Star.
London, England, 1807-08-27 00:00:00

GARTAIOR:, AUGLST 20.

On Tuefday the 18th infant, a dreadful thunder
form, accompanied with a very heavy rain, came
on here, and was peculiarly violent between F and
fix in the afternoon, when, melancholy to ela a
young man, named Walter was kilt .1 by
the lightning. on the farm of Chapelairoch, the pro.
perry of the Duke of Montrofe, about half a mile W,
from this village. No marks of injury appeared °a
the body, except a fmall contufion on one of the ears.
The fluid feems to have had a wePterly direaion, and
his made two excavations in the earth,about 5o yards
from the place where the body was found, the largek
of which is five feet long, three feet wide, and lour
inches deep. No accident of a fimilar nature is known
to have occurred near this place for many years.

A

EARL of ST. 1' INCANT and LORD COCHRANE.

TO TRE EDITOR OF THE STAR.

His Majesty's Ship HIRRRNIA. off Brett,
gth Augutt, 1807.
Stn—ln your Paper of the lid: July ult.. I have
recently perused the repot t of a Speech of Lord Co-
oler/or k, laid to he fpoken in the Houk of Commons
sit the preceding day, on the conduaing the Fleet
ender the Earl of ST. VINCENT—a Speech which has
rot only a tendency to calumniate the Nobles Eat
but infiainutly to isogon the mind of every individual
of every family who has a relative or friend employ.
ed in the Bririfh Navy ; and although this p :iron
thus widely diffufed is accompanied by its antidote,
in the declarations of the difiinguilhed Officers who !
replied to Lord Cocotte:it, yet there are Come points
on which it is impoffible but that the relations of
thole who had the misfortune to labour under dif-
cafe or accident in the Fleet, mull, from his Lord.
(hip's reported affertinns, he imprefted with the idea
that they were cruelly treated: and, as I had the 1
honour of being Surgeon to the illuttrious Comman-
der in Chief in tioeilien, during the period he wore
the Union, you will, I feel confident, Sir, give publi.
city to my obferval ions, on Rome of the affe-rtines at-
tributed to Lord Coolest:a, as conneaed with the
health of the Fleet, in the order he is Rated to have
made them, which will, I mitt, clearly preys, that
his ltatement has error for its foundation ; and that
it is erroneous, cannot be matter of furprize, when it
is recolleited, that his Lordfhip was never fereing
with that part of the Fleet Rationed off Brell, in the
prefeace of the Flag ;..—confequently his Lordlhip's
knowledge —" that the men in this Fleet, who were
fit only for the Hofpital, were not fent there," mull
have been derived from others, who have deceived
him, pdnot from his own experience; for I can molt
confcientiaully declare, that in every (hip I from time
to time vifited by order of the Commander in Chief,
none of their lick were advifed to be kept on board
except thofe, whom it was my opinion I fhnuld my.
felf have kept at the time, either from a convillion
in my own mind that it was unneceffary to fetid fuch
patients to an hofpital to effelt their cure, or that, in
one or two infiances at Sea, the removing them in
their then Rate was dangeroie and improper ; and all
perfons reported to the Admiral, as fit objeas for the
Hofpital, were fent into port by every pollible oppor.
tunity : but that thefe were few, and that there never
was a period when the Channel Fleet was in higher
health, the Sick Returns of the Ships and Hofpitals
for the time being can moll fatisfaaorily prove.
If by " the produaion of an Account of the Frefh
Provilions fent to the Channel Fleet, for a certain
period," he meant the period of Lord St. Vincent's
command, it molt on fuch production have appeared
that the fupplies were equal to, if not more abundant
than at any former period ; but the fah is, that a (gna-
wed ufe of (relit beef, with wine and fpirits, has
not been found conducive to the health of Icemen,
more efpecially new railed men, but difpofes them to
Inflammatory difeafes, and to the ravages of ulcers ;
yet as a medium, as far as diet is concerned in pre.
levying the health of the Fleet (which has ever been an
objet of moll carnet folicitude to the Commander in
Chief) live cattle, with vegetables, were distributed to
the (hips at fee, at proper intervals, in the kafon molt
fuitable for their conveyance, and the 'essrned and
parboiled beef (both for the hat time attempted to
be supplied in the ferviee) was confidered as molt fit
to due during winter. When in port, at all feafons,
frefh provifions were conftantly furnifhed.
His Lordship remarked on the nature of lime.
juice, of " the ufe of which he ditapproved, and
he is as of opinion Captain Cones's meafures for pre-
venting (curvy ought to be adopted in the Navy."—
To that great Navigator is to be attributed the early
example of the prefervation of the health of feamen,
by good regulations, an example that has not been
101 l fight of, but continued to be adopted, and pro-
gravely improved on in the Navy, until brought to
a degree of perteaion under the aulpices of Earl
ST. Vl:tee:yr—that the proportion of health in the
Fleet exceeds that of any given equal population on
More : {curvy is now almolt unknown among us, and
whenever it makes its appearance, lemon-juice will
either effeaually fithdue it, or, under the worn cir-
cumflances, keeps it in check, until a correfponding
diet eradicates this once deftrative difeafe ; how
therefore it can be difapproved of, I am not aware,
unfelt that it may be fometiltes injudicioufly iffued,
by inexperienced officers, whofe Surgeons may not
have been at liberty to exprefs their opinion of the
pmpriety of its dittribution.
The " Regulations of Naval Hofpitals, as eflab-
'
biilhed in 1835," took place at a period when Lord
ST. VINCENT formed no pert of Adminiltration, and
whatever improvements they may be fufceptible of,
tin Officer in his Majetly's fervice is better able to
appreciate than the Noble Earl, who has had the
placing of feversl of the principal Medical Officers in
thefe Eftablifhments ; and this highly refpeaable
body of men have proved themfelves valuable fer-
vants to the Crown, by a difplay of profeffional abi-
lity, and a difcharge of the duties of humanity, equal
to any of their medical brethren, or the moll enlight-
ened defies of fociety, as far as I am enabled to form
any opinion of their conduit : therefore, " that in
thefe inflitutions men were frequently refufed admit-
tance, and the tsofi deplorable confegmeace: followed," mull,
I °mold hope, be a circumttance of which Lord
Cricaaana himfett has tome doubt; and is certainly
an affertion of a nature that thefe Officers can them.
(elves only refute; yet this much I will take upon me
to aver on this fu4ea, that if the Medical Officers of
the Naval Hofpitals have not sated on the principle,
that it is better to be impofed on by objeas with
feigned dikafe, rather than that the real fufferer
should be negleaed, their conduit has not been in
unifon with the willies of Earl Sr. Vikcssr. As to
what Lord COCHIIANE terms "a grievance conneaed
with this point, which had made a Ilrong imprellion
on his mind, that was an order, rigidly enforced, that
no roan, whatever his Rate of health, was permitted
to be fent to the Holpttal, from any of the (hips of
the Channel Fleet, unlefa previoufly examined, and
allowed by the Surgeon of the Commander-in.Chiel,"
1 contend, that, fo tar from " any mifchief refulting
from this arrangement being notorious in the Navy,"
filch a meafure is produaive of the belt pollible effeas,
and emanates from principles of the ;smelt humanity:
for, is it poffilile that any evil ran arife from the
principle which aftuated a Commander in Chief to
order the Surgeon he has himfelf related Po be en-

trniled with the care of Ms own Perron in the day of
ficknefs and hour of battle, to vita at every palish ,
opportunity, the lick bed of every failor in his fleet,'
with diredions to obferve and report to him their
state, in order that if any thing were wanting to their
care and comfort, the fame might be remedied by 1
his authority, and fuch objets fent into port forth
with, to receive the advantages of an hofpital, as in
his Surgeon's opinion was neceffary ? If any evil can
arife, or has arifen from loch a meafure, it mutt
be the Surgeon, and not the principal, much lefs
the Admiral, that is to blame ; for, inafmtich as
Earl St. Vincent has never fpared his own pet I,n in
the fervice of his country, fo has he not been (paring
of the perfons of his officers in the execution of their
duty—hence the fallacy of the inference, that
44 there was an inconvenience and difficulty, if not an'
gg imp.ffibility, of this furgeon's going from (hip to 1
" fhip at all feafon'," is fo confpicnnas as fcarcely to
need a comment, 6 r if the weather at any feafon
rendered it impoffible for the flag fuirgeon to go from
flip to ship, the fame weather mull have rendered it
equally impoffible to have removed the lick. But
the manner in which Lord COCHRANE is Paid to fpeak
of this order is giving to the public a garbled and
incorred ftatement of it : fur intlance, this order,'
which was iffued in March, il3ta6, by the Captain of 1
the Fleet, began with direding that a weekly return 1
of lick ill 'old be made to the Commander in Chief,
lin the fame form as fent to the Commiffinners for (
'Franfports, Sick and Wounded Seamen, &c. which
was to be regularly filled up, whether on detached
fervice or in port, and tranfmitted as opportunities
offered ; that great care was to be taken in report-
ing all confumptive difeafes, that fuch men might
have the benefit of their native air, and all cafes con-
fidered as unferviceable ones were to be pointed out,
but patients were not tube fent to an hofpital when
in light of the Commander in Chief's flag, unlefs pre-
vioutly fanstioned by the phyfician (who was then
.on board with the Admiral, fur the purpnfe of ext.
outing his duties in the fleet as Medical Infpedor),
or the furgeon of the HIBERNIA. Will any indivi-
dual for a moment foppofe that this order ought to
make a Itrong imprellion on an officer's mind, al a
grievance, unlefs molt Itrangely mifunderflood ? And
his Lordlbip mutt have been molt completely de-
ceived, if he luppoics a tingle indance of death or
amputation took place under it within fight of the
flag, that could have been prevented, had no loch
order excited ; much lets that thefe events 44 too fre-
quently enfued ;" and that the prohibitory claufe did
not extend to any part of the fleet out of fight of the
flag, is felt evident. This, and fubfequent orders re-
lative to the medical duties of the fleet, on the ap-
pointment of a phyfieian thereto (which have been
laid before the public during the Wellminfter Elec-
tion, from the language his Lordfhip then ufed on
the hullings), will demontirate the unremitting at-
II Earl Sr. VINCENT has ever paid to the lick.
As to " limiting the medicines allowed to the
I Navy," which is fo strongly reprobated by Lord
1 COCHRAN a, he ought not to be uninformed that in the
naval hofpitals there is no limitation either in quan-
tity or quality of medicines, nor of any fpecies of
medical Ilores ; that a feledion is ellablithed for the
different dailies of his Majelly's (hips is obvioufly ne-
ceffary, which, if not found to meet the peculiar
praOice of every furgeon afloat, and it Come articles
have been thought wanting, Come firpplied in too
fmall, a proportion, I have been obliged to return
into flare a proportion of others; and there of the
molt important and expenfive fpecies, from having
been too abundantly furniflted—this too in a Blip,
whole complement of men exceeds that of any other
in the navy : but in any inftance where medicines
or furgenns' pores prove deficient, the fitrgeon has
only to aflign an efficient reafon for their expendi-
ture, and hold a furvey on his remains, when he
may again complete his annual fupply at any of the
hofpital depots, and have it fent out to him at lea, if
required.
'That his Lordfliip may have 46 ken a veffel going
out to lea with no lets than feventy tick," is a cir-
cumftance of no uncommon occurrence ; and every
naval officer kr aws that all velrels, when in port,
from the exceffes and irregularitiea of their crews ( more
particularly if the flip is docked, and her people
placed on board a hulk), have a Fick lift, far exceed-
ing in numbers what is generally met with at fea,but
if there feventy tick were a fit only for the hofpital,"
_(as his Lordlhip is made to air:. t), I have no helita-
tion in fat ing that the furgeon could not have faith-
fully difcharged his duty in keeping them on board ;
but I should rather hope, that in his opinion they
were not thought fit objeds for the hofpital, and that
he has the credit of fpeedily curing them on board,
in common with very many initances in the Chan.
net Fleet, that fully juflify Admiral MARKHAM in fay-
ing, that " feauten in ping into port get licitly,
and go to fea to get healthy ;" wherever Earl Sr.
VINCENT'S regulations are adopted.
It is to be inferred that the" Lieutenant, with two
men, which Lnrd COCHRANE himfelf fent to Ply.
mouth Hofpital, without being able to obtain their
admiflion," fuffered no injury from fuch rejection ;
but that, in the refufal of one of the men, " the
country would be attanifhed, if not indignant, to hear
the reafon—becaufe the poor man had not been hung
up by the heels at the gangway, in a rolling fee, in
order to reduce his rupture," is an affertion in which
the embellifhments of the gangway and the rolling fea,
however familiar to his Lordthip's mind, might at
leaf& have been difpeafed with ; yet, even with their
aiJ, I conceive the indignant feelings of the country
are not likely to be excited ; when it is recolleded
that the rolling fia forms only a part of the unavoid-
able difadvantages under which the navy furgeon is
occafionally called on, from neceffity, to perform the
molt difficult operations of his profeffiun ; but the
gangway is never the part of the (hip allotted for the
exhibition of his duties : the country is, therefore, as
likely to be aftonifhed, and feel indignant at the nu-
merous ills with which human nature is *Wired, re-
quiring the aid of (urger~, as in the inflance of rupture
fometirnes (lhough rarely) rendering it neceffary to
fufpend a per fon by the feet, as a pofition to accom-
plifli its reduction : that very many of the labouring
orals of fociety are aillided with rupture, is a fact
well known to the auguft Affembly, in whore pre.
fence thefe declarations were made ; and the country
cannot be ignorant that feamen obtain a tellion for life
from Government, whenever they have the misfor-
tune to become ruptured by accidents in his Majelly's
fervice ; that the furge-ns of their refpeative thips
have the means of providing-them with truffcs, and

Nth Men ate looked .after with greater care in the
navy, than perhaps in any other fituation, and are
employed only in fuch duties as they are eq.ial in,
confecinently they are tither kept in the fervice, or
invalided from it, as their cafe may require : far I is
only a particular Hate of rupture, that render:pert:ins
afiliited therewith either an ..bjet of medical treat-
ment, or for admiflinn into any hofpital. Had the
man Co, fent by Lord COCNltalts been in this date, he
could nit have been refufed admittance at Plymouth.
The fyflem of Naval Hofpital,," fo far from
from preventing, unhappily" 14 for the men, a va-
riety of grounds to excite pity and OWy cenfm.e."
exhibits, in my opinion, a combination of (kill
and afliduity in their officers, of liberal pt.-stilton of
every means on the part of Government, neceffrry
for the due care and comfort of the fl..k. that may
challenge a cnmparif m with any other limilar ella-
bliffiment, and wine and porter are ittuellriCtedly
allowed at the difetetion of the phylic'an or rut geon
for their relpative patients ; and all perfons empl .y-
-ed in thefe ertahlifhotents being amenable to the
Lords of the Admiralty, and Commiffioners for Trani-
! ports, for their conduCt, lbefe Boards have the
power to remedy every evil found to wife therein;
and when th- 1,..r.l of Sr. VINCENT was at the head
I of the Naval Adminiftration of his country, his in.
telligent,penetrating, and humane mind, ever anxious
to footbe the fufferings of the tailor, tinder wounds
or difeafe, firgefled the neceffity of appointing an
InfoeCtor of Naval Hofpitals fimilar to the Army, in
order to detect, prevent, and remedy with the greater
promptitude any abufes in thefe receptacles of forrow
and afflietion : let thole .who bell know the able pliy-
lician the Noble Earl primarily invefted with this
office decide as to his worth ; if his eye has officially
penetrated with unexampled acumen into the dark
metres of ignorance and neglect, his hand aZlled in
unravelling the Itrong twilled thread of peculation
and wanton profulion; and if his integrity of conduit,
in difcharging with energetic zeal his newly ella•
blithed duties, has created him enemies in the per
Inns of thole whore confcious incorrettnefs would not
bear the light, in his ability and purity of intention
in fuggelling the means neceffary to remedy and
prevent every difcovered evil, as tar as man's natu
1 rat fallibility can be fuppofed to extend, fo in pro
portion has been the good derived to the navy, from
his eminent Cervices and unceafing exertions.
"'The reducing the quantity of lint before allowed
to the furg:ons," is an occurrence of which I have
no knowledge ; but 1 have before nbferved, that
on any furgenit's Mares falling Ihort, he has the
power of recruiting them, without waiting the lapte
of time his fupply may be calculated to ferve : the
ellablifhment of medicines, like Naval Hofpitals, took
place in iBog, when the Earl of Sr. Viti czar formed
no part of adminiltration ; yet, to thew his minutia
of attention to every want of his fleet, when Com
mander in Chief, an inftance did occur about a year
and a half fence, where a furgenn of one of the (hips
had come nut of port short of lint, and was fir pplied
by the Hibernia at fea, an event, which to meet in
future, induced the Admiral to caufe an extra quan-
tity to be fent nut and placed to my charge, for the
fupply of any (hip under fimilar circumftances, when
to this hour the raid extra quantity remains on board
untouched, never having been wanted.
Thus, Sir, have I commented un parts of Lord
COCHRANE% Speech, as detailed in ynor Paper al-
luded to, from a fettle of dirty to the public, emana-
tingfrom my fituation as furgeon to the Zsloble Earl,
in thehope that my obfervations may have tome weight
in preventing the deleterious influence which fuch
an extraordinary llatrui,:nt is calculated to produce,
both in and out of the navy. I owc it allii aa.a duty
to the Earl hintfelf ; but, in this view alone, any re•
marks front me would he wholly unnecclF4ry ; and it
would belt become me to be filen', for leis confekus
integrity, and tranicendant greatnefs mutt blunt the
(hafts of malice aimed at him front any fouree
I whatever, nor can the breath of calumny affix ,I (lain
lon the fair Iheet of his illuarious character, but what
mutt vanifh at the invelligation of truth : if further
j elucidation of the lively inrereft and paternal feeling,
Earl ST.VINCENT has conitantly manifelled in anxi•
j try for the comfort of the lick of the fleet, be at all
; wanting, let his exam: le in his own (hip be emulated
I by otheis, where he has given to his furgeon a carte
1 blonelr for every thing his (lock or table could furnifh
for the tile of the lick, when any on board ; hot fuch
is the confequence ariling from his prophylaCtie mea
lures, that confinement to bed of any of our people
from indifpofition is now a rare occurrence.
I am, Sir, your obedient humble Servant,
W. B. SMITH.

A fellow calling himfelf Wdflam George, lately took I
a lodging in the hnufe of Mrs. Itt)lfer, a widow, at
Swantea, and on Wednefday fe'nnight clatrived to )
fend the fervent ont of the way, (the telt of the family
being previoufly from home) when he plundered the
houfe of five guineas, fome flyer, a note for 301. and
fome linen, with which he made his efcape.
During the Harm on Thtufday evening, a filling
boat belonging to Ramfgate was liruck by the light
ning at lea, which palled through her bottom ; the
Lord Hawkeibury packet being near her, took the
crew on board and tcwed the boat into Ramfgate
harbour.
Yetterday morning as Thomas Bronghton, a
glazier, was cleaning a two pair of (Lairs window
in Shoe-lane, the machine on which he flood gave
way, and precipitated him into the Oreet. One of
his legs and an arm were broken, and he was other•
wife much bruited ; nutwithttanding which, he is
likely to recover.
A (hocking accident happened at Peckham Fair,
on Saturday laH : a poor boy, of the name of Gre-
gory, about nine years of age, got under the caravan
of Mr. Polito, in which were feveral wild beafts, and
put his arm through an aperture at the back part of
it, when the panther feized his arm, and tore it in a
dreadful manner. The cries of the poor boy brought
the keepers to his alliOance, who had to beat the
animal feverely before he let go his hold. The poor
boy was taken to St. Thomas's Hofpital, where it is
thought he mull undergo an amputation.
George Wagland, who has for many rars heel
in the King's fervice, in the Royal Mews, was i n
Tnefday last buried in a very handfome way : fix
of his fellow fervants, in full drefs, with crapes round
their hats, bore the pall, and went on to St. Mattia's
burial grcutnd; they were followed by fix couple of
mourners, and fix couple of King's fervants, in their
Hate liveries. He had been 3o years in the King's
favice.

BRIGHTON; AMWST :-r

Several mere of the South Gloucefler Militia
turned out for regular.. fern ice, on Saturday Ned yell
terday on the- former day, one-that had received
the bounty appeared on his poney in hisb.fpiritr, in
front of his former regiment, on the patade on the
level, on the fame evening, and addreffed many
wards tit the men. An officer at leng'h, difpleafed
with his condnEt, &fired him to retire, or he
would commit him .o the .Guard Houle ; the
inebriated im of Mars, to the thteat, drily replied,
" Sir, with me you mardo as you pleafe, but all
that I have to rrineft is, that yi,:l will not feud 'my
horse to the Guard lioufe." The Officer fmiled,
and the foldier galloped off without puoilhment, or
further molefiath.n. About thirty that had voltir.-
teered for regular fervice, were marched off yeaerdaj.