The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1824-10-19 00:00:00

GER4IL4N PAPERS.

(Prom the Allgemeise Zaino, of Oct. 9.1
Cassel., SEPT. 30.
Since the direction of the police has been entrusted to Dr.
Pfieffer, it is observed, with universal satisfaction, that measures of
precaution formerly practised, and some of them of a very offensive
description, have ceased, they having had their origin in the distrust
inspired by the late Director of the Police. The very great number
of posts of gen d'srrnes has been diminished, and the tickets of ad-
minion for those who wished to visit the Palace of B'ell elmshohe
see no longer required. Confidence and cheerful security has re-
turned, and are manifested in unreserved conversations in public
places. The proceedings against the late head of the police de-
partment, M. You Manger, continue tinier the superintendence
of M. Bode, Judge in the Criminal Court, and Dr. Pfieffer. The
latter, who was commissioned to examine the papers of Al.
hard, was not able, after several days' strict investigation, to dia.
cover any thing that could in anywise affect that gentleman, and
gave the most honourable testimony to that effect to :11. urhard,
who, it is thought, will, for the future, take up his residence In
Cassel, where he has property, and formerly resided.
CONSTANTINOPLZ,SEPT.I7.
(BY rxrness.)
Only a few days ago it was hoped that the Janissaries would not
immediately employ their increased influence against the Grand
Tinier, and sonic persons already fancied he was secure in his post,
when he was suddenly deposed on the 11th. It Is said, indeed,
that he has been graciously permitted to remain in the capital, but
the fate of his predecessors gives occasion to apprehensions of all
kinds. This event will embarrass the European Diplomatists, for
Ohalib Pacha is acquainted with the affairs of Europe, and. Jibe.
rally enlightened statesman. tie is universally pitied by the
Franks. His successor is the Pacha of Silistria, who began his ca-
reer on the 17th Orta of the Janissaries. To-day there is a report
of the arrival of an Austrian ship, which is said to bring the news
that the Capitan l'aeha, having been joined by some Egyptian
ships, has again appeared before Samos.
(An ankle from Odessa, dated 21th September, contains in sub-
stance the same particulars.)

The William Shand, Captain Alexander Kerr. arrived
at Cowes on the 16th inst. from New South Wales and
Batavia, having performed the voyage from England and
hack in eleven months and twenty-three days only. She
has a valuable cargo on board front Batavia, from whence
she sailed on the 27th June. She left there the ships
Caroline and Rosanna, from England, discharging their
cargoes. The Guardian had sailed a few days before for
Singapore, and the Noumuhul, Captain Scott, from Lon-
don, passed Angier, 4th June, for the same destination.
Coffee had fallen to eleven dollars per picul at Batavia.
The Minstrel, Captain Arcoll, sailed for England about
ten days before her, and may be hourly expected. Mr.
Thornton's death, by the laws of the Malays, was con-
sidered as certain. Several English merchants had lately
died at Batavia. The Minstrel passed St. Helena ilith
August, at which time no fresh advices had been received
there of the progress of the Burmese IVar.
Pasts, OCT. I.s.—The Omni de Panin, Secretary to the
Russian Legation at Madrid; who passed through Bor-
deaux on the 11th instant, is going express to Madrid.
We learn officially that an English brig, which sailed from
Quilca on the 2d June, arrived at Cadiz on the 28th of
September, at ten in the evening. It brought passengers,
a Spanish Brigadier-General, and a Lieutenant-Colonel,
sent by the Viceroy La Serna, with despatches for Madrid.
The Asia (of the line) and the Achilles brig, had anchored
at that time (21 June) in the port of Quilca, thirty leagues
to the south of Lima.—Etoile.

- .
Private letters from Spain contain some rumours scarcely
credible, viz. that 1,500 Constitutionalists, commanded by
Colonel Valdes, have effected a descent at Benicaolo, and
defeated the troops sent out to attack them from Valencia;
and that several vessels, with Constitutionalists on board,
had appeared off Valencia and Almeira. A very obvious
question suggests itself, from whence have all these Con-
stitutionalists come? These alarming rumours arc most
likely set afloat by the fanatics, to serve as a pretext for
the persecution and murder of persons supposed to be of
the Liberal party. These fanatics commit the most hor-
rible excesses.

Extract of a private letter, dated Lisbon, September 29 :
—" The projects of April 30, to overthrow the Govern-
ment, and to introduce a perfect despotism into Portugal,
have not been stopped either by the favour shown to some
guilty persons, or by the severe punishments inflicted on
others. One party of the milks continues the same course,
and the Government has just discovered another plan for
accomplishing that object in which they before failed. A
conspiracy was to have broken out at Lisbon on the 26th
current, for which a great number of armed men were al-
ready collected in one of the suburbs, who, united with one
regiment, were to proceed to the different prisons, release
the prisoners, and then surround and make the King pri-
soner, and murder the Ministers. A great number of per-
sons have already been arrested, in consequence of this con-
spiracy having been discovered, and among them are some
persons of diainction.—Report says, that the Queen's
party, with the Patriarch at their head, have set this con-
spiracy on foot, and that immense sums of money have
been expended. The Government has published a decree,
prohibiting the entrance of any Spaniard into the kingdom,
who is not provided with a passport signed by the Portu-
guese Ambassador at Madrid. The merchants complain
much of this measure, because the smugglers, who carry
out of Portugal a great quantity of English goods, will be
prevented from coming. The merchants of Elvas have
asked for its repeal."—Constitutinand.
It is reported that advices have been received from
Tricte, announcing the defeat of the Egyptian fleet, with
the loss of eighty transports, two frigates, and one brig.—
Glohe and Traveller.

A letter, dated Venice 29th Sept. states, that on the day
before there arrived in that port two vessels from the I.
of ('orfu in nine days, the Captains of which reported that
the Creek fleet, having attacked the fleets of Constanti-
nople and Egypt, off Smyrna, succeeded in destroying (by
the means of its fire-ships) three Corr, ttt s, or frigates, and
in taking two others, with SO transports.
By letters from Trieste, dated the 4th inst. we learn,
that in the kingdom of Naples additional duties on the
importation of almost every article imported from this
country will be levied trim the Ist of January next—and
the Austrian Government, as wo arc informed by these
letters, has issued a decree, imposing a duty amounting
almost to aprohibitiou on cradled sugars:

LAVAL PR 0 M OTI On s —Commanders A. D. Y. Arbuth-
nott, and It. 11. Barclay, the seniors of their rank who wt re
employed at Algiers, are promoted to the rank of Captain.
—Lieutenant Andrew Drew, first of the Thetis, is promoted
to the rank of Commander ; and Mr. Arthur Hood Row
sell, Mate, to the rank of Lieutenant, for their services in
defence of Cape Coast Castle.—Mr. Thomas Cobbe, late of
the Terror bomb, and Mr. Davis, of the Bulwark, are pro-
angled to the rank of Lieutenant.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE BRITISH PRESS.

Sta—The 'nun of Saturday contained an insidious and
most unwarrantable attack on Sir H. Davy, couched in an
article entitled " Preservation of Ships' Copper."
Now, Sir, before I roceed to remark on the complete
and manly refutation which the President instantly gave to
the assertions contained in this article, permit me to
offli a few observations on the palpable absurdity and con-
tradictions contained in the article itself. . .

It sets out with asserting that the copper employed in the
sheathing of ships is liable to decay, and it then declares it to
be of the utmost importance to ascertain the cause of this
evil, and discover the remedy. It next proceeds to state,
that after many trials it was found that a certain other
metal, mixed with copper, would have the desired effect,
and that a patent was taken out for it by Mr. MUSIIETT,
of his Majesty's Mint; that he was employed by the Lords
of the Admiralty to try some experimcr.ts with his patent
copper, and " he accordingly," says the Times, " pro-
ceeded to Portsmouth, where he saw some ships' bottoms
sheathed, half with his, and half with common copper."
A very whimsical sight this must bare been, by the way, to
Mr. Mom err, to sec " a ship's bottom" sheathed, half
with his, and half with common copper ;" but let that pass.
" So far," says the writer, " as the durahility of the metal
can be judged of from its state of preservation, the experi-
ment HAS sect-imam" . .

Well then, this being the case, upon his own sliming,
the remedy which he hail just said it was " of so much im-
portance to discover," Mr. Mt:suerr has discovered. The
evil being thus corrected, it seems difficult to account for
the introduction of the subject, until we find, as it proceeds,
that the object was to make it a vehicle of attack upon the
President of the Royal Society.
"But in the mean time," it is added, " the Lords of the
.4dmirafty hail called in the assistance of Sir 11. DAry, the
President of the Royal Society, at the head of the Commit-
tee of that body. This eminent chymist ascertained that
copper might he preserved from corrosion by sea-water,
through the means of galvanic action, by attaching knobs
or pieces of iron to the sheathing metal. Ile accordingly
so far succeeded, as to protect the coma from decay."
So raa succeeded! Why, what further was required?
The inconsistency of this journalist is equalled only by his
malignity. Ile begins by stating, as a fact well known,
that the copper lately employed to sheath ships belong-
ing to the royal navy, or to private Traders, has been liable
to rapid oxidation and decay," and that " it was of the
utmost importance to ascertain the cause and to discomr the
remedy." He then adverts to an experiment made by Mr.
Mushett, of the Mint, who, "so far as the durability of the
metal can be judged of', has succeeded." And to another
experiment of Sir 11. Davy, which has "so rag succeeded
as to protect the copper Ire m decay." To introduce, there-
fore, this qualifying so fur is a gross absurdity. To lament
the existence of an evil, and to merely say of a public be-
nefactor that he has so far succeeded as to remove it, is to
adopt a very extraordinary strain of gratitude. We pro-
ceed to give the remainder of the paragraph at full
length :
" But it has been found out that vessels coppered ow th's
plan have returned, after a short voyage, pap-11y foul (a very
odd sort of pa:fiction this); their bottoms covered with
sea-weeds, barnacles, or other worms. The remedy, there-
fore, is worse than the disease. The oxidation of the metal
is prevented by the defensive action of the iron; but the
animalcule which this oxidation used to destroy, prey is
security upon the vessel when so (blinded by such durable
copper. The Learned President's experiments may there-
fore be regarded as a future, so far as navigation is con-
cerned, however useful they may be to chytnical scimez,
and however pleasant they may have been to hiniseY; in
procuring a summer excursion, at the public expense, to
the North Sea and the Baltic."

It was not likely that any man of high character would
submit to be thus traduced, without exposing the falsehood
and malignity of the aspersions ao publicly cast upon him.
Accordingly, in the Times of yesterday appeared the fol-
lowing letter:—