The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1824-09-02 00:00:00

.A Morning Paper, which has lately signalised itself by
a thirst for exclusive Information, announced yesterday a
report that Ferdinand of Spain had addressed an " epistle
to the Philosopher of the North, the Imperial Alexander," in
which we arc told, " Ferdinand strenuously advises Alex-
ander to do for Fiance, by :In inundation of Cossacks, what
he complains that Louis has 7111 i done for Spain by a French
army—put down at once every vestige and shadow of right
throughout the dominions of Louis, but that of the King
to execute against his subjects whatever mischief the Royal
will may prompt his Majesty to undertake." We begin
to suspect that the cmwespondents and informants of the
Paper to which we allude, arc somewhat disposed occa-
giunally to trifle with its gravity. One day last week it in-
troduced to public notice, with great solemnity, a plan, "a
very extraordinary plan," it confessed at the moment of
publishing re-establishing the Spanish Cortes and
their Constitution in Peru, in order that they might from
thence " overawe Ferdinand in his infatuated career in
the Peninsula." This " very extraordinary plan" has
now given place to a still more extraordinary letter,
which, however, is brought forward with sundry se-
rious reflections on the " ai n and spirit of the Holy
Alliance," and on the alarming design of the Confederated
Power, to " lay siege to England in this hemisphere, and
to England's fair offspring in the other," meaning, we guesa,
the United States of North America. It must afford great
comfort to those Iglu arc accustomed to repose in undoubt-
ing confidence on the wisdom of this prophetic seer, to
learn, on his authotity, thst though menaced with these
',upending evils, "Great Britain, with its Press and Par-
liament united, may laugh to scorn the vain babblings, or
the brute force of the Holy Alliance." This somewhat
consoles us for the previous apprehensions be had excited,
though we are unable to comprehend how he reconciles this
happy termination of his forebodings, with the prognosti-
cations which, in a '• fine phrenzy," he had just embodied
in the preceding paragraph. " France," soya he, "is to
be first rep ncrau d by the destroyers and disciples of
Bonaparte—Great Britain next: soon they fight among
themselves for the prize of universal tnonarchy, when
darkness visible covers the inhabited world." At
this awful close certainly the curtain should have drop-
ped, but he had not hardness of heart enough to give
eff•et to his drama. Ile adds another sentence, therefore,
fur the purpose of assuring his auditors, that they need
not feel alarmed at what he had before said, as it was all
mere " sound and fury, signifying nothing :" the only
superstructure, indeed, which such a foundation would bear.
If it were -milt while to ask a serious question about so
ridiculous a matter, we should be glad to be iuformed how
it happens, that the contentsof a confidential lett•A: front
the King of Spain to the Emperor of Russia, became
known to any body not belonging to the councils of those
Sovereigns ?

Our contemporaries are, we find, deep in the secrets of
the European cabinets. One gives the substance of the
confidential correspondence passing between the Sovereigns
of the Holy Alliance—another p•tblishcs a copy verbatim
of the secret instructions given to the French Agent, M. de
Classeriau, who arrived lately in Colombia. The latter
is manifestly a fabrication, though probably not widely
differing from the truth. The Americans, we believe,
regard these agents with becoming suspicion, and do
rot need to be warned by these obvious and clumsy
inventions. Supposing that this stupid spy could not
remember the objects of his mission, without car-
rying in his possession a full written statement of them,
in order, as it you'd seem, that in case of disco-
, very no prat' might be wanting to insure his condemns-
' tion, by w:ust means have these secret instructions now
transpired? M. de Cl asccriatt woald wet:duly not com-
nannicate them to any living soul, not even to those who
might enter into his treacherous views. But the fibri-
-1 cation is ill done. The despatches, for what reason we
know net, were to he sent to France, by way of Bra-
zil ! This is an absurdity too gross. Every body knows,
that there is no regular communication from Colom-
bia to Brazil, and that, on account of the adverse
'winds and currents, a vessel would come to Europe almost
as soon as it would Testis Rio de Janeiro. The ingenious
inv. ntor of these " secret instructions" should have taken
advice before he ventured on a display of his geographical
knowledge. We will do him justice, however. In depict-
ing the, artifices of political treachery, he rivals Maehiavel
himself.

The Duke and Duchess of Clarence came to town on
Tuesday, and dined with the Dole of Sussex, at his apart-
ments at Kensington Palace. Their Royal Highnesses re-
turned to Bushy yesterday morning about ten o'clock.
Ilia Majesty, on the recommendation of Mr. Secretary
Canning, has appointer) Lent Erskine Ambassador to the
Court of Stutgardt.
The families of the Stanhope. and Nests have been
piungtal into great distress by the sudden death of Lady
Georgians West, at Blythe Hall, in Warwickshire. The
Earl of Chesterfield, lit r.l Air aeord, and Major Mikeley,
were on a visit to the IL stowable Mr. West, when this
amiable young lady was taken ill, and before the night the
melancholy event bed taken place.
The very wealthy Mr. Maine, of Burdcrop Park in
Wiltshire, is to i.e married, on Monday next, to the
beautiful Miss Foote, late of Covent-garden Theatre.
Married yesterday, at St. George's, Ilan'over-square,
Miss Mitchell, eldest daughter of the late Colonel Lamp-
WI Mitchell, niece to Lady Fletcher, of Ashley Part,
and Lady Leith, to Lieutenant-Colonel Allen, of the late
Ti Lancers. There were present upon the occasion Miss
Bliss Mitchell sad Miss Charlotte Anne Vaughan, as
bridesmaids, Colonel Vaughan, Sir henry Fletcher, Bart.,
Major-General Sir th.orge Leith, Bart., Dr. Phillimore,
NI.P., iVilliam Phillimore, Esq., &c. After the cere-
mony the happy couple set oil' fur Inehmartin, Perthshire.
We feel pleasure in giving the following account (from
the Freeman's Journal) of Kean's representation of sir
Giles Orerreach, for his benefit at the Dublin theatre :
" On Saturday evening Mr. Kean appeared in Sir Giles
Overreach, which is one of his own characters, as it were
by patent, though surely he is one of the last men in whom
we should look for the elements of an Oren-each.

I am of a solid temper. and like these,
Steer on a constant course.
Nay, witen my tan an pined with widows' tries,
And undone orphans wash with tear my threshold,
only think what'd. to have me daughter Right Ilowourable.
This, all persons will agree, is not Mr. Kean, and yet he
is (h•erreach in a degree of terrible perfection which it is
almost painful to witness. His flue conception of this cha-
racter was bodied forth with his usual success on Satunlay
evening, presenting a portrait, hold, vivid, and character-
istic. Afr. Talbot infused into Ire Morn his usual vivacity;
wa, however, could have wished his action and manner a
little more free. The play does certainly approach very
closely to the dignity of tragedy—technically so called—
but that species of declamatory dignity is losing ground
very fast, and a more simple an.l affecting kind of elevation
begins to take its place. • In this school nature is the only
mistreat:, and Mr. Kean has been one of her most success-
ful pupils. The house was pretty well attended. We ob-
served Mr. Kalkhrenner in the boxes, accompanied by our
highly-talented professor, Mr. Alday."
ENL•KGEIINNI or KENSINGT 0 N.—WC understand that
in addition to the late improvements at Kensington, a pile
of houses are about to Ile erected from the end of
house-lane, adjoining the high read from Kensington to
Hammersmith, which is intended to stretch over to Nut-
ting-hill into the Uxbridge-road, consisting of no less than
right hundred, of which twenty of the first-rate are to be
built entirely at the expense of Lord IloUar.d.