Star.
London, England, 1808-12-24 00:00:00

stHE ARMY.

It is said that that excellent Officer, Sir Airrinnt
WELLEsi.sy, goes out in command of all the rein-
forcements going to Spain. With him go—
Major-General Spawcza, Major-General Dior 7,
MURRAY, Tuzawro,
tERCUSON. Brig. General XLWIS,
Doititiax,
Durr.

PATNE,
COTTON, •

There will shortly be an English Army in Spain,
to conquer for the Spaniards, even if they will not
fight for themselves. Sir JOHN MOORE has very ur-
gently pressed Government to expedite the return of
the General Officers attached to the army under his
command now in this country ; and several of them,
among whom is Sir A RTIIUR WELLESLEY, are making
preparations to proceed to Spain immediately.
The Members of the Board of Inquiry, on the
Convention of Cintra, met yesterday at the house of
Mr. RYDER, the Judge-Advocate-General, for the pur-
pose of affixing their signatures to the report which
was prepared for that purpose. When the report shall
have received the signatures, it will be forwarded by
the Judge-Advocate-General to his Royal Highness
the Commander-in-Chief, for the purpose of being laid
before his Majesty s when, if his Majesty shall ap-
prove of the inferences drawn by the Board from the
evidence, the report will be comraunicated to the
parties and made public. The report will probably
be presented to his Majesty by the Commander-in-
Chief, to-morrow, at Windsor.

Captain VERNOI4 GRAHAM, formerly of the 15th
Dragoons, if appointed Asfistant-Deputy-Adjutant-
General to the Army in Spain.
Whatever may. be the final result, it will be►efit
our troops, particularly the Cavalry Regiments, to
have seen service, and to have been out of their own
country, and to have felt some few of the privations
incident to a military life.
The East Suffolk Militia moved yesterday from
Canterbuiy to Ashford Barrack!, in order to afford
accommodation to the troops passing through Can-
terbury to the coast.

On Thursday, 250 Royal Marines belonging to tEe
Division, marched from Chatham for Por; s-
mouth, under the command of Captain M,An•roLR,
to reinforce that Division, they not having any men
at quarters there.
General COCK/MUNK has arrived in Dublin, from
England.

A Proclamation has been issued, appointing a Ge-
neral Fast to be observed throughout England, On
Wednesday the Bth of February ; and another Pro-
clamation will appear in the Gazette, directing a
General Fast to be observed on Thursday, the
.9th
of February, throughout Scotland.
The late Lord ARUNDEL dying without issue, is
succeeded in his titles by his first cousin,: JAMIE. EVER-
ALD ARUNDEL, Esq. of Irilham Hall, Lincolnshire.
Thursday Lady MELVILLE paid a visit to her Mk:
TESTY and the PRINCESSES at Windsor Castle ; after.
wards her Ladyship returned to St. Leonard's Hill,
where she is on a visit to the Hon. Mrs. HARCOURT.
Viscount CREMORNE, this day, gave his annual
haunt), to thirty of the oldest Irish chairmen in West-
minster. ,It consisted of two bushels of coals, a half-
peck loaf, four founds of beef, and two shillings in
money to each man.

The place of Collector of the Imports and Exports
of the Customs, held by the late Earl of LtvEr.pooL,
is abolished, as directed by an Act of Parliament, to
take place on the decease of the Earl. The other
place of Clerk of the Pells is gone to the Earl of
SHANNON by reversion. At the death of the Earl of
SHANNON, we understand that place is to be abolished.
MEArr.K, Haystaanrr.—Last night a Lady from
Glasgow, of the name of BEaumosT, the wife of the
Manager of the Theatre of that city, made her first
appearance in the very interesting character of Ill-
widens, in Venice Prarerved, and in which she exhibited
much promise of future celebrity. She appears a
perfect mistress of stage-business, and is altogether
unembarrassed, though rather redundant in her ac-
tion, which is a fault in most provincial performers.
Her person is well proportioned, and ber voice rather
powerful, in some of its tones resembling that of Mrs.
H. SIMONS. In parts in which she will not have to
stand theltest of comparison with such an actress as the
elder Mrs. SIDDONS, she will pzobably appear to greater
advantage than in Belvidere. CooKE's Pierre was last
night a vigorous performance; and CHARLES K ENI-
DIX'S Jdrstr, always excellent, was, if possible, more
admirable than ever : we have scarcely before seen
any performance at once so impassioned and so grace-
ful. It was ardently and ,perpetually applauded.—
The piece went off with great effect, and was an-
nounced for Monday evening.—The performance al-
together deserved a better attendance; the audience
was extremely thin till half-price.
Among the Fashionables last night at Drury-lane
Theatre, were the Countess of BEaBOROLGH, Marquis
WELLestnv, &C.

His Majesty's sloop DISPATCH has taken the Do-
rade French privateer, mounting one brass gun, with
small arms and 20 men.

An order for the immediate execution of Smit4,
Master's Mate of the PARTHIAN, for the murder of
Capt. &many:ono has been forwarded toi Plymouth.

THE GENIUk OF BRITAIN;

O for that warninx voice, which he who saw
Th' Apocalypse, heard cry in Heaven aloud—
" Woe to the inhabitants of the earth!" Mtrrox.

•
From her white native,nlifh4Wptiltud throne of the main,
The Genius of Britain was beard to complain!
While sorrow subdued the bright glance of her eye,
She said o'er the deep, and began with a sigh !
Fall'n Europe! thou victim of follies and crimes:
Too late bait thou leatn'd the dread signs sfilse fishes
Too late bast awoke to escape froM the rod,
Which teaches vain mortais to turn to their GOD
Corruption's foul taint thro' dry vitals had spread,
And sickeed thy heart, and perverted thy head.—
Thy members were wasted, thy pow'rs were depress,
Yet ashet was the poison which lull'd thee to rest.
The warnings of virtue and reason were vain,
To nerve thy cold bosom and quicken thy brain ;
-And therefore, in vengeance, the flag was unfurl'd,
Which led the destroyer to punish the world !
Those idols of witchcraft, in whom was thy trust,
Have vanish'd like phantoms, or crumbled to dust !
0, Earth ! thro' thy nations, now delug'd in blood, -
May this awful truth be at length understood :
From INDRED-CORCUPTION proceeds the decay,
-Which moulders the pageants of mortals away !
And vain, and delusive, each effort to save
That body, which breeds its own death, from the gave.
Thou glorious orb ! which now sinking from sight,
Hast deckt the blue waves in thy mantle of light :
How long bast thou blu.sh'd 'mid such scenes to behold,
'f he orgies of lust, and the triumphs of gold ?
Vile relf still usurping the throne of the mind,
And party o'er-goryd with the spoils of mankind.
For the ills they committed, the truths they withstdod.
Their deep expiation's recorded in blood !
Yet why need / fear, tho' the arrogant foe
flas laid yon foul dens of iniquity low ?
Yet why need I fear, .tho' my rival's proud height
Again mock these shores with its awning of white ?
Because my brave sons unappall'd, tho' alone,
Dare hold back the world, he would seize for his own ! •
My sons are too manly to stoop to a chain
Intended to shackle their rights on the
Too gallant to barter a bright, well-earned name,
For the pleasures of sin, or the wages of shame,—
Too haughty to bend, and too fearless to fly ;
Prepar'd for their country to conquer or die !
• Foul shame on the traitor, whatever his place,
Who, slave of a faction, would plot her disgrace!
And shame on the cowards, wherever they dwell,
Who, to buy their own safety, her freedom would sell !
,0 no! 'twas a story contriv'd, but in jest,
That rancour e'er prompted an Englishman's breast ;
Or interest excited, or party could sway,
To plunder the state, and his monarch betray,—
To stoop to vile measures for infamous encl..,
And forfeit his soul for the sake of his friends.
Thou bnivrark of nature! which witness'd of yore,
The Romlns beat back, overwhelm'd in their gore ;
Ordain'd by that voice, never speaking in vain.
A bar to the rage of the turbulent main.
Oh soon, in compassion to him whom alone
High Heaven finds worthy a permanent throne :
. Whose prayers for his people like incense arise,
To bring down the blessings of peace from the skies !
May my deep-shaken rocks hear this awful command,
To the angel of vengeance, " Here slacken thy hand :
E'en here raise an altar, no force dare invade,
Where discord shall cease, and the parse shall be staid !"

S. W.

Yesterday being the Birth-day of her Most Faithful
Majesty the Queen of PORTUGAL, a solemn Mass was
performed at the Portuguese Royal Chapel, which
was. attepded by the principal Portuguese Nobility
and Gentry now in London. In the evening, a most
sumptuous dinner was given at the Thatched House.
His Excellency the PORTUGUESE Misnivrzit in. the
Chair. Amongst the company present, we ogserved
the Prince ,of CASTRLCICALA, Admiral APOISACA,
Messrs. FERRAS, CARVALHAL, CORREA, &C.
The following toasts ware given from the Chair,
and drank with' the greatest enthusiasm :

The Queen of Portugal.
His Britannic Majesty King George 111. the constant and faith-
ful ally of the Prince Regent, our Master, and the good friend of
the Portuguese.

The Prince Regent of Portural, and eternally of Portugal, in
defiance of the French General.

The Prince of Wales, and all the Royal Family of England.
The Sovereigns of the Ministers present, Ferdinand IV. and
Ferdinand VII.

'The following was then read from the Chair :
" The alacrity and the enthusiasm with which the
inhabitants of the Northern and Southern Provinces of
Portugal availed themselves of the very first opportu-
:?ity, which was offered to them to follow the noble
example given by our valiant neighbours the' Spa-
niards, shew the propriety of the prophetic Toast we
drank every year at this dinner. I will repeat it noiv,
with the confidence that I express the general senti-
ment of the Portuguese nation—and I will only make
an addition, which is justified by the late events :
• " May the Portuguese of Europe, of the islands, of Brazil,* f
Africa, and of Asia, never forget that the name of the Royal Xa -
mily of Braganza has, and will be at all times, the signal of the
restoration of their liberty and independence. And may the now
apparent slelay .in assisting the Spaniih cause be speedily corn-
pensited by deeds of heroism, equal to those displayed by our an-
cestors."

God save the King,' and a variety of loyal and
patriotic songs, were sung by the Gentlemen of the
Choir ; and the meeting cont►nued with the greatest
harmony until a late hour.

Thursday evening, about six o'clock, an alarming
fire broke out in the premises of Mrs. SWALE, tanner,
in Ipswich, which entirely consumed her dwelling-
house. The very extensive bark-mills, bark-houses,
containing an immense quantity of bark, &c. sustained
but little injury, owing to the exertions of the inha.
bitants and military in bringing the engines to play
upon them. The fire v.t first was very alarming, as
the whole of the out-houses are built of fir, and full
bark, and adjuining several valuable timber-yards,
malt-houses, &c. &c. The piquet: of the Wiltshire
and Derbyshire militia regiments were immediately
under arms, and rendered most essential service.-.-
There has not been a house burnt_down in Ipswich
before for upwards of twenty years,