Star.
London, England, 1828-09-03 00:00:00

QUEEN BOROUGH.

--** •
"...Saturday Mr. Cape!, one of the Representatives itw ,
ParliamentM fOr Queenborough. accompanied by two
friends, paid a visit to that unfortunate town, fur the
purpose of investigating it. present real condition. The
party proceeded from house to house to visit those
fishermen and their families who last-winte; 'NOD pe6.114
ing froM want; siftian cotinquent open elm,
and their exclusion from the fisheries belonging in
common to the burgesses: • The .Committee appointor ;
to manage the subscription which wal raised is Los.
dos, in consequence of-the:condition of the inhabitants
having been made known to the public by the journalsof
the metropolis, bad sent them blankets and clothing, and
bid, la a great measure, maintained them by supplies of .
bread,meat, and sou pall party were gratified to find that
much good had thus been accomplished.and many value.
ble men saved; bat the privations and miser yovith which
the poor people have contended with a degree of fon.,
tide that can scarcely have been exceeded many times,
yet pressed heavily upon them. 'The interior of the
houses, howeier, presented melancholy specimens of the
general condition of the people. The party saw nothing
'of the scenes of plenty and comfort which hare bees
expatiated upon as crowning the happiness of the le.
bower's or cottager'i Saturday night; they saw nothing
but scanty and wretched fare, and the wan faces of the
women -and children bespoke extreme wietchedness.--
Thc party, and the worthy member in particular, gave
all the consolation in their power to the poor people,
and assured them, that though redress had been exceed.
ingly slow, it could not fail to be al:Mutely conceded
to them, and that his Majesty's Government could neva
sanction such an act of 'spoliation as had been com-
mitted on their propetty and right to labour—a right
as clearly expressed and as well•founded as that pot.
sessed by any individual to any estate in the kingdom..
They were then conducted to a large room of one of
the untenabted houses, where the inhabitants, the main-
rity of whom are fishermen, bad assembled, and pro.,
witted a table and lights, for the purpose of holding a
meeting.
Mr. Cars . addressed the meeting. He stated that.
'in consequence of theinquiries of friends, and his owe,
anxiety respecting the condition of the inhabitanti, now
that a second winter was approaching, and that their
exclusion from their fisherieswascootinued with increased
rigour, he was determined not to relax in his efforts to
abridge their duration. • •
Mr. Baena said it would be a relief to the poor ie.
habitants to give vent to their feelingly and their first
Impression would be one of gratitude for this visit to
l• •
diose benevolent individuals in the metropolis, leoches.
tar, Chatham. and elsewhere, by whose seasonable and .
so many of those present and their families had been
saved from perishing in want, or from ruin and Jr.'
gradation as paupers—(Hear.) As many as-were able
bad eagerly aiailed themselves rf some dreadful em-
ployment which was given them. and dived 4or.heary
stones for their daily bread: This labour was indeed
severe in the extreme. Large stones, of a nature well
adapted for the purptise of Roman cement, were foand
about the island. Two men go into a boat, and with.
an instrument called a pricker try the bottom of the
water for the stone. When they happen to strike upon
one. and succeed in disengaging it from the sand,* it is
nmessary.to dive for the purpose of rai,ing it. As there,
is no such thing as change of eloathes amongst the poor
men, they are mostly compelled to put on in a morning
those which are still wet and cold from the preceding'
day's labour. They are also compelled to pursue the
recaapation at night. according as the tide serves. For
tlmstone thus procured they obtain 10s. a ton. Before
raise the fourth part of a ton their toil is very great.
wo men seldom succeed in raising more than a Tinter
ton per day, and'each is rewarded for pricking and
diving. aid lifting weights a whole day, with she sum
of Is. Sd.

---
Mr. H. PIssALL moved a vote of thanks to the

subscribers to their relief; but much mote did they
owe to the Committee for their continued solicitude,
and for the excellent and efficient manner in which they
had administer:tithe funds intrusted to their care.
The vote was then put and carried amidst loud
atclam *lions.
Etiwastur Sun, the fisherman (defendant in the pro..
secution by the Mayor and select body, in which a Jury
found a verdict confirmatory of, the proprietary rights
of the inhabitants), then came forward ; but his feelings
were so excited he could not 'articulate for sine time.
He said, all we want is our 'birthright, to get astir;
honest livelihood by indel.end.ent labour in our own
fisheries, and we look upon one penny earned by
our own hands to be better than a pound in charity
—(Load cheers ), We would wish is be the givers, not
the objects. We do' not ask our 'oppressors 40 give us
bread.to day, and let us starve. to-morrow. We ask
for the possession of what we received from our fathers,
and what a Jury declared so be our just inheritance.
lie concluded by proposing a resolution, which wu
drawn up, to the effect, that in the midst of their prino.
Oars they looked forward with hope and confidence that
the nation would not, in their case, 'be presented with
an instance of the prosperity of i town destroyed, of
its sources of produce annihilated, of its funds misappro-
prialld,rif its loyal and industrious inhahitants dispersed,
for the sake of maintaining usurped authority and uncoil•
akin imia I Interests.
This resolution was carried with loud cheers.
A warm vote of thanks was carried with three times
three deafening cheers to Mr. Capel.
Mr. CAPRI., in returning thanks, detailed to the Meet.
ing the efforts he bad made to get a Bill passed for
their relief. This Bill was read a first time in the
House of Commons, but in consequence of ii.firmatioa
do which he could rely, that a material objection would
be nude to it in the House of •Lords, on the alleged
ground of informality, and as there was no time to re'
medy the alleged defect thit Session, he thought it t!.e
more advisable coarse not to press the Bin. It would
have been an useless wa,te of money to no purpose. to
have attempted to carry it through a Committee. He
had, however, every assurance, and from many circuts,
stances he firmlrbelieved, that justice was at hand--
(Loud cht4rs).--The Meeting then broke up.
6

Lord DURHAM is expected to visit the North abut
the latter end of the. present, or early in the ensuing
month. After remaining in the country a short time,
we understand it is his r.ordship's intention to leave
England for the Continent.—Carlisle Journal.
It is confidently stated that Colonel Lomat. Wing
as Lieutenant-Governor of Sierra Leone,
in nuesquroce
of the death of Colonel DitNUAll, will be appointed
Governor; that the mixed Commission will not be re-
moved to Fernando Po; and that the prepas storm for
a settlement at the latter are ordered t, be discohoneed.
VAUXRALL.—We are happy to st ite that this chairs-
ing and elegant place of resort was on Monday night
nearly filled with visitors of the most respectable de
scription, all of whqns expressed their delight at the
brilliancy of the scene and the perfectioo of the nue'
:ailments. . .

r

EDINBURGH; AUOVST 31.

. -..~_

. .
REMARKA3I.I STORM —A Oorrispoodent gives the
following account of a remarkable hail storm, which
took place a short distance to the north of Dunfermline
on the 12th of August: At half-past twelve, the wea-
ther being uncommonly sultry, the horizon became sad-
denly overcast, the clouds dark and ponderous ;. almost
simultaneously a heavy shower of hail-stones burst with
awful grandeur and solemnity oponsthe windows. The
inmates were struck with awe and terror, which were,
increased by vivid flashes of lightning and loud peals of
thunder. The rattling of the hail, the darkness of the
sky, the lightning, and the peals of thunder, continued
with majestic awe nearly hall an hour, when the horizon
became less terrific. A heavy rain followed during the
afternoon and evening. From the time betwixt the flash
and one loud report, the distance of the explosion could
unt be greattr ihan 300 yards ; but the most wonderful
vlienomenon of all was; that during the storm there was
thrown a body of ice of two pounds and one ounce, of
an irregular or nearly a conical figure, composed entiiely
i•tc ,nical hail-stones, which was found behind the house.
THE MELANCHOLY CATASTROPHE ON LOCH
LOMOND. . .
Extract of a Letterfrom the Minister of Arroehar, dated Aug. Ra.
On Friday, 29th August, about three o'clock, a most
melancholy accident happened at Tarbet, on Loch Lo-'
mond. One of the small boats usually employed in
taking passengers to and from the steam boats which
ye plying upon Loch Lomond, in going alongside of
the Lady of the Lake, was suddenly, from what cause
we have not been able distinctly to ascertain, upset.—
The bodies of eight individuals have been recovered;,
l•••tt fears are entertained that the full extent of the aw-
f catastrophe is as yet unknown. Of those who have
suddenly launched into eternity, the following in-
ividuals are known:
Andrew M‘Farlane, weight in Tarbet, who has left a widow
and three children to lament his loss. .
•

William Rowan, boatman (unitarticd).
John Brock, a ne young buy.
A widow Lady, name unknown, but whose son was along with
tet, and escaped.

The rest are utterly unknown; but the sequel con•
tains an accurate, description of them, and is given in
the hope that it may meet the eye of their relatives.
A Gentleman, with blue coat, gilt buttons, black
collar, black vest, and blown trousers—money 12s. Scl.
a brass mounted penknife, brass pencil-case, a letter
Joln Hill, M.D. 10, Merchant-street,
Edinburgh?' Red neckcloth, three collars, linen shirt.,
mat ked W. M. No. 12. A watch, with watchmaker's
name Archy, No. 2199, London ; repaired by William
l.iddle, Bank street, Edinburgh.
' A Gentleman, with blue coat, striped trousers, yellow
Test, black collar lined red; a linen shirt masked O.C.
Edmeston, No I.—Money in his pocket 11.10,. large
gold ring on his finger; silver hunting-watch, steel
chain ; one gold seal, motto,' Truth ;" a gold key. A
Lady along with him, supposed his wife, with two gold
iings, one set with some kind. f stone—the other plain ;
brown gown with red flowers; silver thimble marked
A.C. 9d. in copper in her pocket, (both supposed from
Ireland).
Gentleman with an olive coat, yellow vest, blue
trousers, silver watch, marked on the watch paper,
RAnkine, watch and clock maker, theenock, June 18.
1828 ;*M'Lachland, watch maker ; cotton shirt, marked
1. L. No. 1, stript worsted stockings, with a stn4ll cut
cystal bottle containing whisky, money 9s. silver, red
picket book empty, but a one guinea Paisley bank Rote
was.f.iund near the body, supposed to have dropped
from pocket-book.

• Fortunately several medical men were at hand, and
though, their meritorious exertions were unsuccessful,
yet they are entitled to the highest praise. One feeling,
that f intense sympathy, was felt, and powerfully ex.
liibited by all who were either employed in recovering
ilye bodies from the watery grave, in carrying them to
the inn, or employing every means to reanimate, which
:kill or compassion could suggest; all, alas was in vain.
The world, with all its magnificent and beauteous
scenery, upon which but Istely their eyes had gazed,
had' passed away—their spirits bad fled. In the twink-
ling of an eye all the mighty realities of Eternity were
unveiled. Load is the warning that such an awful catas-
trophe gives," Be ye also ready, ye know net what a day
or an hour shall bring forth." We never beheld such an
awful scene, it was absolutely overwhelming.
A Gentleman- who was on board the Lady of the
Late steam boat, and witnessed the accident, gives au
account which agrees with the above as to the number
l
of sufferers ; but he assures us that every individual
was•got out' of the loch by the exertions of the mas-
ter of the steamer and others on board, •sti that we
hope the extent ,of the catastrophe is fully known.
Those who were drowned had sunk before they could
be reached ; but the clearness of the water rendered
it easy to see and pick them out. There were upwards
of twenty individuals in the small boat, which was up-
set re consequence of a number of them crowding to
one side as they neared the Lady of the Lake. lit the
moment of the accident no one on board that vessel
dreaded any other consequence than a drenching to
those who were then thrown into the water. But the
alarm natural to individuals in such a situation made
then,' cling to one another, and those who did so inevi-
tably sunk. A little boy swam about, and others floated
ootil.picked up by the people on board the steam boat.
They were all carried back to Tarbet, where it was
stated that eight individuals were past recovery, and
that two of them were a young man and woman newly
mauled.

An enterprisingcompany in the west of Scotland have
resolved to erect a cotton factory in the neighbourhood
of Calcutta, and a number of operative workmen have
been engaged for that mime. This will form a new
era in the history of Hindostan, as the natives, who are
strongly averse to any innovation upon theirestablished
customs, still- follow the primitive mode of preparing
their yarn with the spindle and distaff. At the intro.
duction of the cotton weaving into this country, little
more than half a century ago, the yarn was brought
home in the hank by our East Indiamen, and was then
considered of more value than the fined silk, and
could only be purchased by persons of quality. What a
changf in the course of such a short period I—Paisley
Advertiser.

BRlCHlN.—Thursday sennight as Mrs. G. Rosa, of
this place, along ' with her child and another young
Lsdy, were descending the dangerous hill road to Glen.
burnie, on their way to Aboyne, in a gig, the horse
being checked, ran suddenly backward and overturned
the gig at the edge cf the road, which at that place
nvei hangs a precipice of mote than a hundred feet. Had
the hone gone three yards farther, the vehicle must
have been precipitated over this height. By the breath.
Ivss exertions of Mr. Ross, who accompanied the pasty
on horseback, they were as rapidly as possible extricated
from their dangerous \situation ; and it is remarkable,
that though the gig was literally dashed to pieces, none
of the past) were bust.