Star.
London, England, 1815-12-23 00:00:00

FRENCH PRO I'ESTANTB.

The promised Authentic account of the events that'
. have taken place at Nismes, appeared in an Evening
Paper last night, .and proves to be, as we expected,
an extract from a pamphlet published some time ago'
by M. MtcitAlto, Printer to the King, with nb other
object but to blacken the Protestints.and white-wash
their persecutors. We shall endeavour to make room
for it on Monday ; for, like almost every justification
of persecution preserved on record, it is so overcharged
• With allegations on the one hand, and justifications of
crimes on the other, as to defeat its object. It is a

production only to be equalled in the baseness
of its design by the absurdity of its statements.
As the affair of the 12th of November is most fresh
in the recollection of our Readers, we shall refer to
the account of that scandalous day. 14 It is not pre-
tended to palliate that disorder," but why then omit
to state that the Protestant tetbples had been shut for
several months, and that when the smallest was to
be opened by order of the Duke d'Arroout.san, who
assured the Protestants of his favour and protection,
after the business of the Bth, the day on which he en-
tered Nimes, and which is assigned as the reason for
the reaction on the 12th ? Not a word of complaint
or reproof, from the Duke is pretended to have beeh
given. " The violent interruption of the Protestant
worship was a serious offetaa,"—it *as not an
interruption, bat a prevention " though only com-
mitted by an assemblage of women and children,
deserves not the less esemplary punishment."—
Via we deny ; the conduct of silly women and
ignorant children does deserve less severe punish-
ment than that of an organized and inveterate mob.
And, by the bye, in what a state must Nismes, and
the Protestants of Nismes especially, be, when women
and boys could set at defiance the public authority,
and prevent the Reformed from celebrating public
worship. But we deny the truth of this" attempt to
palliate that disorder." Women and children dare
not, could not, effect what was effected, uniku they
were supported, and protected and directed by a
powerful party.
u A ruffian murdered LA °AIM and doubtless
Ise ltag long premeditated the ant;" but remember
brifts a soldier of the National Guard, or rather of
'Pushups's company. "No one sided the assassin."
Vltlry really—how could 91 men pull one trigger ?--
sad why should they aid him when the first blow,
and that be aimed, was so effectual ? u No one pro-
tected him." Was not his escape protection—and
has he not been protected so this day 1 u He was the
only man on. the spot." Then the more easily de-
tected and seized by the assistants of the Ge-
neral. 14 And the women would doubtless have
arrested him, but for the rapidity of his flight,
and the terror with which they were impressed"—
that is, the women and children were so formidable
as to require the General and an armed force to quell
them, and so blood-thirsty as to endeavour to kill
the Protestants; but all at once they are powerless
and sentimental, wicked and absurd ! But 46 the
King published an Ordonnance against the authors
of the assassination"—why so ? it was only one ruf-
fian. 44 Dispositions were made for quartering the
troops ow the inhabitants of Nismes, till the assassin
and his accomplices are brought to trial." But what
becomes of the women and children, and how is it
that this ruffian has not been taken, when the pocket
as well as the virtue of every inhabitant, most bt in-

teitiital In talci. eg The CTillie iiiai ioinmittei
by one Min alone, unaided, in the midst of • etowd
of women indignant'at his crime, bn Sunday, 12th
of Novembert and. no*, Saturday, 23d of December,
we have nbt heard that he has been taken. What
must the Public think of the. Courier ? Happilf the
same paper that gives the poison, ptesents the anti-
dote; and on the same day that this attack is Made
on the French Protestants, the Authorities of this
country are exhorted to make Mr. MAasn, the note-
rious opposer of the Bible Society, Dam of West-
minster.

We have an account of the affair of the 12th of
Novembrr, from the Pamphlet just published by the
down' itee of the Dissenting Ministers. We shall
publis:i it on Monday, if possible, and leave the Public
to decide which is really authentic.

It is not wonderful that the Bill proposed by Mr.
Wasearonca, and which will probably come on
early in the approaching Session, for the registry and
regulation of Slaves, should excite alarm among men
engaged directly or indirectly in a wicked and prohi-
bited commerce ; but it must appear surprizing that
the House of Assembly of Jamaica, composed err
tirely of honourable men, should chew so much ten-
derness about penalties and forfeitures which can
never affect them—for law are made only for the 'pitied
and di:Jed:lost.

It is A truth, however much the fact may be kept
out of view by certain men, that immense numbers
of Africans continue to be carried away from their
native country to the West Indies; and justice re-
quires that effectual means should be adopted to pi-e-
-vent their importation into Islands where the traffic
has been prohibited : but this is not all that is re-
quired at the hand of Justice. Slavery itself must be
' abolished ! but first the condition of the slaves must
' be ameliorated ; but this can never be accomplished
without the intervention of legal enactments.—
It does not follow, however, that emancipation
must be accompanied with injustice. Let the slaves
be fitted for the blessing by proper education
ttreatment is included in the means of education].
Let their hours of labour be settled by law—let them
be paid for over labour, and those who can m..ke a
proper use of liberty will acquire property. Let the
value of tt slave be fixed (as was the case in the
French Islands) and give the slave a right to redeem
*a
day of each week at a set price; on which day he
may labour for his own emolument, and thus acquire
property to buy a second day—and so 'of the re-
maining days, till he has purchased his entirefreedom.
Thus, in process of time, will a race of free labourers
be produced, and the benefits of hired labour be en-
joyed by the planters—a system greatly preferable in
every point of view, whctlicr religious, political, ur
commercial, to that of culture by slaves.

We have received, by the ship Perseverance, letters
from Buenos Ayres up to 24th September; but they
are extremely barren of news, no late accounts having
been received Iron) Peru.

An Order has been issued -in the Canary Islands,
enjoining that tilt Mails, from whatsoever quarter
they may arrive, are :o be carried to the Governor's
house, and examined before delivery to the public.—
It is supposed that this measure originated in the
circumstance of the late General Postage being a
native of the Canaries.
&arra A IJERICA.—In Venezuela the Patriots are
fast dislodging their oppressors : the Mexicans are
also making great progress id the work of emancipa-
tion ; and every thing indicates that the whole of
South America will soon be fete. Can any person
regret this who has marked the character of FERDI-
NAND'S Government, and who can make a proper
estimate of the injury sustained by well regulated
Governments when popular clamours result from the
abuse of power in other countries?
Brussels Papers to the 20th, arrived last eight, but
their contents are not important. The principal cir-
cumstances therein mentioned are, the Address of the
Inhabitants of Phillipeville on their annexation to the
Netherlands, with the KlNces Answer ; and an
announcement, that the new Work of the Abbe de
Pam, on the Vienna Congress, has been seized by
the Police of Paris.
The Earl of SELKIRK, Lady, and Family, arrived
at Montreal. via New York, on the 3d ultimo.
The influx of rung Kitten and Misses from the
Boarding Schools, for miles round the metropolis,
has, for some days past, been enormous ; it is calcu.
hated that not less than thirty thousand happy juve-
oars have entered by the turnpike-gates of the four
great roads, to spehd the holidays with their friends
and relatives ; and we sincerely wish them all many
happy returns of the season.
We understand that the LORD MAYOR gives a
Public Dinner at the Mansion House to a limited
number every day in the week (Sundays excepted).
The porter stationed at the front gate has a slate,
which describes the number for each day. The Low
MAY YOR'S friends have only to call and put their names
down for any day that suits them. If they intend
dinin•• on the day they call, it must be before twelve
o'clock.
PEDESTRI Amsu.--Maidstone, Dec. 22, (19th Day.)
This morning Turret started at two o'clock. and
with the assistance of his son, accomplished at nine
o',:lock 25 miles ; at twelve they had gone 34 miles ;
in the whole, at six o'clock, 54 miles and three guar.
ten, and ten minutei before nine they finished with
65 miles.
Tea 13LACKHILATH PRIMTRIAIL—TIip labours of
E/ems, whose task was to walk 1100 miles in 1100
successive hours, drat", to a •close—his unabated
health and strength is at present so apparent that few
person's have the temerity to bet against his ultimate
success. At twelve o'clock this day he had com-
pleted 1032 miles, by which calculation he will conse-
quently achieve his hertulean -task by eight o'clock
on Tuesday morning. •