The Sun. — London, England, 1827-01-13 00:00:00

FROM LAST NIGHT'S LONDON GAZETTE. Foreign Office, Jan. 9, 1827. The King has been pleased to approve of Mr. Santos Miche lena, as Consul-General in Great Britain for the United States of Mexico. The King has also been pleaw:a to approve of Mr. Thomas Williams, as Consul at for the United States of America. Whitehall, Jen. 12. Mzxo'AANnust.—ln the list of the Companions of the Bath. Publi'"Lied in the Gazette of the 2d inst., page 2, the name (I r • -tent.-Colonel Christopher Fagan, of the 68th Regiment of Ben - gal Native Infantry, was inserted by mistake instead of th name of Lieutenant-Colonel Christopher Sullivan Fagan, of thu 44th Native Infantry, which ought to have followed after of that Lieutenant-Colonel Edward W. Snow ; the name also of Lieutenant-Colonel Edward P. Wilson, of the Ist Bengal Euro pean Regiment, was inserted by mistake instead of the name of Lieutenant-Colonel Thomas Wilson, of tile 28th Bengal Native Infantry, which ought to have followed after that of Lieutenant- Colonel John Delamain. Crown Offite, Jan. 12. Members returned to Serve in the present Parliament. Borough of Stafford—Thomas Wentworth Beaumont, Esq. in the room of Richaril Ironmonger, Esq. deceased. City of Cork..—John Hely Hutchinson, Esq. Student at Law, in the room of the Honourable Christopher Hely Hutchinson, de ceased. Borough of Bandon Bridge—The Right Honourable John Rus seD., of Woburn Abbey, Bedfordshire (commonly called Lord John Russell), in the room of Lord Viscount Duncannon, who being chosen a Burgess for the town of Bandon-Bridge,' and also chosen a Knight of the Shire for the County of Kilkenny, hath made his I election to serve for the said County. DECLARATION OF INSOLVENCY. J. Francis, Maldom Essex, coal-merchant. BANKRUPTCIES SUPERSEDED. • T. Burgess, and T. IEII, Great Windmill -street, Haymarket, booksellers. F. Dinkins, Bow -lane, scrivener. BANKRUPTS. F. Dinkins, Queen-street, scrivener, to surrender, Jan. 19, at ten, 26, at one, and Feb. 23, at twelve, at the Court of Commis sioners. Stevens, Wood, and Wilkinson, Little St. Thomas Apostle, Queen-street.. W. Pool, Lis.son,Street, New-road, Paddington, stage-master, Jan. 19, at eL-r en , 26, and Feb. 23, at ten, at the Court of Com misaione; s. Dtmcombe, Lyon's Inn. Nicoll, jun., Hendon, Middlesex, hay and straw salesman, Jan. 19, 30, and Feb. 23, at one, at the Court of Commissioners. Sinter, Milbank street, Westminster. T. Turner, Pemberton, Lancashire, house carpenter, Feb. 6, at six, 7, at ten, and 23, at eleven, at the Royal Hotel, Wigan. Norris, John-street, Bedford-row, London ; and Gaskell, Wigan. H. Spratt, Thurston, Norfolk, miller, Jan. 27, 30, at four, and Feb. 23, at two, at the Norfolk Hotel, Norwich. Lythgoe and Chapman, Essex-street, Strand ; and Winter, jun., Norwich. J. Saunders, Nottingham, cordwainer, Jan. 22, 23, and Feb. 23, at eleven, at the Punch Bowl, Nottingham. Taylor, Feather. stone-buildings, Holborn ; and Payne and Daft, Nottingham. G. Smith and T. Holmes, jun., Bristol, linen drapers, Jan. 27, 29, and Feb. 23, at one, at the Commercial Rooms, Bristol. Bourdillon and Hewitt, Bread-street, Cheapside ; and Bevan and Brittan, Bristol. G. Marsden, Cartworth, Yorkshire, woollen-manufacturer, Jan. 25, 26, at eleven, and Feb. 23, at ten, at the Court House, Leeds. • Wilson, Southampton-street, Bloomsbury ; and Coupland ar4d. Shaw, Leeds. D. Backhouse and J. Woodcock, jun. Wakefield, Yorkshire, dyers, Jan. 23, Feb. 13, and 23, at eleven, at the King's Head Inn, Huddersfield. Battye, Fisher, and Sudlow, Chancery-lane ; and Sykes, Milnsbridge, Yorkshire. W. Atkinson, Haslingden, Lancashire, currier, Jan. 29, 30, and Feb. 23, at two, at the Star Inn, Manchester. Atkinson, Manchester ; and Makinson and Saunders, Temple. S.• Stones, Pontefract, Yorkshire, innkeeper, Jan. 29, at six, 30,.at -eleven, and- Feb. 23, at two, at the Old Elephant Intl, - Pontefract; Smithson and Ramskill, Pontefract. - J; L. Rice, Taunton, Somereetshire, builder, Jan. 18, 19, and Feb.-23, at - eleven, at the Bell Inn, Taunton. Buncombe and Stone, Taunton ; Clowes, Orme, and Wedlake, King's Bench 7alk, Temple. J. Peters, Ranelagh-walk, Chelsea, victualler, Jan. 19, 26, Viand Feb. 23, at eleven, at the Court of Comnaisaioners. Parnell, Spitalfields. • J. Lacy, Cranbourn-street, Leicester-square, mercer, Jan. 19, 26, at twelve, and Feb. 23, at one, at the Court of Commis- Isioners. Birkett, Taylor, and Cox, Cloak-lane. B• Russell, White Horse-court, Southwark, hop merchant, Jan. 19, 26, and Feb. 23, at eleven, at the Court of Com missioners. Green and Ashurst, Sambrook-court, Basinghall street. W. Hallett, Northumberland-street, Marylebone, money-scri vener, Jan. 19, 26, and Feb. 23, at eleven, at the Court of Com missioners. Tanner, New Basinghall-street. G. Colbeck, Hatton-wall, Hatton-garden, grocer, Jan. 16,23, at ten; Yind Feb. 23, at one, at the Court of Commissioners. Fisher, Queen-street, Cheapside. S. Giblett, Shepton Mallett, Somersetshire, currier, Feb. 2,3, and 23, at - eleven, at the George Inn, Shepton Mallett. Berke ley, Lincoln's Inn ; and Craddock, Shepton Mallett. DIVIDENDS. N. Cavanagh, W. Browne, and H. Browne, Bath, bankers, Feb. 6, at eleven, at the York House, Bath—W. Oliver, Hamil ton-row, Battle-bridge, builder, Feb. 2, at eleven, at the Court of Commissioners—J. S. Brinley, Birchin-lane, ship and insurance broker, Feb. 2, at ten, at the Court of Commissioners—W. Hub bard, jun., White Lion-court, Cornhill, merchant, Feb. 2, at eleven, at the Court of Commissioners—R. Nunn, Queen-street, Cheapside, warehouseman, Feb. 2, at ten, at the Court of Com missioners—A. Wilkie, Duke-street, Portland-place, upholsterer, Feb. 2, at ten, at the Court of Commissioners—W. B. Robinson, Robinson's-row, Kingsland, apothecary, Feb. 2, at eleven, at the Court of Commissioners—R. Anthony, Plymouth, grocsr,lFeb. 19, at the Royal Hotel, Plymouth—T. Gill, Stourport, Worces tershire, corn dealer, Feb. 5, at the White Hart Inn, Hartlebury— W. Hankey, Roll's-buildings, Fetter-lane, carpenter, Feb. 2, at eleven, at the Court of Commissioners—J. Brown and J. Thornp son, Fenchurch-street, merchants, Feb. 2, at nine, at the Court of Commissioners—H. Barlow, Macelesfield, silk-manufacturer, Feb. 3, at eleven, at the Angel Inn, Macclesfield—F. Kennedy, King ston-upon-Hull, linen-draper, Feb. 3, at eleven, at the Dog and Duck Tavern, Kingston-upon-Hull—l. White, Isleworth, school- master, Jan. 19, at one, at the Court of Commissioners—J. Nichols, Finchingfield, Essex, tanner, Feb. 16, at nine, at the Court of Commissioners-4. Cattell, Wood-street, silkman, Feb. 2, at twelve, at the Court of Commissioners—J. J. Hood, South ampton-street, oil and colourman, Feb. 9, at ten, at the Court of Commissioners —J. K. Wooster, Middle row, Holborn, straw-hat manufacturer, Feb. 2, at twelve, at the Court ofCommis s in ne rs— flankinsun, Hale, Cheshire, tanner, Feb. 21, at ten, at White's :.Hotel, Manchester—J. Berry, Hans-place, wine -merchant, Feb. 's; at elbVen, at the Court of Commissioners. CERTIFICATES.—FEB. 2. C. Potter, Scarborough, coach painter—AV. Archer, Hertford, oilmen—W. Coates, sen. and W. Coates, jun. Newcastle-upon- Tyne, wine and spirit merchants—D. M`Fherson, Chandos street, victualler--G. T, Fisher, Half Moon-street, coal merchant —J. Staniforth, Old Broad-street, merchant—A. Clark, jun. Liverpool, merchant—J. Griffin, and J. M. Adams, Strand, goldsmiths—J ,, Cowell, jun. Torquay, Devonshire, wine merchant —R. &anima"; Bolton-le-Moors, Lancashire, money scrivener W. Lloyd, Hereford, wine merchant. PARTNERSHIPS DISSOLVED. J. Brown and Co. Staffordshire, potters—J. Brown and J. 'Thorp, Coventry, r ibbon-manufacturers —E. Ruffle and H. Wil liams, Lamb's Conduit-street, milliners—T.. Edwards and Co. New Capes, EPrthist;Cut,- Lambeth, hat-manufacturers — G . an d G. H. "tineolnshire, attorneys—T. T. C h am b e r s and Co. Mickleh lir". Cheshir e , calico-printers —W. Simson and Co. Argyll-place, 14)11°Iet eren--J. and W. E. Waldron, Trowbridge, Wilt Shire, clothidralu.l. T k and W. Gamsby, Newcastle upin-Tyne, cut naitniiinufacturers—A. Stratton and E. S. Gell, Wailing-street, watihou sem en -- -$. and T. C. Leman, Bristol, at torneys—T. Woodward and W. Vy e , Leicester, grocers— W. Bartlett and Co. Lymino+ -- 0-°n, Hampshire, plumbers — J. Feary, South Molton-street, and J. Hig gs , Grosvenor Market, carpenters—S. H. Hope and W. Haslehurst, St. Mary Axe, Upward and J. sugar-brokers--I.Bradley, Southmolton-street, pla.stavers—V. Hoyle and Co., 31aftchester, silk -manufacturers— J. B. Batiks and T. Gould, King's Arms-buildings, Wood-street, lace-manufacturers—T. Kennerley, sen., and Co., Bedford -court, Coventiardeu, man-mercers—J. Vaudry and Co., Buglawton, Cheshire, cotton-spinners--D. and H. Penton, Bristol, woollen drapers--H. Alderson and P. H. Eade, Tottenham -court-road, linenArapers--T. Addison and T. M. Coombs, Ludgate-street, linen-drapers--- W. Bennett and T. Ridley, Newfoundland, mer chanta_W. Betts and W. Walker, Birmingham, saw-m anu f ac _ . hit M. Barnett and Co. Shrewsbury, merchants--C. and H. Kidderminster, Worcestershire, plumbers—R. Smith and Haydn°, Croydon, Surrey, brewers—J. Eyre and Co., steel-converters—J. Maskell, Great Clacton, and P. Ilanizeitstany,.gagej, timber-traders. THE LATE DUKE OF YORK. His Majesty's eight beautiful black horses are in daily training for the solemn ceremony of the much lamented Duke of York's funeral, the procession of which, attended by all the Military in the vicinity of the Metropolis, will, on the day appointed, move from London at half-past eight o'clock in the morning. This early hour is fixed in order that the procession, which must of necessity move the whole way at a foot pace, may reach Windsor in a suitable time. The exterior splendid, and most elaborately finished Coffin, will be removed this evening from his Majesty's upholsterer's in Mount-street, to St. James's Palace, there to receive the sacred remains of the Illustrious Duke. (131" SIR IVALTY.R SCOTT.) In the person of his Royal Highness the Duke of York we may justly say, in the labotage of Scripture, " There has fallen this day in our Israel, a Prince, and a great man." He has, from an early period of his manhood, performed a most important part in public life. In the early wars of the French Revolution, he commanded the British forces on the continent, and although we claim not for his memory the admiration due to the rare and high gifts which in our latter times must combine to form a military genius of the first order, yet it has never been disputed that in the field his Royal Highness displayed intelligence, military skill, and his family attribute—the most unalterable courage. He had also the universal testimony of the army for his efforts to lessen the distresses of the privates during the horrors of an unsuccessful campaign, in which he acquired, and kept to his death, the epithet of the soldier's friend. But it is not on account of these early services that we now, as boldly as our poor voice may, venture to bring forward the late Duke of York's claims to the perpetual gratitude of his country. It is as the reformer and regenerator of the British army, which he brought from a state nearly allied to general contempt to such a pitch of excellence, that we may, without much hesitation, claim for them an equality with, if not a superiority over, any troops in Europe. The Duke of York had the firmness to look into and examine the causes which, 'ever since the American war, though arising out of circumstances existing long before, had gone as far to destroy the character of the British army as the naturally good materials of which it is composed would permit. The heart must have been bold that did not despair. at the sight of such an Augean stable. In the first place, our system of purchasing commissions— itself an evil in a military point of view, and yet indispensable to the freedom of the country—had been stretched so far as to open the way to every sort of abuse. No science was required, no service, no previous experience whatsoever; the boy let loose from school the last week, might in the course of a month be a field officer, if his friends were disposed to be liberal of money and influence. ' Others there were, against whom there could be no complaint for want of length of service, although it might be dif ficult to see how their experience was improved by it. It was no uncommon thing for a commission to be obtained for a child in the cradle; and when he _came from college, the fortunate youth was at least a lieutenant of some standing, by dint of fair promo tion. To sum up this catalogue of abuses, commissions were.in some instances bestowed upon young ladies, when pensions could not be had. We know ourselves one fair dame who drew the pay of captain in the dragoons, and was probably not much less fit for the service than some who, at that period, actually did duty, for as we have said, no knowledge of any kind was de manded from the young officers. If they desired to improve themselves in the elemental parts of their profession, there were no means open either of direction or of instruction. But as a zeal for knowledge rarely exists where its attainment brings no credit or advantage, the gay young men who adopted the military profession were easily led into the fashion of thinking that it was pedantry to be master even of the rou tine of the exercise which they were obliged to perform. An intelligent sergeant whispered from time to time the word of com mand, which his captain would have been ashamed to have known without prompting ; and thus the duty of the field-day was huddled over rather than performed. It was natural, under such circum stances, that the pleasures of the mess, or of the card or billiard table, should occupy too much of the leisure of those who had so few duties to perform, and that extravagance, with all its disre putable consequences, should be the characteristic of many, while others, despairing of promotion, which could only be acquired by Money or influence, sunk into mere machines, performing without hope or heart, a task which they had learned by rote. To this state of things, by a succession of well-considered and effectual regulations, the Duke of York put a stop with a firm yet gentle hand. Terms of service were fixed for .every rank, and neither influence nor money was permitted to force any individual forward, until he had served the necessary time in the present grade which he held. No rank short of that, of. the Duke of York—no courage and determination inferior to that of his Royal Highness, could have accomplished a change so important to the service, but which yet was so unfavourable to the wealthy and to the powerful, 'whose children and protegees had formerly found a brief way to promotion. Thus a protection was afforded to those officers who could only hope to rise by merit and length of service, while, at the same time, the young aspirant was com pelled to discharge the duties of a subaltern before attaining the higher commissions. In other respects, the influence of the Commander-in-Chief was found to have the same gradual and meliorating influence.— The vicissitudes of real service, and the emergencies to which in dividuals are exposed, began to render ignorance unfashionable, as it was speedily found that mere valour, however fiery, was unable on such occasion for the extrication of those engaged in them ; and that they who knew their duty and discharged it, were not only most secure of victory and safety in action, but most distinguished at head-quarters, and most certain of promo tion. Thus a taste of studying mathematics and calculations ap plicable to war, was gradually introduced into the army, and carried by some officers to a great length, while a perfect ac quaintance with the routine of a field day was positively demand ed from every officer in the service as an indispensable qualifi cation. His Royal Highness also introduced a species of moral discipline among the officers of our army, which has had the highest con sequences on their character. Persons of the old school of Capt. Plume and Capt. Brazen, men who swore hard, drank deep, bilked tradesmen, and plucked pigeons, were no longer allowed to arrogate a character which they could only support by deep oaths and ready swords. If a tradesman, whose bill was unpaid by an office r , th oug ht p ro p er t o a pply t o the Horse Guards, the debtor received a letter from head-quarters, requiring to know if there existed any objections to the account, and failing in render ing a satisfactory answer, he was put on stoppages until the cre ditor's demand was'satisfied. Repeated applications of this kind might endanger the officer's commission, which was then sold for the payment of his creditors. Other moral delinquencies were at the.same time adverted to; and, without maintaining an inquisi torial strictness over the officers, or taking too close inspection of the mere gaieties and follies of youth, a complaint of ally kind implying a departure from the character of a gentleman and a man of honour, was instantly inquired into by the Commander in -Chief, .and the delinquent censured or punished as the case seemed to require. The army was thus like a family under pro tection of an indulgent father, who, willing to promote merit, checks, with a timely frown, the temptations to licence and ex travagance. The private soldiers equally engaged the attention of his Royal I Highness. In the course of his superintendence of the army, a military dress, the most absurd in Europe, was altered for one easy and comfortable for the men, and suitable to the hardships they are exposed to in actual service. The severe and vexatious rules exacted about the tying of hair, and other trifling punctilios (which had been found sometimes to goad troops into mutiny), were abolished, and strict cleanliness was substituted for a Hotten tot head-dress of tallow and flour. The pay of the soldier was augmented, while care was at the same time taken that it should, as far as possible, he expended in bettering his food and extending his comforts. The slightest complaint on the part of a' rivate sentinel was as regularly inquired into, as if had been preferred by a General Officer. Lastly, the use of the cane (a brutal practice, which our officers borrowed from the Germans) was entirely pro hibited, and regular corporal punishments, by the sentence of a court-martial, have been gradually diminished. If, therefore, we find in the modern British officer more in formation, a more regular course of study, a deeper acquaintance with the principles of his profession, and a greater love for its exertions—if we find the private sentinel discharge his duty with a mind unimbittered by petty vexation@ and regimental exac tions, conscious of immunity from capricious violence, and know ing where to appeal if he sustains injury—if we find in all ranks of the army a love of their profession, and a capacity of matching themselves with the finest troops which Europe ever produced— to the memory of his Royal Highness the Duke of York we owe this change from the state of the forces thirty years since. The means of improving the tactics of the British army did not escape his Royal Highness's sedulous care and attention. Formerly, every commanding officer manoeuvred his regiment after his own fashion ; and if a brigade of troops were brought together, it was very doubtful whether they could execute any one combined movement, and almost certain that they could not execute the various parts of it on the same principle. This was remedied by the system of regulations compiled by the late Sir David . Dondas, and which obtained the sanction and the counte nance of his Royal Highness. This one circumstance, of giving a uniform principle and mode of working to the different bodies, which are, after all, but parts of the same great machine,. was in itself one of the mast distinguished services which could be ren dered to a national army, and it is only surprising that, before it was introduced, the British army was able to execute any com bined movements at all. We cannot but notice the Duke of York's establishment near Chelsea for the orphans of soldiers, the cleanliness and discipline of which are a model for such institutions; and the Royal Mili tary School, or College, at Sandhurst, where every species of scientific instruction is afforded to those officers whom it is desir able to qualify for the service of the Staff. The excellent officers who have been formed at this institution are the best pledge of what is due to its founder. Again, we repeat, that if the British soldier meets his foreign adversary, not only with equal courage, but with equal readiness and facility of mancsuvre--if the British officer brings against his scientific antagonist, not only his own good heart and hand, but an improved and enlightened know ledge of his profession, to the memory of the Duke of York the army and country owe them. The character of his Royal Highness was admirably adapted to the task of this eitended reformation, in a branch of the public service on which the safety of England absolutely depended for the time. Without possessing any brilliancy, his judgment, in itself clear and steady, was inflexibly guided by honour and principle. No solicitations could make him promise what it would have been inconsistent with these principles to grant ; nor could any circum stances induce him to break or elude the promise which lie had once given. At the same time, his feelings, humane and kindly, were on all possible occasions accessible to the claims of compas sion; and there occurred but rare instances of a wife widowed, or a family rendered orphans, by the death of a meritorious officer, without something ,being done to render their calamities more tolerable. As a statesman, the Duke of York, from his earliest appear ance in public life, was guided by the opinions of Mr. Pitt. But two circumstances are worthy of remark. First, that his Royal Highness never permitted the consideration of politics to influence him in his department of Commander-in-Chief, but gave alike to Whig as to Tory, the preferment their service or their talents deserv ed. Secondly, in attrehing himself to the party whose object is sup posed to be to strengthen the Crown, his Royal Highness would have been the last man to invade, in the slightest degree, the rights of the people. The following anecdote may be relied upon. At the table of the Commander-in-Chief, not many years since, a Young officer entered'into a dispute with Lieutenant-Colonel —, upon the point to which military obedience ought to be carried. " If the Commander-in-Chief," said the young officer, like a second Seid, " should command me to do a thing which I knew to be civilly illegal, I should not scruple to obey him, and consider my self as relieved from all responsibility by the commands of my military superiority." "So would not I," returned the gallant and intelligent officer, who maintained the opposite side of the question. " I should rather prefer the risk of being shot for dis obedience by my commanding officer, than hanged for transgres sing the laws and violati ng th e lib er ti es o f th e co untry." " Yon have answered like yourself," said his Royal Highness, whose at tention had been attracted by the vivacity of the debate; and the officer would deserve both to be shot and hanged that should act otherwise. I trust all British officers would be as unwilling to execute an illegal command, as I trust the Commander-in-Chief would be incapable of issuing one." The religion of the Duke of York was sincere, and h e was particularly attached to the doctrines and constitution of the Church of England. In this his Royal Highness strongly resem bled his father; and, like his father, he entertained a conscien tious sense of the obligations of the coronation oath, which pre vented him from acquiescing in the further relaxation of the laws against Catholics. We pronounce no opinion on the justice of his Royal Highness's sentiments on this important point, but we must presume them to have been sincerely entertained, since they were expressed at the hazard of drawing upon his Royal Highness an odium equally strong and resentful. In his person and countenance, the Duke of York was large, stout and manly ; he spoke rather with some of the indistinctness of utterance peculiar to his late father, than with the precision of enunciation which distinguishes the King, his Royal brother,--, Indeed his Royal Highness resembled his late Majesty perhaps the most of any of George III:'s descendents. His family affections were strong, and the public cannot have forgotten the pious ten derness with which he discharged the duty of watching the last days of his Royal Father, darkened as they were by corporeal blindness and • mental incapacity. No pleasure, no • business, was ever • known to interrupt his regular visits to Windsor, where his unhappy parent could nei ther be grateful for, nor even sensible of, his unremitted attention. The same ties of affection united his Royal Highness to other members `of his 'family, and particularly to its present Royal Heid. Those who witnessed the coronation of his present Majesty; will lonrremember, as the most interesting part of that august ceremony, the cordiality with which his Royal Highness the Duke of-York performed his act of homage, and the tears of affection which were mutually shed between the Royal brethren. We are aware that under this heavy dispensation his Majesty will he chief mourner, not in name only, but in all the sincerity of severed affection. The King's nearest brother in blood was also his nearest in affection ; and the subject who stood next to the throne was the individual who would most willingly have laid down his life for its support. In social intercourse the Duke of York was kind, courteous, and condescending—general attributes, we believe, "of the blood royal of England, and well befitting the princes of a free country. It may be remembered, that when, " in days of youthful pride," his Royal Highness had wounded the feelings of a young noble man, he never thought of sheltering himself behind his rank, but manfully gave reparation by receiving the (well-nigh fatal) fire of the offended party, though he deciined to return it. We would here gladly conclude the subject, but to complete a portrait, the shades as well as the lights must be inserted, and in their foibles as well as their good qualities, Princes are the pro perty of history. Occupied perpetually with official duty, which, to the last period of his life, he discharged with the utmost punctuality, the Duke of York was peculiarly negligent of his own affairs, and the embarrassments which arose in con sequence, were considerably increased by an imprudent passion for the turf and for deep play. Those unhappy propensities ex hausted the funds with which the nation supplied him liberally, and sometimes produced extremities which must have been pain ful to a man of temper so honourable. The exalted height of his rank, which renders it doubtless more difficult to look into and regulate domestic expenditure, together with the engrossing du ties of his Royal Highness's office, may be admitted as alleviations, but not apologies, for their imprudence. A criminal passion of a different nature proved, at one part of the Duke of York's life, fraught with consequences likely to af fect his character, destroy the confidence of the country in his efforts, and blight the fair harvest of national gratitude, for which he had toiled so hard. It was a striking illustration of the senti ment of Shakspeare— ." The gods are just, and of oar pleasant vices "Make whips to scourge us. The Duke of York Married to Frederica, Princess Royal of Prussia, Sept. 29, 1791, lived with her on terms of decency, but not of affection ; and the Duke had formed, with a female called Clarke, a counexibu justifiable certainly neither by the laws of re ligion nor morality. Imprudently he suffered this woman to ex press her wishes to him for the promotion of, two or three officers, to whose preferment there could be. no Oho: objection than that they were recommended by such a person. • It might doubtless have occurred to the Duke, that the solicitations of a woman like this were not likely tube disinterested ; and, in fact, she seems to have favoured one.or two persons, as being her paramours-‘—• several for mere prospect . of gain, which she had subordinate agents to hunt out for,—and one or two from a real sense of good nature and benevolence. The examination of this woman and her various profligate intimates before the House of Commons occupied that assembly for nearly three months, and that with an intense ness of anxiety seldom equalled. The Duke of YOrk was acquitted from the motion brought against him by a majority of 80 ; but so strong was the outcry against him without doors, so much was the nation convinced that all Mrs. Clarke said was true, and so little could they be brought to doubt that the Duke of York was a conscious and participant actor in all that person's schemes, that his Royal Highness, seeing his utility obstructed by popular prejudice, tendered to his Majesty the resignation of his office, which was accepted accordingly, March 20, 1809. And thus, as according to Solomon, a dead fly can pollute the most precious unguent, was the honourable fame, acquired by the ser vices of a lifetime, obscured by the consequences of what the gay world would have termed a venial levity. The warning to those of birth and eminence is of the met serious nature. This step had not been long taken, when the mist in which the question was involved began to disperse. The public accuser, in the House of Commons, Colonel Wardle, was detected in some suspicious deal ings with the principal witness, Mrs. Clarke, and it was evidently expectation of gain, that had brought this lady to the bar as an evidence. Next occurred, in the calm moments of retrospect, the great improbability that his Royal Highness ever could know on what terms she negociated with those in whose fa vour she solicited. It niay well be supposed she concealed the motive for interesting herself in such as were his own favoured rivals ; and what greater probability was there, that she should explain to him her mercenary speculations, or distin guish them from the intercessions 'which she made upon more honourable motives. When the matter of accusation was than reduced, to his Royal Highness's having been, in tsvo or three in stances, the dupe of an artful woman, men began to see, that When once the guilt of entertaining a mistress was acknowledged the disposition to gratify such a person, who must always exer-i vise a natural influence over her paramour, follows as a matter of course. It was then that the public compared the extensive and lengthened train of public services, by which the Duke had dis tinguished himself in the management of the army, with the trifling foible of his having granted one or two favours, not in themselves improper, at the request of a woman who had such opportunities to press her suit ; and, doing to his Royal Highness the justice he well deserved, welcomed him back, in May, 1811, to the situation from which he had been driven by calumny and popular prejudice. In that high command his Royal Highness contined to manage our military affairs During the last years of the most momen tous war that ever was waged, his Royal Highness prepared the most splendid victories our annals boast, by an unceasing atten tion to the character and talents of the officers, and the comforts and health of the men. Trained under a system so admirable, our army seemed to increase in efficacy, power, and even in numbers, in proportion to the increasing occasion which the public had for their services. Nor is it a less praise that, when the men so disciplined returned from scenes of battle, ravaged countries, and stormed cities, they re-assumed the habits of pri vate life as if they had never left them ; and of all the crimes •which the criminal calendar presents (in Scotland at least), there are not above one or two instances in which th e p erpe t ra t ors h a v e been disbanded soldiers. This is a happy change since the reduc tion of the array, after peace with America in 1783, which was the means of infesting the country with ruffians of ern) , description ; and in the prison of Edinburgh alone, there were six or seven disbanded soldiers under sentence of death at the same time. This superintending care, if not the most gaudy, is amongst the most enduring flowers which will bloom over the Duke of York's tomb. It gave energy to Britain in war, and strength to her in peace. It combined tranquillity with triumph, and mo rality with the habits of a military life. If our soldiers have been found invincible in battle, and meritorious in peaceful society, when restored to its bosom, let no Briton forget this is owing to the paternal care of him to whose memory we here offer an iinper feet tribute.—Edinburgh Weekly Journal. FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE. FRENCH PAPERS. (From the Moniteur of Wednesday, Jan. 10.) " MADRID, DEC. 28.—" Notwithstanding the holydsys, which in this eountry make every day from the 24th of December to the 3d of January a day of festivity, our Ministers have not quitted their cabinets, except to go to mass and to dinner. Messrs. Sal mon, Zambrano, and Ballasteros, have of late passed even part of the night in transacting business. " Two couriers were despatched yesterday by our Government : one is gone with a message to Lisbon; the other,'with two mes sages, is gone to Paris and London. " The Ministry of his Majesty has just caused the sum of 6,000,000 of reals (1,590,000 francs) to be paid into the general Exchequer of the kingdom, out of which two months' salary has been paid to all the tribunals, and two months' arrears to the widows and military on half-pay. It seems that Don Gaspard Remisa, the Treasurer-Gene al, in concert with the Ministers, has negotiated Treasury notes in order to be able to make these urgent payments. This is the most positive and opportune measure that the Government could have adopted under present circumstances. " PARIS, JAN. 9.—The Austrian Observer of the Slat of December quotes a letter from Zante of the let, which contains only news of the sth of November, stating, that Ibrahim Pacha, having left 1,000 men at Tripolizza, had gone with 5,000 men to Modon, where he received the presents of the Sultan, for himself and his principal officers ; the sabre for himself was worth 10,000 piastres. " Some days before the Egyptain fleet arrived at Alexandria, the Aurora transport, which had accoutrements for 6,000 men, was burnt in the port. The Viceroy immediately sent orders to Cairo to repair the loss, and received an answer in two hours. Many of the fellahs of the Delta, of whom it is intended to make sailors, have embarked on board the fleet. (From the Pilote of Wednesday.) " FRONTIERS OF SPAIN, JAN. 3.—Letters from Saragossa state, that an extraordinary courier had brought, orders from Madrid for all the troops eantoned in Arragon to march imme diately to the frontiers of Portugal. It is thought that the troops in the other provinces are to march to the same destination. " The Journal de Paris, under the .head of Madrid, 28th of December, says, that there are 24,000 Spanish troops on the frontiers of Portugal, and orders have been given for all the troops in the provinces to march." (From the Quotidienne of Wednesday.) " SALAMANCA, DEC. 26.—You have attached Some impor tance to the news sent you about the Royalists ; I therefore con tinue, and I expect I shall give you some pleasure by transmit ting a letter which I have just received from Lamego. It is from one of the principal magistrates of that city. He informs the junta that he has been proclaiming Don Miguel with enthusiasn : " LAMEGO, DEC. 17.—Chaves has just left us ; he is gone to Vizeu with his regular troops, leaving us merely some militia.— Our provisional government is organized. You will see by the printed proclamation which I send to you, what sentiments ani mate our population, and what is to be expected from them. It was on the sth of this month that the country threw off foreign domination ; some time before the arrival of Chaves, Royalist meetings were secretly held in several convents ; the c onstitution, which never had been published in this city, excited violent mur murs, because the people confounded it with the English domina tion. We love our King John VI. We respect Don Pedro, though his conduct towards his father had given great offence to the no bility and venerable clergy, but Don Miguel is called to reign over us by our fundamental laws. It is at this very the ,ewthiec pre a cherse oipolret Portugal proclaimed aim ann oun ce d et dc, Lamego those laws were sworn, and the Kings of Portugal, the h house of Braganca, ascended the throne --only ascended' t in ful filmentdedt throughout f oreign ough ou t Th the ine' e. whole T he city un :t e h r- e of the law which exclu ded city, h av i ng b een cons ulted, has declared that we owe obedience to Don Miguel. On e th ,ldn e a the august name of Don Migu el constitutional garrison but feebly opposed this demonstration of the d h a o d f c chur ches s b i y become free and happy ; the name of Don Miguel was in every mouth, as it before had been in all hearts. At six o'clock in the t t o he th n e at p io e n op al le o , p t i h n a io t n . th morning of the 4th, we heard that the troops had received orders to march off, but that the greater part refused to follow the con stitutional commander. The people then proceeded to the citadel, to unite with those noble sons of Lusitania. The people and the soldiers were then seen walking mixed together in the public street, and congratulatiig each other as on days of public rejoicing. Mass was celebrated, and the name of Don Miguel was blended with the religious chant of the service. The Marchioness of Chaves presided at this grand and noble scene. You would have been delighted to have seen this heroine of chivalric times, this worthy daughter of the Amarantes, proceeding through the streets of Lainego, and rousing by eloquent speeches the enthusiasm of the multitude. It was her speeches decided the garrison in our favour. The Amarantes have always had great influence in this country ; they were the enemies .1 that famous Marq u i s o f P om b al, w h ose descendants, worthy of their father, now wish to serve i n th e ran ks of Beresford. The hatred of the red coats is at its height. The peasants come in innititudei into the town. On. the sth, the principal inhabitants organized the Royalist movement ; a regency •was formed, the choice was made by the Marchioness of Chaves, and the persons chosen correspond to the greatness of the occasion. You must have seen the names which the proclamation has com municated to you, and you know enough of the influence of those families, to know what will be the result of this business.' " PARIS, Jan. the news which we receive from the in terior and frontiers of Spain, announce, that orders have been de spatched into all the provinces of that kingdom, to march all the disposable troops towards the frontiers of Portugal. By the end of - December, the Spanish Army of Observation will amount to 24,000 men. At Madrid, and throughout the whole country, a general clamour a gainst England prevails. The speech and the ultimatum of Mr. Canning have had the effect of obliterating all shades o f opinion, and of rousing to the highest degree the national pride. There is now n o lon g er in S p ain, A p oatolicals, Ne g ro es , or Free-masons- - non e but enemies of En g lish p olic y are to be found there. (From the Quotidienne of Tuesday.) "Positive information which has reached us from the Penin snla h as made us acquainted with the force and- disposition of the Royalist army of Portugal on the 15th of December. We quote the date, because this army being at that time on the march, and daily increasing by the militia which preceded it, was augmenting in force in proportion as it approached to the capital of the kingdom. We have been informed that before quitting the province of Tras-os-Montes to go to that of Beira, the Marquess de Chaves, the General in Chief of all the Royalist troops, and the President of the junta of the Govern ment, had regulated the administration of the first of these pro vinces, and provided for its defence. He had armed all the po pulation of the towns and of the country, and bad charged some corps of militia with the care of guarding the passages of the moun tains of Gerez and Morao, which separate l'Entre-Douro and Minho from Tras-os-Montes. At his departure from Lamego for Viseu, the Royalist army consisted of 10,000 troops of the line, and of 18,000 or 20,000 partisans organized as guerillas. This army was provided with a considerable materiel, and had its pay secured for many months. The Marquis de Chaves commanded the right wing. The centre, which Marched directly from La mego to Viseu, was under the orders of the Marquis Montalegre; the left wing was conducted by General Jourdan. Such was the army of the north at the moment in which it quitted the banks of the Douro to approach the capital. " In the south, the second regiment of the line, charged with repressing the spirit of insurrection in the Algarves, having de clared itself against the Regency, the whole province had declared Don Miguel King. " In the east, the brigadier Magessi having under his order ! some militia, the 14th regiment of the line, and the Qd regiment I of chasseurs, making in the whole 3,000 infantry, and 500 horse. had advanced beyond Estremos at the close of November; but obliged to give way to superior forces, this Royalist chieftain had retired into Spain pursued by the Constitutionalists. During this first excursion many officers and soldiers of the constitutional army, under the orders of Villa Flor, had deserted to Magessi After having waited some days in the environs of Alcantara, from which he menaced, Lower Beira, the Brigadier Magessi took all at once the direction of the north, and coursing along the frontier of Portugal for 25 leagues, had appeared in the neigh hood of Almeida, of which the garrison shortly afterwards decla red for the Royalists, and he was proceeding to join at Setubal, in Higher Beira, the left wing of the Royalist army under the orders of Gen. Jourdan. " It was this rapid movement of Magessi which had forced Villa Flor to pass the Tagus and to join at Castel Branco, the com mander of Lower Beira ; but the insurrection of Guards, that of Almeida, and the approach of the Royalist army of the north, bad forced the two Constitutional leaders to retreat precipitately from Belmont upon Castel Branco. It is probable, that from that place they will have taken the road to Santarem, by the left bank of the Tagus, in following the track of the commander of Elvas. At the date of the letter from Which we have extracted these details, it was unknown whether the right wing under the orders of the Marquis de Chaves, was marching towards Coimbra, parallel with the corps of the Marquis Mentalegre, or whether it had fol lowed the course of the Douro, to turn the positions of General Stubbs upon the Tamega, and to march afterwards upon Oporto. ---- • - " Whichever may be the case, it cannot be denied that towards the middle of last December, almost all the hoops which remained firm to the Regency received orders to concentrate themselves near Lisbon, the last retreat of the Portuguese revolution. Even the garrison of Elves had taken that direction. This movement of concentration had not escaped the notice of the Royalist Gene rals, who had regulated their operations accordingly. We are assured that Brigadier Magessi, after his junction with General Jordan, had received orders to march towards the Tagus, to cover by his right the left flank of the principal army, and to carry his left into Alemtejo, pushing his guerillas on as far as Setubal. The Royalist army thus forms a vast semicircle, of which the centre and point of concentration is Lisbon. " We recollect that the English Government has lately sent large sums of money into Portugal. We are assured that a por tion of this money, amounting to 2,000,000 francl, was destined to gain over the garrison of Almeida, and to retain it on the side of the Regency, or rather of England ; but during its passage from Lisbon to Almeida, these 2,000,000 francs were seized by a corps of Constitutionalists, who availed themselves of that opportunity to secure the arrears of their pay. " We know, by a certain channel, that the French Minister has received fro►n England, by express, despatches containing news extremely favourable to the Portuguese Royalists. If we believe the reports which are circulating this evening, this news would declare still more than that which we have just been reading, and this is probably a reason why the •Moniteur will to-morrow be more silent than usual. " We learn for certain that in the last month Mr. Lamb has had brought to him, from London, by one of his couriers, a lady, accompanied by a physician. We cannot believe that so mu ch attention would have, been paid to any person who was not des tined to do the honours of the house of that Ambassador. Tile Etoile, which is in the secrets of British diplomacy, knows, as it appears, better than we, the real motives of the journey of that lady, since that journal pretends that Mr. Lamb would persist in keeping his house closed." (From the Journal des- Debats,) tt V IENNA , DEC. 29.—There is a report here of the despatches addressed by the Chancellery of State to Madrid and Lisbon, it which our Cabinet renews the assurances of its sincere wishes for the restoration of order in Portugal. It is added, that the Infant Don Miguel carries on an active correspondence with the Princses Regent, and that he condemns in the most positive manner the conduct of those who abuse his name, to excite disorders in their country. ‘.‘ PARIS, JAN. S.—The Memorial Bordelais of the 4th inst. sa ys—. The Spanish courier which arrived here yesterday, brought no news from Portugal, and the.letters from Madrid, when they speak of the corps of observation which is forming on the frontierse f the new States, hold out the hope that peace will not be disturbed• (From the Constitutionnel of Wednesday.) I t i s said that Sir William A'Court is going to be appointed Ambassador at St. Petcrsburgh, and that Mr. Lamb, the ',Viol ater at Madrid, will be transferred in the same capacity to Lisbon' It is reported that Mr. Lamb has demanded of the Spanish GO' vernment, as a preliminary step to complete satisfaction, the dig' missal of the Ministers and of all the authorities, civil as well 8 1 military, who have concurred, in the arming of the Portuguese re bels, and the causing these functionaries to be prosecuted before the tribunals according to the law. " One hundred thousand muskets hare, they say, been knit purchased in France by Spain, for 15 francs each, and are to be sent into that country by the way of Bayonne. It is not knovrn who will pay this 1,500,000 francs. If the convents cannot subscribe that sum, M. de Villele will place it, without doubt' as he did the other expences of the war of Spain, to the account of the budget. "We hare received to-day a letter from Toulouse, in which our correspondent tells us that he had read in the Journal de la Haute Garonne of the same day, that on the 29th of December King Ferdinand, in consequence of an insurrection excited by the monks, had abdicated in favour of his brother Don Carlos. Oar correspondent adds, that this intelligence has been inserted in onlY a small number of the copies of that journal. This news still re quires confirmation. " The Precurseur of Lyons of the sth of this month contains the following article :—' We have received to-day at Lyons letters which confirm the news of the last revolution which took place at Constantinople. These letters assure us that the Sultan Ma" hornet has been murdered.' " We think that if such an event had taken place at Constan tinople, the Government would have been informed of it b e fore the arrival oft he letters brought by the ordinary, courier. PORTABLE GAS. TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN. London Portable Gas Office, 7, Basinghall-street, Jan. 1 9 ' Six—An erroneous account of the accident which happened n; the Thames Tunnel having appeared in many of the Journals, trust to your candour to insert the following statement : For twelve months past Mr. Brunel has made nse of portable gas to light the above-mentioned great national undertaking. On Monday last, from some inattention, a large gas.lamp, containing 84 feet of gas, was precipitated from the top to the bottom of the deep shaft, and falling upon a hard sharp pointed substance, bole of about half an inch in diameter was pierced in one of th e , hemispherical ends of the wrought-iron c yli n d er . The condense° gas of course immediately rushed ont with great noise, and e% pending to its common volume, was inflamed by spreading to asd,. communicating with th e li g h ts in the shaft, whereby several 03 the workmen wer e more or l ess severely scorched. lam hapPY , however, to hear that none of them were dangerously injured. The whole circumstances ought to convince every impartia l person of the superior safety of portable gas over every other method yet known of using that brilliant light. Had a larg e pipe, conveying gas in the common method, been accidentallf broken in the tunnel, and an indefinite quantity of gas bad. thereby escaped, an explosive mixture might have been formed , similar to what very frequently occurs in coal-pits, and the cone' quences in such a case would have been truly dreadful; such le contingency ought for ever to .preclude the use of pipe-gas in tinder-ground or in confined situations. As a satisfactory evidence that the lamp which fell to the bot tom of the shaft neither exploded nor burst, I have caused it to be brought to this place for the inspection of those who may be de sirous to see it. I am your most obedient bumble servant, DAVID GORDON, Managing Engineer. VULTURE SHOT IN SOMERSETSHIRE.-'--A VUI' tore was shot in June last, at Kaye, near Bridgewater, in Sourer' setshire• It was first observed walking on a read, and, on being pursued, flew towards the coast of the Bristol Channel, dist a n t about a mile, when it was found sitting on the beach, and shot.' It had recently gorged itself with a putrid lamb, which may pro' bably have been the cause of its allowing itself being approached within shot ; on opening it for the purpose of stuffing, the smell was excessively offensive. Another bird, apparently of the salve) species, was seen near the place where this was killed, but evaded pursuit. The specimen killed measured from the tip 9! the beak to the end of the tail, two feet three inches ; from thr tip of one wing to the tip of the other, five feet six inches and barn—Leeds Intelligencer.