Star.
London, England, 1829-09-10 00:00:00

BATTLE OF NAVARIN.

COURT MARTIAL !mow CAPTAIN DICKENSON, R.N.
PORTSMOUTII, WIDKVISAY, San. 9.
CIOR COPACIIPONDIXT).
The Court met this morning as usual. At the opening
of the Court, a medical certificate was presented, apologising for
the absence of Admiral Ottway. The Court was then closed, and
remained so for nearly an hour. When we were again admitted,
Captain Dickenson requested that the Master of the Albion, now
cm board the Melville, should be in attendance, to which the Court
acceded, and then adjourned.

POLITICAL LITERATURE.

A DREAM FROM THE ANTIPODES.
THE NEW MAGAELNE:

We briefly noticed this article two days ago. It is too good to
pass over; and we therefore turn to it again to-day. The ingenious
writer date■ his epistle from —'a Town, New Settlement, Feb.
26th ; and, in spite of its absurd contradictions and ridiculous Im-
probabilities, hr mounts his dream of the previous night, as if it
had been made up of recorded and acknowledged facts. The
dreamer had supped in a very satisfactory manner cff a delicate
kangaroo; and upon retiring to bed, it crossed his mir d, amid a
jumble of bush-rangers, second crops, packets due, and back
settlements, that that very night there had been a Meeting
of Parliament in England. He wail then too far gone to
well very rationally on this or any other idea, for at first he felt
the Ma'itary Minister jumping up and down un his chest, like a
kangaroo. " It must have been"—says he—•` my own antipodean
situatii:n which suggested the next inage,—fur I fancied that he
—the Military Minister—then determined to throw a Somerset,
turn topsy-turvy, and appear. before Parliament. standing on his
head ; and that he insisted on several of his colleagues—(ail, I
thought, of the Inti-Catholic division)—doing the same."
He then proceeds

"The first to whom he suggested it was the leader of the House
of Commons—Mr. Peel—who, with a self-satisfied smirk, imme-
diately turned over and stood on his head, in doing which his
orange hair, of the colour of which lie had previously been very
proud, was much stained and disfigured by the dirt in which he
deposited it. The next to whom he made the proposal was the
Lord Chancellor, who said that be bad no difficulty in turning over
and over again, as often as was wished, but he objected to remain-
ing permanently in that attitude. as it would discompose the dig-
nity of his official wig ; but he was reminded that the official wig
would be a very comfortable cushion for hint whilst standing on his
head, and that if he remained as he now was, the same official wig
might get kicked off by some of his colleagues, in their efforts to
maintain their places in their new position. The Bishops at first
complained loudly, that, it they attempted this new manoeuvre,
their robes would take a very indecorous and unseemly sit ; but it
was suggested, that, if they stood by each other, they might, by
huddling close together, keep each other's petticoats in proper
order; and, as it was added that they would. as a reward, be al-
lowed, by changing amongst each viper, advantageous opportuni-
ties for refitting, a bunch of them in consequence attempted it.
Several others, whose faces I did ;lot recollect as 'Minis , though
I remembered them on parade, at the word of command
" grounded head." as they would "arm.," though they did not
seem afterwards t i "stand at ease." Very many others (sonic of
whom surprised me much) turned over with most military subor.
dilution But the physical absurdity of the first part of my dream
was nothing to the moral contradictions and discrepancies which
followed. I fancied the D— of W meant to carry the
Catholic Question, at which you may imagine, however little pre—
pared for it by his past curduct, I was highly delighted. But with
that singular disability which one has when asleep to see anything
in a straightforward point of view, I thought he first wrote a
letter—you will, suppose, perhaps, like his predecessor Pitt, to the
King, to explain—perhaps, as has sometimes been proposed to the
Pope, to make a bargain—or to the head of the &glish Church, to
propitiate it. No ;of all people in the world, to an Irish Catholic
Archbishop ! You will then say, of course he was so determined
that the thing should be done, that he wished at once to announce
himself, and to secure without delay the tranquillity of Ireland,
by letting her know that her just claims would be granted. Not
at all—(what nonsense one does dream !)—I thought that this letter
was calculated to create a directly contrary opinion, and therefore,
if it bad been written, it could only have been to humbug and render
ridiculous a worthy old man, to whom he need not have written
at all ; but as one could not imagine such an intention, it must, if
written, have left an impression that he himself had only subse-
quently, at the eleventh hour, by the force of circumstances, and
upon a choice of difficulties, been driven into that great measure,
of which the intentional execution would deserve so much credit.
If I had been speculating with my senses about me, instead of
vaguely dreaming, the next step, I should have thought, would
have been to rally round him those whose concurrence would give
credit to his proceedings ; above all to secure the cordial co-ope-
ration of that distinguished individual, the then Lord-Lieutenant,
his own former companion in arms, whose liberal and candid mind
had, like his own, adopted upon conviction, and in opposition to
former prejudices, his amended opinion on this question : instead
of which, I actually imagined that be wrote to this person in the
style a country squire would to the bailiff on his estate • at last, too,
directing his butler to discharge him. An idea this, the most im-
probable of all ; as people must at once have attributed such an act
to mean jealousy of so eminent a partner in the great deed, or have
adopted this as a proof in confirmation that, up to the last moment,
be was in Isis own course tossed about by indecision, and only
drifted by accident.
" I then thought that theßill was at length brought into the House
of Commons by that very person who, on one of the last nights
before I came out here, I recollect, I heard (when in the gallery
with you) declare to the late Mr. Canning, that this was his—Mr.
Peel's—only difference of opinion with him, and that, hut (or this
insuperable objection, he would have served with him or under
him. I remember being then so convinced by the plausibility of
his manner, that I said to myself, AU the conspirators, save only
he, did what they did in envy of great Caesar,' &c. And yet I now
saw him in my dream, hi the same Pharisaical tone, with the same
uplifted palms pressed together, pleading, as reasons for his toners.
sion, the influence of the priests, the power of the Association,
the events of the general election,'—aU arguments in full force
when I heard him make that real speech.
" But the most absurd contradiction was, that though, with that
insight into motives which one assumes in sleep, I thought all ad-
mitted that O'Connell had, in a great measure, forced them into
their present course, yet that these who on that account paid tardy
and unwilling homage at the shrine of reason and of justice, still
proposed to continue on that one marked individual the exclusion
which they no longer dared to inflict on seven millions of his coun-
trymen ! Strange as it would seem. that those who still dreaded
distant danger from concession, and yielded only on the balance of
expediency. and from the desire of tranquillity, should, whilst they
removed the defence, continue the grievance ; foster disturbance
where danger could not be pretended ; and after having at length
killed this many.headed monster of a question, instead of burying
it decently, should allow its gigantic ghost to stalk • troubled spi-
rit over still distracted Ireland. I take it, after shaping these
strange phantoms in the earlier part of the night, that I slept mote
quietly for some time, of which I had a sort of half-eoasciuumess,
for I thought I peeped into the House of Commons, and then they
were as quietly digesting the Catholic Question as I was my kan-
garoo, for they were all asleep likewise. Once I thought a Gen-
tleman, on what used to be the Opposition side of the House, got
up, and in a whisper, as if afraid of disturbing any one, offered to
the Chancellor of the Exchequer an account of some millions to
explain ; to which the Right Hon. Gentleman only replied that it
was all right, for that be had Jost cast his eye over it—a physical
facility to do which is supposed his qualification for the office which
be bolds. Another time I thought I saw a middle-aged man, with
a scarlet face and portly person, take the opportunity of boat par.
ties being asleep, to slip silently across from his seat un the Oppo.
olden side to the T ry Bench, of which change of place no one
seemed to take the slightest notice."
Here the foolish dreamer tells us that " a change came o'er the
spirit of his dream." He peeps into the Howe of Lords,--cad
fancied, in his confusion, that the defence of Dun Shouge was at-
tempted by a dark, solemn man, whom he did not recollect m a
Minister ; and who looked, as well as spoke, more like a Portu-
guese than an Englishman. lie next recounts his vision of the
Noble Duke decking Moen out in Royal robes,—and presenting
him with the British Sag, in which Micmac blew his nose, &e.
as we set forth in our former notice. The whole of this exquisite
useryons is wound up the, :—" Before the many, many months are
over which must elapse ere this reaches England, events Is ill have
happened,—prebably directly the reverse of the unlikely dream of
your sincere friend Mosterus."

Sir Christopher Pegge,theirteißgitis Professor of
Physic at Orford, was !nisch encennid,`thougb the hottocrs of
Knighthood which be enjoyed were sometimes the theme of Col-
lege jest. On one occasion it was asserted that Sit Christopher
was absoistely taken Ip in consequence bf chagrin at his tailor, the
Myer, befog raised to the some dignity, on presenting a loyal Ad-
dress. Some oar asked—" Why, what is the matter with Sir
Christopher Peat ?" To which some one replied--" Oh, Sir, be
is quite sick of the night mare!" (tke Knight Wyse.)