Star.
London, England, 1820-03-02 00:00:00

VIE CONSPIRACY.

BOW-3TRlDET.—there were no fresh apprthens;ons
veiterday, nor did any proceedings take place at
Bow-street, or at the Secretary of State's Office for

Sts--In regard to the exercise of a discreiOnaPy
power, which certainly appears by his Majesty's re-
gulations to be vested in a Commanding Officer, it
may not perhaps be improper, nor will it, I trust,
be considered presumptuous in me to state here,
that about the time I was so ordered to allow My-
self to be commanded by a Junior Officer, I had
been upwards of nine years a Lieutenant, including
the two years granted to Waterloo Lieutenants by
authority, and that I had previously had the
honour of serving under the. Duke of WELLINGTON,
during the latter and most glorious petiod of the
Peninsular War—doling that splendid part cf it
when the British army, Assisted by its Allies, suc-
ceeded in expelling its invaders from the Spanish
dominions, and terminated the contest by planting
the British irandard on the once "sacred' tel
of France. It was Burin e this memorable campaien
that .I had the .herour of being entrusted with the'
very important and confidential detached command
of that armament which was destined for the re-
establishment and keeping open the important pass
and communication across the Tagus, at Almera.
The detachment which I had here the honour to
command, was of such magnitude as to require a
Deputy Assistant Commissary-General, am &c. to be
attached to me. And lastly (though it may perhapsl,
be too trifling to mention it), only three days before
the said 7th of June, I had the honour of command-
ing the Royal Staff Corps, at a Review of the Garri-
son at Shurncliff, being in commemoration of our late
most venerable Sovereign's birth-day.
\Then these circumstances, which I have submit-
ted with great deference, are considered, combined
with the very zero situation in which I had for some
time previously been placed in the Regiment, by the
evident operation of an 44 Ityluenee" existing and
operating somewhere, it may not probably excite a
great degree of wonder, that being thus suddenly
taken by surprise, I should, under the impulse of the
moment, have acted as I did. It is one thing for
the allele of the Officers, in a body, keeping each
other in countenance, submitting to be manieuvred
in line. by a Junior Officer, under the eye of the Com-
manding Officer ; and it will be allowed that it is
quite another, and a very different thing, for a single
Officer to be picked out and marched alone, round the
parade, in the presence of the Garrison, under the corn-
wind ifa aroior Officer, even supposing the Command-
ing ()I,7cep to he present. But let it be here distincly
understood, that it is not my intention to justify my
having declined to obey the above order. No I only
mean to sax-, that an Officer so situated as I have
just represented mvself to have been, might per-
haps have expected a little delicacy to have been
observed towards him, in the exercise of that dise
cretionary power with which Commanding Officers
are invested.
But to return to my narrative.—The affair of my
exchange into a regiment of Dragoons in India,
which I had been confidently led to expect, fell at
last to the ground. After the lapse of nearly twelve
months of the most anxious state of suspense, it was
discos !red, for the first time it seems, that my ex-
change could not take place! This was found out
after I had been induced to incur debts, in my outfit
and equipment for India, little.short of two hundred
pounds. And it is highly illustrative of the feeling
which had- been excited against me, to state here,
that the very next morning (Sunday) after my return
from London to my family in Ilythe, almost broken
hearted at this most ruinous termination of all my
Indian hopes, Sir BENJAMIN D'URBAN (so justly dis-
tinguished for the suaeity of his manners) was
plea%ed to send his Adjutant to me, before breakfast,
with a message, saying, " that if I did not find some
person to exchange with in a month, one would be
found for me, or more vigorous measures would be
resoi ted to to put me on half-pay, or get me out of
the Corps r And in a Letter which Sir B. D'URRAN
did vie the honour of writing to me, immediately
subsequent to the above message, he plainly told
we, " that to exchange on half-pay was now no
inner left with me as a matter of choice, but of
necessity." To be brief, Sir, I was threatened with
a Ccinrt Martial, on declining the very "HUMANE"
propositions which were about this time made to
me. I was again put under arrest ; and kept, once
more, for a month or two longer, in the old purga-
tory of suspense. •I found, however, that there ap-
peared no intention whatever of bringing me to a
Court Martial. Indeed I was well aware, that even
had a Court Martial acquitted me (which was thought
improbable), still it was obvious that such acquittal
could not have enabled me to pay off those debtsl
which I had been led to conti act in my outfit for
India. I lere was the rub. I was, in fact, now come!
pletely cheque mated. The only alternative left me
being, to apply to be allowed to exchange on half-
pay, receiving the difference. There appeared no
other way by which 1 could pay those debts; and in
doing this, it will be plainly perceived, " it was my'
potetty, and not my all/ consented."
These circumstaarces will give some idea of the
general complexion of affairs in the Royal Staff
Corps for the last three years, in so far as they re-
garded me ; and it will be found difficult to account
tor some of them, but by admitting the existence of
4' a faction behind the eaters, infinitely more power-
than the voters themselves." This will indeed "elu-
cidate" the statement.
I was i7usiectcd, it would seem, of having written
FLM.II.E INFLUENCE IN TILE ARMY,' which Mr.
Penne says, 44 attacks the heads of the Corps."—
Well, had any Officer in the Corps, who had as-
sisted at these solemn mummeries, attempted my
justification, or breathed a whisper to that effect,
can it be doubted, that he might have had strong
rcesons for apprehenditig, from what had been u
recently seen in my case, that in his turn he would
have been exposed to all those accumulated mortifi-
cations and insults which I and my family had ex-
perienced for the two preceding years?
The Editor of the Edi,tburgh Correspondent was, It has lasen remarked by an anonymous, but ele-
on Aimiday last, fined by the Court of Justiciary, in gees writer, on the inadequacy of Courts Martial,
tee sum if I:5, for a paragraph contained in that lin their present form, to purposes of justice, " that
Paper, which was calculated, in the opinion of the I the reembeis give their rotes under the eye of the
Cem t, to prejudice the case of Gilbert M.Leod, rc- President—the youngest first. In such a situation,"
ceetly found geilty of libel, while nude.- trial. Alex-; he says, "if they perceive that it is a • • • •
4.:der Munay, compositor on that Paper, and who prosecution, trill most men hesitate between the sarri-
xi. is be Autl,or of tile paragraph complained of; was at dice of their profcp,ional prospects, their consequent
/LC bailie time sentenced to vac month's imprisonment. rum, and a desire to do justice to ax indil•idual?—

the Home Department:, Yesterday was the day ap-

yoi.lted for the second Cabinet dinner to take place,
dace the demise of the late King, at the house of
Fttl BA-ru uncr, in Mansfield-street, Portland-place;

I.t-, as a measure of precaution, Lord SlDNleunt, as
Principal Scere:ary of State for the Horne Depart..
went, ordered several of the principal Officers, con-
snsl-inz of Lavender, Bishop, ltuthven, and ethers,
to aq..2ntl.
It is stroiv,ly suspected that most of. the wretches
esr:,pe.l from the back preinises. The occupiers Of
th, ,n!inining house ref used to lc t the villains through
inemises, except they would say who they rCI
;;lid v4.hat was then Object in escaping. The banditti,

. .
).e.!uz no reasonable exclox, endeavoured to pass

b• force, and ts::e upper hinges of the hack-
were'b:oken off; hut they did not wait to fioi,ll
it Je,t; 'action upon the door by for;.ing the lower
is es off, but, fiadiag they were clo.:ely pursued,
ra.u!e their way, it has been iitsce; tained, over a slicd

€.l.itair to those Ith!ch are at the back of all the small

:Relses in that low neighbourhood. From the shed,
suppohed, they en:ered t!-,e nne-pair of stairs
of a respecta:)le hou-c in John-street, and

•
t'ley made their way through the house, out at the
I:.ont-door, wwbserve,i, inhi without disturbing the

y.iet inhabitant ,z.
\Vestcott was the Officer who apprehended Ings,
the b 'teller, who was one of the sentinels at the door
el the stable when the Officers entered it. Westcott
saw Thistlewood discharge a pi.tol in the stable at
random z and Oleic is no doubt but that he was then
armed with two pistols and one sword, which his
black cloth'belt was made to contain. There were
then several candles but Meg in the stable ; and al-
though Westectt had lugs in custody in a corner of
the so:hle, yet, as 11;i:4:mood discharged a pistol on
COOling, jOW-.1 the ladder, his attention WAS fixed upon
Line :v.J, az.. soon as he saw his face, he had no doubt
CIA., it wal Thist'moo.] ; and he has every reason to
kntex him, for he taw him pre-
seat Ili; second l istol at hint ; and, at the instant,
f; cm the' aim ta,cn, the in:pressinn open his mind
was, that l:e shea4f shot dead, induced him
sto-p down, and hold up his I.lt arm-and hand to
cefLed his head. The ristol w ei:t off, and he 0b-
,.e.;-ved Thistimeod e.: ape oat of the fi ont-door of
the •tabie i:'to Cato-stre...t. .lie did not discover the.
i;:jary he had t;otaii.ed till he Idled his left hand
Lleeding, and, on examination, he diicovcred that a
shot ha.t parsed thrlogli the ci.fr of his coat, aad also
t'.e fleshy pa:: LT his hand, between his ti:amb and
forc-fil.ger, R!ld aftei. he received a most
ti leLa blew on the kft side of Lis temple, the effects
ioo! swelling of which a:e still visible, hut by whom,
or ft oft what instilment he received this blew, he
is not able to desc; the. A fie) Js daft ee pi iol-hots
passed through the clown el* his hat, but by whom
the histois were fired, he cannot tell : his escape from
being murdered is almost a miracle. During this
altack upon a Peace-officer, who WAS unarmed, his
Ings, the butcher, made his escape out of
the stable into Cato-street, where, however, he was
st:l,pped and seei:red.
he examination of Preston on Tuesday, lasted
al;out half an hour, after 1N illeh he was committed
t• 11 11 11-field Bridewell, in the custody of two of
the Bow-street Officers. When he returned from the
Council Chamber he was almes,: Meatiness, and
gasped out to those abet: him, " Iliess tae, how I
perspire! but I always do W hen I have anything
like a siffjec, to speak upon." Whilst his commit-
ment was making out, he requested to be Insisted
ith a little ranter. Some pot ter was given to
and. whilst he was drinking it, Lord Castlereagh
rAssed thiough the Ilan, when Preston observed,
. Aye, thei ehe goes ! l lis Lordship will remember
what 1 have said to him as loag as he lives. I have
talked mere treason, a; they call it, to-day, than ever
did in my wholelife belore." The porter seemed
to inspire him, and he was proceeding with more re-
marks, when the o,licers received his commitment,
and he was led to the coach which was to convey him
to pfiscr.. A number of Gentlemen were assemhled
in the Ilall ; and, as lie passed through the midst of
them, he bowed and smiled on all sides, repeatedly
saciag, Gclo bless you all."
Yes:crday maninT,„li.ttk IradditVon, the placard.
bearer, ile-ented himself before Mr. Ilinxtr., and
atcr several profound congers, he said—" Sir, I am
olio to Woddineolon."—The Magistrate VC a nod of.
•
recogniLion. " Your Officers searched my premises
yesterday morning, Sir, and my landlady, as I live
with, says they left word that you wanted to see me."
The Magistrate assured him that he must have been
misinloi mc.l, fur he did ant want to see him : and
Lavender, who happened to be standing by, said,
that no such message was left c..ith his landiaiy.—
/t/Lter Waddington replied, that he had kasown his
landlady a long time, and he could not think that
• she would tell hint an untruth l The Magistrate
again assf:red him, that he had no charge whatever
against him, but Waddington seemed vet y unwilling
to believe this ; he evidently had a great hankering
to keep up his pa is itical cweauence ; and it was not
till the Officers had repeatedly reiterated in his car
that he was" not wanted," that he could prevail upon ►
3.ine.eif to turn his face towards the door ; nor did he
withdraw at last without iaforming the Magistrate,
that provided he did happen to want him, he should
net be out of the way.
The Earl and Countess of Hannownv coreinne
daily to receive the congratulations of the Nobility •
add Gentry, on their providential escai:e from the
atrocious plot in Cato-street. The CouNress enter-
t iota, evening, a select party of her di ,tin-
;;eished frienl,, at her house. in Grosvenor.oluare.
Count. or t H.INCERY.—The LORD CH A NCrI,LOR
rose a little beiore melee this morning, to attend t
r:vy Cf‘al:cii held this day, several of the Co:1-
sreators has ing been taken to ‘,N hitchall, to undergo
e...aafination. 'Ae.ton is one of the number.