Star.
London, England, 1812-02-15 00:00:00

DEAL, FEBRUARY 14.

We have experienced to-day a very heavy gale
from the W.S.W. A ship from St. John's, tor New
Brunswick, last from Portsmouth, has parted one
anchor and let go another, by which she appears to
ride very well. 'lame ships have cut and gune for
Ramsgate. Several ships have arrived from the Wes-
tward. His Majesty's ships arc all well, except the
RINALDO, and the has sprung her foremast.

Eve o'clock.—Wind due West, and m.,re mode-
rate weather.

DISTRIBUTION OF PRIZE MONEY.

Desiree, for the Financier And la Vtlociterre, on board, this
day ; recalled at 1 .111rogmer.on• street, Wednesdays and

Wu'odlark, fur the Dry Gebroeders, and St. Neil, on board, on
Saturday; rerAed at. 6, Stanhope-street.
N'enerable, Dreadnought, Ardent, and Russell, frrr la Petro-
nelle, cu Friday, at, r. Lockysteb, Plymouth; recalled Tues-
days and Ft Way*.

The Three Sisters, CCM), from London to Brigh-
ton, was di iven on shore yesterday near 13roadstairs.
The Venus, Jones, from Poole to Ste-Michael's, is
lost at the latter place. •

The Hope, WlLmr.or, from St. Michael's to Li-
verpool, was lost near St. Alban's Head, on Monday
last.

The Ounce, anagram. from Rio Janeiro io
rankam, is lost near the latter plick.
It is reported that the Comet, of New Bedford,
Allwit Master, from Savannah, was taken the 27th
ult. by a French privateer, and lost near Fecamp.
Wednesday morning, at 2 o'clock, A.M. when cruiz•
ing about '2 leagues b. W. of the Eddystone Light-
house, the crew of the trawl, or fishing-boat Industry,
of Plymouth, perceived a vessel at a short distance
with blue lights fore and alt; and presuming she was
a vessel in distress or in want of a pilot, immediately
bare down towards her; they soon upon nearing her
found she was a cutter, and were about to hail her,
when she fired a whole broadside, and a heavy shower
of musquetry into the poor Tracolu, Lowever for-
tunately without doing any injury, as the men,
perceiving the lighted matches waving on board the
cutter, had previously quitted the deck. The cutter
is conjectured to be a French privateer—she immedi-
ately made sail, and at day-light was not to be seen.

...nte whole of the papers etf ies?erday mistook the
!t ant" —of the Gentleman litho spoke in the debate on
Thuirsdiy n_igit, initisediatay aftifihir.portittasa
and before- Mr. VirlilTltliD. in MAK.. ft was Mr.
Ecustcra:, and not Mr. siptertfa. ,
Gni:gait. ELsoirent.-.4113,.. W moil it...iifirratirfit
M.P. for 'Berkshire, lui sitait Ns intention of ri-
iirina froni Parliansena. '1 wet, cane i4ues have start:-
eel, Mr. Hauer? and Mr. Coxonsvi.. Tli! former
has taken a decided part against atetses,and is favoui•
of reform, at the County Nleetiag ; the latter 11 is neVer
appeared as a politic'an. But One of the Berkshire
Members has generally been taken from• the Hilt,
that is east of Reading, and the other from the Vale,
west of Reading : Mr. C. DuNbas lives in the latter,
so do the new candidates ; it is therefore probable
that the Hill and Forest will start a third. i
GOVERNMENT LIFE ANKUITIES.—The following
a short Scale of the Rates upon which Gnvernme
are now granting Life Annuities. They are payabt
, half yearly at the Bank of England, the same as .'-
Petitions fi ona the Dock-yards of Plymouth, Ports- I Dividends, and may be received by Power of Actor
mouth, Chatham, Deptford, Woolwich, and Sheer-' ney ; but the public are reclmniended to observe, tha •
ness, are now signing, praying relief from the in- ' the, can only be purchased while the S pit Centi at
come Tar. above 60 and under 81 :
Thursday was launched at Rotherhithe, the Dos- SCALE when 5 per Cent. Stocks are 63 and under 63.
Ayr. sr riseefr.
His Royal Highness the PRINCE RECENT held a taw, of 74 guns : she is a fine vessel, and went off A 'kris Ly, !I' RettiVel fir £lOO Stc4 setou Moog
Court, yesterday, at Carlton House. Soon after two i uncommonly well, the day being favourable, added a.; - - £4 13 - - £7 II 10
o'clock his Royal Highness entered the State Room, greatly to the beauty of the scene ; after which the , 40 - - 419 • - tl9 5
when a , company sat down to a sumptuous dinner, and an, • 41 . - 5 5 ' ' SII o
attended by Generals TURNER and Kelm., 56 . - 514 . - 9lt 3
Privy Council was held, which was attended by 1 elegant ball was given in the evening. • 51 . - 6 S .. • 10 0 0
The Lord President of fhe Council, the Lord Chancellor, the Yesterday a Court of Directors was held at the - 60 . • 6 111 - .. 11 010
East India House, when the following ships were . • 63 . . 116 . . II 13 7
Lord Privy Seal, the first Lord of the Treasury and Chancellor 70 - 9 9 - - 15 2
thus timed, viz.—Earl Howe 4 for Bengal ; to be 'r
of the Exchequer, the Master General of the Ordnance, the three7s - - 11 17 - - IS 19 2
h 6 d G 2t;
of
12th
the March, sent to Gravesend afloat
!.
Secretaries of State, the President of the Board of Controul, the All the intermediate Ages will receive in proportion
Earl of Harrowby, and the Duke of Montrose. : stay there 20 days, and be in the Downs 22d April ; Particulars may be had gratis, at the Government
Some trifling alterations in the late pricked list of the shps Diana and Juliana for Batavia ; Alexander Life, Annuity Office, Bank-street, or by writing, i'
for Madeira, Bengal, and Bencoolen; and Calmar.' the postage be paid: Annuities are granted on Join
Sheriffs tools place, and other State business; after
which the RECORDER of LONDON was admitted bun then for Madeira and Bengal, to be afloat the 12th
March, and sail from Gravesend the 12th April. Lives also.
the presence of the PRINCE, and made his Report of •
I COVENT GARDEN TIIEATRE.--The Oratorio e
some of the convicts under sentence of death in New. Four foreigners who *ere brought recently to Tht Messiah was last night perforated, with an de
gate. • London, under the surveillance of a King's Messen. the most delectable. BRAIIAN was perfectly hi
His Royal Highness gave audiences to Forl CAM- ger from Plymouth, are French officers of distinction; self; he gave the opening part 41/6 Comfort ye sty
being no humbler personages than General GIRARD. pie," with the happrest effect..- Madame CATALIi
DEN, Mr. PERCEYAL, the Marquis Wata.est.Er, and
and three of his Aides-de-Camp. They were brought sung the sublime air of el I, heavy that see R
the Earl of LIVERPOOL.I ovet from Corunna in the Hermes, and were received !meth," most divinely ; but she was still &ore ha
likew.
Mr. G. PONSONBY met with a severe accident on by the Messenger on their landing, by whom they in a sacred Italian Aria, " Osaka adorata 414wNe
Thursday evening, in crossing a street, the pole of a were conducted to town , and treated with the most Mr. Dimon was in fine voice : in the air 44 ittt th
carriage struck his side so severely as, to fracture a marked respect. It appears that Government was didst not leave his tom! is Hell," the effect was thieve
bytheir.bavingsent
rib, which we fear will detain him from his duty in apprised of their cominga Mes- monly impressive and sublime.
Parliament for some time. senner to the out-port to await their arrival. These also very successful ; and in the air of d h'', ercsi
Mrs: SIMONS, on her journey from Hull to Glas-
ROADlttutrr,
Mn. BLAND.*
officer.: must have made their escape from Spain in :lilted," was sweetly plaintive and effective. Mei.'
gow, has been attacked by a very tiolent illness, which order to avoid the reward that they had to expect BELLAWI, Goss, TINNEY, aril B
confines her to her -bed. I for the issue of the unfcirttrnate affair of Arroyo contributed to the general felicitous eleti of tb
The Proprietors of the Dubda Evening Herald de Molirio. What a horrible, tyranny that mast be evening's performance. The Howie was eligaiy4
have been served with notice of trial for the 20th inst. which acknowledges uo merit but what is attended filled ; and the Asmars, on this, Is on every occ:
for a libel on the Irish Geverameut respecting the , with success, and can prise no' services that are not sion, where they preside, have spared neither
pair
Catholic Delegates: j imiformly fortunate. 'nor expense for the public gratifications.-
.

This morning we received a letter from an Officer
in the ALCESTE, dated Lessa, December 8, containing
several pat ticulars respecting the late brilliant action,
which were not before stated. The letter states, that
on the 29th cf November, Commodore MAxwEr.r.,
with the ALCESTE, ACTIVE, and UsrrE, fell in with the
French squadron of three frigates, two of which were
taken, after a gallant action ; the third would also
have been captured had not the ALCESTE unfortu•
?lately lost her main-top-mast. The ALCESTE had
7 killed and 20 wounded, the Acrtve none, the
UNITE one. The prizes are the Pomone and Paulina.
The capture csf the former was known, but this is the
first account that has been received of the latter. The
prizes were fitting to send to Malta. The letter be-
stows the highest praise on the Commodore for the
skilful and gallant manner in which he carried his
ships into action.


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HIGH "'REASON.

SPECIAL COMMISSION.
MItinkSIONGER-LANEy 71118Att FAB. 14.

The Court met at half past nihe.
Samuel Macfarlane was put to the bar. The indict-
ment charged him with high treason, in adhering to
the King's enemies in the Isle of France in the month
of October, in the 50th of the King. Besides the other
avert acts proved against the prisoners who had been
previously convicted, Macfarlane was charged with
-enticing and inviting one Johu Young and one John
Curtis, British prisoners of war, to eater into the ser•
vice of the enemy as soldiers.
The ATTORNKI GENERAL shortly stated the lead-
ing point: of the case for the Jury.
William Carter was the first witness examined, and
he proved, that the prisoner was hif shirrnate on board
the Sirius, and that they were taken in that ship by
the French on the 25th of August, 1810, and impri-
soned together at the Isle of France. The prisoner
had frequently acknowledged that be was born in
the North of Ireland. In the middle otSeptember he
missed the prisoner, atid afterwards saw him about
the 30th of October at large, wearing the French uni-
form, and walking about the prison-gate in company
with four other British seamen, who had entered the
enemy's service, all in the same unifoi m. He looked
In at the grating of the prison, and seemed laughing
and skylarking (sporting) with his companions.—
Witness told him he hoped he would soon be hanged.
The prisoner made no answer, but smiled, and walked
away. He said nothing -at the time, but looked
strangely at the witness. He had had rme conver-
sation with the prisoner before he left die, prison ;
and suspecting his intention, told him he hoped that
t:ie prisoner was not going to enter the French ser-
vice ; prisoner made i.o reply, but witness told him
the English were expected every day, and if the pri-
soner should enter the enemy's service and be taken,
he was sure to be hanged. The prisoner stamped
and said he did not care a damn ; that the witness
might light for his own King, and he would fight
fin- his.

Jelin Curtis, a marine, who was taken at the same
time with the prisoner, and imprisoned at Port Louis,
said, that after the prisoner (pitted the prison, lie saw
him at large in French uniform at his prison gate,.
and afterwards at the hospital, where wi:ness was
sick, and where the prisoner also came as a patient.
The prisoner asked him shy he -did not enter the
French service ? which he said he liked very well,
and was much better treated in all respects than in
the English service.
Two.other witnesses proved the principal facts.
The prisoner stated in his defence, that he took the
uniform to favo.ur his purpose of escape ; that he had
escaped, but was retaken by the French guard, and
sent back to prison.
Sir S. Le BLANC summed up the evidence, and
the Jury returned a verdict of—Guilty, but strongly
recommended the
, isoner to mercy, on the ground
of his not being seen in arms amongst the enemy.
Josiah Teal ter, alias Tester, was nest put to the bar,
and the same Jury re-sworn. The indictment stated
against the prisoner the same overt acts as in the fore.
going case.
Mr. ATTOWIRY-GENRRAL addressed the eburt and
Jury. He said they had beard the indictment just
read against the prisoner at the bar, and he felt it ne-
eessary now to state the object for which the prose.
eutions had been directed. It was ie order to hold
out an example which he hoped would generally go
for th to the whole naval and military service, and to
Convince those who might have the ill-fortune to be.
come prisoners of war with the enemy, that the tun-
porary !Pressure of severities to which they might be
exposed under such imprisonment, could not warrant
nor excuse them for one moment in deserting their
allegiance to their King and Country, and enlisting
under the banners of the enemy in open hostility to
both. The twelve prisoners who had been indicted
on the present occasion, were selected from fif ty.nine
others, who had committed the same crime ; because
there was something so peculiar in the circumstances
of their offence, as rendered the guilt more promi-
nent than that of any others, and pointed them out
as the fittest to be made examples of. The persons
who bad selected these twelve men, and recommen-
ded their prosecution, had not, he said, had the op-
portunity of examining the proofs against the whole
of them so minutely as he had done; and althoUgh
he was ready with ample proof to substantiate the
guilt of the prisoners at the bar, and that of all the
rest oho yet remained to be tried, still he thought
that in the convictions which Lad already taken
place, the ends of justice had been satisfied, and
enough had been done for public example. Here
the Learned Gentleman's utterance was for some
time stopped, by the force of his-feelings; he burst
into tears, and the whole Court was likewise sensibly
affected. After an interval of a quarter of an
hour, the Learned Attorney resumed his address--
He said, he had most studiously concealed, to that
moment, from his Learned Friends who conducted
the defence of the prisoners, the course he intended
now to pursue, lest it should be imagined that he
wished, under any doubt of his ability to substantiate
the charges which it was his duty to bring forward,
er any intimation of a lenient intenti-e, to obtain a
verdietuf conviction against the prisoner last tried.
But on minutely considering the casevf the priso-
ner at the Bar, and of the remaining delinquents, he
did not consider the circumstances of their guilt of so
aggravated a nature as to make it necessary for pub-
example to follow up the prosecutions against
them; and therefore he should here terminate tyre
proceedings on the part of the Clown. He trusted,
that this conduct on the part of his Majesty's Govern-
ment would be a striking proof to the prisoners, to
his Leaved Friends, and to the Attorney who con-
'ducted Atir defence, of the merciful disposition of
the Government who directed the prosecution ; and
!that it would produce through life, in the prisoners
themselves;the strongest feeling of gratitude for the
'lenity they had experienced from that Government,
and that Country, whose cause they had ungenerous.
'ly deserted,,hot which, not unmindful of their
hud opined the arms of mercy to receive them.
'He hoped they would avoid such offencestereafteo
And endeavour by their future conduct to atone for
the past. •
Mr. BROUGHAM said, he could not refrain from
bearing the testimony of admiration and appltuse to
the mesciful and generous purpose just delivered by

his Learned Friend, in a manner which did so mach
honour to his feelings, and shed so bright a lustre on
the Govefument of his country. He would not tres-
pass longer on the time of the Court and Jury, than
just by expressing that which he could not let slip
this opportunity to declare : namely, the gratefuli
sensations which he felt in having had to deal with so
humane and liberal a prosecutor for the Crown.—_
He joined sincerely with his Learned Friend in the
hope, that the prosecutions which had already taken
place in the convictions which had followed them,
would be found fully to answer all the ends of pub.
lic justice; and that the mercy which he hoped would
be shewn to the whole of these unfortunate men,
would, to the end of their lives, bind them in the
liveliest gratitude ft r the mercy they should expe-
rience from a generous country, which thus oblivious
of their past encrs, opened its arms to receive them
he trusted that clemency so truly magnanimous
would prove a new stimulus to the valour and loyalty
of the naval and military service.
Noah Francis, Philip Leafy, and Jame: PAW:, were
then put to the bar ; the Jury re.sworn, and the in-
dictment against them read fore forma.
The ATTORNEY GENERAL again addressed the Jury,
and said, that in dcelining the prosecution of the pri-
soners, he did not act from any difficulty to prove
their guilt, butt purely from motives of clemency on
the part of the Crown.
The Jury returned their verdict of Acquittal.
The convicts, William Cuneldl alias Connell, Corne-
lius ParLer, JAnTweedle alias Tzveedel, John Quigley,
John Smith, George Armstrong, and Samuel Macfarlane,
were tl en brought tip for judgment ; and atter the
Cerk of the Croy n had put to them the usual qucs-
:ions in form why judgment of death should not be
awarded against them ? the unhappy men fell on
their knees, expressed the deepest sorrow for what
they had done, implored the mercy of the Court, and
fervently promised to devote their remaining lives, if
they were pardoned, in the service ( f their country.
The Lotto Cum. 8.% nos addut sed the prisoners.
His Lordship said that the scene which was now pass-
ing was such as he believed Great Britain never ex-
pected to see—and must witness with the deepest re-
gret. From the commencement of the present war
not a session of Parliament had passed in which the
thanks of both Houses had not been repeatedly de-
clared for si,;:tal and brilliant ;Jai ns of British fleets
against the enemy in every quarter of fly: globe.—
Scarcely a week or a day had passed, for years, in
which the public channels of intelligence did not an-
nounce new instances of victories achieved by British
fleets and squadrons. But amidst all those instances
of the prowess of the British navy, he lamented to see
so many of the seamen of Great Britain brought be-
fore a Court of Justice, and convicted of basely desert-
ing the colours of their King and Country, and rang-
ing themselv. s under those of the enemy. The priso-
ners; after a fair and impartial trial, upon indictments
for their crimes—prosecuted with a degree of lenity
and delicacy rarely parallel in such a case—bad been
found guilty by most respectable and impartial juries.
The crime they bad committed, next to that of attack-
ing the life of the King himself, was the gi eatest
known to our laws. The murder of a single indivi-
dual was venial compared with this, because it was
an attack for the ultimate destruction of the whole
community. Besides, by their conduct in entering
the enemy's service to avoid the temporary pressure
of a little ordinary severity, they had, as far as in
them lay, tempted the enemy to press harder on their
loyal fellow-subjects as yet in prison, whose fortitude
remained still unshaken, and thus, in effect, to render
the British navy a nursery for the armies of France.
They could not plead ignorance of the enormity of
their crimes even before whey were committed; for
the admonitions they had received from such gallant
Officers as Captain Lambert, Captain Willoughby,
Captain Curtis, and others, under whom they had
fought, taught them to resist the lures to which they
would be exposed. Nothing now remained for him
but to pass the awful sentence of the law usual in ii
cases of high-treason ; which was, rr that the priso-
ners be severally hanged by the neck, but not until
they are dead ; but while yet living, that their bowels
be taken out and burnt before their faces; that their
heads be then cut off, and their bodies separated into
four quarters ; and their heads and quarters to be at
the King's disposal."
The prisoners were taken from the bar : and the
Court adjourned to the 30th of April.

Rrcontitn's REPORT.—Yesterday the RECORDER
made a Report of the following convicts under sen-
tence of death in Newgate, for burglaries, viz.—J.
Clayton and W. Jenkins, in the house cl Mrs. Martin,
Bury-street, St. James's ; J. Catherwcod, in the house
of J. Bull ; J. Butler, in the house of R. Lloyd ;
and R. Leach, in the house of It. Brock :—when J.
Clayton and W. Jenkins were ordered fur execution
on Wednesday next.
Monday the General Sessions of the Pexce for the
City of London, will be held at Guildhall ; and on
Wednesday the sessions of Oyer and Terminer and
Gaol Delivery, will commence at the Old Bailey.