Star.
London, England, 1818-12-30 00:00:00

Sr. BARTHOLOMEB

• The following Letter comes to us through a most
respectable channel, and we cheerfully give it a 'place
in our columns, The article to which it refers was
copied from The Times:

TO THE EDITOR OF THE STAR.
" Saint Bartholomew, Oct. rr,

" Sea—l am confident that you will be glad to correct a mis-
representation, and a calumny of the very grossest kind, that has
crept into your respectable and Widely-circulated Paper, No.
9837, of the Bth September, concerning the Government of the
Island of Saint Bartholomew, either as a copy from a paragraph
in the Saint Kitts Advertiser, of the 24th of July, for the publica-
tion whereof the Editor has already made a candid and gentle-
manlike apology to that Government, or through a mare direct
communication from the infamous author, for whose discovery
the Government of Saint Bartholomew has offered a reward of
300 dollars. The calumny consists in accusing the sa:i Govern-
ment of conniving and winking at the introduction of l'ortuguese
prizes captured by Independent pnvateen.
The fact is, that to the free port of Gustaria, Saint Bartho-
lomew, there arrived, on the 28th of June, a Portuguese ship,
which was duly entered at the Custom-house, her papers, &c. Ise-
ing found correct, and there being no cause why to suspect an iI71:
position : the cargo was contracted for and delivered ; and among
a number of vessels coming or going, loading or unload, ng, in an
open port, there was nothing which attracted any particular
notice towards this ship. An accident (the pretended Captain,
who had assumed the name of the real Captain, having quarrelled
with

and arrested one of the crew, who spoke from reientasent4
made it suspected that the ship s a prize, and that an Impost=
tion had been practised. The rumour became general, and at
soon as Government had ascertained Its probability, seizure was
immediately made of the ship and property, and the case was
already, on the 10th of July, brought to trial (mark, the letter is
dated the 12th,) before the established Court, which since has
ordered the ship to be advertised, in order to summons the
owners. It is reported that other prizes have arrived at different
places in the West Indies, and the goods have spread about, but
no other prize ship has dared since t 3 enter &. Bartholomew.

" Several cl:cumstances relative to this affair that have taken
place, have pretty well shewed this calumny, and its circula-
tion is the work of a conspiracy of some dissatisfied, disappointed,
and designing minds, such as exist in every community, who
neither care for truth nor honour ; the motives of this malicious
and utterly false representation are here well known at this
moment ; to know them cannot be interesting to the public at
large; but it must be interesting to every one, that truth, on ,
such an important occasion, be made known; and. I trust, it
must be satisfying to yourself, Kr. Editor, to be enabled, by this
genuine statement, to correct one of the most impudent and
infamous falsehoods that ever have been imposed upon your
Paper and the public.—l remain, Sir,
" Your very obedient,

A Tragedy, from the pen of the Author of Retribu-
tion, acted last season with success, yesterday morn-
ing received the approval of the Covent Garden Ma-
nagers; and Miss O'Nxtzt, and Mr. YOUNG are to
perform perform the leading characters.
Last week, when some men were digging out the
foundation of an old house near the quarry of Kei-
thick, by Cupar Angus, one of the workmen turned
up with his spade, a small earthen jar, which, when
examined, was found to contain 400 silver coins? and
three of gold, of JAMES 1. of Scotland, most of them
in a fine state of preservation.
aiSome time ago, the out-houees and catde•of two
of his Grace the Duke of ATHOLIA tenants, in Atboll,l
were totally consumed by fire: His Grace immecti-.
ately ordered 20 guineas to be sent to them, and as,
much timber as requisite to rebuild their houses, to
be carried almost to their door gratis. His Grace's:
factor repaired to the spot, so as tc be able to report
the extent of the damage ; and observed, which is a
curious fact, that the only animals which escaped the
fury of the flames, were the hens ;—but how they
escaped untouched, when every fragment of the houses
but the stones was consumed, is unaccountable.
It has been for some time under the consideration
of Ministers, whether it is not become absolutely ne-
cessary that two more Judges, in addition to the pre-
sent number, should not be appointed. The very
great increase of judicial proceedings of late years
appears to render this necessary, particularly on ac-
count of the pressure of business on the Northern
Circuit, and the increase of offences to be tried at the
Old Bailey. We trust that it will be brought before
Parliament, and that the measure ,will be coupled
with a revision of the Criminal Code. This is not one
of the branches of public expenditure which ought to
stand in the way of such an augmentation, if proved
to be necessary; for it is the will-known opinion of
the people, that with the heavy load of business they
have to go through, and the previous acquisition of
knowledge necessary to discharge the important
functions, the Puisne Judges are dot sufficiently re-
munerated.
CURIOUS CIRCUMSTAXCE.—As Mr.COCIIRANE, the
landlord of the Robert Burns Tavern, Strand, was,
in humble imitation of Mr. MATHEWS, entertaining
a numerous audience by an olio of singing and reci-
tation at the Lyceum Theatre, on Monday evening;
the harmony of the company was suddenly inter:
rupted by the unexpected appearance of a couple of.
Bailiffs on the scene, who came forward and seized
pie tuneful minstrel, in the n:idst of the spectators,'
as their prisoner. On his representing to them the
disappointment which his audience (who had paid sts
each for their admission)• would experience, unless
the sports of the evening were allowed to proceed,
and on his applying, perhaps, some more convincing
rhetoric to their pecuniary feelings, they permitted
Mr. Coen riArte to continue his recitations. At the
close of them, two of his friends came forward, and
put in bail for his future appearance.
Pratort.--Yesterday William Key stood in the
pillory, in Covent-garden market. A vast concourse
of persons had collected together on the occasion.—
As soon as he was placed in the apparatus, rotten
eggs, apples, mud, &c. were thrown at him from all
quarters. Long before the expiration of the hour he I
was so completely covered, that his person was I
scarcely discernible. Key is the man who accused
a young man of respectable connexions, named Henry
Cooke, of having employed and furnished him with
pistols to murder Mr. Shears, proprietor of copper-
. mills at Merton, and having a counting-house in
Fleet-market, together with his whole family. Cooke
was Mr. Shears s clerk. The Magistrates considered
the charge unfounded, and liberated Cooke, who
subsequently prosecuted Key, and who is now under
sentence of transportation. Cooke is since dead, in
mysterious minter, from the effects of poison.