The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1826-08-02 00:00:00

DOGGETT'S COAT AND BADGE.

Yesterday being the first of August, the annual scut-
wagcr for the coat and badge given by Mr. Thomas
Daggett, the famous comedian, in commemoration of the
happy aaccasia,; of the family of his present Majesty to the
Throne of Great Br".;tain, and two prizes given by Sir
William Joliffe, viz., 4/. :v.!• 6d. to the second boat, and
4/. 12s. Gil. to the third, were ::.^ntested by the following
six watermen, just out of their appreit!cesbir
James Cannon, Tower; Thomas Sewell, Poplar; d. Joseph
Bretton, Nine Elms; John Robert Scott, Hunger:ord John Nett,
Bankside; George W. Hemmings, Rotherhithe.
They were all fine young Men, and when stripved for
the contest, had together with their elegant wherries, a inost
gratifying appearance to the admirers of the manly aquatic
sport. They were to start from the Swan at London
Bridge, and pull up, against tide, to the Swan at Chelsea.
At half-past five the signal-gun was fired, and away they
went in gallant ctyle, Cannon taking the lead; but he
was soon headed by Scott, who, on arriving at Blackfriars
Bridge, was run foul of by a galley: Poett then got a-head,
and kept it all the way in most admirable style, coming in
first at the Old Swan, Chelsea ; Cannon was second, and
Hemming third.
The river was crowded by cutters, wherries, funnies,
and boats of every description, all anxious to keep *ay
with the headmost man, to his no small disadvantage, or.
casioning so much swell upon the river.

DercosaaLt: AltsroaTosts..—A constant reader in-
forms us, that he witnessed the melancholy consequences
arising from neglecting to insure, but a few weeks since,
in Surrey, where the property of a miller, of considerable
eminence, was destroyed by fire, in a few hours. The in-
dividual was reduced from affluence to estate of necessity,
and the reward of many years industry was snatched from
him, but which might have been provided against by the
payment of a few shillings annually. To add to the ca-
lamity of this unfortunate person, he was, at the same in-
stant, deprived of his books, papers, and about 1001. in
Bank-notes, which, in all probability, would have been
preserved, if they had been placed in an iron chest, a pre-
caution which our correspondent earnestly recommends.
Ex ECUTION AT CHELMSFORD.— The unfortunate youth
Smith, condemned at the last Assizes at Chelmsford to
suffer on Friday last, excited but little curiosity in his
dying moments, and we fear that his fate as an example will
be but of short duration. His father is an industrious
labourer, residing at Winston, in Suffolk, where he has
worked upon one farm between thirty and forty years. The
youth showed no vicious habits until within a short period,
after he had been enticed away and enlisted. In appear-
ance and in age, being only seventeen, he was but a boy ;
as regards intellect, he was little better than an idcot.
His crime cannot be mentioned in human society ; neither
can it be palliated. We may, however, be excused, for
our sympathy towards one of so tender an age, whose
future conduct, had his life been spared, under a proper
guidance, might have offered some atonement for his
offences, the flagrancy of which his ignorant mind was not
sufficiently impressed with.
Two vessels, in the ilervice of his Majesty the King of the
Netherlands, have lately traversed the Pacific Ocean. After
leaving the Island of Washington, they found it necessary
to steer on the seventh line of South latitude, sailing to-
wards the East, the same direction in which Captain Egg,
of the sloop-of-war Pollux, thought lie could discover an
unknown island. On the 14th of July, 1825, after sun-
rise, they saw an island very low, lying E. by S., at two
miles distance. The land appeared to be covered with
cocoa, and miter trees. About noon they approached is.
Its longitude and latitude were determined with as much
accuracy as circumstances would permit; and no other
Island appearing in the same position in the charts which
they had on board, they, of course, supposed they had
discovered a new Island. The nearest land to it wns
Pfister Group, hut there is fifty minutes difference in their
latitude. Its form resembles a horse-shoe, and it is about
eight miles in extent. On the eastern side is an indenta-
tion terminating in a lake. The inhabitants who were seen
running along the shore while the vessel coasted by, ap-
peared to be very numerous, and some of them seemed to
he armed with long clubs. An armed boat was sent to-
wards the shore. The number of inhabitants collected there
might be about 300—of a brown or copper colour. They
were large and well made, very few of them being less than
six feet. The women were likewise robust. Some of them
were tattooed, hut not quite so much as at Nachwa.
Their dress consisted of a few leaves wrapped about their
body, and some of them hail a rind of the cocoa covering
their middle ; the heads of others were ornamented with
plumes ; their manners seemed to be fierce and savage,
and they even attempted to possess themselves of every
thing within their reach. The boat-hook soon disappeared,
and they even attempted to wrest the oars from the handsl
of the sailors in the boat. An old man with a white beard,
in I'
and respectable deportment. with a green bough his
hand, was at their head. Be continued to sing in a me-
lancholy tone some monotonous verses. They exchanged
cocoa nuts and tools for old handkerchiefs and empty
bottles. Their language had some resemblance to that of
Nachwa. When the boat hail again put out to ern, we
fired some shots, but the inhabitants exhibited no symp-
torn, of fear, and appeared totally ignorant of the effect of
European arms. Na canoes were seen with them, nor did
they make any attempt to approach the vessel, though the
weather was favourable and the sea very calm. The cap-
tains of both vessels regretted very much that a scarcity of
water obliged them to continue their voyage.—Brussels
Paper.—The North Point is in lat. 7 deg. 10 min. S. and
the centre of it in lon. 177 deg. 33 min. 16 sec. E. from
Greenwich. It has been named the Nedmiandich Island.
—2l.:•tv YerL Paper.

MEETING FOR Tiff: RELIEF 'OF TIIE DIS-
TRESSED TRADESMEN AT DUBLIN.

At two o'clock on Thursday, the meeting for the relief of the
distressed manufacturers, which had been advertited to take place
for some days, wax held in the Royal Exchange, but the ittendance
of persons 11'.1!I most scanty. About that ltpur the Lord Mayor was
moved lido the Chair by the Rev. Mr. grove. As coon as his
Lordship had taken the Chair, he requested Mr. Grove to read the
Report. Grove accordingly commencedmiding.the Report of
the proceedings of the Committee since the last day of meeting;
but this gentleman began to read the Report in oo hurried a man.
ner that little could be gleaned of its substance, as far as he read.
We understood him to state from it, that the amount of the sob-
sctiptions collected was stout B,OOOL, of which a certain portion
ite*esexpended in road nicking, and other purposes of ercyloyinent,
PO ;13 to relieve the prevailing distress, leaving a balance in hand of
about 4501., scarcely sufficient to cover the expenditure of one week.
Mord), atter filr. Grove had commenced reading the Report, the
Lord Mayor rose and observed, that as the meeting appeared so
very thin, it might, perhaps, be better to postpone the proceedings
for another week, and he was willing to hear the suggestions of any
gentleman as to the propriety bf adopting this muse.
The lion. Col. Gott E propoeed to have the Report read through,
and, perhaps, by the time it was finished, the meeting would in-
crease.
Mr. H. O'Cottrrort regretted the circumstance of the meeting
being so thinly attempted, and concluded some oty,ervations by
moving thut it should be adjourned until that day week.
Master ELLIS seconded the motion, and the meeting was accord.
ingly adjourned until the day annotin.:ed.

SURREY, SUSSEX, AND SOUrITT'ARK lIEE AND
LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY.

Yesterday a Meeting of the Directors and Shareholders of the
Surrey, Sussex, and Southwark Fire and Life Assurance Com-
pany., was held at the Three Tuns Tavern, High-street, South-
wark, for the porpoise of taking Into consideration the affairs of the
Company, and the expediency of dissolving the 'same.
C. CALVERT, Zig in the Chair.
The Secretary read the Report, which was extremelvlvoluminous.
It commenced with detailing thimosperous state of tile Company's
fonds on its first formation. It also eulogized the conduct of the
Directors in the management of its affairs up to the present crisis,
and dwelt at considerable length on the severe losses that had been
sustained, one of which was instanced, namely, the deatrnctio.t, by
fire, of the premises belorging to Mr. Curling, situated in Ber-
mondsey parish, on which insurances were effected in the Surrey,
Sussex, and Southwark Company, to the amount of 17.0001. The
Report recommended a dissolution cf the Company, and also that
the poFciea of insurance already effected in it should be transferred
from thence into that of the Protector Assurance Office, the Direc-
tom of which had consented to manage its affairs.
Mr. PAt.aiza moved that the li!port be confirmed and ap-
proved.
Mr. BLACKET seconded the motion. and said. that with a view
of moving a step forward in his effort, towards effecting a dissolk-
tion of the Company this day, he should second the Resolutions'
which the Meeting had just heard read ; and he also expressed a
hope that the acting Directors would agree to the recommendation
specified in the Report, namely, that of giving their sanction to the
dissolution of the Surrey. 'Suttees, and Southwark Fire and Life
Assurance Company, which he begged leave to introduce as en
amendment to the original motion.
Mr. PALMErt pert's-chi agreed to the proposition, and observed
that it would benefit the Proprietary at large. He then mores'
that the Report, together with the statement of the Company's ac-
counts, be printed and distributed among the Sharehoklers.
The motion was agreed to unanimously.
The Copy of the Company's balance sheet was then read, after
which it was resolved, that another meeting should be held, for the
purpose of confirming the Resolutions which were approved of by
the majority of the Shareholders present on this occasion.
Thanks having been voted to the Cheirman, the Meeting
broke up.