Star.
London, England, 1824-12-06 00:00:00

BATURDAV'S MO P.

FROM A CORRESPONDENT.
The weather, in the County of Sussex, has of late
been of the most alarming description. Since the fes-
tival of St. Cecilia, November 22d, the inhabitants of
all the villages and towns on the Medway have expe-
rienced a succession of floods, from the heavy rains
which have fallen in torrents almost every other day.
The most tremendous gales have blown from the S.
S.W. and W.S.W. points of the compass ; and there
has been this remarkible circumstance attending
they!), that the gales have ben of short continuance--
have usually occurred betty en noon and midnight—
and have been followed by a deluge of rain—and even-
' tually by a short interval of peculiar clearness and
transparency of the sky. Such was the case on Thurs-
day : the morning was clear—the evening stormy, the
gale being quite terrific. In the middle part of the
night, heavy rain fell ; and on Friday, the air was
unusually clear. Much damage has been done to the
trees in our large Parks.
Tcere is a very old superstition in Sussex, both
among our seamen on the coast, and our farmers on
land, that when the new Moon falls on Saturday,
rough weather always follows. In the present case, this
has been strikingly true, and what is very remarkable
(though it seems to be quite accidental), is, that a Gen-
tleman who has kept a journal of the weather for
twenty years, assures us that he has found this obser-
vation generally hold good, by a reference to his Jour-
nals. The proverbial verses are—
A Saturday's Afoon,
Come It late or come it soon,
Will bring us such boisterous weather,
That wind, hail, mud rain,
Springing up from the main.
Stein to mix land and water together.

Proverbial and correct verses being founded on the
common expe►fence of persons continually out of doors;
ale seldom v I °lig in the end, and it is curious that, out
of ten times, on an average, that the new Moon falls on
Saturday, seven are follov►ed by rainy and stormy
months.

Yesterday the LORD CHANCELLOR had an audience
of the Kate.
Sir CHAS. BACOT has left his house in Cumberland-
street, to proceed on his embassy to the King of the 141-rosauspis.
Mr. STRATFORD. CANNING was engaged nearly the
whole of Saturday with Mr. Secretary CANNING at the Foreign
Office, and took leave of the Right Honourable Seeretary,previous
to the departure of his Excellency on his embassy to St. Petersborgh
Yesterday his Excellency left Grillon's Hotel, to proceed on his
journey to St. Peter burgh.
Saturday, Mi. KnEUSE, the King's Messenger, left
town for the Netherlands.
A meeting took place on Tuesday afternoon, in the
Phoenix Park, Dublin, between J. W—re, Fel. and F. C—pp—r,
Esq. attended by their respective seconds; the police had got in-
formation of the intended nieeting, and were on the look-out 2.11
day to apprehend the parties, but did not succeed. After an exchange
of shots, the parties lett the ground, but without any reconciliation
being effected.
A Petition to Parliament, praying for the total email,
cipation of the Catholics from all the penal Statutes against them•
is preparing at Lewes; and will be presented for public signa-
ture shortly.
The Quakers have. long enjoyed an extraordinary
privilege, that of being allowed to refuse their oath in Courts of
I.aw ; in consequence or this, in criniinal cases, they cannot become
witnesses, where of firmation will not be deemed availing. A large
Meeting of conscious, or perhaps, we should say, scrupulous per-
sons, are likely to petition Parliament for the same privilege, arising
from their abhorrence of giving evidence in capital cases where the
punishment is death.
The quarrel between a successful dramatic writer I
and the Manager of one of the Metropolitan Theatres, originated in
an angry preface to a Comedy acted at a Summer Theatre, in which'
the Manager was attacked in terms of great severity, and in no mea.
sured phraseology. In return, the Dramatist has been struck off
the free list of the Theatre, which he contend" is contrary to
established immemorial usage, and an infraction of their best esta-
bli-hed right.
The Biblical world is at present rcctipied in the inves-
tigation of a Hebrew Roll of great antiquity, found in a vessel cap-
tured by the Greeks, which roll has ieeently been brought to this
country. The enormous sum of twelve hundred and fifty pounds
is asked for this relic ; half that amount is said to have been offered
for it by an eminent Hebrew capitalist. This sacred scroll ought
to he deposited among.t the Ilebtew Bibles in she extraordinary
collection of the Duke of Sussex.
The Chester Chi °nide states that it is contemplation
to run a steam-vessel between London and Chester.
The subscriptions at Edinburgh, for the relief of the
sufferers at the late-fire, already amounts to upwards of 7,0001.
Mr. FAUNTLEROY, it is said, was insured in the
Amicable Life Insurance Office for five thousand pounds. This is
the only establishment, it appears, which does not make it a condi-
tion of insurance that the party shall not die by sentence of law.
It is with. much pleasure we announce, that not only
does the subscription ktr the distressed Germans go en
most prosperously, but that similar subscriptions for the
relief of the numerous sufferers on our own coasts by the
late dreadful storms and inundations, have in various
parts of the country been opened with equal pro-
spect of success ; and we have no doubt that the hu-
mane object u ill receive due and commendable aid in the
metropolis. It is stated in a private letter from the Isle of
Portland, that at Chiswell, the greater part of the houses
on the beach side were washed down by the torrent.
Some of the inhabitants were drowned in their houses,
others in the stieet, and some were buried in the ruins
of their habitations. Three and twenty lives were lost,
and many appear to have miraculously escaped a watery
grave. Mrs. JAMES ALLEN and EDITH STONE each
lost a child; they were both washed from the arms of
their mothers! Poor EDITH STONE was washed out of
her house and carried by the torrent a considerable dis-
tance down the street, where she was taken into a cham-
ber window, in an insensible state. It appears that there
are 136 families which have suffered, to the amount of
nearly £13,000. Many persons have lost everything
they had, even their wearing-apparel. The ferry-house
was partly washed down, and poor Richard, the ferry-
man, perished. Fleet, a village a little beyond Wyke,
was all washed away—neither house nor church was
left. Three ships were wrecked on the beads, and three
in the roads, besides many more. Many dead bodies
are almost hourly washed on shore !
At Plymouth the subscription for the relief of the suf-
ferers is already of considerable amount.
The contest for the Presidential Chair continues to
be carried on with great vehemence in the United States.
The question is not one of very great interest in this
country ; yet we cannot be wholly insensible to an event
which by possibility may lead to political consequences
affecting the interests of our own country. Travellers
who have recently arrived from the scene of the warmest
contest, agree in stating that General JACKSON appears
likely to overtop his competitors, Messrs. ADAMS and
CRAWFORD.
Several grampuses, or large fish of the whale
species, have lately been seen in the Channel about Dun-
geness, one of which was struck by a man with a boat-
hook from a vessel, when the fish struck the vessel's
bottom violently with its tail, and disappeared.