Star.
London, England, 1813-03-25 00:00:00

LOSS OF HTS MAJESTY'S SHIP CAPTAIN,
OFSF.VENTY-FOURGIUNS. BY FIRE.

Thisskip, whose name is familiar to every English-
man, being the vessel in which the immortal Nazarow
achieved never-fading laurels, in the battle off St.
Vincent, was totally destroyed, by fire, on the night
of the 22d inst. in Hamoaze, Plymouth.
Being not found sea-worthy, in consequence of a
series of active service, the Carrara was made a re.
ceiving skip, and had the stores of the SAN Joys, of
112 guns, on board. The latter ship, also, lay along-
side the former. The fire was discoiered at eleven
I'. M. bursting from the galley of the CAPTAiNt and
spread itself with uncommon rapidity over every part
of the ship. The SALVADOR DEL MIND% the flag-
ship in Hamoaze, fired ten guns to communicate the
alarm, and the bells of the Deck-yard rang, to sum-
mon the artificers-to their duty.
During a considerable time no small agitation pre-
vailed in the town of Plymouth Dock, it beirg every
where confidently reported that the SAN 3::N was
on fire. The activity, however, of her officers and
men had prevented this catastrophe, and she, with
other ships, had dropped down to other moorings.
The boats of the Dock-yard, and of the Fleet, bad
now surrounded the flaming ship, but it was beyond
the reach of human effort to arrest the progress of the
flames. The scene was grand and magnificent be.
yonf description. Hamoaze was illuminated in every
part—the numerous boats OR its spacious bosbm—the
seamen crowding the decks, or hanging on the rig-
ging of the shipping, were as discernable As at noun.
day; as were also the hills embosomin3 H imoaze, •
and the towns in the vicinity. It WAS a scene most
picturesque, and yet most afilicting—unequalled in
sublimity, but productive of poignant sensations.
In the mean time the tide was rapidly running
through Harnoaze, and a brisk N.W. breeze drove
vast columns of smoke, and dikes of fire, over the -
Dock-yard. It was feared that the bitts, to which
the moorings of the ship were attached, would be
destroyed, in which case she would either drift on •
the Dock-yard, or on the shipping. Thousands,
tens of thousands of anxious spectators awaited this
tremendous event through the eight—an event which
would have happened at an early hour of the night. .
had not the vessel been fortunately secured with •
chains ; and to which, perhaps, is owing the preset..
. •
vation of the finest arsenal in Europe.
The Artificers of the Dock-yard, however, with
great intrepidity, approached the bows of the ship, on
which they fastened iron clamps, and chore rings
bolts, and a Erie of boats was stationed to pull as
sf on as she might be perceived to drift. At ones:. w.
it was jud:;ed prn.dent to sink her; and as it was
found impossib:e to scuttle her, two launches were
armed with c•tr--;:oidcs from the Duvan frigate, and
two oLLI-s fiel..:-pi:ces frost the park on shore;
and atzcr a ni;:r!ler of discharges, she sunk at four
a. tr. while as yet lax timbers bad not fallen a prey •
to t!te flames.

No lives were lost. The whole of the stores of tl.e
SAN Jozpr were destroyed, as also tha sea-stores.
I clothes, Svc. of the Officers. Her Captain is a consi-
derable sufferer. Fortunately for the seamen, the
ing day had been appointed for them to take
their clothes, chests, beddirg, &c. on hoard the CAP-
TAIN, and thus they have saved their little inviluable
property.
The-CAPTAIN, as has been noticed before, was the
vessel in which the lamented NELsoN so highly dis-
tinguished hims.elf in the battle 'off Cape St. Vincent.
The SAN JOSEF, of 112 guns, which lay alongside.
the CAPTAIN, and so narrowly escaped destruction,
was the vessel which NUL9O24, in the CATTAIN, so no.
bly boarded, and so dauntlessly carried. The VAN.
cumin, cf 74 guns, his Lordship's ship at the battle
of the Nile, lay just above the scene cf destruction.
These are remarkable singularities.
Deplorable as this business is, the preservation of
the immense arsenal, and the valual.le ...hips at Ply.
mouth, from the most imminent danger, is conzola.
tory ; and it ought to be stated, that at no time, and
under no circumstances, have the activity and zeal
of the artizans of the Dock-yard, and of the seamen,
been more usefully evinced than on the present oc-
casion.

On the 22d instant, the University of Cambridge
was again thrown into considerable alarm by a fire
breaking out at Sidney College. The flames were
happily got under without much damage. It was
discovered between nine and ten in the evening.
A letter from Bristol, dated March 24, says
" Between nine and tPn o'clock last night, some evil
disposed persons, most probably from seditious mo.
dyes, destroyed the beautiful Statue of his present
Kwitny, which-was erected a short time !ince at a
great expence, in Portland-square. One of the per.
sons was caught by Captain STEVENS, of this city,
in the act of escaping over the palisadoes, and lodged
in Brideweil."

The bad effects of the late Tax upon Leather now
begin to be most severely felt by every branch of the
manufacture.—lt was proved before the Committee
of the House of Commons list week, that the Shoe-
makers in general were deprived of one third of their
employment, and that the trade of Stafford in parti-
cular was in a most distressed state. One of the evi.
dence proved the loss of very large orders of shoes
for exportation only, on account of the high price they
cost the manufacturers.

BOXING.—The great battle betwixt Maxey* and
Carter will take place in Oxfordshire, on Friday, the
id of April. It has excited equal interest in the
sporting wQrld to that bcwiat Crib& and the BINA.
•