Star.
London, England, 1802-11-11 00:00:00

k4Li' P 1& OPNCERi

M•
it. EDltOlt..---Perinit me,through the Medium
of your widely circulating Journal, to Make known
the grievances of a body of men who; in conjunc-
tion with their brethren of the Navy, hive brought
peace and profperity on their Country, but poverty
and diftrefs upon themfelves : and as the period
is fag approaching for the meeting of a new Par-
liament, it is hoped that the knowledge of their
lunation will induce lime liberal and humane
Member of that auguß Affembly, !which alone can
grant relief, to intereft himfelf in their behalf, and
endeavour to obtain even a (mall addition to their
prefent fcanty pittance. It is not now my intention
to difcufs how totally inadequate even theft!! pay
of the Subalterns of the Army is to fupport the
increafed expence of every neceffary of life, but to
confine myfelf to a few obfervations on the dial-elf-
ed and melancholy fituation of thofe officers, Whom
the late rednetions have placed on a nothinalkaY, but
which aetuall y does not amount, in Come ittances, to
one third of the full pay. This is particularly the cafe
in the Cavalry, the half pay of which is extremely
difproportionate to the high price of the Corn-
millions : for in fiance, the half-pay of a Lieutenant
of Dragoons, who pays at lcaft One Thoufand
Guineas for his Commiftion, does not amount to
three (hillings a day ; that of a Cornet is titian in
proportion : in the Infantry the allowance is no lets
wretched, and in neither, although the purchafe
mor.:y is funk for ever, can a tingle thilling be
legally railed upon it. What can be more diftreff-
ing than the fituation of an Enfign, who has to
fupport himfelf, and perhaps a wife and family, on
thrrii pounds per annuni, and this alas ! is the cafe
of many. But what Rill adds confiderably to the
hardfhip of it is, that this paltry (Upend is never
paid for feveral months after it becomes due, fo
that thofe who have no other dependance, are ac•
tually without the means of fuppoi t for that period,
unlefs affifted by friends, fliould they be fortunate
enough to have any—a refource truly mortifying
to fuch fentiments as a Bt itiffi Officer Ihould ever
poffefs, but which neceffity will often compel him
to adopt.
And this, Mr. Editor, is unfortunately but the
brighter fide of the pieture, for numerous are the
inflances of individuals who, after having facrificed '
fome of the belt years of their lives in the fervice
of their country, braved war, peltilence, and fa-
mine in her defence, now find themfelves reduced
to a Date of abfolute want, with impaired confti-
tutions and broken down (pinks, perhaps deprived
of their perfonal liberty, and doomed to drag on
the remains of a wretched exifleoce within the
gloomy walls of fome dreary prifon, their fufferings
and their forrows often aggravated by the pretence
of an amiable wife and helplefs offspring. This is
by no means an exaggerated piEture of diftrefs, but ,
what may be found at this moment through every
part of the United Kingdom, and which mug in-
create unlefs fome remedy be immediately applied.
It is furely unworthy of fuch a generous nation to
confign to want and oblivion, thofe lons, who in the
hour of danger and neceffity did not hefitate to face
her foes to the extent of the Globe. They look for
relief with confidence, not doubting but the enfu-
ing Seffion of Parliaknent will be as confiderare in
augmenting the half-pay of the Army, as the late
one was in railing that of the Navy.
November 9, 1802. BELLISARIUE•

Orders were received by the Agent Vidualler
on Tuefday, at Dover, to difcharge all extra
Clerks, Labourers, and Supernumeraries, of every
defcription, who were employed in the yard in
confequence of the war, and to reduce the whole
Vidualling Department exactly upon the fcale of
the laft Peace Eftablifliment.

Mr. VOCHEZ has been detained in London,
waking the arrival of the French Ambafrador,
from whom he expels to derive the means of
enabling him fhortly to difcharge all his engage-
ments in this country contraited on account of the
French Prifoners.

Tuefday marched into Canterbury from Dover
the &ft divifion of the fecond battalion szd regi-
ment of foot, and yefterday morning marched for
Chatham Barracks.

Yefterday a Court of Dire !ors was held at the
Eaft India Houfe, when GSORGE HILARO BAR-
LOW, Efq. was appointed to fucceed to the Go-
vernment General of India, upon the retirement
of Marquis WELLESLEY.
The overland Difpatch, which arrived laft
week, brings accounts from India only two or
three days later than the chips which reached Eng-
land fome days fence. By this conveyance, a
letter of the 2d of June has been received I but it
does not appear by this, that the quarrel between
the Mahratta Princes had either been adjufted, or
broken into aaual hoftility. The Peithwa had
requefted the Nabob, as loon as his levy of 50,00 d
was completed, which it was thought a few days
would effect, to fend immediate intelligence to
Poonah, that the funnuds now occupied by Holkar
might be aued in his favour.
Holkar, it is faid, has rendered himfelf extremely
unpopular to his fubjeds, by various ads of op-
preffion and injuftiee. Haffain Buklhi, a particu-
lar favourite of this Chief, and who had been railed
by him to the higheft and moft emolumentary of-
fices in the Government, has, in confequence of
oppofing a war with Scindea, been fuddenly
dif-
graced, and banithed the dominions of Holkar,
naked and deaitute ; and an edidt was iffued pro-
hibiting any affiftance being afforded to him under
penalty of corporal punifhment and confifcation of
property. Bukfht's great offence, however, was
poffeffing immenfe treafure, which Holkar wanted.
We hear from Bombay, that the defeat of the
JEYPORS RAJAH by DOWLVT Row SCINDEAH, is
attributed to the judicious condo& of Major PoLH-
-14&31, who held a command in the Prince's army.
At a critical moment he formed into a fquare his
fix battalions, of which his brigade confined, pre-
vented the enemy's cavalry from furrounding
them, which was attempted without fuccefs, and
the brigade, by am inceftint and well dire!ted fire
_• was

NO-14MBEk

erri iorr
. &Meeting of the Lord Mayor;,Aidermen, and
Common Council, was yeflerdaY- held to confider
the Reps necelfary td be taken by the Corporation,
upon the fubjea of a charge made :spina an Al.
derman, of drinking as a Twit, the Health of
" James Napper Tandy, General of Diiifion,"--7-
and " fuccefs to Freedom," when the opinions of
the Attorney-General and the Recorder, that.the
crime was punifhable by indiament, were read.—:-
As the former part of this bufinefs was condu&:d
in private, we deem it tinnecelfary to (late more
of the. particulars, than that the Alderman ac.
cufed having appeared in the Commons Room,
and made a full fubmiffion and ample apology
for his mifeondua, a general difpofition feeined
to prevail, of letting the matter die away ; but
the Papers upon the fubjet were referred to the
Law Committee.

Yefierday morning Nield, the maniac, who
went to Buckingham-Houfe on TueiUay morning,
was removed by Townlend, the Bow beet:officer,
fromTothilfieldS Bride well to Bethlehem, by virtue
of a warrant figned by Lord PE L H AM.
The following comprehergive account of cafualties
in or near Mancheder, appeared lately in a Provin-
cial Paper :

" A woman killed in a coal pit ; a child fcalded
to death ; a man killed in a coal pit ; a child burnt
to death ; a man killed by a hnrfe ; another child
burnt to death ; and a man killed by falling down
ftairs."

On the morning of the sth init. a mot} melan-
choly and unfortunate circumflance took place at
an inn, in Wrexham :—Major GOWER of the Ma-
rines (a brother of Admiral Sir ERASMUsGoweR)
having been for a week or ten days exceedingly
indifpofed with anintermitting fever, retired toreft
on the night of the 4th, far better in health and fpi-
rits than what he had appeared to poffefs for fome
time before. But between one and two o'clock in
the morning he awoke, making a great noife in
his room, and calling for a light. Upon the fer.
rant maid bringing one, he declared to her that he
was lure there were thieves in the houfe, who were
come to rob and murder him ; and though she
endeavoured to perfuade him to the contrary, he
(till perfitted in his declaration, and begged the
would go and drefs herfelf and return to him.-
1 Unfortunately the fervant did not properly confi-
der the Major's ferious fituation ! Poffeffing no ap-
prehenlion. herfelf, the was not once troubled with
the refleetion that this unfortunatelGentleman was
fuffering under a high delirium, aril:rig from the
great degree of fever he mutt have been in, and
therefore quitted him for 'the night to his own
unhappy meditations. The confequence was, that
the delirium mutt have increafed—he might have
even fancied thieves forcing his door ; he was
heard to call out,—,, I am Major Gower! I am
Major Gower !" and about fix o'clock in the morn.
ing this unhappy man was found dead in the ftreet,
having precipitated himtelf out of a window up
two pair of hairs, under the unfortunate imprei.
floe of an alarm that exifted only in his own ima.
gination !
SHOCKING MURDER.—Mr. Steele, proprietor of
the Lavender Water Ware houfe, Catherine-
ftteet, in the Strand, was yefterday morning found
murdered on Hounflow Heath. The deceafed
went on Friday laft to Belfont, where he had a
plantation of lavender, for the purpofe of giving
fame inftruetions to the people whom he there
employed, meaning to return home on the follow.
ing day, it having been previoutly agreed that his
wife's birth day should be celebrated by their re.
fpeetive relations on the fucceeding Sunday. Not
having returned at the appointed time, his family
concluded that he had been unexpthedly detained
by bufinefs ; and this confideration prevented any
alarm for his fafety, till Monday morning, when
they fent a rneffenger to Belfont, to enquire the
caufe of his delay. The information there receiv.
ed was, that he had let out at feven o'clock on Sa-
turday evening, and being unable to procure any
kind of carriage, had refolvedto proceed to town
on foot. Since that time, the people at Belfont
had heard no intelligence whatever of him. This
circum (lance naturally led his relations to con.
clude that fome fatal accident had befallen him,
and his brother in law, with fome other friends,
determined in confequence to let out in fearch of
him. For feveral hours they continued in vain
exploring different parts of the Heath. At length
they difcovered at a short diflance from the road
a piece of blue cloth. On laying hold of this, they
found it to be the skirt of a great coat buried in
the turf, and which, on examination, proved to be
the fame that Mr. Steele had taken with him
from home. Proceeding a little further, they law
near a bufh a foldier's hat, and examining the butte
with care, they perceived a quantity of blood ;
this appearance led them reafonably to conclude
that murder had been committed near the fpot,
and on examining the bullies minutely, they found
their fufpicions unhappily realized. They beheld,
beneath, the (hocking fpeetacle of their murdered
relative, nearly covered with the turf, and for fe-
veral minutes were loft in the horror of the fcene.
Upon infpation, they difcovered that the deceafed
had received feveral wounds in the top and on the
back of the head, and that a part of his forehead
had been entirely cut away. Round his neck
they found tied a thong piece of belt, by which it
is fuppofed he had been ftrangled. The wounds
on the head appeared to them as if inflicted with a
bayonet, and this circumftance, as well as that of
a military hat having been found near the fpot,
naturally excite a firfpicion that the horrid deed
has been perpetrated by two foldiers who were teen
walking acrofs the Heath the fame evening. The
packets of the deceafedwere entirely cut away,and
his boots and hat had alfo been carried off. The
molt diligent fearch is now making for the abmi-
nable murderers, and there is reaton to hope they
will not efcape the punifhment fo jai y due to their
crimes. Mr. Steele was a young man of very
amiable character, and his fate is fincerely lament.