Star.
London, England, 1815-08-10 00:00:00

CBTLAN.

Chr Readers will find in the extract of a letter from
Cilon, which we have here inserted, an interesting
account; by an intelligent observer on the spot, of the
circumstances which have led to the late important
change in the state of affairs in that island :

EXTRACT OF A MT= FROM CISTLOW, DATED COLUMBO,
MARCH 5s 1815.
64 Since my last letter we have taken the field
against •our old enemy the King of Kandy, and have
happily brought the war to a successful conclusion in
one campaign, short and decisive beyond the most
sanguine expectation.
46 You are, perhaps, nit aware what has long been
the embarrassing state of our relations Kith that coun-
try, whilch comprises the whole interior of-the island.
46 in the course of our military operations in 18011,
o•ir troops had penetrated as far as Kandi the capital,
which was taken, and occupied by a detachment
tinder the command of Major Davie, whilst proposals
for peace were offered to the enemy. During the ac-
tual progress of the negociation, and in violation of a
truce %Weil had been agrced to, the garrison was at-
tacked by a large force, and having surrendered on a
'capitulation which proiided for its unmolested de-
parture, was immediate, disarmed, and every Euro-
pean barbarously murdered, Major Davie and a few
Officers excepted, whom the policy of the King pre-
served alive as hostages, but who were exposed to
every specks of ill treatment and cruelty.
id Elated by the success of this treaclvry, the Kan-
dian troops advanced to our frontier, and continued
fix some time to threaten, and occasionally to invade
our territory; but the Goveinor being unwilling, by
a rcnewalbf offensive operations, to expose our troops
to the effects of the climate, which had proved very
fatal, was satisfied with repelling their incursions, and
reducing them to a state of blockado within their
own boinuhry. By degrees they appeared to have
laid aside all hopes of prevailing, at least they de-
si.red from any active enterprise; and a system of
lot haarance was adopted on our pan, which in con-
formity with instructions from Dur Government at

home:Las been since scrupulously persevered in, with
the hore of conciliating the Court of Kandi.. This
errecation, howeve., has proved vain, and every
etfart has been ineffectual to induce the King to cuter
into Any sort of amicable intercourse or arrangement
with IP, or to release the tutfortunate Officers who
bad fallen into his hands of Kandi. Of these, not-
withstanding the pains taken by the King to conceal
every circumstance respecting thew, we Lad been
able to ascertain that the ill•lated Major Davie was
the only ;tidiviclual who had been able for any t:r.le
to eneute the severities practised towards them.—
Such bas been from tie year 1805, our precarious
unsatis(actory positir'n :;ith respect to our neigh-
bnurs, affording no assurance of solid tranquillity or
sate intercourse.

Diainir 'this period of suspended warfare, the
Court c.f Kaniii, consisting chiefly of the King's rela-
tions and i.ials'oar a.lherents, has been nourishing its
jealousy and enmity, whilst the people, particularly
those ui the districts nearest to our frontier, have
gradually grown more and more impatient under the
capricious tyranny of their native Government, and,
have become sensible that relief was only to be found
under 13ritish protection. This disposition had ma-
rifested itself by the removal to our settlements of a
great number if families from the interior, and by
applications for mlitary assistance from some of the
Chiefs whom the conduct of the King had totally
alienated. The moderation and forbearance of our
Government refused to take advantage of these over-
tote: ; its patience Was even proof against an aggres-
sion marked with cecurnstances of the :nest atrocious
barbarity-and deliberate insult. In October last, ten
natives, inhabitants of stir province of Columbo, were
seized, whilst peaceably carrying on their usual traffic
in the Kandian country, and catried to the capital,
where they were all shockingly mutilated. Three
only survived this torture, who were conducted back
to the British territory with their amputated limbs
suspended round their necks.
Fromt tl:e boldness and audacity with which in
fir case the outrage was aggravated by public insult,
i• Was clear that the King was ready to recur to acts
of hostility, and unlikely that he would long abstain
fer;rn them. Attention to his movements warned us
to be unrselves prepared : among various indications
ol a warlike nature in the interior, we discovered that
he been lately strengthening his army with MA.
•
from the coast.

" In November, certain measures which the King
attempted in the frontier provinces were resisted•
by the people, and the dread of his vengearicc drove
them into open wok. The most easiest appeals
ware made by the chiefs to our government ff,i- slic.
tour and protection; but every solicitaticn for mai-
iary assistance was still declined.

4-4 In the beginning of January. the King's army
tittered into the revoked districts, and continued to
advance in pursuit of the insurgents : and on the 9th
e: that month a pat of his forces violated the British
territory, and committed various excesses.

" It was introlsibk for us, after this, to pause..
The troops were immediately put in motion, and a.
ptodancition was issued promising security and pro-
tection to the lc indians, and announcing that our
was.directeal against the Court alone, which
it teems was held in abhorrence by the whole people.
a! I will net enter into a detail of military proceed-
ings, Voids yeti will of course find in the public re.
ports, the important results have been, that we have,
without bloodshed, secured for ourselves a state of
permanent security, have added a tcrtil:-. c' unity and
a numerous I:ovulation to the Britidi possession.,
have_ laid the toundatiim of future happiness ye the
voltoo Cinjalese people, by giving them our own mild
uuti paternal Government, instead of the sangu:nary
and capricious tyranny of the Malabar dominion."
' • •

GFAMAN 'WIN.

'VIENNA, JULY t?..
The last accounts from France make an unfavour-
able impressiun on some persons here. The appoint-
ment of F— to the plice of Minister of the Police,
they think, may injure the Bourbons in the publre
opinion, encteverr produce a disagreeable, sensation
among the few romlists in. France who have hitherto
sacrificed rLemstelves for their cause : Jacobinism,
they fancy, will now obtain firm footing in France.
it is considered here as certain, that T— is the
author of this new order of things, and that he paved
the way to it by means of the well-known Counsellor
of State L—, whom he dispatched to France
some time back.
It will be remembered, that at the end of April,
the Chevalier M— was here with T—, it is cre-
dibly asserted; that ever, since that time, F.— has
been in constant cot respondence with M—
had at that time proposals to 'make from Bonaparte
to the Congress, which were rejected : it is probable
that he returned to Paris fully informed of T—'s
views, and consulted with F., whose confident
he is as well as L—. Peoplcaffirm, that if Bona-
parte had conquered they would have remained true
to his cause : but the reverse being the case, they
tried to save their accomplice from the consequences
of his treasop to the Bourbons, in which it seems that
they have pretty well succeeded. At the same time
they would seek, it is prebumed, by negotiations, to
wrest the victory out of the hands of the Allies, as
was in some measure done on the late treaty of pea& ;
and in this manner to open the way for thd ciao/cr-
am of France.
In the peat and general danger which lately
threatened Fiance and the Jacobins, they 'have all
well understood 'l' 's hint, and by restoring the
Bourbons, again changed their firm—they desired.
for the present, by a either union'with the throne, to
endeavour to save France in the negotiations now to
be begun, from A cessions of territory, which is a
main object of all efforts. That F-- and
his. friends suffered Bonaparte and his Brothers to
escape, seems to indicate th it they have in the back
ground a secret hope, which they would one day try
to realise. Mean time, we may confidently expect,
that the enlightened Ministers of the Allied Sove-
reigns will proceed in their tnegociatiens with equal
firmness and caution, and will limit France in such
a manner that Germany may be secure, in case of
any change in il:e Government, which the Jacobins
there seem or reserve for a future period !