Star.
London, England, 1825-09-21 00:00:00

CATASTROPHE A t PORTSMOUTH.

It is understood that orders from the Navy' 133ard
have arrived for the immediate substitution of new gates
on an improved principle; but the work of pumping out
the water is unfortunAtely (*Luc,' from the following
circumstances:—

The basin is divided from the harbour by two piers
cased with free stone, but formed artificially of earth
and shingles, whilst between the pier-heads is the en-
' trance occupied by a cassonn, or moveable barge. The
pressure of wAter from the harbour is of cure consi-
derable, and it is feared, that on the removal of the
countervailing pressure by the water in the basic, the
security of the e a:tifici.il bulwarks from the sea wiluld
be endangered. An examination of the state of the
stone work has therefore been directed, and the work-
men are diligently employed in this duty. Al 2anwlide
the friends of those missing are held in a most painful
state of anxiety, the partial removal of which can only
he effected by the discovery of their bodies.
The gates of the three docks opening from the basin
'are now effectually shored, especially that built upon
General lientham's principle (as was that of the Call
Place, or Angular Dock). The main difference in the
censtruction of the gates consists in the horizontal of
longitudinal position of the plauk•work composing the
trody or centre.

BURAIRSE ARTILLERY.—Extract of a private letter
in the Bombay Cornier of March 12th When you
read in the newspapers of wooden guns, you must not
suppose that they are actually all wood, and why they
are eared wooden, I am at a loss to conjecture, for out
of the three guns taken at the Syriam Pagoda, one had
• a lining of hiass three inches in thickness, and the
other two were lined with iron, all strongly licore 1.
These are covered with wood, joined together with
strong hoops, like the staves of a 'ca: k. The brass
wooden gun, which th:ew the shot that hit me, was as
ugly a looking devil reeping thr ugh the stockade a,
ever I saw. They have no embrasures where their
c Amon are, but cut holes through the stockade, suffi-
ciently large to admit the muzzles of the guns ; and, as
forbidding countenances as they may have, we think
being on intimate terms preferable to a distant acquaint-
ance with them. The 47th regiment had lost upwards
of twenty men from sickness since its arrival, but the
troops are described as all in high spirits."
Tuesday night last, as three men were returning with
their sand-carts from Macclesfield to Rushton, they
were met by a number of Irishmen, when a general
fray took place, and one of the Irishmen was dreadfully
cut by a blow from an axe, and others were severely
wounded. The carters also were much b..aten. The
Irishmen were, by the constable of Rushton, locked up
in a hovel for the night, but they connived to effect,
their escape; and on their way to Macclesfield, as it-is
supposed, they met a young Gentleman named Broad-
burst; the gang attacked and attempted to rob him,
but he made a spirited resistance, and defeitded himself
courageously with a cane, and beat them off; but one
of the villains returned and struck him a violent blow
on the stomach, and then left him: it being nearly dal k,
Mr. Broadhurst effected a retreat. He had at thetime
a quantity of deeds and other valuable writings about
him, with some money ; the latter appears to have beed
the object of this dastardly attack. The miscreants
were in Macclesfield the next morning, and some who
had been most beaten went to a person to be bled with
leeches: this excited suspicion, and from the unsatisfac-
tory account they gave of themselves, three were appre-
hended. Two of them have since been discharged, as
their persons could not be identified ; but one fellow (he
that was cut with the axe) remains still in a very dan-
gerous state.