Star.
London, England, 1809-11-23 00:00:00

MEETING OF PARLIAMENT.

Yesterday, his MAJESTY in Council, was pleased
order the Parliament to be summoned to meet, for
she dispatch of bwiness, on Tuesday, the 23d of Ja-
nuary ; it was accordingly further Prorogued rom
the sth day of December to the above day. A Pro-
clamation for that purpose will be posted up at the
usual places, and it will [Aso appear in Saturday
night's Gazette.

Private letters by the Flushing Mails of yeiterday,
speak of the health of the troops as somewhat im
proved by the cold weather, but state the number of
sick, notwithstanding all that have been sent home,
as being from five to six thousand.
A deputation from the principal merchants and in-
habitants waited a few days ago on General DoN, to
ascertain whether there was any intention to evacuate
Walcheren. His answer was, that he had received
no instructions to that effect.—To this we may add,
that live bullocks are now shipping at Yarmouth for
Walcheren, which some may consider as a farther in-
dication that the Island is not to be abandoned. But
neither of these facts are of the smallest weight in as-
certaining what are the intentions of Government
respecting that conquest. The troops while they con_
tinge there, and especially the invalids and conva.
lescents, must have fresh provisions to the last hour
of their residence in that pestilential climate : nor
could it be expected that the Commander in Chief
would feel himself justified in giving a direct and un-
qualified answer to the question proposed to him.
When the British and Spanish troops had possession
of Toulon, soon after the commencement of the
' late war, to a similar application made by the inha-
bitants, the Commander in Chief returned a similar
answer to that now given by General DON ; and
yet on the following day the place was abandoned !
—lf it be at all necessary to the safe abandonment of '
the place that the enemy should be kept in ignorance /
of the preparations, circumstances, and period, no di-
rect answer can be given to a public deptm.tion.—
It would be the sane as to proclaim it at the enemy's
head-quarters !

One of the letters that we have received from Wal-
cheren, states, that General DON has just sent over to
General ROSEAU, at the French outpost at Breskins,
all the remaiuder of the sick and French prisoners
of war; and lielcwsie all the French Physicians, Sur-
geons, and Apothecaries, who were our prisoners.—
What does this indicate?

Information has been rccf; ved at Walcheren, from
Antwerp, that two divisions of a flotilla, each of 300
sail, had reached that place from Boulogne, and that
two others are to follow; and that the most vigorous
preparations are making at the Arsenal at Antwerp;
and General Dox is doing what he can at Walcheren
to repel such •isitors, should they venture to pay their
respects to him. Does not this fact furnish a sufficient
reason for the kind of answer given by the General
to the deputation that waited upon him ?
Some of the letters from Flushing state, that 1
accounts had reached them from the neighbouring
islands, that the greater part of the French army was
proceeding to Gallicia, for the purpose of ultimately
co-operating with the Russians in their attack upon
the Porte. This is not precisely the quarter in which
BONAPARTE could render the greatest service to his
Ally. An army proceeding from Dalmatia and the
I late cessions, which should combine its movements
with those of the Russians ia Wallachia, would be
likely to accomplish the destruction of the Ottomans
more expeditiously and effectually ; and possibly we
may also soon hear of such a movement.,

The subjoined letters contain some interesting mat-
ter, and our readers will find some farther intelligence
respecting military movements connected with Wal-
cheren, in our Army article i

“ FLUSHING, NOVEMBER is.

We'have not received any official notification of
the intention of Government to abandon this island,
but every thing indicates that it will speedily take
place. Our merchants are making every preparation
by selling their goods, and it has subsisted in some
degree as a matter of conversation, because every
body supposes that it will happen.
" Cargoes of sick are almost daily shipped off from
Walcheren, but as the hospitals are emptied, they are
filled again by new patients. Although not less than
5000 have been sent from hence, there remain upwards
of 6000 to be embarked in the same miserable state
for England.
" We have heard from the opposite coast of a battle
having been fought between the British and Toulon
fleets, but we do not know whether to believe it or not',