The Statesman.
London, England, 1823-04-02 00:00:00

STATE OF THE FRENCH FRONTIER.

IRTSACT or • LITTZR FROM PARIS, SURCH 29.
A Toulouse paper, of the 24th, which has just reached
town, gives the following The news of Mina's ar-
rival at our frontier is confirmed. He has came from the
eeighbourhood of Perthus, and has taken np his position
almost on the line of demarcation between the two king-
doms. He is occupied in placing his posts. The ap-
proach of the Spanish troops, with Mina at their head,
has caused the 18th Regiment to he ordered to their can-
tonments, and they have set ofi this day for Ceret, Mau-
r.illas, and Itegnes. Their sudden departure, and the
presence of Mina on the frontiers, has given rise to much
rumour and alarm." Paris has been inundated with re.
Itrts, acd some of the most extraordinary nature, for the
tility or two. At this very inomen', it is said that the
Tailerlis is filled with agitation and inquietude, the im-
mediate "tali* of which is the intelligence arrived last
night by an enajette from the Duke d'Angouleme ; their
nature is said to bt as follows :—General Curial had issued
an order to the various bodies of troops to quit their can-
'Omen% and assemble in the plain of Cauet, for the
purpose of bring reviewed preparatory to the arrival of the
Duke d'Angouleme. This order was executed os the 22d
inst., but no sooner had the French troops quitted their po-
sitions than Mina, it the head of a detachment, dashed in
upon the Army of the Faith, under the command of Mo-
sen Anton, who has escaped near the little town of Ct..
ret. This very division of the Army of the /faith had
been, but the day before, armed and clothed by the
French authorities. On the approach of Mina five hun-
dred of these fait/yid soldiers put their shakos on the
points' of their bayonets, cried "Viva Mina!" and
pasxsil over to him. The others defended themselves for
some time, until a great number were killed or taken
Owners; those who escaped bed precipitately to Ceret,
where they were received by the national guard with a
discharge of musketry. Mina after this immediately re-
tired into the Spanish territory, concentrated his forces,
and made preparations for a fresh attack. A body of
French troops were immediately sent against him, but
they obstinately refused to fight, and an inconsiderable
desertion followed. It is further added, that the Duke
in his despateb, declares to the Cabinet of the Tuile-
ries, that the army will not lfigbt, and that it is
of no use his remaining any longer there. All the
letters from Perpignan were stopped at the Post-office
yesterday. Not a single letter has reached any commer-
cial house. Perpignan is said to be in the greatest pos-
sible state of confusion.

On Sunday night an Imperial tnesvenger arrived at
Chandos-house,with despatches from the Court of Vienna,
fur his Highness Prince Esterhazy. The private des-
patches were' font arded to his Excellency at the Royal
Pavilion at Brighton, where his flightiest is on a vittit

to his Majesty.
When Lord Castlereagh wrote his despatch on the af-
fairs of Naples, it is said that the King of France olia
served he knew England, and he knew whatever the
English Ministers might profess, that their real wish
was to put down revolt. The other day, when Lord Li.
verpool s speech reached Paris, Monsieur said, that
lord Liverpool had held to him language totally dif-
ferent.
On Monday, about one o'clock, his Royal Highness
the Duke of York left town, on a visit for a few days to
the King at Brighton.
The hotly of the late Earl SL Vincent was privately
interred, precisely at four o'clock, on Wednesday after-
noon (Match 26),in the family vault at Stone. The fol-
lowing is an exact copy of the inscription upon the su-
perb coffin, which is covered with scarlet velvet
" John, Earl of St. Vincent, Viscount St. Vincent,
Baron Jervis, of Meaford, in the County of Stafford, one
of his Majesty's Honourable Privy-Council, and Admiral
of the Fleet, General of the Marines, . &c. died March
16th, Ist2:l, in the 89th year of his age."
From tirenada a letter has been received from high
authority, dated on the 15th of February, which states
that several French men of war bad arrived at Marti-
nique, and after refitting there, that they proceeded to
leistvaid. The same letter also announces dm arrival of
Sir Edward Oxen's squadron at liarbadoes, and adds,
that they were about to sail to Cuba to watch the mo-
tions of the French ships. As piracy hail been com-
pletely put down, the silent way in which the French
had sent a fleet to the West Indies Wag viewed amongst
the Islands with strong mph:ions; for should they at-
tempt to obtain a station in Cuba, hostilities, it was
consiileted, would be the inevitable consequence. The
Fran. h merchants at home seem to calculate on some
such event; for at Lloyd's they continue to give high
premilling on their, West India anal East India risks,.
and also on all their American commerce, aid they
even invlude British capture in the policies of in-
seranee.
However much the loss of lives and property by the
earthquake., at Valparaiso is to be regretted, the event
will lead to a great improvement in the town. The late
dwellings were erected on a very inconvenient spot. The
main street, built at the edge of the %rater, avid nhicb
foamed the only compact put of the town, is succeeded
liv bills, rising behind at a very short distance, on the
declivities and-summits of which the houses have conti•
lined to be built; the surface consequently is very one.
qaal ; but about a mile and a hall' lower down is a hand-
some level range of country, where the town ought orL
ginally to have been built, and where, in all probability,
it will now be rebuilt.
AIRRRICIN Nan SPAPERS6—As an evidence of the spi•
rit of enquiry and discussion oe public affairs, io the
United States, we have been favoured with the following
extract from the note-book of a Gentleman who has re-
cently returned from the American continent:—ln the
State of New York alone, there are 99 weekly news-
pipers ; 1 paper three times a week; and 9 daily papers •
soaking 164,000 impressions every week, and 8,500,000
in the year. The price of a weekly paper is about 10s.
a yi ar.
Abont two months ago, 10 or 12 battalions of British
infantry trete ordered for foreign service to relieve the
same number of regiments doing duty in foreign garri-
sons, soiree of which are nearly reduced to skeletons.
The present state of Europe is, however, so unsatisfacto-
ry, that the embarkation of these regiments has been
countermanded, and those already in the colonies must,
therefore, continue there for another season, howerer
badly qualified some of them are for the duty.
'WOOLWICH. APRIL I.—ln the Dock-yard at this place
there is nothing that indicates the slightest appearance
of a departure from the pacific system resolved on by
•Cevernment. There is no increase of Artificers, nor are
the other labourers more than sufficient to carry on the
works that were projected several years ago, after the
enlargement of the yard.
In the dock where the Nelson was launched about
eight or nine years ago, the keel of a new line-of-battle
slop, to he called the Thunderer, has just been laid
down. Three frigates are building, and in a consider-
able state of forwardness; these are the Hebe and Clyde
of 50 riins each, and the Tenedos of 46 guns. The plan
of building frigates of this rate has been adopted s ace'
our late conflict with the Americans. They are all to
have round sterns, according to the improvement intro-
duced by Sir Robert Seppings. The Blenheim of 74,
and the Magicinine of 42 gons,are undergoing .a thorough
repair. The North Star sloop is nearly finished, and
the Pyladre sloop has just been laid down. These are
ail the ships at present in this yard.
About one o'clock this morning a fire broke out in a
convict ship lying close to the Arsenal, but was soon got
under without causing much damage,