The National Register.
London, England, 1813-01-17 00:00:00

TIIE NATIONAL REGTATER,

46

THE C3MET 1811 AND THE CAMPAIGN
OF 1812.

mit.rDITOR-Tt is well known that in former times
Comets Mere considered as menacing porWtent, and heir ap-
pearance struck mankind with dread.
ars,spes tilet nce, and
ifamine, wereseen riding in their train, and whiLt their flam-
ng beauty enlightened the Heavens, the gloom of conster-
nation settled on the surface of the earth. These fears, I
am aware, are now attributed to the superstition of past ages,
and since the wonderful science of man has dared to follow
the burning orb through its trackless course, and succeeded
in ascertaining its period, and almost its nature, a Cornet
excites more interest than apprehension. I will norrevive
its terrors, and attempt-to vindicate its prophetic influence,
but merely point out a remarkable similarity between the
appearance and course of the Comet of 1811, and NA PO-
- LEON'S campaign of 1811, which would certainly have in-
duced
type of the other.
A faint glimmer announced early in May, iBt 1, the ar-
rival of a strange star in the fields of our celestial system—
, The departure of BIRINAPA RTE from Paris, and his confer-
ence with the EMPEROR of AUSTRIA, al:tl the KING Of
SAXONY, at Dresden in May, 1812, gave the first decided
indications that a new war with Russia was on the eve of
commencing. Throughout June and July, 1811, the
, Comet continued her regular, but still obscure approach to
the earth, and in August grew strikingly visible to the naked
t;....teye.--The months of June and July, 1812, were spent by
.',7k.. the French in advancing, and the Russians in retreatinfr
7.)- i
b P
.:t without any serious engagement. Lail yin August, how-
C. - ever, several severe actions occured with WITGENSTEIN'S
'.. • .corps, the campaign became hotly contested and sanguinary,
•
hland about the middle of the month Smolensk° was taken
oly storm and burnt, the destructice battles of k
IZ Valentina were foug rasnoi and
ht, and BUONAP ART E'S progress grew
r;:*apid and decided.—ln September, 1811, the Comet at-
..,. .
.Ei.sitatned her greatest splendour, and blazed forth every night
!:.:,_through the vaults of space extendic.g ber tail, like a
"),;.;;stream of fire, millions of miles along the sky.—ln Septem-
H -ber, 1912, NAPOLEON reached the summit of his successes.
:•., At Borodino he won, on the 7th, the last, greatest, and the
most sanguinary triumph of the campaign, and from the
Kremlin, on the 14th, 15th, 16th, and 17th, he beheld the
subject capital of his antagonist devoured by an ocean of
flames, whilst Europe, appaled by his successes, thought the
Russian etnpite annihilated.—ln October, 1811, the Comet,
after maintaining till about the 18th nearly the same degree
of distance and brilliancy, began its retrograde course from
us, and visibly diminished in splendour ; till after growing
11101'e and more dim through November, it was at last lost
to our sight in December.—In October, 1812, BUONA-
PART E remained at Moscow without any apparent decrease of
power, when the defeat of the advanced guard under Al UR A T
on the 18th, showed him his danger, and he shortly after
commenced his retreat. It was nrt until the beginning of
November, that the rapid destruction of his army began.
Throughout the whole of this month, his force, his glory,
and his fame, progressively vanished ; and, in the first days of
December, be himself disappeared from the scene °faction,
to return to his capital, the point from whence he had
set out.
Had NAPOLEON been as superstitious as our fore-fathers, it is probable the appear4nce of the late remarkable Comet,
would have caused him to postpone, if not to abandon, the •
execution of his hostile desiius against Russia. Ile would II

JAN. 1

have considered it as his malignant star, made visible to man-
kind, and would have shrunk from any perilous enterprize,
whilst the fulfilment of its awful portents remained sus-
pended• flow much, therefore, arc we indebted to the pre-
sent enlightened state of the world, which, by making hint
despise what former ages deemed certain warnings of mi,,,hty
approaching changes, has loosened thereins to his ambition,
and blindly led him, whilst planning fresh conquests, into
the very jaws of ruin !

I remain, Sir, Your's, Ste. •
A STAI:-GAZER.
a=======
OLD BA 11,E

.......,,,,,,.
These Sessions commenced on Wcalaesdav before the Lord Mayor,
Chief Baron Macdonald, Baron Wood, the ha ereder, &c. &cc ; when
the may person capitally convicted was Jane Noe:Lied, aged thirteen,
for stealing a silver watch, gold chain, and gold seal, value fel. Ilia
property of S. Wyner, in his dwelling-house, The Jury recommended
her to mercy on account of her youth.
Tutrasna se—William Rudd was indicted, for having felo
rasishrd Elizabeth Lepine, on the 2£l;liday of December, Ifita.niously
The ptopecutrix stated, that in December last she lived se; vault with
Mr. and Mrs. Morris, of Windseleplace,City-rbad. On the 2ath, her
master and mistress left her in charge
of the house in their abseeee.
About ten o'clock in the morning, the prisoner came to the house about
his usual employment, of cleaning knives and shoes. Some time atter,
the prisoner caught hold of her, and g
dragged er tu a e bet
the two kitchens, where he proceeded to offerh violencpe toa her personween.
She was excessively frightened, hut was afraid to cry nut, being aloe
in a strange house, and her master and mistress being from borne. Inn
her ter;or, she permlitted the prisener to effect his purpose cvith re-
sistance. She rose from, the flue; and ~•eatt up to her room, where she
put on other clothes, and proceeded to her accustomary business. In
about twenty minutes after this, the prisoner left the house, Sayieg, he
would return the next ay and clean the rest of his knives and shoes.,
About twelve her imager and mistress returned, but she was ashamed to
mention what had happened , she was in secla pain, however, that she
could not finish her work ; her mistress gave her some rim] 'and water
for her illness, but as she sti!l continued ill and in pain, she, at eleven
ca.:lock at night, told ::11 t!:,: 6req.ustatices to her mistress. The next
asorning her master sent her imme to her another'., in a coach.
On her cross-exammui:eta she said, that the prisoner had on the fiGth
brought a branch of anisletoe to the Reese, and had offered to kLs her,
but sac refused : she hart never been kissed under a missletoe, and did
nat know what it ineaina she c: out alarm the neighbow hood because
it was a strange place, and she bras ashamed to acquaint her mistress
with her misfortune in the first instance.
Sonic Officers of the East London Militia give the prisoner a very
good character.
The Chief Baron commented on the prosecutria's makieg no alarm,
and the Jury immediately acquitted the prisoner.
ARSON.
Fareay—This most interesting trial took place, and occupied the
whole of the day. It was ulnae an indictment against James Smith, fur
wilfully setting fire to his house in Newgnte-street, with the intent of
defrauding the Atlas Insurance Company of the sum of 1,6001, the
a mow for widely he had insured.
The prosecutiun was conducted by Mr. Gurney and M. Alley, and
the E
defeuce by Mr. napp and Mr. Arftbill.
. The line of defierce was, that the wife of the prisoner was much ad-
dicted to liquor, and Wright, in one. of her fits of intemperance, have
been the means (dewed:lg the tire. The next argumeet was, that from
the effluent circumstances, and the growing state of pioaperity in which
his business was, there was great imprubabiliy that he should resort•to
slab an action The third, that the combustibles,. which were supposed
to have I.:leafletted the progress of the tire, were pun based by the pri-
souer far the purr) roc of ;;ainting and repairing his conceres at Bow.
The I* me la tiae his stock was so considerable as to render an act of the
ai,alrainate to Ida), and the last was his excellent character.
Lachariall Hecla occupied part of the house in which the prisoner
lac ad, and having described the situation of the paiscmer's premises,
mentioned, tl at upon the t2th of November, at a aptarier after three
u'elta.k ia the rem-nine, he was alarmed by a cry of fire Isom the street,
te consequence of abide he and his wife rill out of the;r bed-room for
the !>'a''!: !be (4- aseertlii;ing the place and cause of the fire. lie saw
padis ilytng flout • the priamer's counting-louse, and upon ping up
,;t:.:rs he met the., pritoner's wile, wl, to his astodisinnent, die Wit up.
pear alartnc.d, and %•.'ai dreSsed hi such a manner as induced him ha
thiak that ;ler cloaths had aut been put on in a hurry. •