Star.
London, England, 1822-11-20 00:00:00

EDINBURGH, NOVEMBER 16.

The Canal packet,. frpm Lock /4. 16, came into
rt Hopetoun, at ten o'clock on Wednesday night,
crowded with passengers. Although time are lamps
at the landing, place, its unfinished state renders it
dangerous to persons unacquainted with the spot.—
Amongst the passengers were several members of the
Edaiburgh Tljeatre, returning from Glasgow. While
a porter was arranging their luggage on a truck, a
Gentleman, with his trunk, deviated in the darkness
fi om the path,and fell into the canal. Several persons
gave assistance, and, just as he was got out, another
splash was heard, and a second person smmersed,who
proved to be Mr. Hilliard, of the Theatre ; fortunately
be was quickly ertricated,with the loss of an umbrella
the struggle. While his friends were advising him
t) hasten home, a third splash, was distinctly heard,
accompanied with an outcry of " a woman has fallen
in, hand the boat-hook." The general agitation in-
creased, but the feelings of a husband and daughters
were estreme.on discovering that Mrs. Nicol, having
stepped aside.for her umbrella, had gone bead fore-
most into the basin. By the activity of porters and
boatmen she: was, however, soon rescued from her
perilous situation;having retained sufficient presence
of mind te,conclude -that her clothes would support
her until she seized the proffered hook. She walked
home as fast as her powers would permit under such
circumstances, and everything being done to prevent
cold,this distinguished public favourite and deserving
private character, has not suffered any great injury.
Tuesday, Alexander Gow, servant to Lord GRAY,
was found drowned in a mill-dam, near Kinfauns
Castle. The deceased left his house after dinner, on an
errand to the Castle, and it is supposed that, owing
to the darkness of the night, he missed his way on his
return. It appears that, after he had fallen, he made
several unsuccessful attempts to save himself,as seve-
ral slender shrubs which grew upon the banks of the
i:am were found torn from their roots, having yielded
to the strength of his dying grasp. A widow and four
ailthen have to lament the uirtimely fate of the hos-
band and the father.

The Duke of Ski/mimic has granted the tenantry
upon part of his e,tates a deduction of from 20 to SO
per cent, from their rents, pad relinquished all arrears.
Oue tenant,whose rent was 2401. got formerly 401. of,
and now got 601. more. This seules agricultural dis-
tress in that quarter.
Sir W. PuRVES H uNils CAMPAILLL, aut. of March-,
tnont, has announced his-intention of granting tc!eacki
of the numerous tenants on his estate an abatement ;
of from 50 down to 20 per cent. and some during the
term of their lease, tenants in the vicinity of Greenlaw.
A Goon CIIIALACTiR.-1 person of Plymouth wishing to bc
informed of the character of a labouring man whom he intended
to empioy, wrote to a kspectahle inhabitant to wlroin he was
referred, and from whistu he received the following note, the pith
of which we have printed in italics :—" Mr. —begs to inform
Nlr. that be Ims known— for a number of years, and newt
I new (anything wrong (:f Una but that 1 being 03 h.nwst and intlns-
• rips iiosueg /Mist!".

O 1 • .
YVON COUla OkdrommALry, NOY.' 19.
tabatsoN V. PRATER.
•
The principal facts 6f the case were stated in our
Paper of Wednesday last, and this day Lord STOWELL
delivered his judgment respecting it. His Lordship
' began by recapitulating the circumstance; and ob-
served that the question which he was called upon
to decide related to the just and proper distribution
of certain prize-money that arose from the capture'
of La Esperanza, a Spanish merchautman, in the
year 1806, and in the harbour of Ruenos•Ayres, soon
after the reduction of that place by the joint expedi-
tion under Sir W. Beresford and Sir li. Popham. The
history of that enterprise was well known ; it was not
undertaken by directions from the Government, but
on the responsibility of the, parties who commanded,
though their proceedings were subseqUently approved
and confirmed at home. Sir H. Popham soon quitted
the place with the naval force under his command,
leaving Captain Thomson, who was Chief Officer on
board the Neptune, with the Pegasus, because the
latter drew less water. Sir W. Beresford remained
at Buenos Ayres with a garrison composed of soldiers,
and of seamen trained to the use of small arms. In
1813 a warrant was granted by the Crown,by the advice
of the Lords Commissioners of the Treasury, directing
that a moiety of the value of the prize in question should
be distributed among thecaptors, and Mr. Frazer, an
agent, was instructed to prepare a scheme for its
due apportionment. The subject under consideration
had been for a long time pending, and its settlement
retarded by circumstances which were easily •ei-
plained. The transaction was remote in point of dis-
tance, and had sinceecorne remote in point of date.
Sir William I3etesford had been employed since it oc-
curred in various services, both military and civil,
and in different parts of Europe, whilst the other
parties had been dispersed likewise in the course of
their professional duties. He came then at once to
the plain and essential merits of the case before him.
A Spanish vessel, La Esperanza, coming from Cadiz,
was seen sailing into the harbour, totally ignorant
of the capture of the town and fortress, or of their
being at that time in the possession of an enemy. Her
approach -was perceived from the ramparts, upon
which Sir W. Beresford ordered Spanish colours to
be hoisted, and the guns to be pointed against her.
Such was the ordinary stratagem employed by an
enemy for the purpose of deceiving the master and
crew of a vessel under similar circumstances. At
this time Captain Thompson was on Arose, no doubt
for justifiable reasons, and Lieutenant Bishop was
left in command of the Pegasus. Hz, it seemed, with
a view of compelling the Spanish vessel to anchor,
ordered a musket to be fired across her as she passed
on. This had the desired effect ; but it did not fol-
' low that it was a submission to a hostile force, or that
it took place under the influence of terror. Here
was no resistance made, as was made" in the case
that was cited of a vessel carried into Ostend, and
afterwards condemned, in which one of the vessels
alluded to had mounted three swivels, whilst the
other had only musketry on board. With regard
to the first capture then, he saw no pretence for
saying that it' was complete by means of stbe
shot fired from the Pegasus. Indeed, he should
not consider it more extravagant to term the anchor-
ing of a vessel coming up the River Thames, in con-
sequence of a shot fired from Tilbury Font, a sur-
, render on one side and capture on the other. Cap-
' tain Thompson, who was then, as he had said, ashore,
offered to go urt take possession w7th twenty men.
Sir W. Beresford, already apprised of the situation
of the Esperanza, readily accepted the offer, aad sup-
plied him with a large boat or launch, that had be-
longed to•the Spanish Viceroy, and was therefore at
his (Sir W. Beresford's) disposal. The vessel was ac-
cordingly so taken possession of, and Without resist-
ance. Now, as to the scheme of distribution, it was
not for that Court to controul the Royal bounty,
even though the wisdom of its advisers might seem
to have slumbered. Any inaccuracies or errors in
the warrant might be rectified, but the clear and
direct mandate of the Crown was binding, and he
found that the military were expressly included in it.
This might render the share of Captain Thompson
and his mariners very small, and he (Lord Stowell)
wished sincerely that it were larger, but small funds
produced small profits, nor was the adventure of
that class that reflected any particular splendour on
those engaged in it. It was not any example of
heroism, or of that undaunted alacrity in encounter-
ing a bloody contest which they sometimes, heard of.
It was no more than he should expect from any 20
stout young men employed on the Thames, and ac-
customed to rough %feather. This last secured to be
the only hazard to which the undertaking was sub-
ject. He doubted mnch whether the vessel could
have escaped from the guns of the fortress, and did
not apprehend that the case bore the slightest analogy
to that of the two English vessels which afterwards
effected their retreat. It was admitted that Sir W.
Beresford was entitled, and how then exclude the'
garrison? Captain Thompson and his seamen had
shared the booty taken, in the successful 'expedition
under Sir Robert Arbuthnot, which was almost con-
temporary; the seamen being trained to the use of
small arms, were considered as soldiers, and there
was the less ground for lamentation in the present
instance. Looking at the case in these different points
of view, he could not regard it as one of injustice or
hardship, and certainly could not admit it to be one
in which the Court ought to alter or distirrb the
scheme which had been proposed.