THE PRINCE REGENT’s BIRTHDAY

Yesterday being the natal day of the Heir Apparent to the Throne of these Realms, the same was celebrated by the Tradesmen of his Royal Highness with the usual manifestations of loyalty and gratitude. A grand dinner was given at the Thatched House Tavern, where were assembled together about seventy persons. The PRINCE, with his accustomed condescension and liberality, sent his usual present of two fat bucks. The Stewards were Messrs. CROCKER, BLIGH, CULLUM, and SIMPSON. At six o’clock the company sat down to table; when the cloth was removed, Non nobis Domine was admirably sung by Messrs. NEALE, TYRELL, EVANS, and KING. Among the toasts were, The King,--The Queen–The Prince Regent–The Army, The Navy &c &c.

God Save the King, Rule Britannia and The Prince and Old England Forever were among the songs. The evening was passed with the greatest harmony and conviviality. The party did not separate until a late hour. Mr. WILLIS is deserving of great praise for his attention and the goodness of his wines.

In the evening the Theatres, Subscription-houses, and every individual employed by his Royal Highness, vied with each other in the illuminating of the front of their houses. The Opera House was the most brilliant; P.R,. the plume of feathers, a beautiful star and pyramidical pillars, irradiated the columns. The Union Club-house in St. James’s-square, exhibited P.R. a crown and festoons. BROOKES’s in St. James’s-street was well lighted up with the Prince’s plume, G.P.R. and straight rows of coloured lamps. The Scavoir Vivre, opposite, was a fac simile of the latter. MORTIMER, the Gun-maker, displayed a very fine transparency of the PRINCE, in his Regency state costume, surrounded by appropriate attributes. The Officers of the Guards Subscription House, at the Upper end of the street, was not deficient in taste; but WHITE’s, on the other side of the way, we never before witnessed without a lamp, on any loyal occasion. The dismantled state of the front (it is undergoing a thorough repair) may account for the omission. In Bond-street, WESTON’S was a blaze of light. The devices were the British Star, of great magnitude, composed of a variety of coloured lamps; the central ones were of the brightest purple. P.R. columns, and festoons were happily arranged; the whole were surmounted by the ostrich plume, branching to a great extent.--Covent Garden, Hay Market, and the Lyceum Theatres were of correspondent splendour.--P.R. a star, the plume of feathers, &c. BARFIELD, of Wardour-street, Soho, Printer to his Royal Highness the PRINCE REGENT, displayed the following superb device:--Around the arms (which stand on a portico), a triumphal arch with double row of lights; a little extended, the initials P.R.; on each side a column of the Ionic order, sustaining perforated vases; in the centre a brilliant star of variegated lights, above which one of the largest plumes of feathers, reaching nearly to the top of the house; the whole emitting a blaze of light which illuminated the street to a very considerable extent.--The Warehouse for the Yellow Fever Remedy made a very brilliant display of loyalty for which that useful Institution is as conspicuous here, as the Yellow Fever Remedy is celebrated in the West Indies &c. The evening being very fine, and agreeably cool, the streets, at the West End of the Town were crowded with well-dressed persons of both sexes, who continued to promenade in the neighbourhood of Pall Mall until midnight.

Mr. Sadler’s Ascent in his Balloon.

This venerable and intrepid British Aeronaut made his seventeenth excursion into the regions of the air yesterday, from the garden of the Mermaid Tavern, at Hackney. He was accompanied in his flight by Lieutenant PAGET, of the Navy; the Gentleman who was to have ascended with him from Cambridge on the occasion of the Installation, but who, from unavoidable circumstances, did not go up.

The fame of Mr. Sadler spread wide and near, and being the only English traveller who ever returned so many times to mount aloft, the recollection of the narrow escape he had in July 1810 (when he ascended from Bristol), of being lost in the sea, into which he fell with his Balloon, added to the serenity and beauty of the day, occasioned an immense crowd of spectators to flock from all parts of the metropolis, and the adjacent counties, to witness his flight; but no one time within our memory, from the ascent of the first aerial traveller seen in England (LUNARDI) down to the present, did we ever witness curiosity so much on the alert. The road to the Mermaid, at a very early hour, was lined with carriages and horsemen of all descriptions from the titled peer to the humble cabbage vendors, and with respect to the pedestrian, the same variety of character and description of person trod the footpath. Indeed, so extremely thronged were all the roads from town, and from the eastward part of the country, that the passage was completely blocked up for a considerable time.

The necessary precautions had been taken by Mr. Sadler to prevent the improper intrusion of persons into the gardens of the Mermaid, by the introduction of a proper number of peace officers, outside and inside, and by the timely aid and assistance of the Tower Hamlets Militia, which regiment, with considerable difficulty, kept the ground, and at the same time good order.

The Balloon had been previously brought from the Pantheon to the Gardens, whither the barrels containing the inflammable gas necessary to be used in filling it were placed. About eight o’clock in the morning the men employed in this department began the operation, which, under the direction and superintendence of Mr Sadler, continued till near half-past one o’clock, when the process was completed. When the Balloon was sufficiently inflated, the appearance was such as to call forth the most decided approbations from at least 3000 spectators within the Gardens. (The process of filling has been so often detected that it would be unnecessary to occupy the space of our Paper with a description), but though this appearance of the Balloon was truly grand, when the car was brought into the Gardens to be appended to the Balloon, its beauty and brilliancy drew forth an involuntary burst of applause, which may well be conceived when we give a short sketch of its embellishments.

The Balloon is precisely the same, only fresh varnished, as when Mr. Sadler ascended at Cambridge; but the Car is splendid in the extreme. It is an entire new one, and decorated in an appropriate manner for the day–the Anniversary of the PRINCE REGENT’s Birth. It is lined with beautiful yellow silk of the richest texture, and fitted up with exquisitely elegant cushions of the same colour. The covering is cotton, of azure blue, studded over with stars of the most brilliant appearance; a wreath of acanthus leaves intermixes the bottom of the car which is adorned with crimson velvet, and the outside displays a rail of Chinese fretwork carved in the most curious manner, gilt and covered with crimson velvet, and enriched with gold bordering. At each end of the car are deposed the Prince Regent’s plumes, finely worked in gold cloth, and adorned with a variety of oak leaves or acorns &c. The canopy, which is formed over the car, is of a conical form, composed of rich crimson silk; the top of which is surmounted by a rich coronet, and costly plumes of drap d’or; the base formed by a cornice, to which the Balloon is attached by about thirty golden cords; added to these cords, six additional ones of the same beauty, are suspended from the cornice to the car, over these hung festoons of satin, with gilt acorn trimmings, looped up with gold twist. On the top are six other plumes of feathers, forming six sections each;of which is enlivened by sprigs of laurel and gold berries, presenting one of the most superb objects which the ingenuity of man can devise, or the fancy of the spectator can hope to see realized!

Having thus given a short description of the decorations and embellishments of the machine and car, we will describe the ascent. The car having been affixed to the balloon about half-past two o’clock, the travellers (Messrs. SADLER and Lieutenant PAGET) accompanied by several friends, passed through the crowd of spectators to the stage, accompanied by the standard or flag bearers. They were received with loud shouts of applause, which evidently made great impression upon Mr. SADLER. The necessary ballast having been stowed in the car, and the whole being ready for ascending, the two aerial travellers prepared to take their seats. Another involuntary burst of applause broke forth, which was re-echoed from the tops of the surrounding houses, and from the people in the street. At 20 minutes before three o’clock they took their seats; Mr. SADLER stepped in first, and the Lieutenant immediately followed; the cords, which till this time had been held by about 30 men, to prevent the Balloon from ascending, were let go, and the men hung upon the car in order that the Balloon might be removed from the spot where it was filled, to some little distance, that in ascending it might clear the trees, and at the same time afford the spectators a fuller view of the ascent. Exactly at eighteen minutes before three o’clock, the signal being made, they let go their hold and the Balloon gradually arose (clearing the trees) in a slow and truly majestic manner.--Mr. SADLER and Lieutenant PAGET saluting the spectators as they ascended, the spectators returning their salute by reiterated shouts of applause, and clapping of hands. In this manner the Balloon kept slowly ascending, taking a South-East direction for near twenty minutes; during the whole of this time the travellers were distinctly seen by the naked eye Mr. SADLER waving his flag, and the Lieutenant waving his hat to the great satisfaction of the spectators. The Balloon then ascended higher, still keeping in sight for upwards of ten minutes, until it became no larger in appearance than a bird, and at length was lost to view.

The brilliancy of the Balloon and Car–the majestic appearance in its ascension–and the coolness and intrepidity displayed not only by the venerable aeronaut, but by the novitiate in travelling the airy regions, were the themes of conversation while they remained in sight, and long after. In the many ascensions of aeronauts was never witnessed either in GARNERIN or in LUNARDI (certainly both men of courage and skill) more of self-possession, or of the latter quality, than was evinced by Mr. SADLER. And with respect to the grandeur of the object in the air we never saw any Balloon which displayed to the sight so sublime an idea of aerial travelling; for the venerable aeronaut seemed to manage the Balloon at pleasure.

During the process of filling, and until the ascension, the band of the Tower Hamlets continued playing some beautiful airs.--They were stationed near the Assembly Room.

The general expression of the spectators when the travellers were beyond their sight, was an expression of humanity and feeling for their safe return, in which sentiment we sincerely participate.

It is impossible to describe in adequate terms, the scene which was presented all the way to town on the return of the spectators. Upon making the most moderate calculation, the roads contained nearly one hundred thousand persons of all sexes, ages, and conditions. In the vicinity of the Mermaid, such confusion was created from the impossibility of foot passengers making their way, several persons were thrown down and much hurt–several Ladies fainted–and, for several minutes, so completely wedged were the people that they could not pass on. The confusion was greatly heightened by the vast number of carriages which occupied the high road into which the passengers were forced by the rapidity of the pressure. We have not heard of any serious accident, and we sincerely hope not any has occurred.

Mr. SADLER was dressed in black.--Lieutenant PAGET wore a blue coat and nankeen pantaloons.

We understand the aeronauts landed in the neighbourhood of Dartford; but we could not learn that they had reached town when our Paper was put to press.

EXETER ASSIZES, AUG. 9.

Jane Cox was indicted for the wilful murder of one John Trenanman, an infant 16 months old, and Arthur Tucker as an accessory before the fact. The latter is a respectable farmer, living at Hatherleigh, in this county, and the infant was his natural child. It appeared that Jane Cox had on the 25th of June last, administered to the child a quantity of arsenic, by putting it into the child’s hands, and which it had put into its mouth and eaten; in consequence of which it died in about two hours. The Prisoner in her written confession had implicated Tucker, as having persuaded her to do the act, and stated his having taken the arsenic from under the roof of a cottage and giving it to her, and promised her a one pound note if she would administer it to the child.

The Prisoner, Jane Cox, after a trial of seven hours, was convicted and ordered to be hanged on Monday next, and Tucker was acquitted. He called a great number of respectable witnesses who all gave him a very high character.

An Attorney brought an action against several persons being concerned in the managing of a Lunatic Asylum, for false imprisonment by confining him therein. It appeared that he had been in a deranged state and confined to the Asylum for 18 months, but he was now in part recovered. The action was compromised on its being agreed that a verdict should be taken for the Defendant, but without saddling him with the Plaintiff's costs.