Star.
London, England, 1809-08-25 00:00:00

NAVAL INTZLL.PG•ENCE.

' CAPTTALES IN TIIE CHANNEL.
Every day brings us, we cannot now, sty Frew,
distressing accounts of the neglected state of our
coasts ; and we must say, that whatever rni,ht 2, . -
been the pressure of public business while our Ex,
'ditiort was getting ready for the Scheidt, no excu .
'can now be found for the shameful neglect "hi, -
continues to expose our commercial resources to
depredations of the enemy. Let the following )-
added to the instances we 'have been ft,r some ti„;
recording, almost daily, and ou: complaint Wiilapp.„v
to be but too well founded :

" DOVER, ALTGLIST 21.
" A fishing beat arrhed at Afargate yesterday, which
the night before by four privatcv:s, between Bea.:hy Beta
Downs, each of them said they were very sucee,:ift.l, ha :ie.; are.
,lad :117.11y English ship& into their harbours within a week.
" His Itlajeaty's sloop Podargus, C:lpt
captured and sent in hero the Pappeiihnrg huy, Alargare..:la, f:oik
I.iverpool, latlat with salt : she was racn oa 2.loutlay
off. &idly Head, by a Piench luzyer."

44 NEWHAVEN, AUGUST 24.
" A ta:liut Kas ta42n off place yceterday, and, a brig ..z-4
morning.

" P. S: L ship, apparettly a 6 or 730 tan. burtLen, !r4 :;14
been Nken by a p-ivateer."

" EASTBOURNE, .AUGUZ 2i.
" Two ships were taken off Beachey Head last nigh, by
French lugger% and company; one of them, Ldieve, wai
frra
Oporto, the other I took to be an American, making tan rem,'
,taken :lithe Head within a few days. We have o:lly the At.:::
achoo;ser on this station. The As: sloop of war was
but I have not seen her for threr weeks. The signal is
at the Head for two lugger., which have taken a brig and a sir,
and sent them for Fraace—at present there is nothin4
molest them."

HASTINGS, AUCI.73 f
" We mere much mortified yesterday evening at ?sci::1; tws
vessels, bound 10 the eastward, captured off this port bf !rfi
French lugger privateers. The captured vessels were a sl.tp ar6
a galliot, deeply laden, but we have no particulars of lint; mire:
or place of destination. To add to our concern at wttncssirg dtt
*nemy thus triumphantly bear away their booty before o;ir
then, was not one of our eruizers in siobt, and we }-.ar,l tc,
much reason to fear he must have reached a Frenzh port slf,t7
with Lis prizes, as we could plainly discern from tl:e M!!:
vetisels, hull-dowr, standing to the southward.

" The same unfortunate events Lave so frequently ocearn...:te
late, off this part of the coast, that we carrot help r,gr'::t,
that we are rot better supplied with 6 Lip of wzr protee:c%
"merchantmen, between &achy Head :.rd the Vowes.
captives by the enemy have tale:[ piece, we verily b. litre, ;.-,
this part of the Channel, within the last three wecki, that v:Ac
ever remembered within a like period of time.

" We sincerely hope Crwernment will give th.is !rrrormt
subject serious attention; the remedy., is in cur opinion, v.sy,ari
to prevent a recurrence of such painful scenes, let Ccvernrn;
keep a sloop of war, or a gun-brig or two, cruizit:g
Beechy Head and Dungeness, and it would effectually chetk 11:4
enemy, who, perhaps, from our self-security, supinc:e,t, o;
attention, has become unusually daring of late."

PLYMOUTH; AND PLYMOUTH-DOCK, AucusT cf..
Arrived the ketch Commerce, of this port, Cuzws,
from Teneriffe, laden with wines, bound to this p;rt;
British sloop Union packet, M'CLELLXN, from 'llene.
carlo, Malaga, and Gibraltar, laden with %vines and
cork; bound to this port for ordertt'`.‘fie sprung
her mainmast. Sailed, bat since put back by:cc,.
Crary winds, the CADMus sloop of war, (Ara cruike'.
the westward.; and SEAVLOWCIt brig, on her passage
to Corunna. The FANCY cutter has taken letlett an 4
dispatches on board, and has sailed for itochefort. It
has blown violently at S. \V. fot several days, attend 4
with heavy rain. A merchant schooner arrived at
Plvmoath, from Oporto, states, tizat previous tr, he
sailing, two. transports had arrived there from Eng.
land, with arms and ammunition for 5000 Priu•
guese troops. This afternoon a frigate passed up
Channel from the westward, but at too great a
tance to make her number : she was under a prtss c;
sail, and is conjectured to be from Spain or Portup;
With important dispatches.

- PORTSMOUTH, AUGUST E 4.
Arriied the 'ars frigate, from the westward.—
Sailed the GOSItAWKE sloop of war, op a crize;
DOVER, AUGUST 2.4 i • ••
Passed by this morning the Amertart ship Dram
mond, Captain BUTLER, froth Cadii.; dispaiches
were landed from her from Marquis Wm.r.r.sloy,

DEAL, AUGUST C 4.
Came down from the River the Hannah, PA vmsr,
for New York ; arhd Whim, DOBRALE, for Algiers,
and remain with a large fleet of outward bound Ice'.
chantmem—Wind S. W.
YARMOUTH, AUGUST 2 t.
Arrived this morning the Bz.Azlot gun-brig, troisl
Heligoland, with 80 of the Duke of Bauxsatcei
troops. - hailed the AciNcouirr, with water for Flat',..•,
ing ; HAvocK and PRINCE WILLIAM armed ship, iv;:-'
part of 115. e Duke of BnuNswrcit's troops, for Ports,
mouth; Loousr and WRANGLER gun-brigs, the
Nore.—Remain in the Roads the ROEBUCK, MO::
QUITO sloop, RicumoxO, Vixcs, gun-brigs.—Wind;-,
FROM LLOYD'S LIST.
Ga#CISIND, AvIGUIT Si.—Arrived the Alevarder,
front Martinique; Pallas, from Charleston; Malabz
store sbip, frontiamaica ;. Hercules, Allis, from Cadiz;
P eak Trinida; Iroquis and Redovery, Spence, f
Gibraltar ; a d liens Clearer, from I .isbon.
•

We have authority to contradict a statement, wYci:
we copied from a Morning Taper of the 21st
Tespefting the prisoners on board his Majesty's sh:P
'YORK in the Scheldt having risen on the crew cf
ship. , We `have great pleasure id' adding Or,: fe'
whole story is a fabrication.
Died'on Thursday evening, atter an illness of tan
days, ELIZA, the wife of PETRCFAVENT, Elrk cE
Dalston. •
CORN EiCHANGZ, MARIC•LAATEp . AVG. 25.—rTheg
are but short supplies of Wheat to-day, which'ca:ise;
sales to be a small advance in price--Barley likewise
in very short supply, and fully. at the late idvance--:
Malt also--Peas and Beans of the two kindsmainto
their prices... Oats are in.short supply, and this tra
,is agaln.quOted higher—Fluur on the tei.ms of
List current y ; flue Ain eripx% #e,s. t.° )54 Per P
Fitor,l fai4l.9 $41.14/4600441ta*P"
• : "•10

t.-3 I,

Pirktotia FUND.

Yesterday there was a General Meeting of the tub-
tailless to this Fund, co evened by public advertise.
•
Sir
FRANMS BARING (the Chairman) opened the
business. It was in consequence of the sense lately
expressed by a numerous and most respectable Meeting
of Merchants and Bankers, that the Committee per-
fectly coincided in the opinion of that Meeting, and
at their recommendation thought it proper to con-
vsne a General Meeting of the Subscribers. • It was
now six
' years since the public were first appealed to
by the Committee ; and the sub:scriptions which had
been sax eived at that time very greatly surpassed the
watottat hopes of those who were the first promoters
et the Institution. More than 400,0001. had now
been received ; but on the other hand, relief had
ban afforded to many thousands of wounded and
di,abled men, and to the families of those who had
beat in the service of their country. As the war
was now on land, where the losses are much greater
than in sea.fights, the claims upon the Fund •would 1
consequently he in future mere numerous ; and as
the entire sum originally subscribed would go no far-
oss than the present claims upon it, it appeared ne-
cessary to replenish the Fund, and again appeal to
the liberality of the public. A Gendernaa of the
Committee (Mr. Marryatt) was prepared to state-
fully to them the manner in ..which, the Fund had
hitherto been applied.
. ,
MARRYAIT then rose, and made a detailed
statement of the receipts and disbursements of the
Fund. The sum originally received by subscription
sage sanewhat,more than £350,000, to whiCh sutn
was to be added the interest of the money that had
been invested in the fronds, and the. profits on stock
seat, which, added to the sum originally received,
amJunted to the total sum of £424,832,165. 7d. of
which, .iftsr deducting the sums- voted in rewards,
annuities, and presents,reft a balanee of k93,22:155.51 '
Many of the gratuities, however, which timer had
voted, had never been claimed, and there would be a
coasiderable prsfit, if the stock were sold at the pre-
sent Fist ; so that he calculated the actual la:dance to
be about ag130,000, which would probably be entitely•-
absorbed by the claims that were. now ekpected to he
made by the families of above 3000 killed and' 6000
wounded, including those who had been killed and
teeunded at the battles of Corunna. and Talavera.
He trusted that the Meeting would he perfectly satis-
fied with the conduct of the Committee, in the admi-s
nistration of the fund hitherto ; but as the character of
the war had changed in a great measure, and was now
carried on mote by land than by sea, the Committee
thought that new regulations ought to be adopted in
future, as the cliintrants would probably be much mote
numerous. Alter he had stated the nature of the dif-
ferent disbursements, he should submit to them some
resolutions for the future management of the Fund.
As to the sum given directly t. the wounded and the
families of those which had fallen; this amounted to
about i 230,000, and was a part' of the expendithre
about which there could be no objection. It would ap-
pear by the accounts that 84.0,000 had been given to
the Naval and Military Asylum, for which that:Society
undertook to receive and educate all the children, of -
either sex, recommended by the Committeet whose
case mild give then; any claim upon the Patriotic
Fund. The price of advertising in the public papers,
amounted to no less than £ll,OOO. Great as this
stun w.ts, he was convinced that it Would not
have been far the iincrest of the Fund to have been
note sparing of ezpence on this Subject. On the
contrary, the Committee received many letters cif
cnmplaint, if they delayed the advertising the receipt
of the smallar subscriptions. The amount of the sums
voted as rewards to merits amounted in the whole to
V6,C10, and is would be recollected, that it was one'
of the re,olatiGtos of the ofiginal subscribers, that rts--
ward 6 or ;lonourabie bauges should be given to distin-
guished merit, There had been some little difference 1
of opinion use n the propriety of donations of this sort ;
hut, he thought, that necessity, they. must be
dispensed with iii fatisse. The 'claims. of merit alone
must, yield is merit accompanied bisedistress. He
wasll here take occasjorettsauswersomembiervations
which had been made against the institution itself; as ,
interfering with the Legislature. If this hardhearted'
doctrine were to prevail,: it would go as well to cry
dawn all public charities, or private benevolence. It
might as well be argued, that, because the Legisla-
tore had established Poor Rates and Workhouses, it
:vas interfering with the Legislattare to give any }IS-
M:A.3IWe to the poor. , Besides the alleviation of pris
vate distress ar.d sufferin, `the fund had been pro-
ductive t,f a very great public advantage. It was well
known, that a great cause of the repugnance of the
poor to let their children go inco the army or navy, '
that they thought that they should thereby,, if
any casualty happened, lose that assistance from them
in the decline of life, which otherwise they might
have expected. This repugnance- was, in a great
measure, done away by the sums which.it was known
Patriotic Fund paid to the *aged parents of those
Al in the service of their country. Perhaps, at
r: :1)2 lature period, the Legislature might think it
Proper to adopt such a regulation. .There was •
. about £16,000 which had been voted to theselief
of British prisoners in France. Thii did not come
ander the letter of the' original resolutiona but it
came within the :spirit .of them. When Bonaparte
%fused to permit an accredited agent for English
risaness to remain in France, or any . supplies to
furnished them by the British Governmentonany
',l these prisoners were .redneed to the greatest dis.;
; a:-,.1 he Committee had only given such relief
amounted to an addition of three-halfpence a-day
•.-) the allowance of the aged, the infirm, and she I
'oho were not able. to endure such privations as
"rose who were in health. They had also established
hospital and a schOol at every depot of prisoners
-.1 ranee.. This money had been managed with such
eiconomy and attention by those who superintended
:he distribution. of it, that he believed more good was
: aver done at less ezpence, and that this was an ex-
penditure which ought to be continued. With respect
tile wounded, he apprehended that there must he
al!eration ; and that for the futUre, the relief could
o.d y be given to those who were disabled by their
wounds. Thaae who were wounded-slightly, or mien
sastala, would not wish to be paid for the mere pain
Of '.:eirsvound, at the ezpence of the widows and co-'
phans their companions who had fallen. This.al-
":l-4!ion'bejshonlei also, propose Th,the shape of a Re-
•slut.on. After several general observationa, on the

advantages already derived (rum•an rtiopeal to the
nerosity of the public, he concluded by tuoving a Re-
solution-for a similar appeal on the present occasion.
This resolution was seconded by Mr. Bowe, and
carried unanimously.
The Resolutions were all carried unanimotisly, as
were also. Votes of Thanks to the Chairman and to
the Committee.

Sir FRANCIS BARING And • Mr. MARRYATTi in the
name of the Committee, returned thanks.
An additional subscription then conimeuced, which
we understand was very considerable.