The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1809-03-06 00:00:00

MRS. JORDAN'.

Er

It bee been industriously reported, that the
sight of the fire et Drury-lane Theatre, • quarrel
took place between the Duke of Clarence end Mrs.
Jordan, in which Mrs. Jordan seised a poker,
arid, by a violent Wow, cut his Royal (lighotr
the face. Utterly destitute of •all sa
this story is, from the character and conduct of
the parties thus calumniated, yet has it found its
way into the public prints, while in the very same
paragraph they confess its far hood. The motive,
however, of the libel. is nut in the lead tliunitilihril
by this admission. When a paragraph is sent out
to the world in this way, it is not the less likely
to do injury in conaepience of the qualification .
The reader autumn) asks, if it be a lie, why publish
it ? And cousiders.the qualification dictated not by
• wan of juutire, butt by the fears of the
w,itrr, with A woe w to his nwn safety. lu private
Lie Jordau is distinguiv!ieil for goad humour,

goof nature, slit kilufutu, to all ornund her, Iu
public life there is tie greater favourite. If a truly
ion ffnvii e men eau be foetid iu sveiety, he is the
Duke of Clarence. A stranger to the lollies, as
well UV to.the vices, of fashiousble life, his tittle is
spent i t rational and laudable pursuit.. Much of it
is devoted to his children, and torch to improve-
m-uts at lim.hy. His happiness is placed in domestic
telirensent, and the domestic circle of hits family.—
Those alto knuu the Duke of Clareuee loud llrs.
Jordan, k•Iow that this is a true picture of their
lift• and inatiners, and to such ►he cootrailietion of
any vile or degrading story of either is untieressars:

but these can only be few, compared with the great
mass of society. Lliifirtunatrly, too, there is a
growing disposition aiimiig the lower classes for
slander; a disposition which hail men, front var.
motives, labour to enconrage, from the libeller,
who aims at revolution and general confusion, down
to hint who exists Upon libels, and de“rurs a repo-
. talon at every meal. If inoffensive manners could
have been a prnteetiou at...ain't such men, the.
Duke of Clan' ii and Mrs..lardati might have
presumed upon Kifety ; hest a e fear, that, at the
pensent m merit, a Royal Dyke, although as
pure of Snow, torah' not escape calumny.—
Into the minim, of the persons aho may have on.
&Med the charges aping the Duke of York. and
papered them fur Mr. Wardle's hands, we will uot
Inquire. That the business will do good, and that,
whatever may be its other results, it will ope-
rate as a wlndesotne preventive against official cor-
ruption, we confidently hope. That ;he bustue‘s has
been taken up just in tins! for the safety of the
Constitution and the country. and the disappoint-
ment of those. if soy such. there be. who me-
ditate the destruction of our admirable sys-
tem of society, we also believe. It has, how-
ever. been attended in its progress with one
evil. It has extended the circle of blander,
and encouraged its attacks upon the Royal Fulani,.
The Duke of Clarence is not the only sufferer.
Pot a day has passed aince the commenceinent f
the Iniquity into the conduct of the Duke of York,
Shit has not produced so.ne calumnious story re-
*petting seam other member of the Royal Mom.
'The Uoke of York's case is the rock and fomitla-
. Ai" nu which they stand, and fortified there, they
hops to attack all the rest of the family with success,
and at their pleasure. To this we are indebted for

the cruel, false, and disgraceful story, respel•ting the
Dolma Clarence and Mrs. Jordau. mud a thou-
sled other stories equally absurd, and still mure
senscious.

lard FALKLAND was lately re-engaged in His
Maimerr's naval service. Lord Mom:mays had
appointed him to the command of a frigate.
The Corporation of the Bedford Level ore shout
to apply to Parliament for assistance, in cowte-
11111COlt of the damage dune to the feu-eouutry by
the lee fools.
The two gold medals anomaly given by his
Grace the Cilsocci.i.oit of the Ustveasury of
Catlett! oat. to such Bachelors of Arts as revel
in classical learning, are this year iscljud-ed to Mr.
EDWARD IFIALL ALI:HM*OD. sod to jr. JoltsStasoty.
STANDLY. both of Cain, College. It is a /*wet no
less sinkilar in itself, than it is honourable to these
young teem that they have ranked as hi..:11 in
mathematical attainment, as they are now distin-
guished for clastical knowledge—Mr. Atm:aeon
having been the Senior Wrawgler, and Mr. Srteo.
LT the Second Wrangler of his year. It is re-
markable also. that the gentlemen who have thin
monopolis:d the very first honours of the Uni-
versity, art 'nut only members of the seine College,
but were also pupils of the seine instruetors.—
They both completed the classical part of their
education ender the Rev, Dr. MALTS*, of Bock-
den; and, at the University. they were both private
ponds of Mr. Wool:mob's, of Came College.
The fleet which sailed from Portsmouth, on the
1501 December last,. fur the West Indies, were
spoken with on the 19th January, all well, to
waidward of Berbedoes.
Tuesday last; JAbles MOOlt, Esq. resigned his
situation as Mayor of the Borough of Lancaster,
is comequence ofindispwitition; sod the same day,
hie brother, Tuo.sAa MOOll4 Esq. was elected
Alayaeo for the remainder of the year.
4 slimaine accident happened on Saturday
merrede,is Duke-street. !alienist's-inn-fields. A
710141 ipme, a bricklayer. wile employed in putting
• pot OM a chimney. shoo he unfortunately Gal
into the street. His left area and thigh were
broken, the hose sit the letter came through his
. email clothes. His upper jaw w.,* f0rc...1 own his
under one; so that hie upper teeth cat off hit Wire
lip.—He was takeu to 4t. Bartholomew's Misrelate
with very little hopes of surviving.



At a (iaster p.ivt twn o'clock, fix St. Domingo,
• 74-gurr ship wait launched, on Fridriv, at the
King's Yard, Voulvrich. She went off the blip in
the most majestic style. Among the consionly pre-
sent, who were very numerous, were the Princess
of Wales, boot Florid, Lord Mull:rive, Ike.
TUE ROYAL TRANSIT.

On the 3d of thin month, the town and neigh-
bonrltood of Ipswich wore highly gratified by the
launching of a very fine sies.sel, of a new and sin-
gular constructlon, which had long excited the
public curio.ity. She snored from the stocks about
one o'clock, mind the act lanottions of a humeral',
asseanhloge of spectator's. This vessel, which is
caller: the /:''y's/ Trensit, was built according to
the phis of Nis.. R. H. Gower, who, in 1800, had
coostrocted a velar! on similar principles. The
muchaisism of the present ve.sel is au improvement
on that of the former; and, by her extraordinary
superiority of sailing, she is likely to lie of great
maritime utility. Mr. Cower has clearly explained
the theory, according to which this vessel is built,
in a Supplement to his Prettiest Stomas/sip,
which has lately been osildi.lied.
A melancholy :iciitieot bappeued. on Wednesday
last, at Lay sett-bolting. near Newcastle-uuder-
Gyuse, by which two apoor men employed there
were literally dieshcd to iiieces. On preparing
to let them down into the pit on the morning
allovethelitigined, by menus of .the lawney, the
chain new out of the pulley. and fey a suddris jirk
upon the liarre.Oroke the bow of the curve ix
which they stood; one of them was iminordiatery
precio.toted to a depth of about ninety ynlOa; the
other kept kis bold of the chain fee eta time,.
but from fatigue, sad the honer OCClasluswill by hie
dreadful situation, be at length let it go,jmillet Shit
moment n gam was let down to his relief.
On Saturday week, as the Res: THOMAS Mse-
sesuen. Curate of Overton, near buiaister, woo
returtimg home, Ise ism drowned in the river e-unis.
opposite ,t. George's-Quay. Owing to the dark+
nest of the night. Ise mistook the mod feeding frees
Skerion. amid gra:keJ into the river he was dim.
tincily heard e 'Mug for kelp; but from the eit-
%revue darkness of Use night, and oa pets.. bents
njar with a .boat, ao assietunce coW be re
—Mr. alemsseka wad lately of•Beecestle. Cat
beamiti.

0 . . I • .

. , .

MORE MEL
CRRIST CHURCII E; OIPOILD.
♦n account was received in town, yesterday, of
lit alariniug tire at Christ Church College, Oxford.
It b.. k,• out on Friday night hist, between eleven
sod twelve o'clock, at the smith-west augle or the
great quadrangle. Provideuttally the Hight was
calm, mid the lire was overcome at revert o'clock on
Saturday tutirisoug, by the joint exertions lit the
Members of the University and the other inliaba.
ants of Oxiiird.
The house of flr. White, Regius Professor of
Hebrew, is de,troyed, and the ravage extended to
some distanee rums the south-.vest engle, towards
the hall on ouc side, slid on the other towards the
tower of the gi eat gate, neither of which, however,
are injured.
No life was lost, nor wits any one materially
hurt ; the entire miter walls remain Mantling, mid
apparently undamaged.
Amongst other disasters on this occasion all the
hooks and manuscripts of Ur. White have lotto
dram) ed.
Yesterday afternoon, a lire broke out at a house
in larsibeth-walk, whirh, in use course of an nouir,
entirely consumed it, and did some little damage
to the two edjin 1111 l g houses. cause of the
tire is nut kuowii. but it commenced while the
family were at church. Reports were in circula-
tion, that a dila had been left in a cradle by its
mother, and that a lady WM. iu the hums, oho bad
just recovered I her acouuchenseia; but we vi.•re
not abl4 to trace these runanura to any f
Toe firemen were, as usual, very netise in atop-
pill.; tht• proirrss of the Hanes, ausi a party of
were mooa ou the spot to keep off the
mob, and prevent depredations.

THE ROYAL OAI
On Saturday, at tweedy minutes rust three
o'clock, the I€..ptl Oak, t.,e finest inlaid of :toy.
7.1 iii the 11:IVV, was lanaelied from ;11r.
Oa(Loan** yard, at Deptford. She had been 12
letthatill4 Oak tile .0.1Ci0., mid was the :144 of ten ULM-
tnteteit fur by M... !hid in the ortruiaistr!)tion
of Lord Melville; her bmilen ta I,7notoes. A
bomh was cree..ed for the acem ttttt Malmo of select
CC/Mr/444, and ,he Adintrai's bade was titteci
with an anal dcc.irateil with colours, for
Cie accommodation of her Royal 11141iess the
Princess of %Vides and suite. but 11.. r IZu)al High-
ness did nut .attend ; neither did Mire-Adziiirul
Stanhope, li eia,f 'wen 14,11111ser0 by holisposition.--
COTTlMaaltnit•e:. yacht ass skis fitted up for
the Gemini, on board which were Capt. Young's
family, ant a large assemblage of beautiful fe-
males. Toe day was very favourable, and about
300 persm. were launched is the Royal Oak. At
the head of the ship is a crown, and above it a
lion rampant. hisiniarmiely ornamented. When the
shams were knoeke.l ilie ship, adorned with
the Royal Standard, the union flags, &c. glided off
without the slightest impediment, and had it moat
tzrand appearance ; she afterwards gait under
weigh, with temporary roils on IN/ fors-loads, to .
the King's Yard, at iVuolwich, where the is to be
coppered. Mr. Uudantu, the builder, provided a
sumptuous col I eri;:ation in the form rream, winch
was most tastetilly laid out for too persons. The
eitterteinmenf; we u.tileratuaul, was supplied from
the London Tavern ; the company sat down to
partake of it at half-past four, which consisted of
his select frieads, and Naval AtiitOlalltitry °Meer.,
and their fainili x. After the removal, several loyal •
and apyropriat• toasts were given—The King,
, Qrseent, and Royal Farad); Sateen In the Royal
Oak, and the Vriteek .-jr,N &e. The coinpany
did not separate until a late {ism., said the evening
was spent with the greatr4 conviviality. At an
early hour the avenues leading to Deptford were
fille:1 with persons of every description repairing
to the launch. A:I the surrounding wbarfs, &c.
Were greatly e:upth 11, and there were not less than
5000 spectators. Thmigh the nurnher was Mr
great, we have not heard of any accident having
happened.
TIIE ST. DOMINGO.