The Statesman.
London, England, 1812-06-02 00:00:00

BELLIAtII.I.4I.

-f-
We copy the following from the Liverpool Mer.
cwry of Friday last :—By the exertions of a friend,
we are enabled to give publicity to the following
-iginal letter, written by Bellingham to ass acquaint-
, Ice in Liverpool, on the very day in the evening of
..hich he perpetrated the desperate deed, for which he
lastly fell a victim to the violated laws of his coun-
try. Little can he added to the store of information
be public already possesses respecting this iufatuated
,man:—he has been minutely followed through all the
circumvolutions of a life obscure, and otherwise un:.
interesting,—he has been traced from the place of
his birth, and the exploits of his childhood, to the
etamination of his heart, and the analyzation of his
brain. This letter, however, is interesting in one
point of view, as it shows the firm and collected
temperament of mind with which he entered upon
the fatal enterprize.
At a time when he was about to terminate the mortal
existence of a fellow-creature, and commit a crime
far is hichl under any degree of palliation, he would
have been sacrificed to the manes of his unfortunate
victim ;—at such a time to write calmly on matters
of ordinary business, merely adverting, in a slight
manner, to his supposed injuries, and hinting at an
adequate revenge, must stamp on his character, in
that point, a degree of derangement which cannot be
ettliced by his anteCedent sanity, or subs.2quent dis-
p:a) of calmness and strength of mind. As we have I
been informed that several original anecdotes and do-
cuments, relative to Bellingham, are preparing for i
the press, we shall forbear, at'present, making any
comments on the character 'and conduct of a man
whom we must consider as insane, although it ap-
p:iis he has, on those points, been considerably
misieprisented, as we hear from very good autho-
Tit% t' a' dr %Urged separation from I.k wife was
whw y unfounded; and that he was always remark.
abl% bolicui.us auout the welfare of hi:: family, which
must now suffer considerably from the guilt in which
it cannot lie supposed they participate. Any detri-
ment to their pecuniary affairs on that account, will,
Wehrle reason to hope, be obviated by the generosity
which forms a very prominent feature in the British
character, and we are glad to find, that the example
of a worthy Alderman alluded to in oar last num-
trr, has been followed by a donatiou of 501. from
Lord G. L. Gower.

Loudon, May 11, 1814.
I have to stknowledge your favour of the 4th. •
Ten days ago, I wrote to to forward the which
suppose be will do, without loos of time.
As you have out mentioned any thing about the Russian :hip,
suppose nothing has been dooe by you ; or that has pro•
cured one through another c4onel.
Herewith is letter to —, and got the
bad returned borne same days before your letter came to
Trod, as yito most most likely he apprised. Seventeen pounds is
the price bete, six months credit out of the yard for duty paid ;
that is testy, for suds as has paid duty, sad the seller retaining
the drawback; so that I, ought to be 21. less at least. If
is inclined for it, the strong (quality) would be objectionable to ,
him; but that coo be given off to advantage at home.
Hamian friend has offered me th• 1,,a4:..4 of four vessels to
--L.—, and to teCC:• : the rck:rn cargoes on consignment.
I with my affairs were come to a conclusion :—every thing, I.
la point of law, is in my favour; hut Mr. Perceval and the hli-
Wry base shewn themselves more inclined tb favour Lord Griever, !
t."..!3 .1) dojastke to me: however, as r ant resolved on having jos-
tke, to oe.ie o seed, 1 aiU.sery shortly play a court cord te atop. ,
pet them to jinirh tae game.
I as yourr's, sincerely,
JOHN BELLINGHAM.

It is reported that a promotion of Captains, 4n-
ducllrg Sir H. POPHAM, who was made Pest in 1795,
to the rank of Rear-Admirals of the Blue, will take
p' ee On the PRINCE REGENT'S Birth-day. It is also
reported, that there will be, on the same occasion, a
clistributid . of military medals to Officers of a par-
ticular rank and command, who distingui•', 41 them-
.l%e= a the sieges of Ciudad Rodrigo and Peidajos.
A Philad.lphia Paper of the 2d of April says, the
Florida revolutionists had taken possession of St.
kt:u ti •e (the Spa! *s!l capital); all but ,the citadel,
to wh h the little'Spanish garrison had retired. The
Spaniards had sent to the Havanna!' for reinforce-
ments, but the affair would be settled before any suc-
cours could arrive.

An improvident generous temper, is characteristic
of a British sailor. Friday, one of the Minden's
crew (lately returned from the East Indies), in a
dru.iketa frolic, threw 461. in Bank-notes iuto the
fife, at a public-house in Portsmouth. Two other
s. amen were on the same day robbed, one of 401. and
the ether of 171. by girls. The latter depredator has
bee:► apprehended, but the sailor (as is generally the
case with.them) refuses to appear against her.
Awl, a f w days ago, at Richmond, County of
C:l.%ay, the seat of James Burke, Esq. Mrs. Bel-
liv!aCrawford, aged 115 years.—She was 18 years
old the 22d of April, 1715, the day of the great and
•total eclipse of the Sun, and had her match made
the same year with her first husband, James Smyth,
J.sq. of the County of Leitrim. She retained all her
faculties to the last hour: could read and sew with-
out spectacles, and what is remarkable, looked as
youthful as a girl of 18 years; had a blooming com-
plexion, her eyes animated and lively, and walked
occasionally a distance of two miles to prayers.—
Mont seventeen years ago, she was asked in mar-
aia,o by two Gentlemen of considerable property,
whom she refused, contrary to the wishes of her
friends. .

A singular' ins•ance of overstrained power cifirna- I
gi anionurred at Torpoint, a small village ,
opposite Ply mouth, oa Tuesday last. For three
weeks before ROBERT HARRIES, a Calvinist, re-
siding there, had distu:bAl the place frequently'
with loud rantings and declarations, that he should
die between twelve and one o'clock in the night j
of •Tuesday last, and so thoroughly were the lower'
classe:r .of the people assured of the truth of his
presentiments, that, at the appointed time, a
c ewd collected round his door, in awful expecte-
ti of bis anticipated decease. Si) much was the
wreched victim of credulity overcome by a conviction
of death, that he lay for several hours after his time
Of warning as he termed it, in an insensible state;
but lAN it;seems, would not depart to please him, and
by surviving the appointed hour he was convinced of
tIP fallacy of his foolish prophecy. During his pre-1
Fri atolls for death he covered several sheets of paper
,'with a farrago of the 410 t ridiculous absurdities, the
niost prominent feature of wLich wat the certainty of
his own salvation.