Star.
London, England, 1820-02-12 00:00:00

COWES, FEBRUARY 11.

Smuggling is practised now, in a very increase:
mem, on the coasts of Hants and Sussex, the smug-
glers getting their spirits at 3s. per gallon, in Che,
burg and different ports of France. This weak there
hive been captured two pilot ves"els, with their crops
of 60 tubs each, and crews, viz. the Daniel, —,
of Portsmouth ; and Jane, —, of Cowes.—The Ron-
emit cutter has also taken a s essel called the Sylph,
with 90 tubs; and the Preventive. Boats at the back
of the Wight, have taken the Joseph an'd Benjamin,
of Portsmouth, with 94 tubs; three other prizes of
30 and 40 tubs, have been made in the course of
the week.

NORTH-WEST PASSAGE.

TROY TN DUBLIN EVEXINQ POST.
_ _

The following letter Nl as se:;t to us yesterday. We
most anxiously hope that the intelligence which it
conveys will be four 3 correct. As there can be no
possible motive in misleading the Public or ourselves
in a matter of such deep interest, we entertain little
doubt as to the authenticity of the• statement. Me.
M‘Tentlu, as Mr. M.DouGALD observes, is one of
the most considerable Merchants in Montreal. Ifi
name appears very frequently in the Parliamentary
Papers, concerning Lord SELKIRK'S Settlement on
the Red River :

" TO THE EDITOR OW THE DUBLIN EVENING POST. •

" Denmark-street, 7th February, 1820.
" Sin—Having, this moment, received the following interest-.
ing information from Mr. JOlll4 M'Taassu, of Montreal, and
not cueing any notice of it in the latest London Papers, I have to
request you will give it a place in your Paper. Mr. 31`Tatunt
is one of the principal Merchants of Montreal, and one of the
North-West Company. I 'end you, word for word, the extract
from his letter, without any comment on my part, and reruai.,
your most obedient servant, " JAMES SP DOUG A LD. '
Montreal, December 27, 1819.
• Messenger arrived from the Indian country shout an
hour ago, with, the pleasing intelligence, that the North West
Passage had been found by the ships sect out from England List
summer. They made their passage good through one of the
Sounds in Baffin's Bay, and had reached the mouth of the Cop-
permine River, where the vessels were secured fur the winter,
and Mr. Harm, or Horrnea, was sent to find out any of the
Agents of our Company, to whom he was to deliver the
patch, and then rettern.to his ship. The dispatch was delivered
to Mr. Grant, who sent it on immediately to this place; and it
is just setting off for Quebec, to the Acting Governor. The pest
is setting off for New York, and I have only time to say, that
hope that this may reach you men. All further varticui as you
will soon hear; but what I have told you is all that I have my-
self beard. (Signed) 4 JOHN M.TARISH.'"

With respect to the name of HOFFER or HOFPNER,
mentioned in the extract from Mr. M‘TAittslt's let-
ter,. it affords as a strong corroboration of the proba-
bility of the intelligence. In looking over an account
of Captain Ross's voyage, for the names of the Of-
ficers on boaid the exi.edition, we could not, it is
true, find the name of HOFFER or HOFFNER ; but. in
.Lieutenant (now Captain) PA Ray's ship, the Alexan-
der, we find the name of Lieutenant IL P. HOPPNER,
the son, we believe, of the celebrated Painter of that
name. Though we cannot state, from our own know-
ledge, that Mr. HOPPNER went-out again with Cap-
tain PARRY, yet it is most probable he accompanied
that Officer in his voyage. Corpermine Rivet was
visited by Mr. lIF4RNE about the year 1771, as nearly
as we recollect, for we have not his book near us, in
the vicinity of which he states he saw the sea. But
by some strange fatality, HEARNE did not proceed to
the coast, and, we believe, took no obse:vation ; a
doubt, therefore, has been thrown on his account.—
We wait with the utmost anxiety, an anxiety which
the Public will share with us, for further account's.

Yesterday, a Court \of Directors was held at the
East India House, when Captain N. TurtriEn was
sworn into the command of the ship Princess Amelia,
consigned to China direct.
r2fER. DIGGES LA TOCCHE, Esq. expired suddenly
on Monday evening last, in Dublin, in an apoplectic
fit : he has left a numerous family to dezilore his los .
MELANCHOLY CArAsTuoror.—On Monday me 111-
lag, about four o'clock, the walls of. a house at !he
end of Strand-street, Liverpool, which was buint
about.three years ago, fell. down, and burst through
the floor of one of the back cellars, which, strange to
tell, had, notwithstanding the dangerous situation of •
t7le overhanging fragments of the building, been oc-
cupied as a place to lodge in; five men were sleeping.
in two beds, all of whom, we are sorry to relate,
were killed. There were several other people in the
limit cellar at the same time, who escapell with their
lives, though some of them, we understand, a: e se-
verely wounded. We believe the tenants of this
wretched hovel had notice to quit some months ago,
but the temptation of living rent-free, and carrying
on a petty trade in cooking and letting their lodg-
ingO,..pnncipally to Irish labourers,,proved too smog
an inducement to be resisted, and, the fatal con 4-
quences have been as above related.—Livolool