Star.
London, England, 1807-08-25 00:00:00

READING, AUGUST 2t.

Vellerday the Mon Noble the Marquis of BLAND-
Tom, gave a grand fête, in his park at Whitenighttr,
near this town. Mai quees and a temporary building,
were railed in the park, for the accommodation of
the company invited, which conlifled of a number of
his Lordfhip's friends, the officers of the Firll Read
ing Volunteets, and a great number of ti.e inhabi
tants of the town. About four o'clock, the Volnn•
leers arrived on the grounds when the Marquis took
the command, and put the corps through a number
of evolution., which they performed in fuch a man
Ler as to gain the thanks of his Lortlfhip, and the
applaufe of the ipeElators. The military exercife-
being finifhrd, the Marquis condoned the officers to
his table, and the company retired to the marqu-e,.
where they regaled themfelves with a cold collation,
confifling of every delicacy of the faafon; while a
tnoß excellent band played a variety of popular
tunes. Tea was alto wards made, and the evening
concluded by large libations to the health of his
Lordfhio and 'he Noble Houle of Marlborough, in
the choice! wines of every kind. The Volunteers
were amply fupplied with refrefhments and ttrong
beer. Soon aFer nire r)'clock the compdny broke
uo, expreffiug their delight at the festivity rrf the en
tertainment, and their gratitude for the amiable and
polite condefcenfion of their n. Me hog and hoftefe..

Friday night the &It of the Garrifon Balls at
torpoit commenced at the Crown Inn, which was
attended by I trger and more fplenclid affcmhlage
of rank and failion than ever graced that town he
fore. tiowards of two hundred perfons of that and
the adj teent plates were Preterit. Thi; elegant
amufement has, we underaand, the patronage of the
Lady of General PORTER, H. P. Commander at
Gofport; all the offi.:ers of the Fall Kent, Welt Kent,
and North Hants Militia. were there.
The fmall bait very genteel watering place of
Bognor *as, nn Toefd ty Jail, much enlivened by the
pretence of the Princefs CHAt vrrrt WALES, who
came from Worthing to dine with Lord SuDLIT.—
The morning was uthered in by the ringing of bells,
and at noon her Royal Highnefs made her appear.
ance On the Beach, whete the was tonrteoufly re-
ceived by Mrs. W. and addrelred in a beautiful and
energetic fpeech worthy only of the coral lip of the
fair and unadorned deliverer.
The fixty-flurth Annual Conference of the Society
of Methodills commenced at Liverpool on the 27th
of July, and terminated on Tuefday Jai ; the Rev.
John Barber was Prefident of the Conference.—lt
appears from the returns; that an increafe of 8492 '
Menibers has been made to the Society within thefe
kingdoms, in the entitle of the lait year---a number
materially exceeding the increafe iii any former year.
Thirty preachers have this year been admitted on
trial. Upwards of fifty new chards are appointed
to be built, and the Funds of the Society. Are to a very
&writhing lituation.
The march at cricket between the gentlemen of
Suffer, with Mars. Wills and Hammond, and the
Twineham and Cowfold Club, with three picked
men of all England, commenced on the Prince's
grr.und on Thurfday, The Cowfold and Twineham
Club won by fix wickets.

On Tudday a poor man was employed in finking
a well at Cheltenham, when the earth fell in, and
covered him all but his head. Immediate Alliance
was obtained, but in the endeavour to refcue him the
earth fell in a fecond time, entirely coveting him up.
It was two hours and a half before he was extricated,
when he was fund quits dead. The means of re
floriag fufpended life were ufed without facet. He
has left a wife and three children to lament his 14s.

On Monday fall, as fome workmen were digging
for the foundation of a honfe near the Mount, without
Micklegate Bar, York, they bruke into a vault, about
four feet front the fitrface, built of Hone, and arched
over with Roman bricks, with a fmall door of en-
trance at the north end ; the length of the vault was
eight fitet, the height fit feet, and breadth five feet :
in this was difco'ered a coffin of coarfe rag (lone
grit, c‘vcred with a fl '34 of blue Hone, about (even
feet long, 3 feet two inches wide, four inches thick,
and one loot nine inches deep, containing an human
ficeleton entire, with tne teeth complete, fuppofed to
be the remains of a Roman Lady, and to have been
depofited there from 1400 to 1700 years. Near the
Ann lay a fmall glafs phial or lachrymatury. with
.fragments of another phial, the infide of which ap-
peared to have been filvetcd. At a little eiftancc
!rum the vault was alto found an ut n of a red colour,
in which were drpofited the of and hones, partly
burnt, of an human body. It is fuppofed that the urn
■tuft have lain there near :ono years.
Merseret Alma and Efizakth Frame, alias Gill,
Were yefterday folly committed from Worfbirareet
Offset, for healing a quantity of Milt linen from the
!Imp of Mr. Alexander, draper, in Shot editch. Mary
tarry, a fuppofed accomplice, was difcharged.

LATE FIRE AT CHATHAM DOCK YARD.

CHATHAM, AUGUST as.
An invefligation was on Tuefday morning entered
on by Commiffioners HOPI and the principal Officers
of the Yard, in order to dete&, if poffible, the mire
of the fire which broke out on the preceding night
in the Dreffing-houfe, when it was clearly afcertained
that, it could not have been the effe& of accident.
Every meafure that vigilance could fuggefi has hi.
therm been exerted in vain to difcover the perpe
trators of this diabolical attempt. In order the more
ctFeetually to prevent the recurrence of a fimilar at-
tempt, the Guard. have been doubled—a Guard
boat rows from one end c.f the Dockyard to the
I other, during the night—all egrefs from the lower
gate of the Dock Yard is denied to any petfon of
/ whatever fituatinn—and nn perfon, not even thole
belonging to the Yard, sill be admitted into it after
vine o'clock.

When the fire was fiat difcnvered, the Officers of
the Royal Marines were all affembled at their very
elegant Mefs-room, in their Barracks near the Dock-
yard, at which they were entertaining their friends
with a ball, in their phial llyle of fplendour and
liberality :immediately the fiat alarm was given they
all left the gay and fellive fcene, to tender every
Alliance in their power to avert the impending
danger, which, at fo important a crifis, threatened
one of the largeft depots of naval florets in the Em-
pire; and In timely and effedtual were their exertions,
that the following letter was fent to their Command•
ing Officer on the next day:—

“ SIR,

" Chatham Doc Yard, Anima i&

" I beg leave to return you my fincere that*. for the affillanee
you was kind enough to direec to be alfarded by the Royal Marines
in Barracks, viwartis estinguiihing the fire, that unfortunately
broke out in the Dock yard lalt night; and I beg you will com-
municate to the Officers of that Corps. that from the zeal and the
adivity of the men under their refpedtive commands, is to he at-
tributed in a great meafure, the early ezdndliol of the fire, which
Mall not fail to reprefent to the Lords Commiffioners of the Ad-
miralty, and have the honour to be. Sir,

. _
" Your molt bumble Servant,
0 CHARLES HOPE.
" Colonel Anderfon, Commandant of the

Royal Marion, Chatham."

Thurfday General Sir -PION AS TRIGGRI K.B. and
Lieutenant General of the Ordnance, Gen. MORS!.
General Eyst.sicu, Colonel Taattovr, WILLIAM
Srawcia, and WILLIAM FLI,MING, Efquires, the
Commiffioners appointed by As of Parliament for
the purpofe of afcertainino the value of fome Lands,
lately taken pnlfeffion off r the public ufe, near the
Powder Magazine, at Pivot Point, in the parifh
of Portfea, met at the George Inn ; and after a Jury,
confining of Sir John Carter. Kro, Thomas Fitzher •
bert, George Ponta, George Garrett, Wm. Grant,
George Grant, Benjamin Stow, William Turner,
William Page, William Threther, Wm. Harward,
James Brown, and J •htt Allen Hickley, Efquires,
v.tre (worn; the Chairman, General Sir THoso•s
TRIGGS, explained to them, in a very mallerly
fpeech. (wherein he traced the progrefs of war,
from the earlieft times) the neceffiiy for taking poi
feffion of certain Lands in the Kingdom, for the
purpufe of ereeting fortifications and other defences
again(} our implacable enemies, for which the pro-
prietors were p.tid by Government, if the terms
could be agreed on ; but where they could not come
to an agreement, it was left to a Jury of the county,
to afcertain the value to be paid. He firongly recant.
Mended that the full value Mould be given, and if
any doubt fhould wife in their minds on the fuhjeft.
as to the preCife rum which (honk! be fairly allcwed,
he thought it right the Jury fhould give the turn of
the fcale to the proprietor. The Lands to be valued,
were fituated near the Magazine, at Stamfh:tw, con-
filling of about z 6 atres, the property of Mrs. Ridge,
for which a furn of 13001. had been demanded ; and
which Land had been valued by three eminent Sur.
veyors, employed by the Board of Ordnance, at the
Cum cif 7051. which latter fum had been offered, but
refufed--and about 27 acres, the property of John
Haller, Efq, adjoining, for which a funs of 42001.
had been demanded, and which had been valued by

the fame Surveyors at 13351. which was alto offered,
but had been refuted. Mr. Gaaabw and Mr.Wi Lana
appeared as Connfel for the Board of Ordn ne e ; Mr.
GASELEE for Mrs. Ridge; and Mr. Waists° and
M. GAsPLEE for Mr. Hellier. The claims of the
proprietors wet* moll ably hated by Mr. Miffing and
lsir. Galilee. Many witneffes were examined. tome
of whom let high values on the lands as brick earth,
tile clay, etc. The Jury gave a verdict of 2501. to
Mrs. Ridge, and 19181. to Mr. Hellier.
Russian TRADE.—The Ukafe of the Emperor
ALEXANDER, an the fubje9 of Commerce, which his
here t.cited tome intereii, bears date the IR January,
1807, though it was not publiffied at St. Peterfbingh
till very litely. It contains a variety of Regulations,
tending to increafe the relpeCtability of the mercan•
tile charaCter, by various and honorary privileges to
the native Ruffian merchants, and alto to encourage
the Nobility of Riiffia to enter into commercial com•
panics. With regard to foreigners, no foreign mer
chant can infcribe himfclf in the Guilds of Ruffian
merchants, which feem to be affociatians enjoying
certain privileges. Foreign merchants, befidcs, are
to pay is. 4.d. per cent. on their capital. 'They are
nut permitted to trade internally with other foreign.
ers, but only with Ruffian merchants,' neither can
they trade by retail, nor open any limp or warehoute
fur that purpote ; nor can they purchafe goods for
exportation in the towns or villages, but cnly on
Change, by wholefale, from Ruffian merchants.—
Thee are the principal hardffiips under which the
foreign merchant labours ; and it is evident their cva
lion canner he very difficult.
The Affixes for the city of Cork terminated !all
Tucfday, and proved what is called a maiden one,
no capital conviCtion having taken place.
On the 3d uh. three privates of the z6th Regiment
were tried before a Special Court at St. John's; An-
tigua, for the minder of a negro (lave, named Sambo,
the property cf William Martin, Efq. The names
of the prifimers were Maurice :)onsers, johit
and Pivrid Rcurie, all young men. The trial 'aged
feveral hours; and the Jury, after a fhort delihera•
tion, returned a verdict of Guilty againtt all the
three ptifoners. Some circumtlances of a favoura-
ble nature with retpe& .to the prifoner Rourke ap
pearing in the courfe of the trial, induced the jut v
to recommend him to his Majetly's mercy. Rourke
was the only one of thefe three onfortunate yonwr:
men who could appeal to the Officers of their Regi
meut tot a charaeter. They were executedun the t tth.