The Sun.
London, England, 1838-12-10 00:00:00

TO CAPTAIN NAPIER, R.N.

" But oh protect the hardy tar
Be mindful of his merit,
And when again you're plung 'd in war
He'll show a daring spirit."
Sir,—l doubt not that you have many times listened to
the musical words composing the above verse, when of a fine
night the watch whiled away the four hours under the lee
of the hammocks, for from the substance of your letter re-
garding the wrongs of the navy I find you have not forgot-
ten them.

The perusal of that letter has afforded me great satisfac-
tion, but when I reflect on the rope of sand which you wish
to twist into some sort of consistency, I feel sad forebodings
that no generous feeling for the general good actuates us,
but a servile, truckling, debased ;and jealous selfishness
pervades (with a few honourable exceptions) all grades of
our service.

There are numbers of timid and cautious officers amongst
us, who linger astern in the wake of profitless expectation,
and useless hope, vainly imagining, by patiently suffering,
or meanly cringing, to gain that redress, which a more
manly and above-board conduct would be sure to obtain.
Such as by stating with all proper respect our wrongs, and
praying for justice and redress.
It is not yet too late ; call on all from the truck to the
keelson, to come forward and pull together—we should no
longer delay ; now's the time, now's the hour ; we are in
a crisis, and yet keep laying on our oars in a state of in-
decision which must be fatal to our cause. We have
too long remained in this state of slavish expectation
and inferiority, in comparison with the other arm of the
service. We have been bitterly aggrieved and insulted. To
our own exertions, and an appeal to all who are just and
generous to assist us in our search for justice, but more
strongly on our own united energies, we must particularly
rely ; as without union nothing can be done. Even the boy who
wished to catch the bird, knew full well he should exert
himself to salt its tail before he could secure him, so let it
be with us ; follow up the Ministry and Admiralty with all
the salt boxes in the fleet, filled with petitions of our
wrong and our claims for redress. Should they be still
callous we will invoke the generous and powerful press to
assist us in our struggle to obtain justice. Surely our
demands are not exorbitant. We claim not more, nor
ought we to have less. Equality with the other service
in all corresponding ranks ; equal honours (when equally
deserved); equal right to promotion, either from length of
service or severity of wounds, and distinguished merit ;
and that our commissions should be signed by the hand
of our Gracious Sovereign.
These are our claims. Do they amount to the sha-
dow of arrogance ? Are we sot equally Englishmen shed-
ding our blood in the same cause and frequently in the
same field ; why then should we not be equal in every
espect, so far as relates to military distinctions ? I say
we are bound not to suffer our efforts to sleep, until we
g iin this equality of rights ; we are not to mind on what
pretext or excuse we are refused them, as no part of the na-
tion doubt that we have equal claims to the pro-
tection of our common country. To you, Sir, I
think the gratitude of the service is most justly due,
for coming forward and nobly exposing the petty ty-
ranny, and the false promising system practised by suc-
cessive Admiralty boards from the time of the Scotch
succession to the present moment (by-the-bye it has been
said that the "old gentleman's court is paved with good
intentions and plastered with false promises," can you
inform me if it is in any way like the First Lord's levee-
room ? If so, all 1 can say is, that his Satanic Majesty
keeps a bad fire). You say you dislike anonymous writers,
se do I ; but such is the system, that hundreds of gallant
officers can only by anonymous writing make known
and
expose this incubus, this night-mare of patronagellan
t
feel
that that is fast riding down the once gay and gallant
spirits of Britain's pride and glory. How sorely do we
that bitter sarcasm repeated by many less noble animals
than sea-gulls, " the navy is a rope of sand." You, I trust,
will have the honour to convert this metaphorical rope into
a chain cable of union, causing all selfish views and petty
jealousies to be cast into the locker of oblivion, and
induce one and all to heave round with a will for the ge-
neral good. That you' may succeed and destroy the
" Hydra" which has so long poisoned Britain's wooden
walls, is the sincere and fervent wish of

Your great admirer,
JACK LANGRIDGE.

Boulogne, Nov. 1838.

_
A young woman, servant in a family at Lambeth,
was received into Guy's Hospital at an early hour on Fri-
day morning, dreadfully burned, her clothes having acci-
dentally caught fire while attempting to remove a tea-kettle
from the side of the grate. She is not expected to recover.
on Friday afternoon a child named Askett, who resides
with her parents in George-street, St. Giles's, was so rmirh
iajurcei from a similar occurrence, that she lies in a preca-
rious state.

COURT CIRCULAR.

WINDson, SUNDAY.—This morning the Queen, With
her Royal visitors and suite, attended Divine Service at
St. George's Chapel. Her Majesty came in a close
vs in f,
car-
riage, accompanied by.her Royal Highness the Duchess of
Kent, Lady Tavisteca, and Lady Errol. The service was
.sanctus and responses, the Hon, W, Ashley
and the anthem, ,t Holy, Holy, Hallelujah," (Handel).
The Rev. J. Gore read the service, anct the Kev. Dr.
Goodall and the Hon. and Rev. E. Moore officiated at
the altar ; the latter Divine preached the sermon from the
9th chapter of Ecclesiastes and 10th verse. Mr. G. J.
Elvey, Mus. Bac., presided at the organ.
Viscount Melbourne arrived this exening.
The following personages will form the Royal dinner
party : Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent, Baro-
ness Lehzen, Lady Tavistock, Lady Mary Stopford, Lord
and Lady Errol, the Hon. Mrs. Brand, the Hon. Miss
Pitt, the Hon. Miss Murray, Viscount Torrington, the
Earl of Albemarle, Colonel Buckley, Sir F. Stoven, the
Hon. C. A. Murray, the Hon. Colonel Cavendish, and
Mr. Brand.

Mr. Stevenson, the American Minister, had an inter-
view with Lord Glenelg on Saturday at the Colonial-office.
Mr. Mills had an interview with Viscount Melbourne
on Saturday in Downing-street.
Mr. Justice Haliburton, the Rev. J. Archbell, Mr. Hart
Davis, and Mr. Reideger had interviews with Lord Gle-
nelg on Saturday at the Colonial-office.
Mr. Maitland, from Montreal, with despatches from
Sir John Colborne, Commander of the Forces in Lower
Canada, arrived at the Colonial-office on Saturday

morning.
The Turkish, Austrian, Russian, and French Ambas-
q tdors transacted business on Saturday at the Foreign
Department.
Despatches from Sir E. C. Disbrowe, Minister Pleni-
notentiary at the Hague, were received yesterday at the
Foreign-office.
Despatches, dated the 19th ult., were received on Sa-
turday from the British Minister in Greece,
Despatches were received yesterday at the Colonial-
office from the Governors of Jamaica, Barbadoes, and the
other West India Colonies.

FASHIONABLE INTELLIGENCE.

ARRIVALS.

The Right Hon. Sir Charles Grey, at the Clarendon Hotel,
Bond- street, from his seat, the Oaks, Surrey; Mr. Somers,
M P., at the St. James's Hotel; Col. and Mrs. Gascoyne,
from New York ; the Earl and Countess of Durham and the
Ladies Mary and Alice Lambton, in Cleveland-row, from
Fleet House, Devon, the seat of J. C. Bulteel, Esq. ; Lord
Grimston, from Gorhambury ; Lord Errol, from Windsor
Castle ; Lady Katherine Barham, in Grosvenor-square, from
the Marine-parade at Dover ; the Hon. William Howard,
M. P., in St. George's-place, from Brighton : Lord William
Russell, in Norfolk-street, from a visit to the Marquis of Aber-
corn, at Bentley Priory ; Lord Lichfield, in St. James's-
square, from his shooting-lodge, Runton Abbey, Staffordshire ;
Lord Motford, from his seat at Hillingdon ; Sir Stratford
Canning, in Grosvenor-square, from Somerhill ; Lord Charles
Kerr, 42d Highlanders, from the north.