The National Register.
London, England, 1808-04-25 00:00:00

EASTER MONDAY.

I ,

On this long wished for day of annual fan and frolic, the civic
ports men were placed like Capt. Macheath, between Lucy old
rolls, having no less than two Eaffter Hunts, at which to sport
their dashing I? osinantes---Epping., and Windsor Foie,ts.
The road, leading eivo ward from the Metropolis, ;very crowd-
ed at an early hoar, with every thing that could carry a sari-ales
hacks, ponies, cart-horses, and donkies, with a plentiful sprink-
ling of the wheeled creation, gigs, whiskies, and t waisted° w ns, all
crowded, with the beauty and fashion of Moorfirlds. Brick lane,
ntid Pudaledock, anxious to see at how Master Bolds), could ride,
and he in at the death. This motley groupe being :Fetublect at
t4e Boldfaced Stag, the customary lihatious to the Goddess of
the chaec, and to the hcalths of the Goddesses, o ho had arrived
to witucss the sport of the day, were poured out under the
vuspices of the High Priest of fun, the jolly Landlord. The
Aron Walden hounds, which bad been procured for the occa-
sion, and a Stag also, shish had been thought necessary for a
.hunt, were soon in waiting at Fair Maid's Bottom ; every ne-
r-ssary precaution was then taken of girthing saddles on, &c.
&c. and happy would it have been for many a luckless Wight, if
the riders had been Birthed on also. The St 1g was now turned
cut, but though there were many Attorney's Clerks in the groupe,
ate was allowed but little low, when the whole cavalcade in one
general burst, pressed on upon his haunches.
The Stag, as if conscious that the lost road for his pursuers,
was the road to town, pushed on for Chi,well-row, and after a
run of fifty minutes, took soil in a pawl that neighbourhood,
when ‘stme of his gay followers, better mounted than their corn-
rusions, had nearly completed their literal boast, of being in at
the death. The animal wasnow caught and reserved For another
occasion, whilst thejocund throng hastened to quarter t bruise! F
' at the different public houses on the Forest, in order to hunt the
Sing over again, and to learn some particulars of the chace,
sisch as Use tams when, the place where, a 4... k.c. fur few

~.tirmoo••••-laiiPmeli9

REGISTEN.

APR IL 23.

:tad been able to proceed as
.fast as their horses; indeed, la-
mented would have been the fate of many an Absalew, had not
the Brutuslop saved them, from the danger of riding through a
forest with a long head—of hair.
The Windsor Hunt, front its extreme distance from town,
could boast of but few metropolitan Actueans, and of the few
who came, their cattle were too much fatigued to start from
-winter Lodge, where a numerous party were regaled by Jlar-
finis Cornwallis. At ten, a stag was turned out at Tower-hill,
on Bagshot-heath, to a field of MOO: he made a sharp bum,
passed the Golden Farmer, doubled towards Cobham, pushed
through the inclosures of Bagshot, where few could follow him,
and was taken after a run of an hour and a half. Rut, if the
Cocknies found it difficult to catch the stag, some of
them also found it difficult to catch their horses, which, released
from their riders, were prancing over the field in all directions.
adding a list of missing to that of the wounded.
A third hunt was gat up, by some 'if the knowing ones left is
town, and who, hearing of a stag to he turned out on Tower-hit:,
very prudently engaged seats at their friends windows, in the
Ifianrics, barer Thames-street, and Rosemary-lane. Having
waited patiently for some hours, the usual attack commenced
un thecold ham, cake, &c. and they returned contentedly to
their respective homes, having seen as much of the hunt as tiww-
who had rode farther.

The other entertainments of the season were repeated with
universal applause—Dust ci-irts, and all other carts, were gaily
•plashing and jostling on the Greenwich-road—gin nod ginger-
hread, fun and frolic, were the order of the ti:t ; and many a
well-turned uncle was displayed to the eager gaze of the spec-
tator at the foot of the hill. whilst many of the fair performers,
we have no doubt, will have reason to rentem:ier Luster Mon.
day!

NAUTICAL INTIZLLIGENCE.

Upon the subieet of Sir John Duckworth's late erui7e, we
hate been fatnured with the following iorrysting extract of a
letter from an Officer belonging to the Squadron ,dated

" rrnesand flay, ( Plymouth ),".Ipril 18.
" Havia: run down the R:tv of Biscay, and called off Capes
Ortega' and Fiuisterre, anti Lisbon, we arrived off Madeira, and
found Sir Samuel Hood lying in Finschall Roads, sv here we re-
mained for two days. On the morning of the 3d of Erbruarv,
his Majesty's ship Como., gave us intelligence of her having
been chased two days before to the N. W. of Madeira, and it
then became obvious that the destination of the French squadron
was the West Indies, for which we proceeded vi ith all expedi-
tion. and mate the Island of St. Lucia and Martinique in 21
days. Off the East End of Martinique we saw six sail of the
line ; we cleared for action. and formed the line of battle, but,
on exchanging signal:, we found friend; instead of enemies—it
was Sir Alexander Cochrane, with his squadron, who was wait-
ing to Live that enemy a reception which we were in chnce of,
conceiving that he would take refuge in that port. Finding that
his fleet vat sufficient to cope with them in those seas, we passed
ail the Windward Haels, and anchored on the 16th of Feb. in
Bassaterre Roads, !3t. l it Cs, w here we remained only eighteen
hours.
,just long enough to take in water, but no provisions, nor
even linen washed. We then proceeded to St. Domingo, where
it was supposed the enemy had proceeded for the purpose of
landing troops; but on our arrival there we found no ships.--
After cruizirg in the Mona Passage for seven or eight days, we
made all dispatch for the coast of America, and arrived off the
Chesapeake on the I 1 t hof March. We communicated with the
Statira frigate, and found that our Ambassador, Mr. Rose, wai
at W;F:hington for the last time, to determine whether it should
be peace or war with England. We should have gone in, but
the Yankies would not let us have a pilot, nor supply us witk
water or provisions, which forced us to he content to live upoa
half our usual allowance; they would not give us a single pint
of water or a cabbage stock. We left the Eurydice, to brilig
us any intelligence that might occur as to peace or war vv ith
.Arnerira. and quitted the hospitable shores of .America for the
Western Islands, where we procured all we wanted. after a
very long and a very anxious cruise. The Governor of floret
(a Portuguese), came off to us, but not being ;d 1e to give us any
information, the Admiral thought it most expedient to
proceed
for England, where we arrived this morning, after having twee
up wards of three months at sea, and made a complete circuit of
he Western and Atlantic Ocean, ajourney of upwards of Ilk-
teen theusand mite'"