Star.
London, England, 1825-05-13 00:00:00

LONGITUDE,

The official report from the Board of Longitude of
last year's trial of chronometers has just been published.
The annul prize of 8001. has been awarded by the
Boma of Longitude to Mr. W. Widinham, of East-
street, Red Lion-square, for the best chronometer, it
having varied one second and 80 hundredths of a
second on its mean daily rate during the 'l2 months.
rhe prize of 2004 has been awarded to Mr. J. M
French, of the Royal &chat/14e, for the second best
chronometer, his having varied one second and 85
hundredths of a second during the l 2 nrmths; 85
hundredths of a second during the last nine months ;
and 45 hundredths of a second during the last six
months, on its mean daily rate. Mr. French's chrono-
meter,. No. 720, was made the standard during Dr.
'narks' survey to ascertain the longitude of Madeira.
in July and August, 1822; and its accuracy during the
time it was under his care induced him to take the
longitude of Madeira from it. Dr. Tiarks takes the
mean of the whole 16 chronometers employed on the
occasion, by interpolation ; and the standard gives the
same result as the whole 16, within two hundredths of
a second. It appears that through the means of these
chronometers, Dr. Tiarks has been enabled to discover
a considerable error in the longitude of Madeira (as
laid down by a former survey), and to find out where
the errors lay. He was employed by the Admiralty,
at the recommendation of the Board of Longitude. in
1823, to find. by the use of chronometers, the differ.
ences of longitude between Dover and Falmouth, and
Portsmouth and Falmouth; and for that purpose he
was furnished with 29 chronometers from the Royal
Observatory, including all that were o'n trial for the
prize. On this survey, he has discovered an error in
the longitude of these important stations, as laid down
by former surveys, in consequence of the accurate rate
of going of these chronometers. He has thds been
enabled to establish the following results :—Longitude
of Dover station, 5 min. 17 sec. a E. Portsmouth Ob-
seivatot y, 4 min. 24 sec. 77. W. Pendennis Cartle, 20
min. 10 sec. 85. Madeira, 1 h 7 min. 99 sec. 08. On
this occasion, also, it appears, that Mr. French's cluo.
rummer was the standard. The former survey had
placed the longitude of the two latter places about four
seconds less to the Westward.

The Grand Duke of Sara WZIAIAR was, last month,
for several days dangerously ill, in consequence of a cold.
In the year 1824 the number of births in the kingdom
of. Hanover was 52,274 ; that of the de*ths 52,204 ;
excess 20,070.

At Rouen the Tartuffi was represented on the 7th
instant, to the great jay of the inhabitants. The Clergy
are assailed by vaudevilles, and satiric 41 couplet., and in
France ridicule has always been a formidable power.

The tolls between Perth aad North Queensferry were,
list week, let at an advance of 2001. per annum.
lIIIPORTAIRT TO HOP.PLANTIMS.The following is
the copy of a letter addressed to Sir EDWARD KNATCH•
sou., Bart. M.P.

Mr Duo Its—Lord Liverpool and Mr, Robinson, after having
given their best cossideration to some applications received from
several quarters, and mere particularly from Mr. Hodges, in behalf
of the hop-planters in the Weald of Kent, for such lenity and fad.
lity on the part of the Excise. in the collection of the hop duty now
due, as it may be practicable to afford, have authorised me to give
directions to the Excise to proceed accordingly with as much for-
bearance, and to allow as much latitude in the recovery of their
duties as may be consistent with a due security for the ultimate
payment of them, in all cues where the peculiar distress of the
parties may appear to the officers to require it. I have written to
the Excise accordingly; and it would, I think. contribute much to
forward the view in which these applications have been made. if
you and the other Gentlemen who interest themselves in behalf of
the hop-planters, would communicate to me the names of those
whom you may judge to be most in need of such indulgence as can
be *hewn to them. I am your's truly,
Treasury-chambers, May 6. (Signed) J. C. HSRRIES-

p•
The Royal Dublin Society, with a laudable anxiety
to promote the interests of Ireland, and the comforts
of the poor, continues its exertions to introduce the
manufacture of Straw-plait. The Committee have
caused to be planted, in the Society's gardens at Glas-
nesin, the various kinds of • grasses which are supposed
to be answerable for the manufacture, in order to ascer-
tain that which is most suitable ; and these grasses are
now rearing on different soils, and in different aspects,
so that nothing may be left undone to bring this use-
ful branch of trade to a state of perfection.

Monday evening, a little girl, about twelve years of
age, was observed by a tradesman to be loitering in the
neighbourhood of the Elephant and Castle, in the Kent-
road, and supposing that she had lost her way, he in-
quired whether that was the case or not ? The child,
with tears streaming down her cheeks, told him that
she could sot find her road home. He thea endea-
voured to search for her parents' house, but his exec.
tibns were fruitless, and he conducted her to a neigh-
bouring watch-house, where she Was kept all night, and
was kindly treated by the night constable. On_ the
following day she was taken to Union Hall, and
questioned respecting her abode by the Sitting Magi,-
trate, L. B. At.r.ZN, Esq. but she se med to be unable
to state anything distinctly respecting it.—She de-
clined stating her name. It is supposed that she has
ran away from her friends, and is fearful of their dis-
pleasure. The Magistrate sent her to the Infirmary, in
the House of Correction at Brixton, to p.event her
from mingling in the society of the other prisoners con•
fined there, in the expectation that her friends will soon
be apprised of the circumstance through the newspapers,
and that they will come forward and claim her.—She
is dressed in a stuff plum-col tired frock, a brown
Holland pinafore; and a grey beaver hat. Her com-
, plexion is fa r, and she is rather pretty.