Star.
London, England, 1812-02-25 00:00:00

AMERICA..

Extract of a letter from a Lawyer of the first re-
spectability in the United States of America, and a
native of that country, to his friend in London, dated
t ie 4th January, 1812 :
" The relations between your Government and ours
are of a complexion to confound the calculations of
the wise,• to vex the spirit of the upright, and to
baffle the efforts of the honest and the industrious.—
Our democratic Administration, inoculated with the
Jefferson-mania, has continued to impress on the
American character abroad, disgrace and contempt,
and on the nation at home a a cuide.spread scene of dis-
tress. The Nation is almost be.,,ared and undone ;
our treasury empty, our specie flying abroad, our
seamen scattered, our ships rotting, our produce a
drug, our merchants bankrupts. our tradesmen dri-
velling for a precarious subsistence. I shudder at
the prospect nf•what is before us.
44 Instead of that open, manly, impartial; and re-
solute neutrality ; instituted and maintained at the
cannon's mouth by the immortal Washiagten ; we
have a system of sly and intriguing policy, of measures,
insiduously involved, shifted and shuffled, according
as a battle in Europe is gained or lost ; a double-
dealing diplomacy, full of manoeuvres and dilatory
expedents, to serve from three months to three
months—just is keep up the popularity of our Ruler: and
secure their interests AT OUR OFT UN REC Ult RING El. ECTIOX.`i.
To what end we shall at last be led, GOD, who
lengthens out the chain of the Tyrant of Europe, and
lets loose the dark spirits which brood over our des-
tinies, alone can tell. It is our only consolation that
cue are in his hands, and that he can, uhen he pleases,
make the wrath of man to praise him,' and restrain
the re;t.
" The great struggle you are making to save the
Peninsula from th,e fangs of the monster, cannot but
be attended with the hearty good wishes of every
friend to humanity, and the independence of nations.
If the Spaniards would be true to themselves, and
banish their vile jealousy and self-sufficiency, and
discard horn their Councils their ignorant Grandees,
and adopt in their stead the true men of talents and
spirit, I should hope very sanguinely for their suc-
cess. But it is to be feared they will fail at last,
from their jarring councils, inefficient measures, and
incomptent leaders, to whom the Nation seems com-
mitted."

THE ARMY.

The 2d Battalion of the loth Regiment, which has
been in lrelAnd for some )ears, is among the rein-
forcements for Portugal.

The 21st Dragoons, which have been at the Cape
for some time, are to proceed to India, to relieve the
22d Dragoons.

. Four regiments are equipping and clothing at Co-
runna, tinder the immediate command cf Sir HOWARD
DOUGLAS.

FUNERAL OF MAYOR-GENERAL CRALTURD, AT CI-
HDAD RoDRIGO.—Lord WELLINGTON, to testify his
high sense of Major General CRALFURD'S great and
distinguished merits and services, determined that he
should be interred in the breach which he had so
ably and heroically assaulted, as the highest honour
he could confer upon him. The Light Division as-
sembled before the St. Francisco Convent, where
their late beloved Commander lay, at twelve o'clock,
on the 25th January. The sth division lined the
road from thence to the breach. The officers of the
brigade of Guards, of the cavalry, and of the 3d, 4th,
and sth divisions, with Lord WELLINGTON, and the
whole of the headquarters at their head, General
CasTANos, and all his Staff, Marshal BERESFORD and
all the Portuguese, moved in the mournful proces-
sion. He was borne to his place of rest on the shoul-
ders of the brave men whom he had led to victory.—
The Field Officers of the Light Division officiated as
pall-bearers ; Major General CHARLES STawairr
(Adjutant General) was Chief Mourner, attendedby
Captain WILLIAM Castrout., and Lieutenants Woon
and SIIAWR, Aides-de-Camp to _their late glorious
Commander, and by the Staff of the Light Division.
The ceremony was as awful, as affecting, as sublime
as possible, and well calculated to inspire feelings of
the must exalted nature ; and if any other sentiment
but that of the most poignant grief could have found
place on this melancholy occasion, it would certainly
have bevy envy at such an end—so wept. The breach
of Ciudad Rodrigo is the monument of this admirable
man, bedewed with the tears, and decked with the
praises and blessings of the whole army.

Intelligence was received yesterday at the Admi-
ralty of the sudden death of Admiral Sir CHARLES
COTTON, Bart. Commander in Chief of the Channel
fleet. It is understood that he had been for some
time rather in a declining state. Sir CHARLES was
made Post Captain, August 10, 1779 ; Rear Admi-
ral of the Blue, February '2O, 1797 ; Vice Admiral,
Sir HAttRY NEALE arrived at Portsmouth on Fri- I
April 29, 1802 ; and Admiral, April 28, 180 S. Lord
day, in the Bui NE, f. 1.3, Capt. JONES, from off L'Ori-
K
eat, where he has been 26 weeks. Two sail of the !EITH was yesterday appointed to succeed his Lord-
line,few ship in the command of the Channel Fleet.
one of them bearing an Admiral's flag, a
days since, endeavoured to get out of that port, with I An affair of honour took place in Buckingham-
an intention of going to Brest ; but a gale suddenly i shire, a few days ago, between Mr. W—, a Gen-
came on, and it was with great difficulty they were • dem=o of very respectable connexions, and a Lieute-
saved from going on shore. They have not moved nant F ,of the army. Mr. W— received a
since. The enemy can escape out of Brest with much shot in the left arm, and Lieutenant F— wounded
greater facility than they tan from any port in the iin the leg. Both are, however, in a fair way of re-
Bay, which makes it an object with them to get into covert'.
that port, in the possible event that the Emperor may The forests of the Spessart and Odenwald are said
require the services of his navy.--Sir 'Jenny sent alto have been recently the theatre of sanguinary con-
flag of truce into !.'Orient to kern the fate and con- filets. A corps of 4000 troops having teen sent to
ditron of the LAUREL'S boats-crews, and was inform- discover the Brigands, divided themselves into small
ed that 91 men and officers had been made prisoners, parties; some of these, after repeated attacks, having
and two men had died. penetrated very far, came to a small encampment, de
Saturday morning, as the boat of the American I fended-by a ditch and three pieces of cannon. While
brig Caroline was passing from Hamoaze to Ply- the troops were preparing tor assault, the robbers
mouth, for a supply of provisions, she was turfortu- rushed nut, and bore down all before them. The
nately upset under the Hoe, in consequence of getting troop fled, leaving behind them two pieces of can-
too near the shore and among the breakersewhen the non, some colours, and 250 killed and wounded.
three men who were therein, were left floating on the What is education without books ? the mechanism •
surface, one of whom, an old man, named Silby, be- , of reading and writing may and has been acquired by
longing to the Custom-house, was drowned ; the other !horns, dogs, and pigs ! Something more, then, is re•
two, although not able to swim, were miraculously I quired for intelligent mend agents ; and, under this
saved, but received much injury, from being thrown idea, the Rev. S. Benitow has just compiled and pub-
on the rock : the boat was instantly dashed to pieces fished an admirable manual of religious, moral, and
by the violence of die sea. !prudential knowledge, called 'lke Poor Child': Litrarv,
Lately, as Mr. T. Osbeurne, First Lieutenant of:to serve as a present to children on leaving the various
the Royal Marines, was returning on board the ship ' public schools.
Sarah, .n Yarmouth Roads, his handsheing benumbed G LL.—Yesterday P. Davit and .1. Ante
with cold, he requested to behoisted up in the boat ; were charged a ith assisting in the illegal distillation
a rope was sent down with a bow line knot, to put !of spirits. It appeared, that as some persons were
round him for fear of an accident, but this he twice de- ; passing down Cateaton-street on Saturday evening,
clered. Pe was then hoisted up along with two boys 1 they heard the cries cf a man issuing from a cellar, in
who had been left in it to fix the tackles ; but when 1 the occupation of Messrs. Davis, porter-dealers, situa-
neat ly up, the stem r ing of the boat drew out, and in I ted and r the Paul's Head, when some one broke open
consequence thereof, Mr. Osbourne was precipitated i the cellar (which was padlocked on the outside),
into the sea ; and the tide running very strong, ate and urn en, et lag, they found one of the defendants
was instantly carried away, and never seen after. in a state of inse;eibility, leaning against the wall,
A dreadful storm has been experienced in the Ta- and the other lying apparently lifeless upon a sack,
gus, which threatened the whole of the shipping in Ifurther advanced in the cellar. They then went fur-
that river with destruction. The wind set in from the 1 they still, and ascertained that the cause of their in-
South-west, accompanied by a prodigious swell at the I sensibility proceeded from a small portable still, with
mouth of the river; its violence was incessant from ' a charcoal tire wider it. Beside this, there were
the 2d to the 4th of this month, and we are told that found two tubs, containing about .50 gallons of mo-
not a single vessel escaped without some damage.— lasses wash, and the still quite warm. The men,
The Admiral's ship in particular was at one time ex- on being brought into the fiesli air, recovered, and
posed to imminent danger. were taken to the Compter. They stated, that they
On Saturday evening last, about six o'clock, during had no knowledge of the illegal distillation ; that they
a tremendous storm ct n ind, attended with flashes of were porters to Messrs. Davis ; and that they had
lightning, a stack of chimnies, belong'ng to the Rev. been locked into the cellar by them about 9 o'clock ;
I. K Pe egret, of Barking, in Essex, was blown down and on going away, they promised to return inane-
ith a dreadful crash, carrying with it great part of the diately, but which they neglected to do; in the mean
root, tiling, rafters, and the main beam and cieling ; I time the smell of the charcoal overpowered their fa-
destroying a four-post bedstead, &c. and twelve feet of ! culties. Ihe defendants told the same tale to the
strong brick wall at the pinion end of the house. Pro- Magistrate. It further appeared, that Messrs. Davis
videntially no one received any injury : Mr. P. had were licensed porter-dealers, but had no licence for
but a few minutes passed by, walking in his garden. distillation ; that the still had not been in the cellar 1
The heavy tall of snow and rain on Sunday night ' before four o'clock on Saturday ; and there was
and early yesterday morning occasioned considerable i every reason to suppose it had been recently purcha-
damage in the vicinity of the metropolis. The sed. One of the defendants acknowledged that he
Brighton road, between Brixton and Kennington, was had carried something down into the cellar in a sack,
in. parts impassable at five o'clock yesterday morning. I by his employers' orders, on Saturday, but he did not
A carriage, containing two Gentlemen, was iDver know what it was. They were remanded for further
turned in the drain by the road side, the coachman examination.
not being able to keep the road. The Gentlemen,l Sunday morring, Lavender and Adkins appre-
witingreattlrfficulty,coca pen drowning, by the window. hended Peirce Cook at a house in St. George's-fields,
One of the horses was lost, and the coach nearly in consequence of private information, he being char-
broken to pieces. ged with being concerned, with six others, in several
A few days since, a son of Mr. Blaxland, of Dully, burglaries, and other depredations, in Nottingham,
near Sittingbourn, fell from his horse, while hunting, (hiring the late disturbances. They are also charged
which fractured his skull, and terminated his life on with offences in Leicester and Derby. Yesterday he
Monday. • was removed on his way to Derby. The plisor.er is
Mr. Ehlars, a Gentleman in the Hamburg]] trade, the champion runner of all England for 400 yards.
last night burst a blood vessel while sitting in a box at He has challenged Molineaux, the black, to fight.
Covent-garden Theatre, and died in five minutes. ! Mrs. Harriet Magner, alias Mrs. Harriet Voice, who
Friday, Alexander °Wain was executed at Stirling, has attracted so much public notice by stealing the
pursuant to his sentence, for the robbery of Alexander child of a Mr. Dellow, is again to appear in a Court
Stewart, on the evening on which the unfortunate of Justice, having been committed to Winchester geal
mm, Menzies and Anderson, were executed there, in to take her trial at the ensuing Assizes, on the charge
October last. of having two husbands.