Star.
London, England, 1818-09-17 00:00:00

tHs ARmit.

•
• We understand it is finally arranged that, on the
evacuation of the French territory, which ii expected
to take place previous to the end of November next,
a reduction equal to at least 25,000 trodps will im-
mediately afterwards take place, in which, it is' said,
every Battalion beyond the 90th will be included.
together with a considerable reduction in the Artillery
and Cavalry, and the Third and. Fourth West-India
Regiments, two Battalions of the.6oth Regiment, and
one Battalion of the Rifle Brigade.
The Officers of the 4th, or Royal Irish Dragoon
Guards, gave an elegant dinner ..st Radipole -Bar-
racks, to the Gentlemen of Weymouth, before they
matched for Manchester.

The 10th Royal Hussars march from the barracks
in Canterbury this week for the West of England,
Exeter being proposed for their headlaarters.

It will be remembered that some time since, in
consequence of the appearance of two French fri-
gates offCnracoa, it was reported that they had a Mi-
litary Force on board for the Spanish. Main, and it
was conjectured, in consequence, that France had
agreed to assist Spain in the reduction of her colonies,
but this, it is almost unnecessary to state, is incorrect.
It is true that two French frigates, la Cleopatra and
la Duchesse de Berri, were in the West Indies, but
with no such object in view, and we now learn that
they have arrived in the United Stases, after having
been out on a cruize fourteen months, and were wait-
ing at Annapolis for dispatches from the French Mi-
nister at Washington, and when they had obtained
them, would sail for. Europe.
The harvest in the East Highlands of Perthshire is
one of the most abundant ever remembered in that
dikrict. The alternations .of wet and dry weather
have been such as to bring both the grain and fodder
to the fullest perfection. In this 'particular season
the mountains have given the farmer an advantage
which has been denied to the inhabitants of the
southern plains ; where, although the quality of the
-rain is good, the prevalence of drought is said to
have rendered the grain, and especially the fodder,
rather scanty. Wool has this season doubled its for-
mer highest price ; this has been, in this quarter, as-
cribed to a sudden and extensive demand for articles'
of woollen manufacture from Russia and the East
Indies ; although it is, no doubt, partly owing to the
great mortality among the sheep from the severity of
the preceding winter. The price of black cattle has
rather declined, which is ascribed to the apprehen-
sion of a scarcity of fodder in the south.
The Western District of Stirlingshire at present
appears a fine scene, the whole face of the country
wearing a beautiful aspect, every species of crops
'having nearly arrived at maturity. Indeed, a great
deal of both barley and oats have been already cut
down, and each promises well. The quantity of
wheat in the district this year is not so great, less of
it having been sown than on former years, but what
is of it promises well. The weather during the last
nicnth has been mostly dry, from the beginning till
the 27th, accompanied with sunshine, theraysafforcln
ing so much genial heat, that tha crop will in -genera;
be very true, although not so bulky as wasisecttil.
Harvest will be general in eight days. milk
cows sell li'om £l2 to £2O each. Horses still meet
with flat sales. Hay in the district sold at £5 •
Es ss. au hundred weight.
The harvest in Northumberland (says a Correspon-
dent) is now nearly closed, at least ten days more will
win all the kirns. Crops are good, and will yield
well. Such an early and dry harvest they have not
had since the year 1775, which ended about the 29th of
August, sand that of 1798, which ended. on the 10th
of September. The red-breast has been heard for a
fortnight past, and the swallows are congregating
and leaving the north. The same early flight took
place with those birds in the years just named.
The Pilchard Fishery commenced at Alevagissey
on Sunday evening last, twelve seans shot, but the
shoal being a slight one, only about 250. hogsheads
were enclosed. 'They are very plentiful a mile and
a half from shore, and very flue fish ; so that the
approaching spring tides afford a very fair prospect,
if the weather continues moderate. About 40 hogs-
heads were also taken in Mount's-Bay ; the fisher-
men have not yet resigned the hope of a tolerable
season, as there are abundance of fish in deep water,
which may yet come in-shore. On the 31st ult. the
Sidmouth Packet, Captain PIPON, fell in with a shoal
of pilchards, several miles in extent, off Cape Fini-
sterre ; the pilchards were followed by a great num-
ber of porpoises.
FLOWERS AND SINGINO BIRDS.:-." There are two
things," says Mr. CORBETT, " which I have not yet
mentioned, and which are almost wholly wanting in
America, while they are so amply enjoyed in Eng-
land—the singing-birds and the flowers. Here arc
many birds in summer, and some of very beautiful
plumage. There are some wild flowers, and some
English flowers in the best gardens. But, generally
speaking, they are birds without mug, and flowers
without smell. The linnet (more than a thousand of
which I have heard warbling upon one scrubbed oak
on the Sand Hills in Surrey), the sky-lark, the gold-
finch, the wood-lark, the nightinga,le, the bullEnch,
the blackbird, the thrush, and all ;lie rest of the
singing tribe, are wanting in these beaut,ful woods
and orchards of garlands. When these latter have
dropped their bloom, all is gone in the flowery way.
No shepherd's rose, no honeysuckle, none of that
endless variety of beauties that decorate the kedges
and the meadows in En,gland! No daisies, no prim-
roses, no cowslips, no blue-bells, no daffodils, which,
as it' it were not enough for them to charm the sight
and the smell, meA have names too to delight the
ear. All these are wanting in America!"
MAD DOG AT KNIGH TSB RIDGE.--Abollt ten o'clock
this morning, the road from Sloane-street to Hyde
Park-corner presented the greatest imaginable scene
of confusion and consternation, by a mad dog,'
brincred, and of a mixture between the spaniel and
mastiff, running at every person and animal he met.
He snapped at a woman, whose stays protected her
from injury ; bet he made most desperate incisions
*goo a carlinter's boy, a Gentleman who was pass-
ing of the- name of. Edwards, and one Denford, a
labourer, who luckily succeeded in dispatching him.
The three were taken to the Hospital, when the Phy-
sicians and Surgeons were sent for, and after a mo-
ment's consultanon the extraction of the bitten parts
was decided upan, and Mr. EDWARDS was under.
gang the operation about eleven o'clock.