The National Register.
London, England, 1821-10-29 00:00:00

/AMA ICA l' EMS.
41k
KINGSTON, SEPT. I.—An eclipse of the stmt WU.
visible in this city on Monday. It commenced at
20 minutes before eight, and was over at 20 minutes
after ten, am.
Tuesday being set apart, by law, to be observed
as a solemn fast, in commemoration of the great
storms in 1712 anti 1722, divine service was per-
formed in the church of this city, when the Rev.
Mr. Mann delivered an impressive and suitable dis-
course on the occasion.
Deal rue! ire Drouthi.—Accounts from the coun-
try of the effects of this din.ful calamity are daily
becoming more distressing. each a continuance of
dry weather was never before witnessed by the old-
est inhabitants: springs, never known to have failed
before, are dried up; canes in many districts are
entirely withered away, anti even those in more
favourable situations, that long held out, are now
becoming yellow, anti must speedily be lost also, if;
indeed, they arc not irrecoverably so already; pas-
tures are literally scorched brown, and scarcely a
blade of grass to be seen. What must be the conse-
quence should this dreadful visitation last two months
longer, is a question which naturally presents itself,
and which niust appal the heart of every person in-
crested in the country.
The entire loss, in a great measure, of next year's
crop, is, perhaps, one of the least of the evils to be
apprehended, and, in many itottances, is in fact al-
ready lost sight of by the unfortunate planter in the
more ruinous loss of cattle, which the depreciated
value of produce cannot rephice, and the still more
dreadful apprehension of famine among the people,
aggravated by such h state of poverty as leaves him,
in too many instances, without the means of procur-
ing relief. Our dreadful situation may be understood
from the fact that, with a vertical sun and unusually
stroll; scorching breezes, there has been nothing like
a rainy day since June last year, neither October
nor May seasons, nor since January even a slam er
of an hour's continuance, at least in many pasts of
the country. It has, indeed, occasionally drizzled,
and wore favourable appearances, which invariably
have ended in disappointment; and so completely is
the earth now dried to a cinder, that nothing can
again renovate vegetation but heavy and continued
rain, which may Heaven speedily send, to relieve the
country from the horrors of impending famine!
Atrocre 23.—The most melancholy accounts have
been received this week from all parts of the island,
of the depl irablc effects of the long continued dry
weather. The crops of yams, expected about this
season, will be almost entirely lost, as well as every
()Liar kind of provisions, and it is feared that many
properties will soon be called upon to purchase pro-
visions fin- their negroes. Many cattle have perished
from the want of water and food, and the next crops
of sugar will be lost throughout several districts,
the canes being irrecoverably withered.
With such a miserable prospect before us, the rep
auction of the Poll Tax last year, in consequence of
the loon of 80,0001. may be considered a most for-
tunate circumstance, and we fear that other and
larger loans must be indispensably resorted to, to de-
fray the public contingencies, unless some immediate
steps are taken by Govet nment for the relief of the
stinted sugar planters, whose prodt.ce, at the present
prices and duties, even under favourable circum-
stances, do not afford a sufficient profit to &Cray the
necest ry contingencies of their estates.

114.1ELII:b11 MAIL.

IT. PnT..r.sauttoit, Ocr. on Strogonoff,
on his retthir from Constantinople and Odessa, ar-
lived at the Post-house, near Logs, just as his Ma-
jesty the Emperor, on his journey to Witepsk, was
coming out of the church at that place where he
had beta' paying his devotion. The Ambassador in his
travelling dress immediately waited on his Majesty,
and was most graciously received. The Emperor
inimcdiat•Ay went with him to the house of the
Baililnc.),. by, and conversed a long time with the •
NI inistt-:r. His Excellency, who is arrived here, has
L. an hom.ired with the most flattering retxprion by
both tire Empresses. The ;public have also evinced
much t-agetoes.s in testifying to him the interest they
have token in the critical circumstances in which he
has ! ten placed, and the titin and noble conduct
be showed in them.
114Notsco. OcT. 14... Since his Majesty's arrival
the exchange of couriers has been very active in
various directions. Lord Castlereagh is very much
engagcd, and appears but seldom in the numerous
pa, tit s given by the Ministers and others.
Ine Iseautifol Princess of Soluos, daughter of her
Royal Hightre:.s the Duchess of Cumberland, who
is 19 years of age, is particularly noticed by his
AlajL sky.
ocronEtt IG.—The King's physicians declare
that it w absuluvtly necessary that his Alajesty
should Lap his b..d fur five or six days, for which
re•kon the dinner at the Duke of Cambridge's,
the procession the church, to and the grand parade on
Sunday morning, arc countermanded.