Star.
London, England, 1821-12-24 00:00:00

*FOR THE STAR.

.
NEAP INSUitANCE COMPANIES. .
Unrestrained et‘hniedtionls recognised by allb:Sttl rm.
winos the principle oa which alone the Public can for a
!strand advantageous Apply of their wants. nal este&
glee, urged by the desire of gain, when left unfettered, arms
fails to elicit the most acceptable mode of meeting the coned.
race of the Public, and to satisfy it upon the lowest terms that
can be afforded ; while the ruling motive, generally speaking, re-
strains the suppliers from parting with their property without a
reasonable profit. Theye 4no good general principle, however,
which is not open to abuse. Thus with many of the late Public
Companies for Insurance, Canals, Railways, Bridget, at. the
suppliers have been woeful sufferers. ( the iniltions they he..
subscribed, not len than ww-isalfis now lost ins the depreciated mime I
their Amex The reason of competition being carried to milt an
injurious extent in Public Companies, will be obvious on selec-
tion. The restraint V sellintered is wain their opeculatiens.
rThe suppliers do not act for themselves. The parties who have
captivated them with a prospectus kindly take that trouble off
their hands. With those who compose the &aft as Directors,
Bankers, Secretaries, Surveyors, &c. to get the morn lOW and
keep it ss is eve • The general proM are a very secondary
consideration as they gain much: compared with this,
whether theygain Dividends of or 6 per Cent: on their Shares,
or nothing at all, signifies little. But amongst the: new As-
surance Offices, it is to be feared the mischief of over-driven
competition extends beyond the Shareholders—to the Public.
About twenty of these Of have sprung up within the last
few years ; with the exception of two or three they have al
been losing concerns.
The published Plias of Shares skew that scene of them have
not divided common interest, and have only found a market at
a discount of 60 per cent. for years together. The greater part
continue to this day at a discount—yet sack is the strange infa-
twice ache Public, that they subscribe ten new Insurance pro-
jects at full price while Shares in other Cotbpanies of le or 1.5
years standing, which: have had the benefit?, espernssee, and ac-
quired a certain quantum of business, are to be had at little
more than hay price. The question, however, which chiefly af-
fects the Public is, whether much of the quibbling and litigation
which have characterised certain Insurance Offices, have not
been brought on by expressive competition. Each new Adven-
turer, with the money which be has got others to embark, seeks
custom by offering to undersell Offices of established reputation,
until the Premium, by nicesstive reductions, me unequal to the risk.
This is a paint which materially concerns the Public at large,
and should teach them not to pin their faith upon sounding pro-
fessions, but to inquire strictly what has been proved to be the
character and conduct of the Office to which they are di
to commit their protection. PRUDENTrIs.ed

Ait E EVEN IN ()I STAR.

LONDON.

MONDAY, DECEABER 24, 1821.
STOCK EgCHANGE, ONE O'CLOCK.
• After three o'clock on Saturday, considerable sales
were effected by two or three respectable Brokers,
and the consequence was, a depres,ion of 14 per Cent.
This morning there is much business doing, and
the Market has improved upon the opening price,
77% ; and Consols are now 77% %, with favourable
symptoms of a further rise.—Current prices:

Bank Stock 23514 235—S per Ct. Reduced 76% %
4 per Cent. 96 93%—Bank Long Anns. 19% 5-16
India Bonds 70s. 695. prem.

Eck. Bills 4.3000, Is. 2s. pr.—Do. Small 2s. 4s. pr.
Cons. fol Account 773/4 14 M..

The Paris Journals of Wednesday and Thursday
last, and Madrid Papers to the 11 th instant, bare
been received. The only extracts from the French
Papers worthy of note, will be found under their pro-
per head. The Spanish Papers contain a very im-
portant document—a Report aroma a Committee of the
Cortes on the State of the Country, which, while it
recognizes the just privileges and dignity of the
Throne, avows the principles of a free Constitution.—
This Report, which refutes the calumnies of the ene•
mica of Spanish freedom, will be read with great interest.

The news from Ireland is still of a very afflicting
nature. Outrages and murders still continue as fre-
quent as ever at the ye, y moment that a Commission
is daily dooming the associates of the banditti to
expiate their crimes on the gallows. Tour men at
least have, before this time, been executed at Limerick
for murder. One of them, M.Nantara, appears to
have been a desperado of the most hardened charac-
ter. When sentence of death was passed upon him,
the wretch exclaimed, that " He could expect nothing
better from the blood-hounds of Limerick," and a
private letter states, that he added, 44 Courage,
courage, my boys, there are. plenty of us yet." This
man, with his associate in murder, was executed on
Wednesday last.
Two other persons, Fibgerakl and Hallam:, were
convicted for the murder of a policeman, and or-
dered for execution on Thursday last.
The outrages we have this day to detail in the im-
mediate neighbourhood of Linierick. ate of as daring,
and nearly of as ferocious a character, as any that
have preceded them; and it is evident from every
circumstance attending these proceedings, that the
mass of the people are either corrupted or intimi-
dated by the lawless—that the majority ofeeen those
of above the lowest rank either approve of or connive
at their proceedings: and from the wide extent of the
combination in several counties of Munster, it is
scarcely possible to separate the guilty from the in-
nocent. Such being the case, it has been suggested
that the best way of suppressing disorder and main-
taining peace, would be by some plan that would
operate as a punishment upon the whole people—
such as forming a local police establishment, on the
principle of retaining them in service, and paying
them highly, at the expense. of the Baiony, while
they secured public tranquillity. Though such
a plan might ensure the punishment of the guilty,
yet the innocent would moss unjustly suffer, and that
distress which in most of the instances has been the
parent of crime, would be aggravated rather than
relieved.

It u a fact worthy of observation, that the disturb-
ances are greatest in the counties most oppressed. In
Munster, where to the general tithes that of potatoes
is added, there have been frequent risings against the

.... • •• ""''' •

system during the last 40 years, yet in Ulster, where no
such tithe is required, these insurrections are unknown.
Goa forbid that we should seek to palliate crimes
such as we have this day to leered, since they admit
of no extenuation. We speak of the situation of Ire-
land, and Of her distreseerund discontents, in general
'farms ; and we feel persuaded, that if the proprietors
bad remained at home on. their estates, to act as Ma-
gistrates, to protect and to encourage their tenantri.,
.—to watch the conduct of middlemen, tithe proctors,
and their own agents, the people would never have
t reached this height of depravity.. 'Mut the fact is,
Ithat the lower orders of Irish live in a state of greater
wretchedness than any other people in Europe, inha-
biting so fine a soil and climate. I; is difficult, 'often
I impossible, to execute processes of law and in cases
where Gentlemen are concerned it is noteven attenipted:l
The spirit of jobbing and bribery are widely diffused.
The Magistrates are frequently wanting in vigilance,
and military force is necessary all over the country,
even to enforce the most commotrand just operations
of Government. The whole system of country ma-
nagement in Irela&I must be changed, before any
plan of amelioration can effectually operate; and it
is only from the enlarged views of an enlightened
and vigorous Government, that the sister kingdom
• can hope for relief from those miseries with which
! she has been for ages afflicted.

There were frequent communications during the
last week between the Secretaries of State's Offices,
die. Treasury and the Marquis WELLESLEY, at Rich-
mond, previous to his Excellency's departure for
Ireland. Dispatches were sent from the Secretary of
State's Office to the Noble Marquis on Friday even-
ing, which were supposed to be the last previous to
his departure.
The Marquis WELLESLEY left Richmond on Sa-
turday afternoon, at three o'clock, on a circuitous
rout,_ for Dublin. The Noble VICEROY passed through
London, with his attendants-, is two travelling car-'
lieges and four ; a third was sent to Mr. BLAKE'S, the
Barrister, in Gower-street, Bedford-square, to take
sis. that Gentleman, who would meet the Marquis at
Dunstable, on Saturday evening ; from whence the
party were to proceed to Lord GRANTLEY'S, at Rip-
pon, Yorkshire, where it was agreed they should ,
sleep last night. The Noble Marquis will from thence
Proceed to visit several other friends before he crosses
the Channel, which he is not expected to do for some
days to come.
The ONTARIO sloop of war, Capt. JODRELL LEIGH.
arrived at Portsmouth on Tuesday from Port Royal,
Jamaica, and the Havannah, having left the former
Place on the 24th October, the latter 21st November.
She encountered gales of wind from the westward,
almost without intermission, from the Gth inst. until
her arrival. On the 7th, in lat. 44. N. long. 40. W.
by the violence of the sea, she lost her quarter-boats,
hammock-rails, boards, &c. had her sheet-anchor
lifted on board, the bolt to which it had been se-
cured being drawn. The Master and three men
were washed overboard, two of the latter of whom
were unfortunately drowned. As night approached,
and the wind end sea had incresv:oci to A tremen-
dously dangerous height, and the ship having been
all day steered before it under bare poles, it became
necessary to throw the guns overboard to prevent her
from foundering. In the very severe weather of
Monday last, she was embayed the gi eater part of
the night between St. Alban's and St. Catherine's
Points. She went into Pio tsmonth harbour to be
paid off. She was three years on the Jamaica station,
during which she lost only eight men—three by yellow
fever, three from casual causes, and two drowned.
The latest news from Mexico, received at Havan-
nah, previous to the sailing of the above ships thence,
states the arrival, on the 1I th of November, of the
Spanish ships of war Asia, of 64 guns, and I)iamante
frigate, from Vera Cruz, after seventeen days' pas-
sage, having on board his Excellency APODACA,
Count del Venidito, the Ex-Viceroy of Mexico, and
his family, with a great number of other passengers,
and specie and valuables to the amount of eighteen
millions of dollars : the Asia brought four millions of
dollars. • Vera Cruz had been evacuated, and gar-
risoned by the Independents; but the Governor, Don
JOSE DAVILAY, Mariscal de Campo, had retreated
into the Castle of St. Juan de Ulna, with between
three and four hundred men, having previously dis-
armed the inhabitants of Vera Cruz. He was deter-
mined to defend the fortress until he had orders from
Madrid how to act. The King's late Lieutenant, Sr.
ANNA, now in the Independent service, was daily
expected there with 700 men from Orizaba. With
this trifling exception, the kingdom of Mexico, with
its annual revenue of six millions of dollars, are en-
tirely lost to Spain.
The Governor of the Havannah was preparing an
Expedition of 400 men, to send to the relief of Don
Joss DAYILAY. The late new Viceroy of Mexico died,
it is supposed by poison, a few days after he signed
the Treaty, in the Villa Cordova, with the Indepen-
dent Chief YTURBIDE. He had only arrived there
about two months from Old Spain, in the Asia. It
was expected that ITURBIDE would be immediately
elected Emperor of Mexico ; iu the King's service he
was Colonel of the Regiment of Valladolid : there
being an insurrection in Acapulco, in February last,
the Viceroy sent him with a force to quell it, but, on
his arrival, he and all the troops declared against their
KING. Acapulco had declared its independency, and
two Spanish frigates were, by the latest accounts,
lying there, having declared for the new Government
of Mexico.
The Independents appear to be in quiet possession
of the whole of Clsta Firma. Carthagena had been
given up on terms honourable to the Spanish army,
and Totten, the Ex-Governor, had arrived, with his
garrison, at St. Jago de Cuba.
The coast of Cuba, and neighbouring seas, had
been very much infested by pirates. fhe United
States brig Enterprise had captured four of these
marauders, and recaptured their prize, the ship Lu-
cie, of New York; the former had been carried to
New York, the latter sent into the Havannah. His,
Majesty's ship PARTHIAN Captain LLOYD, arrived
there from Omoa and Truxillo,
J on the 17th Novem-
ber, and was to proceed to Jamaica the day after
the OarAato sailed.