The Sun.
London, England, 1824-05-20 00:00:00

THE LATE RAINS.

It has already been stated that some buildings
had been destroyed at Deptford, and it now appears that the
damage was to a greater extent thou was at first imagined._
Early on Saturday evening the water poured itself from all parts
into Deptford Creek, swelling it to a height never before known,
and creating much alarm in the minds of the neighbours. At
night the water had clogged up the arch, and pouring over the
bridge, formed itself into a pool on the road ; to pass and repots
was• impossible; carts were brought out for the passengers' COTlVC-
mence,and fora penny or two-pence a head carried them through
the town. At the corner of the Creek stood a house inhabited by
a poor widow woman named Graves, and six children; the
water having rose to her door, she felt much alarmed for her
own safety and that of her children, and came outside of he
house ; scarcely had her foot left the threshold when the whole
building fell into the creek, carrying with it her furniture and
stock in trade, consisting chiefly of childbed linen. her chil-
dren were fortunately rescued by her neighbours. The house on
the opposite side of the creek next felt the shock. It tits s occupied
by Mr. Davis, a grocer, as a warehouse; the wall having fallen,
the water entered the warehouse, and not fewer than
.12 hogs-
heads of sugar were carried down the stream. This was followed
by a hogshead of raw coffee ; next floated a large heavy waggon,
and lastly some truck wheels. The stream carrying these things
down with velocity, they struck against the wall of Langford's
floor-cloth manufactory, which immediately fell, and part of
the stock floated away. The adjoining leather factory of Mr.
Brown, unable to stand the shock, partly fell, and the stream
washed away a great quantity of leather. The owners of
these warehouses were immediately on the alert,- but this
water continuing so high and rapid, it was found impossible
to recover any of the property. At length day light broke,
and discovered the disasters of the .preceding night. Thc
unfortunate widow's residence was entirely swept away, but
two of her beds were picked up, about a quarter of a mile down
the stream. The floor • cloth and leather were scattered in
all directions, and a barge having been sent down, it was 'ia
a short time loaded with those articles, but in a diunaged atate.
The hogsheads were also picked up, but their contents having
imbibed the water, were turned him molasses, rendering it
unfit for sale. The waggon which was carried away, was also
restored in a shattered condition. But in this general calami-
ty, none scented to have suffered so much its a miller named
Carver, living lower down the creek. To carry on the beati-
nest+ of his mill an embankment had been formed across the
creek, in order that the water shoeld run through his mill ;
unfortunately, however, the water came with such Violenue
that it threatened total destruction to the mill, and is
short time washed away the embankment. Exclusive of this
loss, which renders it impossible_ to
has been made of carry on his b_uhseirnfeass the fluor cloth i tuhremill is ,
ttmanntninngtehtoda27s;oigo7,l.
ie.satni7
Air. Davis, the grocer, at x 001•, fiutuing; m the
can►c firrwaril on. ,the
subs=ription in
toter, latlnsto computes his loss at 1,1001. lr. [frown, the i
mostole
xv()u
akni,nsdbae
behalf;
fnn feelingn
a sum of 4,800/., exclusive of the poor
manner
oor
d
years srnce: tircumaemea
triy:ed inytimPlng
of her furniture, and trifling stock (')ari
dtne' tra(le,
ht
living. It is due, however, to the inhahitants to say, that in the
aboutiritre a t
thee (i
vothersllaget
tdbetrisaltchr:i
blovirfniktgho,eythiriej,,ace.Xica!,efict.`;b:i.evelenllhUtr:eP:rau:.o:l•'4wi.,icisinottlioliiithlty:).taile;_-.:71,10;,_
Tuesday and yesterday
"(-I,er: cloth and, leatter, .1•P• lrini,,tShe,
.s.ritwc:ee-Atvionulssoese'. 1 is a sm'atler
Creek searching
ntl
of the pieces of
thaw, aboutt I_s
the creek, and the house which •• •
took place at , widow inha-
then thrown clown, but no damage' bited was was (tone to the
thatfr t lomnt
duringt, ehreo fe
cellars
ti:wootbirs,
other buildin. g 4., us on this occasion.

Yed morning (Monday 7, during the
tinlee.tSitierlY 'Pally Ho! coach was changing horses
at Rochester, a man who Was passing, having'
the care of a waggon, struck the horse with his
whip, in order to make a clear passage. for
vehicle ; the animal immediately plunged for-
ward, and forced his head through • the shop win-
dow of a linen draper ; the jugular vein was
severed, and in a short time the hocse bled to
Kentish chronicle.)

TILE LONDON JOURNALS.

DAILY

Extracts from the Allorning Papers, May 20.

[MORNING CIIRONICIA.]
The Stanmer packet arrived at Falmouth from
Lisbon on Monday the 17th, too late for the let-
ters to be sent by the Mail of that day, in con-
sequence of which an express was dispatched,
which is said to have reached town in twenty-six
hours. The Mail had not arrived yesterday, of
course we are still deprived of our Lisbon letters;
but one, written by an intelligent person in-Fal-
mouth. 'lnd closed just at the moment the express
was coming away, affords some particulars which
to doubt will be studiously kept out of the
Gazettes; although it will not be possible to
form a correct idea of all that has; taken place
in the Portuguese capital until the regular let-
ters arrive. The Stammer is said to have reach-
ed an English port in eleven days, consequently
she must have left on the 6th, we have therefore
many interesting particulars to learn. As far,
however, as we understand the affair, the King's
Palace of Bemposta was surrounded by troops
under the command of the Infante, at the time
his Proclamations were issued, that is on the
30th, and from that moment, and 36 hours after-
-wards, he was kept a close prisoner, and no one
of his friends allowed to see him. General Pam-
plona, one of the Ministers, in vain endeavoured
to have a conference with him, by seeking to
enter through a secluded garden in the back of
the Palace. The King sent him avord to fly, and
he took refuge on hoard of an English frigate.
It is understood. the Queen purposely arrived
from the country to be ready and on the spot, to
avail herself of any favourable occurrence that
might arise out of the execution of her long pro-
jected scheme, no other, as we have often before
stated it, than a design to dispossess the King of
his power, get her Son, a rash and intemperate
boy of 19, named Regent, so that she might be
able to govern, the kingdom herself through him.
The means by which she sought to avail herself are
evident front the Infante's Proclamations. %Visit-
ing to become a second Nero, the stripling un-
sheaths his sword, calls upon the army he had
been appointed to command, and invites them
to co-operate in the extermination of the Free-
, masons, a name he expected would rouse the pre-
judices of the mob more than any other, and if
he had not been stopped short in his wicked
career, most probably we should have heard of
the Roscio-square„ as in former times, being en-
livened by the amusing performance of a few
autoi clot fe, as a kind of finish to the King's
deposition. But here we should like to know
who are meant by the comprehensive term Free-
masons, against whom the Prince Generalissimo
calls out his army. By this term, we understand,all
the King's friends and partisans; those who had
ventured to speak in terms of horror of the mur-
der of the Marquess de Louie ; persons known
to regret the loss of the Constitutional cause ;
those who disapproved of the follies and extrava-
gance of the beardless Prince, or detested the
base designs of his mother ; possibly a few
husbands who had handsome and virtuous wives,
for at least this has been a recent crime in
Lisbon—in short, men of liberal ideas ; other-
wise, it would never have been possible to throw
7 or 800 persons into prisons on this plea, for we
should conceive it impossible to find 100 real
Freemasons in the Portuguese capital; and in times
like the present, we doubt they have ceased work-
ing, and keep themselves snug in their quar-
ters. Among the persons arrested, are two of the
Late Ministers, who have hardly been out of office
two months, known to be avowed anti-liberals, and
one of them the author of most of the Procla-
mations which have recently appeared against
the Freemasons, and the most decided enemy
tiley possibly can have. Even Count Palmella
was among the names found on the Prince's
sweeping list of proscription I We do not know
what the Members of Holy Alliance will say
to this novel mode of creating a revolution adopt-
ed by the Portuguese Infante at the head of the
soldiery ; but we think it ten times more anti-
legitimate than the La Isla or Oporto Revolu-
tionists. \V have every reason to hope that it will
not succeed, and we say hope, for we have yet no
means of knowing what has happened in the pro-
viuces, where it has been hinted to us, a protecting
force was collecting, and A marente has been named
to us as the leader of it. It has long been known
that the Silveira family were in the interests of
the Queen—constituting heads of the fanatic
party—and this party, seconded by a certain
class of the Clergy, were always of opinion that
the late counter-Revolution could not prosper and
become consolidated, because it was followed by
no bloodshed, and this sentiment is breathed in
every line of the Infante's present Proclamations.
To a certain extent, we nevertheless fear this
party has triumphed, for it would seem that the
King was weak enough to pardon the Infante,
and actually consented to change most of his Mi-
niiters, who, it is presumed, will be succeeded
by men more in the interests of the Queen and
her son.

rNEW
We have received the Etoile of Tuesday,
which contains only a very guarded article on
the affairs of Portugal. It is not reasonable (says
the Editor) to pronounce a decided opinion on !
events which are still undecided• The lelf,„t,!
1)011 Miguel, whose conduct on the 77th of May
last year, and who then delivered his august fa-
ther from the hands of the Revolutionists, can-
not be presumed to have acted on the late occa-
sion, except from motives which only demand to
be better known in order to be better appre-
ciated. These Papers mention that the medical
advisers of the Emperor Alexander have rec°lll-
- to him the use of warm bathing,and that
for this purpose- his Imperial Majesty is going to
Carlsbad, in Bohemia. No mention is made of
South America ; but it is suggested that a Con-
gress of Sovereigns will probably be held at
Carlsbad.

The British Funds continue steady, notwith-
standing thc numerous reports, mostly of au un-
favourable character, which have been in circu-
lation for the )"st days, Cousols yester-

day did not vary more than an eighth per cent.,
and closed at 961 for the present account.—
Foreign Securities continue depressed, and in most
of them there was yesterday much business trans-
acted. Colombian Bonds closed at 842, Scrip
I premium. Mexican Scrip 62 premium, and
Spanish Bonds 204. The private letters from
Paris quote the last price of the Iterates on Mon-
day at 104. 65. for the account. The late reports
upon the subject of the financial measures of
Spain appear to have been only of a temporary
duration, and the prices of the Bonds in that
capital again returned to their former quotations.
In point of political news, the same want of in-
terest continues.—(lbid.)

[THE TINES.
The Constitutionnel of Monday last, reasoning
on the Lisbon news, remarks with great truth,
that the party which calls itself Monarchical in
Portugal takes a singular method of shewing its
respect to the rights of the Crown, paternal au-
thority, and legitimate Government. Of the two
Princes of that Kingdom, the elder declares war
against his father, and the younger keeps him a
prisoner in his Palace.

Letters were received yesterday from Malta,
dated the 29th ult. The reports of peace with
Algiers which had been circulated there, are
ascertained to have been unfounded, but the
sole ground of difference understood still to
subsist, was the removal of the English Con-
sul who had given the original offence, which
the Deg insisted on, but was willing to make
every other concession required of him. It is pro-
bable, therefore, that the news will shortly arrive of
a final accommodation. The Revenge, 74, was to
sail from Malta on the Ist inst., tojoin the squad-
ron off Algiers. The Cambrian frigate had sailed
for Tunis, &c., and several ships of war were sta-
tioned at various points from which they could
with greater facility afford protection to the Bri-
tish trade from the depredations of the pirates.
His Britannic Majesty's sloop of war the Pan-
dora sailed with a convoy from Malta for Gib-
raltar, on the 27th of April, and on the same day
she was joined by a small fleet from Smyrna,
after which the whole proceeded for the Gut.—
These letters confirm the accounts of the destruc-
tion of the arsenal at Cairo by fire, and state that
it was not believed at Alexandria that the Pacha
of Egypt would take any part in the expedition
against the Greeks.—(lbid.)

[BRITISH PRESS.]
We do not think " even-handed justice" has
been dealt to Mr. Battier. lie has been struck
out of the army list, and all his hopes of profes-
sion destroyed ; while slight and passing censure
only has glanced from the War-office on Lord
Londonderry. It is true, the message came
from Mr. Battier, which provoked the duel
with the Noble Marquis, and which he met
with unquestioned spirit ; but Lord London-
derry should have exerted his influence in
the first instance to have prevented the un-
worthy treatment Mr. Battier experienced from
the officers of the Tenth, and which pro-
voked all the consequences that followed.—The
' Gazette of Tuesday, which we gave, contained
a notice, stating that Ensign Battier had been
struck off the half-pay list of the army ; while
the General Order from the Horse Guards talks
of Lord Londonderry's acceptance of the chal-
lenge as "a transaction at variance with the prin-
ciples of subordination, and therefore of a ten-
, dency injurious to the discipline of the army,"
and then expresses " his Majesty's concern and
displeasure that an officer of Lord Londonderry's
high rank and military reputation should have
committed himself in personal collision with an in-
ferior officer, by accepting a challenge for any
supposed aggression proceeding from the exercise
of his authority as Colonel of the regiment." Now
this, as affects Lord Londonderry, is very well,
and was probably called for by military disci-
pline. But Mr. Battier has been visited with a
far different notification ; he is erased by a
stroke of the pen from the Army List, while a
superior officer is only lightly censured. The
whole affair has excited a strong sensation, and
is likely, we understand, to become the subject
of immediate Parliamentary discussion, on a
petititou from Mr. Battier.