume a more alarming
appearance, while the approach of it to the northward from
Glenesk, &c. became very rapid, so much so, that on the
Saturday and Sunday following, it was deemed necessary
to endeavour to arrest its prooress, and which at the time
appeared to have been effecte7l.—A breeze of wind, how-
ever, springing up on Tuesday, the fire broke out with
greater violence than before, and was seen coming over the
Cock Cairn, and making in a straight line for the forest of
Glentanner, at the rate of nearly three miles an hour.
It was now considered absolutely necessary to call out
the people of the whole of the adjoining country. The
muster soon became general, to the number of about
three hundred men, and with their greatest perseverance
and labour, the flames were happily got under when
within only a few hundred yards of the straggling trees
in Glentanner. The most effectual mode of stopping
the fire was found to be by using boughs of trees, and as
it were, smothering the flames ; and this course was pur-
sued over a line of several miles in extent—the principal
inconvenience felt being the great heat and denseness
of the smoke, which obliged the men to relieve each other
almost every minute. Great praise is due on the occasion
to Lord Aboyne's tenants, to his Lordship's officers at the
castle, and to the workmen at the saw-mill in Glentanner,
as well as to many others from Kincardine, who readily
volunteered their services in the hour of danger. The
united exertions of those men not only saved the forest of
Glentanner, but the other valuable plantations belonging
to Lord Aboyne upon the south side of the Dee, as the
whole must have inevitably fallen in the general wreck, if
their exertions had proved unsuccessful. The above woods.
however, may be considered safe for the present ; and a
strong force is placed upon the hills, day and night, in
order to watch the heated embers. It is to be hoped that at
least the worst is over. Fires still continue to rage upon
the surrounding hills, particularly towards Mount Keen,
Glennittick, and the Cock Cairn. I did not hear of any
sheep having perished; but the calamity will prove moat
destructive to the game, indeed I understand it will take
several years to recover them. Many of the old birds were
observed falling down in the midst of the smoke, while the
young ones were heard chirping amongst the burning
heather, quite unable to escape. A heavy fall of rain
would be of the greatest importance—indeed it is supposed
that until this takes place, the tire will not altogether be
got under.
In the mosses of Potterton and Belhelvie an alarming
fire extended so far, that nearly 200 people were employed
in digging a ditch, to prevent its extending to the neigh-
bouring woods and plantations, in which they filially suc-
ceeded, after great exertion.—itterdeen Journal.

THE BRITISH PRESS.

FREE TRADE.

From an American Paper.]
While the British Government have been exerting them-
selves to the utmost to extend their commerce to every
part of the world, and presenting their manufactures at
every point where a new channel for trade was opening
itself or could be forced through, the French Ministry
have been content to employ their time in making defini-
tions of sacrilege and libels, in overawing the press, esta-
blishing the influence of the Jesuits, pleading for the rights
of primogeniture, and, more secretly, encouraging the
Turks against Greece. All these objects they appear to
regard with greater solicitude than the extension of their
commerce, and the encouragement of their manufactores.
They have indeed lately yielded, through necessity, to
the recognition of Haiti, and have authorised some general
inquiries to be made into the state of Frensit navigation ;
but their measures have been tartly and spiritless, and little
indicative of that keen foresight and constant watchfulness
which the importance of the case demand. A late Paris
Paper remarks, with great justice, that since France has
acknowledged the principle of free trade in her treaty with
the United States, she ought not to be so backward in
adopting it with regard to other nations; and it might
have been added, that since site has sanctioned a success-
ful rebellion in St. Domingo, there is no ground of
principle left for her delay in acknowledging the in-
dependence of South America. With regard to the con-
dition of French navigation, all the Ministry have done
is merely to send circulars to the ports of the kingdom, re-
quiring information on certain points, for the purpose of
instituting a comparison between French ships and those of
other countries, particularly our own. The contents of
these circulars were not made public in France • but they
found their way into a Scotch newspaper, hid have become
the subject of home comment in Paris.
The Ministry appear to have omitted some very importan t
points in their queries, and the following question they
propose shows that they must have been very negligent:—
" What is the cause of the striking difference observed in
the cargo of an American anti a French vessel of the same
tonnage?—for example, the latter in loading in Louisiana,
receives only one bale and two-thirds of cotton to a ton,
while the former stows nearly three bales?" Further they
inquire:—" Why an American vt ssel, in bringing tobacco
into France, under the tariffs, enjoyed an advantage over
a French vessel, although the duty then was eighty francs
greater ?" _ _ _

A French paper, in speaking of this subject, refers the
Ministry to the speech of Mr. Lloyd in the American
Congress, which has been tram-dated into French, and is
capable of yielding them much important instruction.