The Statesman.
London, England, 1809-08-18 00:00:00

BY the Mail which arrived yesterday from
Malta and Gibraltar, pirate information has bees
received of General STUART having sailed from
Sicily with a force of 25,000 men, which is sup-
posed to be directed against Naples.—Public in.
digoation is reported to be generally excited
against the tyranny of King JOACHIM. These
reports are general—but it will be seen that they
rest un a very vague foundation. Unless the
French force in Naples and the neighbourhood
has been greatly reduced, we confess we do not
anticipate a succuaul result of this enterpize.

Tue intelligence from America is certainly un.
favourable. The public indignation is very pow.
erfully excited, and much bitter altercation may
be expected to precede a final adjustment of W..
ferences. Wu cannot, however, but think that
the interest of the two Governments will ultimately
lead them to this point. France will now cease
to pay that deference which the commerce of
America once commanded—for NAPOLEON is every
day approaching more nearly to that absolute, pa-
ramount ascendancy, which will enable him
at no very distant period to interdict the Continent
of Europe from all external communication.—
When we arc told of the impossibility of the
Continent existing without commerce, it is natu.
rat to inquire by what means it existed before the
discovery of America? The experience of the
last 20 years might surely restrain the folly of an.
nouncing that to be impossible which is only so
because it is untried. Was it deemed possible 14
year. ago to produce wool in England that
should ever afford a hope of substituting the
British Reece for that produced in Spain ?
Indisputably it was not—And yet no longer
since than yesterday, 153 sheets of British
wool, from the Merino breed, vu sold by public
auction at Garraway's Cotfac.house, a largo pro.
portion of which went off at or above ss. One lot
from the flock of CUARLES JENILINSON, Esq. as
high as 6s. 2d. per lb. and one pocket from the
MI& of his Grace the Duke of BEDNORD, at 65.
3J.!---Was it believed practicable thirty years
ago to manufacture bar-iron by the use of
pit coal ?—ls nut that manufacture rapidly in.
creasing and advancing towards perfection ?
Wu it deemed possible, at the commencement of
the French Revolution, that the Republicans
could obtain saltpetre to make gnn-powder ? Did
they Rot find it in the cellars and stables of Paris ?
Is not the collective genius of the French che-
mists at this moment intently occupied in the at.
tempt to produce from grapes a saccharine sub-
stance which shall supersede the uecessity of sugar?
Is there any one so hardy as to say that it is im-
possible ?—We have, in our own time, seen the
use of the ususlies of India, the porcelain of China,
and the iron of Russia, if nut annihilated, reduced
to insignificance by the ingenuity and industry of
England—and however great may be the difficul-
ties, of which we are fully aware, we do not see any
reason to doubt the possibility of producing Merino
eon!. As little reason do we see to doubt the
possibility of two currently believed impossibili-
ties, the complete exclusion of our commerce
from the Continent of Europe, and the metre-
Lion of an European army by land to India. No-
thing would give us greater pleasure than to be
convinced of the possibility of proving these im-
posaibilities.

A Cabinet Council was held yesterday at the
Foreign Office.
There was a Cabinet Dinner on Wednesday,
at the Earl of ‘VLsimutti.A No's, in Grosvenor.
square.
Letters and Papers have arrived from Jamaica
to the 9th ult. No intelligence of the surrender
of St. Mmitign had at that time been received.
The General Assembly was prorogued in the usual
form to the Ist of August. Some further parti.
ciders will be seen in our extracts from the It.
males Papers.
Dispatches, we understand, have been received
at the Admiralty, respecting the disposition of the
French naval force in the Scheldt. It is said that
the French Admiral has sent a message to Sir R.
Sru tctt.+K, declaring that he, and the crews under
his command, will shed the lut drop of their blood
opposing our fleet, if the passage of the Scheldt
be attempted.
The Irish Legion serving under BowArARTE is
commanded by a person of the name of O'MEARA,
and not by ARTHUR O'CONNOR, as generally
supposed. 0111e.tna had distinguished himself in
several actions, and, on the particular recornnsen.
dation of General CI.ARRE, was appointed by
BONAPARTS to the command of hilt countrymen.
Tho caprices of fashion are boundless ; and
while our " puppies" in England are daily con..
tending for the " Prize of Folly," the Empress
JOSEPHINE is said to have.whimsically furnished a
room with chairs differing from each other in shape
and colour.—Our great Moralist, JoHnsoN, once
exclaimed., 66 As the votaries of fashion affect
64 singularity only to attract notice, I wonder
" that uo Fool of Fashion, of either sex, has
" taken it into their precious noddles to run a set
" of hums all spavined on the same leg, or all
" blind of one eye, as there would be novelty iu
44 this," *c.

The seiz era of guineas is particularly acceptable
to the Otbcers of the Beveiuse, u they have very
little trouble afterwards iu disposiv of their
shire, and no oceasiOu to clippie,' pergola to paha
the property I