Star.
London, England, 1826-10-13 00:00:00

MISCELLANEOUS.

Advices from Rio de Janeiro state, that 12 English
vessels had arrived there prizes to the Brazilian squa-
dron, estimated at the value of 120,00 W. It was sup-
posed all the vessels sent is therefor adjudication %ould
be condemned. _

A Brussels letter states, that the heat continues to be
as great as at Midsummer, and that it had produced
many vegetable phenomena. In some of the gardens
in the vicinity there had been second crops of fruit, and
raspberries and strawberries had been recently gathered
in abundance. The drought, it appears, had in some
instances completely put a stop to the navigation of the
Rhine; and the stage coaches, which keep up the in-
tercourse between the Netherlands and Germany, were,
in consequence, so overloaded, that it was difficult, in
some instances, to procure places for several days.
From Ilamburgh, of the 6th inst, we learn, that the
deficiency of the last crops develope themselves daily,
and it is there generally expected that Prussia will pro.
hibit exportation of Gratin, and that similar steps are in
progress in Russia, where the produce is rumoured to
be insufficient for the consumption.
By letters from Leghorn to the Ist instant, we learn
that the certainty of a bad crop of Olives has at last
created a disposition to speculate in them. Oil had
begun to improve.
Letters from Naples to tlte'27th September were re-
ceived in town yesterday. Oil/here, as well as atLeghorn,
had experienced an advance. Three cargoes of Galipoli
O►l had been bought, and holders were asking higher
p► ices. Exchange 607.
Letters from Messina, to the 21st September, were
received yesterday. The following is an extract from
one of them, which may interest many of our Commer-
cial readers : " The Free Pratique, from Malta, will he
the means of making great contraband on the South
East coast of Sicily, which will prevent the iute►ior
being supplied from Messina, and perhaps they will be
able to supply us on better iv-mg than by paying the
Julies at our Custom-house. Exchange 62."

A Gentleman of this vicinity has favoured us with
the perusal of a letter from his brother at Fryeburgh,
from which we learn the following particulars of the
late dreadful avalanche of the White Mountains, and
of the injury done by the rains and the swelling of the
streams in that vicinity. It is kno.vn that the Saco
river has its rise in the Notch of the Mountains, a re-
markable gap, through which it passes, and the only
pass for many miles by which it is possible to cross from
the eastern to the we.tern sideof the mountains. From
this point the Saco flows in a southerly and essterly
direction for a distance of about 30 miles, between two
high and almost perpendicular mountains. The channel
between these mountains widens from about 20 or :30
feet at the gap, or western termination of the Notch, to
four or five miles at Conway, thirty miles below. For
about two miles, through the part called the Notch,
there is a continual descent of considerable rapidity;
and here the base of the mountain comes very near to
the river, leaving but little room for the road, which fol-
lows its course, and frequently crosses it. In this dis-
tance it receives from the steep mountains several tri•
butary streams, which form beautiful cascades of gre .t
height. We learn from a frii-tid, who vi,ited the moun-
tains in the period of the late rains, that these streams
were swollen to a very unusual extent ; and that the
great masses of water, lalliiig over those innumerable
heights, presented a most beautiful spectacle, which
afforded a very ample compensatio,‘ fOr the loss of the
prospect front the top of the mountain, which Was
constantly enveloped in clouds. _ . _

We learn from the letter above referred tn, the Saco
has at length so far overflowed its. banks, thit at Fr ye-
burgh, the town below Conway, great quantities of corn,
potatoes, meadow hay., and fences, have been destroyed,
and some cattle drowned. At Conway and Bartlett,
the loss was still more severe in die destruction of crops,
mills, and bridge;. On ascending the river farther,
everything is destroyed. At Mr. Crawford's, eight
miles from the Gap, the water rose two feet into his
house, situated some distance from the river, and his
farm is either destroyed or covered up: But the most
melancholy disaster is in the destruction of the farnilyy.
of Mr. Wylley, who lived in what was called the No:ch-
house, at the eastern termination of the Notch, where
the mountain on each side of the river is about three
thousand feet in height. A part of the mountain
slipped from its resting place, and fell into the road
and river, filling it up for a distance of about a mile
south of the house, and the beautiful little meadow op-
posite the house is become a pond. It so happened,
that although the barn was carried away, and two
horses were killed, the house remained untouched. The
rocks passed above six feet from it. Unfor trinately the
family fled from tl.eir beds and from the house, and were
overwhelmed in the mass of earth and rocks. Their
clothes were found as they were left by them on going
to bed. The family consisted of Mr. Wylley, his wife,
five children, and two hired mere. They had recently
removed thither from Fryeburgh, and were amiable,
obliging people, much respected by their neighbours,
and commended for their neatness and obliging disi-osi-
tion by travellers who visited their house. The bodies
of Mr. Wylley, his wife, and one of die hired, men, have
been found, at the distance of about 60 rods from the
house, dreadfully mangled. The others have not been
found. It is supposed that this disaster happened at
about eleven o'clock at night. The house was six miles
distant from any other human habitation, and the road
in both directions is overhung by the mountains, and
was at the time probably ovcrflawed with water.
The obstruction to the road is such that much labour
will be required to repair it; at present a horse cannot
pass. Along the Notch also the road is much tilled up.
Other parts of the mountain fell about the same time,
and among others, that near Crawford's Camp. More
than 1,000 acres from Moant Pleasant have slipped off,
and covered a large part of Ethan Crawford's pasture
of 30 or 4.0 acres, two miles distant.

It is remarkable tont the hair of the Roman drivers
was raised in one round curl, like that of our coact).
men. The former also wore/mend-0, a habit answerable
to our great coats. Taylor shews th tt they were also
hard drinkers. Evelyn says they were made drunk by
way of making their masters welcome.
In no respect does custom seem more entirely to
have varied in the conrse of a very kw ce,ltutie,, than
in the situation chosen by English Nobi:ity for their
manslow. Thomas Lord Cromwell hinit a palace in
Throgmorton-street ; John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancasr:
ter, lived in the Ssvoy. In MO,. a maolificent
building in Bold Fletbergh (Bold 114rbeui) Laces
'Thames-street, was gran'.ca to the of Wales"
(afterwards lii airy V.) The Slorquis of Dorchester and
the Earl of Westmoreland lived in Aldersgaite-street;
and Edward the Black Prince cnuld find no more
eligible a place of abode than Fish-street-hill