Star.
London, England, 1809-06-22 00:00:00

PORTSMOUTH, itliq 21.

Arrived the PacrricTon gun-btig from a cruize.—
Bailed his Majesty's ships ULyssgt to the Eastward,
and Vintrto Guernsey. His Majesty's ship Lrruz
Zat.T, with a few ships for the West-Indies, will sail
tomorrow. His Majesty's ship JAMAICA takes convoy
to Newfoundland, and DIIIPENDEIt to Guernsey, &c.

• VINWAIIVIKIEVII7 'l2 7! •

• •
' The 2a battalion of ,the Sth.auFlSOtk Won%
lately embarked at Portsr4outh, suppesed for Jersey,
have received milers to send all their heavy baggage;
en shore. The Bth are Omit 600-431 d the 96th about
400 strong. It is thottgit• that. they are now to faro
part of a small army to-make a descent:upon sane
part of the Freach.coast.
Brigadier-General SEDDoN, late of the 22d Light
Dragoons, and Brigadier-General Mostrum, of tie
German Legion, have arrived at Portsmouth to tike;,
their passage to Portugal; to serve with Dianlial Ba-
RIOfIoRD in the POrtuguese ilnpy. • •
Yesterday Alit North York Regi!oetat, siatioued at
Deal, received orders ,to march to Shone Ctiff, for.
which place they set out ttbis !warning. •
By the last Act of Parliolatit relating to theLocak
Militia, the Colonels are eappowesed, at all times; to
.
receive volunteers into, their regiments, who are to be
sworn in for four years p—ibew volunteers receive no
bounty, but are, of course, exempted from all ballots.

The total number of Cadets sent out by the East
'' India Company for the last 16 years, , amounts to
4254. The number of Writers sent oat during the
same period is 635.

I -The great sickness which was so prevalent in the
army after its return from Spain, some time ago,
proved peculiarly fatal to the Medical Staff of Re-
giments. Many very meritorious officers have thus
fallen a sacrifice to the incessant fatigues attendant
on a conscientious discharge of their duty under such
melancholy circumstances. The life of a medical
man, employed in attending the victims of pestilential
disease, is exposed to peril far greater than in the
field of battle ; and it would be but barely justice to
the relatives, and to the memory of the unfortunate
sufferers, if the same favourable notice were taken of
them as if he had actually fallen by the bullet or
sword of the enemy. Surely their lives have been as
dearly sacrificed. When an.officer is killed in action,
bis relatives become entitled to a sum of money equal
to one year's full pay of his respective rank ; and we
think the same favour, at least, should be extended
to the relatives of such medical men, who fall in a
cause equally glorious, and not less exempt from
*danger. Some of these Officers have left widows and
large families unprovided for. Are not these proper
objects for the assistance of the Patriotic Fund ?
Whenever cavalry shall hereafter be required on
our continental expeditions, the regiments of heavy
dragoons are; we understand, to be employed in com-
mon with the light horse. Most of our heavy regi.
rnents are as fit and well calculated for this service as
any of the light. Of the former description of horse,
none, perhaps, of the heavy regiments are at thin mo-
ment in a higher state of discipline and fitness for
service, than the 4th, or Royal Irish Dragoon Guards.
We think it but simply justice due to the great zeal
of Colonel SUMAC", the present Commanding Of-
ficer of this good old regiment, to sly, that in the
course of the very short period of his command, he
has, by unwearied **lnks', brought the corps to that
state of discipline and appearance, both of men and
horses, which reflects on him the highest credit. This
regiment is still at Birmingham and No tinghara, and
has been there more than a year and a halt.

Captain BAriCLAY is steadily pursuing his very at
cluouc undertaking. He has only changed his ground:
once, ,ind that ground, which is constantly kept wa-,
ter,2d, 15 on turf.
Sunday when Colonel DORIM of the Royal Horse
Guards (Blue) had returned to the barracks at Wind-
sor, with the regiment from church, he mounted his'
horse with a view of paying a morning visit to the
Earl of HARCOCRT, at St. Leonard's-hill • the horse
being very young, and not accustomed to feel a sworp
against his side, became restive, and at length turned
suddenly round and threw tug Colonel; he unfortu-{
natelv fell upon the left side of his head, and was ap-
parently lifeless; he was conveyed to his apartments
in a senseless state. We are happy to say he was bet-
ter on Tuesday.
Monday se'nnight, as a party of recruits belonging
to.the tcl battalion of the 90th regiment, at present
quartered at Armagh, were firing blank cartridges
on the parade ground, one of them got, by mistake, a
box of balls, in place of blanks—the first shot he
fired, the ball struck the.hilt of the sword of a drum.'
mer, entered his groin, and lodgedln the opposite side
of his belly; he lingered about twelve hours in great
agony; when he expired. lie was in the 18th year
of his age, and was to have been married the next
day. On tLe following morning, two of the men
fired away their ram-rods, one of which very narrow-
ly escaped the Colonel. •
Last Friday, as some of the artillery were prac-
tising throwing-shellson a common near Seven Oaks,
in Kent, it was observed that one of them did not
explode, and every search was made for it in vain.
An. old- woman, who had taken it up, was passing at
the time with a basket on her am,: but the soldiers
little thought she was in possession of that which they
had so diligeotly sought after. The old woman was
on her way to a neighbouring brick-kiln, where she
produced her prize to the men at walk, who, after
rolling it *boat, abserrid some grains of gun:powder
to drop fromit, and foolishly determined on firing it'
off; the old woman, who most likely had witnessed
the effects of others thrown by. the soldiers, got out cfi
the way ; a lighted fire-brand 'was then applied to'
the gunpowder,- the shell instaithmeouslT exploded,
•"4 INV