Star.
London, England, 1823-12-13 00:00:00

CELTIC AND AFRICAN LANGUAGES.

On the subject of the similarity trztween the Celtic
and language of Northern Afi ica, it has been stated that
Captain, afterwards Sir Alexander Ball, was once sta.
tioned off Goree, on the coast of 'Africa, and had on
s board hi ship a detachment of the 75th Rees-cut, com-
posed chiefly of Welshmen. A party of them had per-
mission to land on the continent, and commenced a
little barter trade for articles of provision. &c. with some
of the natives who had come Frain the interior. To the
surprise of the Cambrians, they found that sortie Welsh
words, used among themselves, appeared to he under-,1
stood by the negroec. They then addressed them in II
Welsh, and received replies in a langeage something si-
milar to Welsh, and thereby maintained an incgrcow se
with the natives in a broken but intelligible manner. So
extraordinary a circumstance could not fail to becoMe
known to the Captain, and he,' with his usual sagacity
Was determined to ascertain the fact. He accordingly
invited some of the natives on board, and deputed a few
of the mast steady and intelligent men in the regiment,
and who had not been onshore, to converse with them.'
A conference was accotdingly held before him and the
whole crew, of course occasionally interrupted by words
which were strange to each party ; but a conversation
was held in a language under stood by both. The asto-
aishment of the Cambrian' is. nut easily conceived, at
finding negroes speaking a language in which they toad
make themselves understood to Europeans of so pecu-
liar a dialect! Captain Ball asked a serjeant what he
thought of it? And the reply was, that the language
Vita certainly not exactly Welsh, but it was sa very
winch like it, that be understood the natives much better
'than be did a man in the regiment who spoke Irish.

SPAIN.
-.r.-

Extract of a letter from Madrid, dated November 27

—Everybody can now pass along the streets without
the idea of being insulted. There are no paid mobs to
raise a noise and tumult, to delude us with such and
such being the voice and will of the King.' No places
open of a night for declaimers to work their way into,
notice/ sad oboe, by trait* us the King is a Gob;tut
his Ministers fools .and idlers..-so open to us the lights
of the she, of to push into practice the wild plans which
a heated brain may think adapted to the felicity of the
world. Parish deletions now take place, everybody
104 his vats AS he_pleases-4h, low mechanics not
4aag-flarnlamslosOch, ua n with a dollar so thrmsen de.

.sunctiosi to all'who.dia Int vote according to a certain
list. The Royalist Volunteers do not guard the prisons
for *apt:rpm* of meeting aid aiding the murder of
the priathers. ot. Gentleman ran take his ice or smoke
his segar in a -cofferhousei without being disthrbed
br low fellows, undisguised. even In clean shirts, brag-
ging, bellowing, and blastulas on every side of 'hint.
—The labourer May Miter a winelouse to refresh him-
self widsitht being accosted by a set of bullies demand-
ing to know whether b. is a Royalist 'or a Constitution.
idia, and valets rearing so whet they prescribe, obliged
ft seek his draught elsewhere. Justice was, is, and ever
shall be, perhaps, the sante.. The moliorationt raid to
Kan taken 'plate were nets really felt i if there was a
thew of it In the ha1:1111444d tl prOteeding; It was lost
sight of in the witsd:4o: -Bat a man Baring a life katt!
fast in a prouarty, is aim in no fear of its behlkieldossi
from lains. There's a geed eeareity of menet alsilmal
tunfideace iamerretrede and less contraband.
There are inither operas, masquersdesomblic balls; no&
dtimers—no appearaftee of 'gladness err merriment
tittle shewand Enery,*few annipages../.6* Nobility,
coarse, but ell• that hive takers- vt-9-roaanot thew'
doors with the claims .f vantratioa and submission.
Talking polities in the *netts •aircnifeohooses is pro-
hibited, and perhaps to find fault with the Govern-
ment in a private dwelling, pr throngh the post,
would be a safe ecaduct. to a prison, if an informer
were at hand. 'There stre no pamphlets to read, and the
oily public papers. are the Garai( de Madrid,. the
Dian°, end the Raise:vier. To sum ;op, -the*
reigns a' mournful tranquillity; a stele ninny gladly
reconcile themselves to, for the sake of peace, and all
would eqsally gladly compound with to be reinstated
in their places, pensions, and pretensions, excepting only
thoseentirely.created by the Revolution, and whose ex-
pectancies failed with It. .
At the Palace the ingress is much straitened—none
are admitted without a pass, or who are known or sup-,
posed to tare real business there—a Finch regulation,
as the .081cee on duty is responsible for the pageant
safety of the •Kins ; and there are numerous bywayi
end annum, to his Majesty's dwelling, which, though
closed, have 'no sentinels to guard them ; bat shortly
the offices of business will be removed from thence, the
roam being waited for the increasing families of the
Infamies, and they will then. altogether be free freak
public Isaignioa. The apphasots me lass numtinek
than formerly. Those with a Conititutional taint do as
parify themselves . at'. the.. Adam, The officers of the
Royalist Army are compatatiirelyfew, and those few net
holongiog to the garrisois, weso,..on ordered
to leave- Madrid in twentylfbar hours. Churchmat
abound the most. • • - .• • •
With the exception of •the• Mahler o,bisiime, th 4
Ministers have enough to do. The Minister of War,
besides attending to the isomerism claims of the heroes'
sad saints of the reastainai for pay, place,•plaisien,
sad promotion, is busy with meelenning the extinction,
of. the army—in phut% though only plans at present,
for its reformation; and the contract with General
Bonn Wimpfen for the supply of 4,000 to 5,000 Swiss.
The GoVernment wish to have them on the same terms'
as she French; but the General observes, that Spain is.
'farther fmm Switterland than France: that with the
latter, the men are allowed si furlough of a certain du-
ration, every three years, which cannot be the use with
those that come here, on account of the increased tra-
Alin& expenses, and length of time on the journey