Star.
London, England, 1804-11-05 00:00:00

TO THE EDITOR OF THE STAR.

rhe following Leter was written by a common Sailor on board
we of his Mat fty's fhips of war, and we have great fatisfac-
lion in making it public, as it tends to thew •.vhat fentiments
prevail in the Navy, and bow much confidence may be placed
*la inua yangc ideas ars fo confonant to the principles of realtude

P.ONTSNOVT)I, NOV. I.
SIR— If the following oblervat ions ate worthy of a
place in your Paper, you will oblige me much by in-
mung them :
The feafaring part of his Majelly's fubjees are of
fo much importance to the nation, both in a commey.
chi point of view, and as an infurnsountable obftacle
to the attempts of any foreign enemy, that the coun-
try which they enrich or defend mull be dead to every
fenfe of gratitude, if it affords them occabon to think
4.aiptc,b.e: a negletted people. How different a
itizen may treat a rough halt.eivilizedTar,
wilogajtiflature holds out the liberal hand of protec-
Iltd accounts him the molt valuable of fubjebs.
..„:1.7-IEISba the country is threatened with deftruflion,
.adleir.foemidable preparations are making to deprive
..iaacif ell that is dear, or valuable to men, the Iceman
'.lfound the only fore Butwark.—At the prefent
ent. is it not a proud and triumphant thought
Britill; heart, that her icemen are riding in
tile Teo* of her enemy's Ports, dating and defying
• them Income from under their coverings, blocking
lIIP thX# trade from every,foreign advantage 'while our
wits are crowded with daily arrivals from every
Ault inf .the known World ? this is not the only va-
limbic, property cf the Britifh karnan ; the advan
tags: ftiGag to commerce are wholly from his eta-
' "tiallt, and the fpirited genius of his country who em-
• glens him.
- 14te Legal tune confines the value of the Britith
fearnett in public fervice, by granting them every pro-
al andeneouragement a hich their &mice% merit :
the feamen in the Britifh Navy are much better fop
plied vrith•provilions, with cloaths, and every other
neeelary, than the (cameo in any other fervice in
JetirApe ; and I can Ann from actual perfonal know.
ledge, that feamen on board a (hip of war enjoy
wore real advantage', sad comparatively more real
happinef., than thole on the fame parellel line of life
doors &ore. A man %vb.) enters. or is impreffid into
the fervice, enters on immediate pay; let him be
billed born !hip to (hip, his pay Rill continues,
and if the Nis he bel,lngs to is 101 l or taken by the
enemy, and he be confined for years as a- prifoner
of war, his pay is hill going on ;he is under
his country's particular protedit ; he has the
chance of promotion, and, if he lofts a joint of
his-little finger, he has a fmart ticket for it, which tn•
titles him to a reward adequate to his lofs ; if his
area or leg is loft, a proportionate allowance is given,
and his c, Untry I.!Vtr leaves him till he is 101 l in his-
fturily bY that said' alike hides the haughty and
the humble. Vulgar prejudice runs hard agoinfl this
fervice the prinetple objeCtion is, the feverity tithe'
laws and difelpline ; but I can fee no kind of feverity
in compelling a man to do that which his own breaft
mita info, m him is his duty. I allow that thefe laws
in the hands of the injodicious are oftentimes abufed,
and carried to the extreme of feverity, but where
they are :opt-lied only as coneaives of real aggref-
• finis, these is nothing is them but what is abfulutely
outlast in every community. The Chip which I
• &nye iii, -is an example of regular difcipline without
leaN y ; if a crime is committed, it is coolly
legated into, and punifbed accordingly ; and punifh-
mem in this Chip is (s feldom necefary, that when it
is infliaed it brings more terror than when it is wan
misty applied on every trifling occafion. The Cap-
' taie and Offi:en of this (hip are an honour to the
fervice they belong tJ, and will on all occaftons,
from their humanity, obtain the affalinn of any
(hip's company. Another motive which weighs
• winch in favour of the ortjodice to the public Na-
vat fervice, is the high encouragement offered by
'Merchantmen in time of war, and the enjoyment
of a greater degree of liberty than in the King's
(hips ; but this is a falfe reckoning, it is only in time
of war ipso wage. advance confiderably above the pay
in the King's fervice. If the (hip isloß or taken by an
enemy, the pay of the men is loft allh, nor have they
any pay whensrrifoners of war. Much time is wafted
betwsen one voyage and another, fo that their money
is fpAt as FA as it h earned : they are liable to ac-
cidents by Infing their limbs, in like manner as in men
of war, and n .t the I IA provifion is made as in the
public fervice: with retina to the liberty they enjoy,
it is (emend, Anted into criminality, fo that upon
the whole, the Bikini naval (anise holds out the
fai,ea offers sober &amen that a grateful country can
to the moil valuable dale of her &Neils.

On Friday morning a battle, as well crinteffed as
any in the annals of pugilifm, was fought in the Tare•
field. at Kilburn, between Handy. ir gentleman's
coachman. and Anne!, a higler, at Paddington.—
The ennibat.ints flak-d ten guineas each in Jima lan,
to fight for within fix months. They are tried mem!
and a hard tight was lo.'kcd for—but the odds were
in favour of 'lre coachman, who is known in the old
Ithool 3.y the. appellation of Taunt Ben.—
At the commencement of the fight each teemed con
fident of fuccefs Some hard blows were truck by
Aunty, m,•11 of which were prevented from having
at& by the clew flopping of his antagonift
Toward, the middle of the conflitt, the coachman
formed fr..d. and bets became even. After this,
Handy's couriy,c aid flrength feemcd to hare regain-
ed •isvor, a t.. he fought Icel. until, in the 54111
„.„,ea; he fete; . ed a blow in the (tumid), which un-
dated him incapable or riling, and decided the con-
lee. The fight fall one hour and 20 minutes.
A very prontiting child. gged thirteen, the daugh-
ter. of Mr. SHAM, cheniie, High meet, Pottfenouth,
fitting near the fire on the xsth ult. her clothes were
unfortunately let on lire, and though every exertion
was made by her difireffid parents, who were bosh
much leched, to that
thr flames, Ate Was fo
dreadfully burnt that lie died on the Monday fol
I /wing.
On Saturday lall a batik was fought near Hun-
tingdon. The patties we.e a waterman of Stand-
-ground, named auJ a Ihepherd of Godman-
eliefter, ran.e.l View ; alter a few round-, Fuller ve-
t .i-ed uti unlucky blow, which killed him i•n the fpot.
The lacctislul cLainp:vn, in the cotifufiito, efcaped.

From t& LONDON GAZETTE, Novrmkr. 3.