The Statesman.
London, England, 1812-04-20 00:00:00

THE RTATESMAN,

REGENT'S sP:4IIX.

This ornamental inclosure is proceeding with ra-
pidity. The plantations, considering the shortness
of the time since the work commenced, are in consi-
derable forwardness. The ground extends from
Portland-place nearly to the foot of Primrose-hill,
and is of a proportionate breadth, spreading west-
wards nearly to Lisson-green. The grand approach
' is from Portland-place, which is now extending to.
wards the south, on the site of the recently demolish.
eel Foley-house : but the new buildings here do not
appear to be constructing with any suitable regard to
the elegant uniformity. of Portland-place. At the
north-end of Portland-place a circus is forming, sur-
rounded by trees, across the centre of which runs the
New !toad. On the north ,of this circle, directly
opposite Portland-place, a good road, planted on
each side, is formed to enter the Park ; the whole of
which is nearly fenced iu, and bordered with 'planta-
tions ; and a coach-drive made round the whole ex.
lent. In the inclosed central part of the Palk, and
exactly fronting the entrance road, a tolerably spa-
cious avenue is preparing, to be shaded by four roes
of forest-trees. This passes over the highest ground
in the Park, commanding the view of Hampstead and
Highgate, and will certainly form a very pleasant
promenade for the inhabitants of Mary-le-bone and
that vicinity. In the south-western part of the
Park, a large circus is laid out, and partly plant-
ed, around which a number of houses are intended to
be erected. To the north of this, ou the more level
ground, the new barracks for the Life Guards are to
be placed,which, we understand,are to be finished in a
style of rather more elegance than most buildings. of
that. description in the'neighbourhood of the metro-
polis. •Advantage will be taken of the means the
ground effords for increasing the picturesque beauties
I of the spot, as well as for general convenience, by
the formation of two or three sheets of water in the
level situations. Besides the houses round the circus,
many other spots are to be left for the erection of
detached villas, near the edges of the park, and in
other good situations : but exclusive of the different
roads for the amusement of those who go in car-
riages,
there will be a considerable portion of the
whole reserved for the recreation and pleasure of the
promenaders. The proposed intersection of the
southern part of the park by the projected public
canal from Paddington to Blackwell, would certain-
ly add nothing to the att7uctions of the place; but,
it should seem, would b.:, in several respects, in-
convenient. When the roads are all completed, and
,tiee, trees, shrubberies, and walks finished, this Park
, will unquestionably be a very agreeable place of resi-
deuce : but not a few will regret the loss of those
open and verdant fields which formed one of the mqst
airy and pleasant resorts for the pedestrians of the
metropolis.

.
BURNING MOUNTAIN IN A MERTCA.-On the
morning of the 16th December last, a great smoke
was seen to issue from the top of " Spear's Moun-
tain," which is detached from the range that extends
from the Blue Ridge to Swannoe River, and ends
some miles below its junction with French Broad.—.
The great noise that was heard through the day, and
continued smoke, left tio doubt but that it WAS a vol.:
cano that mad burst forth during the earthquake.—
The mountain is conical and insulated—its base is
washed on the west side by French Broad*River, on
the east side it is separated by a narrow valley (over-
hung in some places by large rocks) from that ridge
called French, Broad Mountains—their bare rocks,
stunted vegetation, and arid surface, shew that they
long have felt that subterranean fire which probably
gave heat to the warm springs, and has at last burst
out with such dreadful fury. It still continues to
burn with great violence, and throws up lava, scoria,
ashes, calcined stones, and vitrified matter, in great
, qaantities, and with the most tremeudous noise.—
' The quantity of lava discharged at the beginning of
; the eruption was immense ; it ran doivn the moan:
, tain in a stream of liquid fire for more than a mile,
• and has formed a dam across French Broad River,
.so high as to overflow about two hundred acres of
i prime bottom land, to the great injury of the owners.l
In the night time, the ignited stones, cinders, &c.
1 which are thrown two or three hundred feet in the
air, present a grand appearance, and have a great
resemblance to artificial tire-works, such as rockets,
&c. buring the day a columnial whitish smoke
. issues from the crater : at night it has a flame-like
. appearance, and where it has been driven by the
wind, has withered the small dwarf pines which had
taken root in the barretrsoil of this and the neigh-
bouring mountains.; their bark and leaves are in-
: crusted with a yellowish powder, which has an acrid
i taste and strong sulphuric smell. No person has had"'
i courage sufficient to approach the crater; but those
1 who were acquainted with the top of the mountain
i before the eruption, say that it was uneven and. very
I rocky. The crater appears (judging by the smoke)
to be • twenty yards in diameter, and is growing
larger. Yesterday a large mass fell in, with a
greater noise than the loudest artillery; it shook the
country round, and was echoed from the mountains
and valleys. • The lava, where cold, has the appear-
: mice of vitrified basalt. The stone on the mountain
, is hard and coarse grained, with.an uneven conchoi-
dal fracture—but no appearance of basalt. The
scoria are sonorous, have a ferruginous appearance,
and slew strong magnetic attraction. The credulous
people,who inhabit the mountain view it with as
much . awe and terror as the children of Israel did
Mount Sinai. Some say the end of time is arrived,
and think the. crater ig. the mouth of the " bottom-
' less pit,"—the fantastic appearances of the electric
fluid, which is seen darting in various shapes through
the smoke after night, by thehelp of fancy they trans-
' form into spirits, devils, &c. These wild ideas have
been increased by the declaraiions of an itinerant
preacher, who calls upon them to repent, hot in the
language of Jonah,. " Yet forty days," &c. but say-
ing,. " Behold the plage of punishment for the
wicked!"
The Corporation of London assembled on Tuesday
to support. and maintain their liberties. The. poor
devils of Dublin got together on Friday, to oppose
the ,Emancipation •of .their Catholic countrymen •,
they bawled and brawled away till they persuaded
themselves they were the old. Protestants of Ireland
capable of forming a- jest estimate of Catholic merits!
1 -Poor wretches—may. Heaven .restore them to. their
1 semis.—(cork Ciarens(les April 14.) .

POLICE.

BOW-STREET.
Saturday Win. Seabrook and John Wyse were
brought before Mr. GRAHAM, charged with felo.
niously stealing a large quantity of rum,
the pro.
party of the King.
It appeared that small vessels called hnye are en:.
ployed to convey stores from the King's Victirdling
Office D.
,at ptford, to the King's ships. On the
9th day of last Alaith, the Friends Good;:ill hoy
the Prisoner Seabrool., master, took in half 1,(4„1
heads and other casks of rum, coatai.ting two thou,
sand five hundred and seventy gallons, and he, in
company with a man of the name of Fowler, itiik4
with them for the Duncan mati,4 war, lying at the
Nore. After they had proceeded a • ort distauce, A
skiff', with the Prisoner Wyse and three other mad
In it, came along side the boy ; Wre antl all NI
other men went on board the boy, taking Kith theta
several nine gallon casks and a half nit ,r. nie
I
Prisoner_Seabrook gave
.them some false keys, er
picklock keys, which opened the locks that m•cti e 4
i the rum. Ilavine opened the locks, by the as
.st.
like of a pump °they pumped oat of the hogihear!,
1 into 'their Casks a large quantity in a short
time, put them into their skiff, and one. of
the men rowed' away with .theM. On hie way
down the.. River, some Custom-house Otters, in a
1 Custom-house boat, observing the casks in the skiff,
rand supposing them to contain smuggled liquor,
made towards them for the purpose of making a
seiza.re. The man who was rowing the skiff, disco.
Tering the officers to be making towards kiln; drop
: the heads of the casks in and threw the content
overboard. The casks not being the King's, the
officers of course were not able to make any seita,e,
there being no liquor in them; the circumstance of
the man throwing the liquor overboard, convince'
the soinething .was wrong, and an eaqsiry
Inuring
o aingffitstcaeliea
place,
and by.the confession of war
the parties and other witnesses, the above circuta.
stances have been proved, and it has been ascertained
that the quantity of rum taken by the Prisow•r ‘:l‘a.
brook on the above day, from the time of its leaving
the Victualling Office to its arrival at the Dupuis*
man of war, was deficient ninety gallons, and that
the hogsheads had been 611 ed up with water.
The Prosecution is carried on by the Commissioners
of the Victualling Office. •
MARLBOROUGH-STREET.
The Prisoners were committed for trial.

Thomas Jones, who travels the tov-9 as a duffer,
with cambrics, lace, shawls, tte. was charged on
Saturday with two separate acts of fraud, in ob..
taining enormous-priceq by false representations that
the goods were of a sort different to what they really
were.

Mr. Milli n, of Coalbait-street, stated, that the
Prisoner sold him two pieces of cambric, which he
represented to be French, for six times more than
their .real value, it having been proved be an infe-
rior article of home manufacture.

Another Charge was made against the Defendant
by Mr. Cother, at Ibbotson's Vote!, Vere-street.—
The Defendant sold him two shawls, which he repre-
sented to be of foreign manufactory, for Sol. when in)
fact the articles were proved to be of the ;glue et
51. only, and of Spitaltields manufacture. The Pri-
soner was remanded for another examination, to meet
other similar charges.