Star.
London, England, 1828-03-08 00:00:00

ARRIVAL OF DON MIGUEL AT LISBON.

The Vestry having determined to abandon their in- I
tended application to the Legislature for a consolida-
tion of the Parochial Acts, and one of the originally
avowed objects of those who have urged the parish to
resist that measure being thus obtained, it mgy be
hoped that the time is now come, when a temperate
appeal to the inhabitants on the subject of this opposi-
tion may be heard.
In sending forth the e remarks, the Vestry have no
object brit truth—they wish the case at issue between
them and their accusers in rest on its own merits, after
both sides are heard ; and they deprecate any judgment
which may have been formed on the statements of the
accusing party only ; statements which may be fairly
considered as drawn up without a sufficiently accurate
knowledge of the subjectyo which they refer.
It may be admitted at once, and without reserve,
that, among the names of the opponents of the Vestry
which have been published, are those of many persons
who would never sanction statements ss hich they did
not believe to be true, or measures they did not deem
expedient and just.
On the other hand, it w,ll pet haps he allowed, that
in the list of 123 per,oirs, of whom the Vestry are c m•
posed, will be found many who are worthy to reyresent
the tank, the wealth, the ability, and integrity of thi,
great palish : nor will any candid person attentively
peruse that list, and say, that the interests of the parish
could be committed t. arty other 123 of its inhabitants
less likely to ahu e the trust committed to them. But
t may be said, th .t bodies of men, however respectable
may be the individuals who compose them, have often
li-appointed the expectations of those who appointed
eh nr to m.iliage their tom crit4, or protect their
interests; and that, as a body, they have done
many acts, which, as individuals, they would have
di,,dained. Be this as it may, perfection is not the
ch iracter of man, eith. r in his individual or his asso-
ciated state; and in either capacity he must be judged
by his actions. Let his conduct be truly stated, and
impartially wrighed, and he will have no right to
complain.
The Vestry of St. Mary-la-bonne have been rerre-
sented as grievously incompetent to the due discharge
of the duties entrusted to them ; and the inhabitants of
the parish have been invited to seek the sanction of
Parliament for the formation of a differently consti-
tuted—it may be a more capable and a mote trust-
worthy—Vests y.
Let us endeavour to ascertain the specific charges
against the Vestry. and how far they admit of a satis-
factory answer. When this is done, perhaps it may be
useful to show what was the real nature of that measure
which the Vestry contemplated by theit proposed ap.
peal to the Legislature for a Consolidation Bill, that
the parishioners may be able to judge how Par it might
have been beneficial or injurious to the parish had it
been cart ied into effect.

PROM THE PRITATI CORRESPONDENT OF THR MORNING HERALD.
LISBON, Feb. 22—Two o'clock, afternoon.
The long looked-for signal has been just made of the
Portuguese frigate being at the bar—all the city is in a
state of the highest excitement ; the guns are firing from
the Castle, the forts, and the vessels of war in the river;
the bells of the churches are ringing; and the crowds
are rushing to and fro in the streets. It is not known
where the Infant is to land—some say at the Black-
horse-square, others at Belem. I have just returned front
the former, where, from the rain and storms, the tent
erected for the-reception of the Infant has been greatly
damaged. There eve two smaller ones erected on the
quay, at Belem, one of which was blown down by the
rurricane, and the other has been repaired. The crieys
•I this part of the town are filled with persons looking
lilt for the Perola ; the weather is squally ; and, alth ,ugh
he l'ottugue,e have an aver-ion to rain, their eagerness
.0 descry their future Ruler is so great as to absorb ail
idea of personal inconvenience.
The wind is blowing rather fresh from the N.W. and
the tide is favour able ; so no great delay can take place
before the frigate retches her m orings. The tide runs
now at the t ate of four miles per hour, and tee re led
blows from tee west quarter. It mu t be pleasant to
Don Miguel to advance so rapidly to his native city,
particularly after the dreadful tossing% which he must
has e undergone since M. nday last. The steim•boat
the George IV. arrived in the Tagus on Tuesday, arid
stated that she had seen the squadron off the mouth if
the river; but the winds have been verging near hur•
ricanes same that day, and there %sere per sons who en-
tertained great appret ensions for the sa'ety of the old
frigate, on board of which was coming " 0 nosso Anjo,"
" our Angr 1," as the friends of Don Xliguel have named
him. There was a trader sunk by being run down by a
transport, in a gale near Cape Espichel, about ten miles
from the bar ; the crew saved, with the exception of one
-eaman. Many persons, is their, anxiety, say that the
geles etre stronger than have been experienced in this
quarter for some years.
Five o'Cle CK —Don Miguel, to the disappointment
of the Ci y party, and of their adherents, who call them-
selves his friends, because they think it will be to their
in►terest if he become an absolute King, landed at half-
past three o'clock, at the stairs of the quay at Belem.—
T hose st •irs are at least four English miles from those in
the city: Boats, horses, and seges (the ugly gigs of this
country), have been in requisition at more than four
times their usual prices. The Periela-sailed rapidly up
the river, and sonic of the Royal boats, of forty oars,
were constantly near it. Before she let go her anchor,
Den Miguel, glad to get quit of the re eking prison, in
which he was confined during the bad weather, and eagei
to place his foot on his native soil, sprang into one of
them, and the boatmen plied with might and main, and
soon reached the shore.
On receiving the intelligence of the approach of .the
Perola, the Princess Regent and her sister, the Infanta.
Donna Maria da Assum; e‘o, had wren orders for their
carriage to cenveyetheni to the quay. They arrived
there; a Royal galley was in attendance, on board of
ehich they purposed to go to the 'frigate to welcome
thei: brother; but his mo ions were too rapid for them.
From the time the news of his arrival had been circulated
by the'guns and bells, the hills and quays at Belem were
filled with spectators. On his landing, their shouts rent
the air Viva Don Miguel!"—" Viva o Infante!"—
One or two voices cried aloud—"Nive Don Miguel,
the absolute King !" but this cry was drowned in the
others, and not then repeated. The Prince, in return
for the cheers of the people, took off his hat and
bowed. This act of polished manners, which was
so different from what many had witnessed on former
occasions, was to the people extremely agreeable. The
Prince entered the carriage in which his sisters had ar-
rived, and, escorted by one regiment of infantry and
two of cavalry, proceeded up the ascent to the Palace
of the Ajuda—a distance of about three quarters of an
English nele. The people foilowed, cheering; and,
from the windows, the f. males waved their handker•
chiefs. The Prince sat at the hack of the carriage, to
the left of the Plifiless Regent, with his hat off, and
for k but little notice of the cheers or of the crowds. Of
the English troops, the 10th Hussars, the 63d Regi-
ment, and the Artillery and Pioneer corps, which are
quartered in the barrack at Belem, formed, and pre.
sen•ed arms as the procession passed. I asked a British
Sergeant, after the whole was over, e hat he thought I f
it ? He was a sober, obsery ng Scoehmrin.—" 'Pon my
word to you, Sir, it seemed to me to be Rather a fl it
business. It was true th it there was but little notice
given to the people. Our regiment had been about a
quarter of an hour at dinner, when the Colonel sent
orders for us to get ready immediately. We left our
dinner and got ready ; but it did not happen as soon as
was expected; so we finished our dinner, and then had
an hour to spare. The Prince is a nice•leoking young,
man; but 1 pitied very much the perst ns who went
first, and endeavoured to animate the people, by shoat-
Mg and gestures, to cry out. They did trot do it as I
expected they would:"
The Prince proceeded with the Princesses to visit
their mother, whose residence is in the old part of the
Palace, where it is said he dined. The Nobility, the
Clergy, the Lawye►e, and all who wi•hed to pay court
to the new Ruler, hastened, in all their finery, to pay
their respects. The British, French, and Spanish Am-
bassadors, also attended. The appearance of the Prince
is a new era for intrigues and cabals; and his looks,
words, and acts, were watched, canvassed, and reported.

The charge against the Vestry was originally worded
thus :—" In a few years, under the management of this
self-elected Body, an extravagant and inconsiderate
expenditure of the parish monies has accumulated debts
to the enormous amount of one hundred and thirty
thousand pounds, besides a debt of ninety-eight thou-
sand pounds. for which an annuitant interest is paid:—
Other accusations have since been produced, of which
it may be right to take some notice in the course of
these remat
The or;-t;inal charge may be divided into two specific
accusations—that an enormous debt has been accumu-
iated ; and that this has been done by an extravagant
and inconsiderate expenditure of the parish monies.—.
That a debt has been accumulated, is most true—a debt
which now amounts to 1294004 besides life annuities,
payable out of the church rate, of 7,9621. 6s. Bd. It
should, however, be remembered, that ibis debt has been
incurred under the authority of Parliament, and for the
accomplishment of designs which that authority has
sanctioned. 'file Acts of Parliament which gave that
sanction were passed without opposition from the pa
rishioners ; and, being passed,the Vestry were bound to
carry their provisions into effect.
But, before it can be shown that this debt so incurred
may be justly called enormous (a), it should be corn-
pate& with the income derived from the rates ; and when
it is considered that in the year 1826 the rates produced
106,2631. Bs. it may perhaps admit of a question whe-
ther a bonded debt, the interest upon which am-unts to
only 6,2421. 16s. can be justly entitled enormous ? And
aid) respect to the annuitant interest of 7,9621. 6.. BJ.
in order to enable the parish to judge how far such a
mode of raising troney may be justly called extrava-
gant or inconsiderate, the state of the money market at
the time it was raised, and the terms on n bleb the an.
nuities .sere granted, should be fairly inquired into.—
It will be found that the bargain was not, under the
circumstances of the times, then considered a disadvan-
tageous one (14 ; and that it may not now be so regarded,
will appear, when it is known that the annuities due to
persons above 601 ears of age, amount CO'S 8691. 6s. 8.1
and of this sum of 5,8691. 6s. BJ. the annuities due to
peqrstis above severity )ears of age, amount to 30851.
—lt is then evident, that this part of the but den on the
paiochial funds will swat be greatly diminished.
The principle on which the debt has been accumu-
lated, is shortly this : the parishioners will judge for
themselves whether it is a just one.
That, whenever large and expensive public works ate
to be undertaken, which are calculated to be of per-
manent benefit to the parish, the expense of these works
should not be charged upon the rates of any one year,
but be defrayed by a loan, with a provision for its re-
demption within a given period. The Acts of Parlia-
ment, by which the Vestry have been empowered to
raise money by loan, direct that a certain portion of the
capital sum borrowed upon bonds shall be paid ..if
every year; and annuities necessarily provide for their
own redemption.
But, it is charged upon the Vestry, that they have
accuinulated enormous debts by an extravagant and
inconsiderate expenditure." Perhaps a little examina•
Lion into the real state of the case, may convince the
parishioners that this charge has been made without
(a) Fifty years ago, A.D. 1777, the debt of the parish amounted
to 9.3,5001. the whole of which (as wilt be the case with the pre-
sent debt) was gradually paid off by the operation of sinking funds,
the last bond having been cancelled February 8, 1806. When the
parish was involved in the above debt, it had not been called upon
to erect any of its present large and expensive public buildings :
the Court-house and workhouse were comparatively small, and tie
I only church in the parish would riot contain 300 persons. The
population was probably not one-third of its present amount.
(6) The Annaities (with the exception of .220,000 benevolently
granted afterwards-by an individual, now seventy-two years of age,
on an annuity of 5 per cent.) were raised in the interval between
the beghtning`of Septimber,lBlB, and the end of December, 1816.
—The average per tentage pair/ tot the monty so borrowed was
.E 3 Bs. 1 id. The 3 per cent. Consols gave steady 5 per CCM that
stock being on an average at £6l.

Dispatches were this day received at the Foreign
Office horn Vienna; and at the Colonial Office front Lieutenant
General CLISVIOM at Lisbon.
The Duke of Wectimcrrots attended Lord HILL 's Levee on Wed-
nesday at two o'elock,und afterwards attended the El ms's Ccurt at
three o'clock. On the Noble Duke's arriving at Apaley House. he
tound that be had caught a severe cold, and Dr. HUHN was inune-
diateiy sent for, and who has constantly attended his Grace since;
the Noble Duke was confined to his house yesterday; his Grace,
however, transaci■ his official business as usual. Earl BATHURST,
Earl puma's', &c. transacted business with his Grace yesterday.
The Earl of Assault's transacted business yesterday at the
V..rtign Office.
Yesterday Lord STUAAT transacted business t the Treasury add
the Colonial Office.
Yesterday the Dully el Susses visa .d tote Pt ti to s 1 newel..

PARISH OF ST. MARYIgIIONg. , , ~.. debt, h
due tonsidetation. Tile as bus OCCulbutat Ito
et
_..........iu.—. • enable the Vestry to carry into execution great poll:
REPORT OF A COMMITTEE works and improvements.
APPOINTEO TO INVESTIGATE THE CHARGES If the e halm been unnecessary or useless, then h:ts
BROUGHT AGAINST THE VF TRY OF tt:eir ex,pendlture been extravagant arid incon iderate ;
ST. MARYLEB I
ONE. if otherwise, they are exculpated prom blame&
The first items in the debt are the bohds 56,2001—ind

saCall are rite bonds
annuitant intete:t charged en the Church rate. With
the money so raised, the parish Criurch, and the Chaps t
of Ease at St. John's Wood, wi:h the houses for the
Minister and clerk of that Chapel, have been erected,
and the large new buri;l ground has been provided (c):
all under the the direction of a specific Act of P.rlia-
ment (51 Geo 111. c. 151.)
The price of the sites (d) for the four district
Churches, and the sum, 20,0001. paid to his Majesty's
Commissioners towards the expense of building them.
together with the money required for filing them up
with all necessary furniture and ornaments for the
decent celebration of divine service (c), have also been
taken out of this fund. And thus the means of attend-
ing the public worship of ALAIDHITY GOD has been
afforded to about 12,000 of the inhabitants. who had
previously no Church or Chapel within the parish
where they could be received.
Few will be found to say that this was an incon-
siderate and useless expenditure. And when it is con-
sidered that the annual charge of the debt incurred fgr
these great and beneficial purpo•es is now only
10.7721.; that in a very few years, half at least of that
deht will be absorbed by th. lilting in of annuitiet ; and
that the Church r• to is Emited by 1 w to sixpence in
the roundi; th;s, o-t least, will n-•t be alleged against
the Vestry as a proof of their extravagance.
Some observation; have been hazarded on the
alterations lately made in the Parish Church. And
as the teal deign of those alterations was not even
alluded to by those wl:o produced them as mar.
'er of accusation against the Vestry, it may he
tight to say, that accommodation has thus been
provided for more than four hunched children of the
poor, who are receiving edu, allot) in the paroc. ial and
ceetral nati ,nal schools ; and that the closets in the
lower gallery, hitherto appropriated to two families
only, hate been converted into pews capable of receiv-
ing one hundred and nine persons; making on the
whole additional accommodation for five hundred and
nine persons, at a cost of 1 600/.
With respect to the transparency which has been
removed—the unfi•ness of that picture for the place it
occupied was universally admitted : and there is no wish
to deny that the :um charged for it was greater than
the Vestry contemplated, or would have sanctioned had
it been anticipated. But in candour it should be added,
that the venerable artist by whom it was painted, after-
wards liberally presented to the parish that exquisite
and valuable specimen of his genius which now adorns
the altar of the Parish Church. It is not necessary to
remark on the ingenuity which brings forward a trans-
ac.ion that took place in the year 1816, as a proof of
the improvident and extravagant conduct of the.present
Members of the Vestry.
The remaining debt stands thus
On the Poor Rate
Paving Rates .
Highway Rate

.33,400
29,700
10,000

_
- £73 too
The debt on the Poor Rate has been chiefly occasioned
by the additional buildings at the woi kh use (fl, and by
the al eiatioi s anJ enlargement of the Court House (g).
both of which have been undettaken and completed
under the direction, and by virtue of the powers granted
by 3.5 Geo. ill, c. 73. 3 Gen. IV, c.
When the rapid increase ot buildings in that poi tiro
of the pat ith which lies to the north west of the Regent's
Pat k, a district chiefly inhabited by poor, is consideied ;
a-cl it is known that at the close of the last year.
1060 paupers 'were inmates of the workhouse, and
that the pati:nts in the sick house amounted to 299;
it will be believed that went addltions have been
necessary, in order to render the building capable
of rec. iving so large a numher. If it is said, that
more has been done than is required, the answer w ill
be this: That the sick house, even now, is scarcely large
enough, at times, for the due accommodation of the
patients; that to inadequate is the size of the work-
house, that the poor, both on the male and female sides
of the house, are most improperly crowded together
and that the new building, intended for.the boys, was
not commenced, until such was the a ant of room in
the pnttion of the workhouse allotted to them, that
they have been obliged to lie five and even six ill one
bed. And not only was it expedient to provide mote
room ler the decent accommoda ion of tt e boys, but,
in order to enforce a system of ~.oral discipline, it was
lound to be absolutely recess ry to separate them from
the adult males. It will now happily-be possible so to
remove them, and their removal will afford means of
better accommodation for the adult inmates of the
workhouse, both male and female. In truth, it must
he observed, that, if any charge can be substantiated
against the daectors and guardians f the poor, to
whom the administration of this branch Ai V e parochial
funds is by law committed, it will be the very reverse
of having accumulated a debt by extravagant and in-
considerate expenditure. They are well aware that
much yet remains to be done. Their ahtiety not to
increase the burdens rf the parish has prevented them
(torn making alt- rations, and introducing improvements
in it the wok close, of which they deeply feel the ex-
pe.liency ; and they see with regret, that the buildings
appr priated to the poor are still vet y uttwotthy ot the
character, nay, of the humanity if this west and
wealthy pa. ish. •
Of the necessity for enlarging and al.eiing the Court
Holt e, they only will entertain a di übt who have not
considered how peat and multifsiinus must be the
business there conducted ; and how much room is re-
mitted for the various boards, committees, ffices, and
clerk., whore attendance is continually necessary. Nor
can it be denied that the Vestry itselt should be pro-
vided with a proper ro an for its meetings, and with
convenient waiting rroms for the many inhabitants, of
all rat ks, who attendant appeals and other important
busine,s.

----- ---
Another portion of the fund raised by loan upon the
poor rate has been avproptiated to the putchase of
ground (li) in the north western p -rt of the parish,
which is now used as a stone yard (i). • Alk flit stone
(c). The cost of these works 1141 been 108,2641:. of ibis sum
9.5,11‘i1. was expended out of monies borrowed by bond and an-
rainy, acid the rentAttitig 15,146/. Was supplied by a balance of
burial fees in hand.

(d) The sites, with the conveyances anti other contingent ex-
pen.es, cost in round numbers 27,000/.
(e) The whole money expended under this head, when Trinity
Church is completed, will be

(i) These buildings cost 16,4P0L 2.5.644
(g) These cost 17,0991. 14s. led. . • 41•1
(A) The sum paid was 4,800/.
(1) It has been in contemplation to but'ld e:••• watehhouse
on part of this land; and the time may slier* ionic when it will
be absolutely necessary for the adequate &title* of persons and
property during the night in that district that arch a hulking
should be erected.—At present, if offenders are taken Into
custody there, a portion of the watchmen must be withdrawn
from their stations for a considerable ;ism that they may con-
vey the culprits to the watehhouse on the southern border of the
parish.