The Sun. — London, England, 1820-05-02 00:00:00

ROYAL ACADMIY. The brief notice that was inserted in our Paper of Saturday was taken from a Morning Paper of that day. We yesterday had an opportunity of wit nessing the Exhibition, and feel much gratified in observing the progress of the British Arts, ma hifested in the improvement of many young Artists, and the stationary excellence of those Of established character. Sir THOMAS Lkee tariax, the new President of the Royal Academy, and who so well deserves the. distinction, has sent five Admirable portraits. Those of John A:ter nethv, E , q. and Sir William Grant, late Master of the Rolls, in his official dress. They are • both admirable Pictures. The first Gentleman we do not know, but that of the latter is an excel lent likeness of that truly respectable orm , ment of the country, whose retirement we hope will be as • sappy as his public life was honourable. There h also a beautiful picture by Sir Tomo AS of the Atcliducheis of Austria, a very intetesiing ehld, who is represented with all the lively grace r+f iofaricy. Sir Wtr.Ltiot 1114t4wain- has six por traits, one of wh;ch is a fine whole-length of Sh e late Duke of Kent. Mr. PHILLIPS Las his full ottinber of eight pictures, and they are all high ly creditable to his talents. That of the Rev Dr. Ct%pplestoue, Provost of Oriel College, Oxford, is pre-eminently good. Mr. SHER has also his full number, and they all are worthy of his name. Mr. Tnomsota has proved his historical powers by a large and excellent representation of Christ raising from death the daughter of Jairus. Mr. TURKFit has a noble picture of Rome, from the llaticen—RAffielle, accompanied by La Torna . Noe, preparing his pictures for the decoration of Logic i . The conception is original and exe !bleed with gra ndeur. We are glad to find that Mr- OWEN, notwithstanding his indisposition, has been able to send five pictures, one of which, being a work of tßucv, seems to spew that he is recovered enough to paint for amusement as well as profit. The subject is Cupid, and the idea is taken from the Midsummer Night's Dream.— Me. RAESURIsT has partichlarly distinguished himself this year in several admirable portraits.-- slr. lies one masterly work of Shipping, ao the Medway. We have not at present room for detail. We most, ,however, notice n splendid Drawing, by Mr. SOANB, entitled " Architectural Vi , ions of early fancy, io the gay morning of youth ; and Dreams in the evening of life." It represents a great number of magnificent struc tures, all marked by architectural grandeur, and 4t to be the abode of,Princes. We may well say of the several beautiful edifices in this drawing-- "These are imperial works, and worthy Kings." Sir GBORGB BeAumoNT has two Landscapes, *hid) do honour to 'the taste and skill of that accomplished Baronet. I'Veshall resume our notice of other works in time E x hibi t i o n, which are well entitled to the ad bairation of all true jodges of the Art. FOR THE SUN. THE LATE DUKE OF KENT. AIL EDITOR—With a mixed sensation of plea sure and regret I have thi•l day seen in the public Papers the result ot a Meeting called to adopt tneasures to perpetuate the memory ot the justly letnented Duke ot KENT —at which Meeting his Grace the Duke ot BE.nFoan presided, and bore testimony, with many other s , 10 t h e v i rtues and wive worth of the Deceased. This certainly must Record with the feelings of the Nation anarge, but the result ot their deliberations comes far short of their object. A Statue ! an unmeaning, inactive memento, How comes it that the spirit of the Deceased did not inspi re . them with a pl an to make his memory still useful, and to live-in the remembrance of the Seventy Societies which be in his life patronised ?-11 7 hy not erect a Fttez CHURCH on the Establishment in a central situa- Ilon, on a modest, but elegant design, indebted to fitness and chaste Architecture, and not to gaudy frippery, for its ornaments. Let an appropriate Tabl e t there record the active virtues of the De ceased. It might he built on an elevated scite with s d ry hattemeiwstory, lofty and light, to be devot - Le? t o the use of any ot the Societies patronized by " late Royal Highness at their Annual Meetings, or even form offices for those which have not Est hl; ashnients—making it a National Monument Slo t "ply to his memory, but to liberal extended Christian Charity. 'lbis idea I suggest in a crude 111 lue to b e improved by the wisdom of the en lightened Public, in the spirit of true Philan• t t" l l ,which r °PYwhich shed so bright a lustre over the C haracter of the deceased Prince, I remain, Sir, your obedient Servant, A. B. Grocers' Hall-Court, Poultry, May 1, 1840. SPORTING INTELLIGENCE. • NE WMARKET SECOND SPRING MEETING, 1820. MONDAY, MAY 1. Mr. Bouverie's • Andrew, Inst. beat Mr. Udny's f. by Wo 411' n ut of Zora, Bst. T.Y.C. 100 gs, h. ft.-2 to lon Andrew . han dicap Sweepstakes of Isgs each, for three-yr-olds and Men r upwards. TY C upri • • • • Rutland's Inferior S yrs, sst. • Wyndhara's Snowden, 4 yrs, 7st.6lb. .114 d J ersey's Leopoldine, 6 yrs, Bst. 31b. Six started—Three pd.—TheJudge placed but three. 4 to I agst Inferior-6 to I agst Snowden-6 to 4 agst Leo poldine. . 1 r• Shelley's Arita!, Bst. 31h. heat Mr. Fox's Pacha, t • 7l b• Ab.M. 200 gs, h. to I ou Antar. .5Mr. Flouverie's Furioso beat 1). of Grafton's c. by Waxy, L. of Cha rcoa l , Bst. 41b. ' eaeh. First half of Ab.M. 200 gs, ".--5 to 4 on Furioso. Sunday afternoon, as `some boys were amusing ,thetneelves in a fieid in Limehouse, opposite the el Vie public-house, one of them, who bad a (1( g) threw a sto ne i nto a sma ll p o nd o f water for 1 ") to fetch. Th e - d og immediately jumped • 111 . and i nstea d of b r i ng i ng out the stone, til t dif f i ettitY brought a large bundle, which, • whet) opened, was found to contain the body of a male infant about a Month old ; it had a deep i wo und on the right side of the bead, and was ) 11 .pped up in a woman 'a flannel petticoat, which "d the nam e of Meson worked with a needle 0 11 it i n J orge letters. ' The body was taken to the teetnasoue Aims, for the Coroner's Invest. ttly intend ed Li the power itiestioa, ji l t ; toriously 811 lined a more not be COI' on : chin g who° be disgrace ( ' ids in Who ? ' vested. 1 ° chided fail) n► the great ice in (0 diffusion 01 tied that the longer. TO towards the praceeffivo with 7111 be Coe loath, pre° 'ant, hat' e canspif o went with IV respite,' vita much rgkoess Of in high st likely is eland. N a die penpiS afitiOUS t the begs tittet foils oe measur e , atisfactill s ircely ea* Less svoidi l I the Ciii deserteaf )o forma' nd iustitg: less WOOJa rorn Eng' ging FA of Feb' 'reole ad Coe!: he 7th ''' consist' bds o f the A snots CHARLES tent mined tog n whence fleet. A lays f/ 9 " goof 24 ' )3 Ayrcs: en name', teetitlg dated tbs le Maori' it diseoi c Dowsl l4 . : issue! 14 ' Cape wal I s ever"' )ccurrea sl everlia 01 the 01 f r t pelli ol 'n that (4/ .. ., 13 , of I,lol— f June )fit4d ,il l T a Sl4' Is a 00 s louse '7i >ly 00 1 1 iebrate. t of tir s i) of tb ° :ev. y to ill ° s ago tribil(°r Basal !dr. tb f ;AMD" 3 tbefe :cot, t° rent vv' t. St thr ee ! s o'er' enot t r, o rJe' 1)-( 111 1 5 rat , d Pe r 10 3 1 113 r I ['ening° T to Ire. HAP"' With the jne for s at p, i• ED WARDS. Well has been said respecting this man, who has been represented as a spy, employed by Go vernment to entrap the Traitors who have paid the forfeit of their crimes, and the interrogatories which Mr. Alderman Woon so strangely proposed to Thisilewood a few moments before his execu tion, and so properly checked by Mr. Sheriff ROTHWEL,L, seems to shew that the Alderman gives credit to the report. We see no laudable object in this officious interposition of the Alder man, though we doubt not that be has souse pur pose of popularity in view, which will probably soon appear The following extract from The Leeds Intelligences of yesterday is so pertinent and just, that it must be deemed satisfactory to every reasonable mind : " One of the prisoners (lags) complained bitterly that a man of the name of Edwards, was not brought forward; to whom, he says, his guilt was owing. This Edwards, we are informed, is a Spy ! and he is said to have " been one of the largest contributors to the ranks of the Cato-street plot." It is " passing strange" that we never hear any thing of the practices of these "instigators," who " go about the country, beating up for traitors, proposing violent projects, and urg ing to ph)sical force," till the treason is discovered ! Whilst they are thought " good men and true," no dislike is evinced to th,n-propusals, let them he ever su atrocious; but the moment that the finger of justice is pointed to the guilty criminal, he exclaims " I was betrayed by a spy !" We can not hut think this is a very poor plea. It is no mitigation of the crime of treason to say that others have been instigators. Every such instigator ought to be handed over immediately to the hands of justice ; and this would soon put a stop to the " machinations of spies," if we can believe them to exist.— With rtspect to the particular case of Edwards, we must say we much doubt the story of his agency, as the ensnarer, and then the betrayer of the prisoners. We think our Readers will he inciined to do so too, when they lead the following passage front Monument's evideace (who did not know Ed wards), on which we shall offer no coannent : " Thistlewood " told me to say, on my examination at Whitehall, that it " was Edwards took me to Cato-street; and I was to say he " was a short sallow complexioned man, and dressed in a ", great coat." THISTLEWOOD. The following biographical account of Thistle wood is taken from a Morning Paper :—it differs in some pal titulars from the statements already published : " Arthur Thistlewood is one of the sons of the late Mr. John Thistlewood, of Tupholme, a village about 12 miles distant from Lincoln. — His lather was a respectable farmer and land surveyor, and for many years rented a consider able farm under Robert Vyner, Esq. Arthur was not educated for the profession of medicine, as some of the papers have stated. He had a brother, who was apprenticed to a surgeon of Newark ; bat Arthur was intended by his father for a land surveyor. From very early life, however, he manifested idle and unsettled habits, and was a bitril , .n an his friends, Upon the raising of the Supplementary Militias, during the last war, be ontained, through the interest of his family, a Lieutenant's commission in the 3d or Supple mentary Regiment of Lincolnshire Militia, com mituderi by the father of the late Earl of Bucking ham,hire. He was then rather a handsome man, and obtainer) introductions into better society than he had betoral seen. Shortly after, entering into the militia, be besieged with great assiduity, and finally won, the heart of a lady some years ohler than himself, of the name of Worsiey, re- siding upon the COUthill, in Lincoln, and obtained wi t h t i er a tortune of at least ten thousand paluda. During the cite of Ibis lady he lived in good style at liawtry, in Yorkshire ; but she dying, about a year anti a halt attLr the marriage, he returned to Lincoto, where he purchased a mansion, a (1 lived in circumstances of greet spectabiliry for about two years. An unfortunate gaming transaction at cards doting the Lin coln races, about fifteen years ago, involved him in difficulties which he found it impossible to twer, and he fled, to avoid the imporruntiies ot his more fortunate associates, This seems to have been the decided breaking lip cha t •acCri, and he has been since known only as the proie,hed gambler or the factious demagogue He has lived principally London. ba: bas oecasionalj) been in France alio other pars of the Con:ineot and has visited America. A few years siuo , ., he married his present wife, who was the daughter of a Mr, Wilkinson, an opulent butcher of Horn castle, in Lincolnshire, with whom he got 2,0001. The son, who is said to have lately taken an affecting leave of him in prison, is not the off spring of the first marriage, as stated in some of the papers, but is a natural child of Thistlewood's, whom his present wife took under her care shortly after her marriage, and to whom she has shown great kindness. Thistlewood haS no issue by his present wife." • GOTTINGEN, APRIL 14.—His Majesty, our most gracious King GEORGE IV., has been pleased to take upon himself the office of Rector of the George Augustus University,and has issued a Re script, dated Carlton-house, 21st March, express ed in the most gracious terms respecting this most honourable distinction which his Majesty bas been pleased to confer on the University. A very violent eruption of Mount Vesuvius has recently taken place. The Hereditary Prince of DtNMARK, who visited the mountain several times, and made observations upon the eruption, read a report of the several visits he made to the mountain in one of the sittings of the Academy of Sciences at Naples, of which the Prince is a Member. A letter hum Cod( mentions, that on the 17th instant, the Castle Come cutter, Lieut. JOHN ELWIN, captured, in the Sound of Inislitobol, the very fine copper-bottomed American schooner Sweep, laden with tobacco, of about 90001. va• hie, together with her clew of ten men ; the cap tare was made by the boats, under the command of the first Mate, Mr. THOMAS HARDY, at about tk‘elye miles distance from the' cutter. This is the second schooner the Castle Coute has taken voithits these five =whs., THE EXECIMON OF THE TRAITORS. FURTHER PARTICULARS OF THE CONDUCT OF THE PRISONERS, &c. &c. BEFORE ASCENDING THE SCAFFOLD. During nearly the whole of Sunday night the wretched men slept sound, and were only awakened by the unbarring of their cell doors to admit the Reverend and very devout Ordinary, whose pious zeal to convert them from their avowed tenets of Deism, prompted him to visit the gaol in the dead of the night. Here he found them in their sepa rate cells, and went to each, urging every pious argument to reclaim them to the paths of Chris tianity. On Thistlewood, Tidd, logs, and Brunt, however, his arguments were unavailing; but on Davidson, his endeavours were crowned with suc cess, and, in the most fervent manner, this unfor tunate man joined in prayer with Mr. Cotton for mercy at the hands of his -Redeemer. The cells in which these delinquents were confined, though separated by strong walls of stone, were not suf ficiently detached to prevent them from speaking to each other, and lugs, speaking during the night of the approaching awful exhibition they were to make, remarked to another of his companions, with savage disappointment, ` 4 That there would be plenty of persons present, but d----n the --, they had no pluck." Davidson had hitherto pre served the same obdurate tenets as his associates in guilt ; but during Sunday, a manifest change took place in his manner, and he requested the spiritual consolation of the Rev. Mr. Cotton. That Gentleman visited him immediately.; and, as we have stated before, went to him in the night. At five o'clock on Sunday morning Mr. Cotton went again to the gaol, and -proceeded to the condemned cells, wth the ballowed elements of the Sacrament, which was administered to and. received by Davidson with the utmost devotion. The Reverend Gentleman offered it to the other culprits, who, however, were immutable in their infidelity. Brunt partook of the wine offered to him, but only for the purpose of drinking the King's health, which he appeared to do cordially. Davidson also drank his Majesty's health, and joined fervently in the prayer for the King and the Royal Family, which is in the Established Church Service. The men breakfasted separately. After this Davidson continued to pray fervently to the mo ment of his removal ; but the other prisoners seemed totally unmoved by their approaching tate. At about a quarter ()ran hour past 7 o'clock, the Sheriffs, Under-Sheriffs, several young Noblemen, and a number of Gentlemen ,walked in procession (as is usual), through the vations passages in Newgate till they arrived at the door of the condemned cells. which comes into the Press-yard. The criminals, since receiving sentence of death, have been con fined in the lower ward of the prison assigned to capital convicts.—Thistlewood came out of the condemned cell first ; he bowed to the Sheriffs and Gentlemen present ;he looked very pale ; cast up his eyes, and said, "it appears fine." He diS played uncommon firmness, and held out his hands for the assistant executioner to tie them. He. observed to the persons near him, that he never felt in better spirits in the course of his life. He . was attired its the same apparel that he wore dur ing his trial. He now advanced to the block to have his irons knocked off, and while the turnkey way in the act, Mr. Alderman Wood advanced to Thistlewnod, and said, Thistlewood, I wish you to give me an answer to two or tbree questions-- Mr. sherilTßothwell—Mr. Alderman, I must interfere. I am sure yon have had quite experience enough of magisterial duties to know that on a solemn occasion of this kind, you ought not to interfere with a prisoner on the point of death. Mr. Alderman Wood.—You prevented me, Mr. Sheriff, from entering Newgate yesterday, to obtain the information lam now :iliont to seek. You have no authority to prevent me from now having it, as the gaol is this day under the so perintendance of Lord Sidmouth, and I must persist in ob taining answers to my questions, if the prisoner chooses to give them. Mr. Sheriff Rotliwell—l cannot suffer you to disturb the quiet of an unhappy watt's mind at this awful moment, Mr. Alderman. I must, by virtue of my office, interfere, and pre vent you from d,ing any thing which can have a tendency to distract the mind of a man in his awful situation—one who is indeed dead in law _ • , lieriff Parkins—l must insist on the Worthy Alder- MA"'s helot; permitted to put any question he pleases, unless the prisoner objects. I now authorise Aldeiman Wood to put ahaterer questions he wishes. MI. Sheriff Itothwell—Well, I must again object—l think it h hly improper. Mr. Alderman Wood—l have the questions here written down, and I'll put them to you Thistlewood. Q. When did you first become acquainted with Edwards? Thistlewood—About June last. - Q. Where did you become acquainted with him Thictlewood—At Preston's. Mr. Alderman Wood, who did not appear to have heard the final letter, said; " At Preston, in Litneashire:' Thistlewood—No, at Preston's, the shoemaker. Q. Did he ever give you any money? Thistlewood—Yes ; .I. had a little frOm him. • The Alderman wrote down with hii pencil the answers be had received to his (locations. This was the sum and s►►bstance of all that passed, and the Alderman desisted from ftirther questions, after Mr. sheriff Rothwell bad ex. pressed bis determination to stop so improper au interruption. The irons of the culprits were then knocked off in succession. Thistlewood requested Mr. Cotton to speak to him, but for no other moiive than to request he would observe his conduct bad been manly, and to state that he was perfectly happy, anti died in peace with God. Even to the last moment, the humane attentions of the Rev. Ordinary to the four men whom we have pointed out, were unavailing ; to every re. monstrance he offered, the only answer was, they wanted no assistance of his, their minds were per fectly made np on religious subjects, and they be lieved they should receive mercy at the hands of God. The arrangements being completed, the proces sion advanced through the dark passages of the gaol, led by the Sheriffs and Under Sheriffs. The Rev. Air. Cotton came next, devoutly praying the whole time, that the souls of the misguided men might be received with mercy at the tribunal of their God. Thistlewood came next, with his eyes fixed, as it were, in abstract thought, and apparently lost to his situation. A vacant and unmeaning stare pervaded his countenance, which seemed unmoved by the devotions of the pious Ordinary. 'lidd walked next, and seemed somewhat affect ed by his aituatiou. He tried, however, to,absuine an indifference to Lis fate, and was frequently re't lied by logs, for his depression. logs -came next, and Approached his fate, ing without reserve, and using every forced ears. to subdue the better feelings of white, wi)ic.o might remind him of hii awful situation. _ Brunt, in fixed and hardened obduracy of mind, next advanced, and with a sullen and morose air of indifference, surveyed the officers who were conducting him to his fate. _ The unhappy Davidson came last, with clasped hands and uplifted eyes, praying most devoutly; and the officers of the gaol closed the procession. On their arrival at the Lodge from which the Debtors' door leads to the scaffold, a moment's pause took place, while the dreadful paraphernalia of death were adjusted - without. Thisilewood, who stood first, closed his lips, and with a from) surveyed from the door-way in which he stood the awful preparations for his fate. In a moment they were completed, and he left the gaol for ever. While tie execotiouer was performing the last offices without to this wretched man, the scene within the Lodge was almost beyond the power of description. Tile dreadful obdoracy of Brunt and logs filled with hotror the small assemblage of persons among whom they stood. logs, with an indifference almost indescribable, sucked an orange, with which Mr. Sheriff Parkins had pro vided him, as well as all the other prisoners, and screamed in a discordant voice, "Oh gi.e toe Death or Liberty !" Brunt rejoined, " Aye ! to be sure. It is better to die tree than to live slaves !" A Gentleman in the Lo►!ge now admonished them to consi►ler their approaching fate, and to recollect the existence of a Deity, into whose supreme presence a few minutes would usher then,►. Brunt exclaimed. " I know there is a God !" and ins added, " Yes, to be sure ; and I hope be will be more merciful to us than they are here." Tidd, who had stood in silence, was now sum moned to the scaffold: He shook hands with all but Davidson, who bad separated himself from tne rest. logs again seized Tidd's hand at the moment he was going out, and exclaimed, with a burst of laughter, " Give us your hand ! Good bye !" A tear stood in Tidd's eye, and his lips invo. luntarily muttered, " My wife and -- !" Ings proceeded—" Come, my old cock of wax, keep up your spirits, it all will be over soon." Tidd immediately squeezed his hand, and rushed towards the stairs leading to the scaffold. In his hurry, his foot caught the step, and he stambled. He recovered himself however in an instant, and rushed upon the scaffold, where he was imme. , diately received with three cheers from the crowd, in which he made a faint effort to join, but the thoughts of his situation, we presume, seemed to stop this ebullition of affected indifference. In the interim, Davidson, who bad not yet come.out, leaned with his back against a dresser in the lodge, and continued with his hands clasp. ed, praying in the most fervent manner, and call ing with unfeigned and unreserved piety for the intervention of the Redeemer. Brunt and however, continued the same hardihood that they have manifested throughout, and continued vent.. ing their thoughts in unreserved ejaculations. A humane individual - who stood by, remon• strafed with Brunt again, and beseeched him to ask pardon of God. Brunt, with a fierce and savage air, surveyed his adviser contemptuously, and exclaimed, " Wnat have Udotte ? I have done nothing ! What should I ask pardon for ?" The stranger rejoined, So you say, Brunt ; but it you have ever injured any man, or done any thing which your conscience tells you is wrong, ask p:srdon of God, penitently and sincerely, and you will, I have no doubt, ob tain mercy."—Brunt replied, I die with a per fectly clear conscience. I have made my penes with God, and I never injured no m.n."—The stranger proceeded, " Believe in 'he Lord Jesus Christ I" Brunt surveyed his hittnAneatisis:r and muttered, " My mind is made up " " Well done, Bt P' exclaimed Ings, and was again proceeding to sing, " Oh ! give me death or liberty," when be was summoned to the scaffold. He turned to Brunt, and with a smile on his counte• nance, shook hands with him, and p , epared to go. While the hatch was opening, he exclaimed, with a loud voice, " Remember me to King George the Fourth, God bless him, and may he have a ;long reigtv" He now recollected that he had some clothes left behind, which be requested might be given to his wife. The wretched man had thrown off the clothes in which he had been tried, Rad had put on an old butcher's jacket, de termining, as he said, " that Jack Ketch should have no coat of While he stood on the edge of the steps, at the door of the gaol, he said to Davis, one of the turnkeys, " Well, Mr. Davis, I am going to find out this great secret," and then springing upon the scaffold, exclaimed, " Good bye, Gentlemen. Here goes the remains of an unfortunate man." Brunt now stood by himself (as Davidson stood away from him), and muttered about the iojto.- tice of his fate. The persons around him re peatedly entreated him to alter his religious Creed during the last few moments left, and to believe in the Saviour of the World. Still immutable— still hardened in iniquity, he listened not to the remonstrances of sincere friends, who beseeched him, for bii wife's sake, and for the sake of his - son, to ask the protection of the Redeemer for them ; but he appeared tired of these friendly importunities, and wished to ascend the scaffold next. Davidson however was summoned before him, and with a composed countenance and a firm step Ire passed by his former companion in guilt to his fate, without noticing him. Brunt now appeared considerably irritated " What," he exclaimed, " am I to be the last I Why is this ? They can have my blood but once, and why am Ito be kept to the last ? But I sup, pose they are afraid I should say something to ti►e people, because I spoke my mind on the trial. However, 1 don't care." Davidson had by this rime been tied up ; Brunt ascended the scaffold next, and was loudly cheered by the popttitice. The composute of this man, particularly oa