The Sun. — London, England, 1804-12-18 00:00:00

SIR, I am sorry to observe that some attempts have been made to depreciate the merits of that wonder. ful Boy who has been, not inaptly, denominated the Young Rorcius. It is, however, a well.known adage, that 44 envy does merit as its shade pursue ;" and it ought not to excite surprise that some, jea. lows of his success; that others, aCtuated by the pride of appearing to possess a superior judgment in opposing the opinion of the multitude ; or that a few, merely for the sake of contradiftion, should endeavour to detrad from the well.ettrned fame of a distinguished individual. In all arts, sciences, and professions, there have sometimes arisen individuals whose exertions and whose success appeared to mock to scorn the rules which ordinary talent had laid down for its guid ance, and who seemed to possess that natural and happy disposition for those respedive arts or sciences in which they have pre.eminently shone, which could only be accounted for by supposing them to have been actuated by donate genius. There are many, no doubt, who are ready to ridi. rule the idea of innate genius; but it is °beery. able, that those of this class, who have given their bicubrations to the world, have never been able to account, in any rational manner, for that disposition. to excel in any particular art or science which seems to be born with some' persons, and to grow with theft growth, and strengthen with their strength; and they have therefore got rid of the question, by alledging that disposition to have arisen front a peculiar train of circumstances, the' Operation of which, however, they have never been able satisfactorily to explain. , As" this subject would lead to a long, and what you, perhaps, would deem a tedious disquisition, I shall at present pursue it no further, but return to the immediate obje& of my Letter, namely, the Youth who has attracted so much public notice, and drawn down so much of the public applause, by his precocious representation olcharadets in the Drama, which it had been hitherto thought impossible for a floy'of thirteen to represent with due circa ; and by the way, I urn induced to believe that a few per. sons have been led by this very supposition of inn. poodbility, to discredit the evidence of their senses, and to pronounce that impossible, which, if they had consulted their eyes and cars, they would have found was actually done. I confess it seems to the that the appearance of Master BETTY will form a new aura in the histoiy of the Stage, inasmuch as it nearly approximates us to that natural stile of aiding froM which we have been, in some measure, kept at a distance since the days of GARItiCt. That great Performer first brOke through the tram. melt of custom and prejudice, by representing dia. raters upon the Stage with that feeling, and those appropriate manners, which might naturally be . sup. used to belong to them in real life.. To enter into a history of the Stage since he quitted it would carry me to much too great, a length suffice it to , say, that since that period many Performers have figured with conaiderabie eclat, and a few with no wean pretensions to pte.eminence. We have had ' performances clalsaicallyellaate arid critically coned; but in many we have had to lament the absence of that perfedion of the art which consists in making the art itself disappear, and inducing us to believe, for the moment, that the character personified is really before our eyes. This &lett has arisen either frorn a cold and languid expression of feeling, which forced the art of the Attor upon our notice, or from a turgid and declamatory excess of it, which was equally unnatural, and - which at once dispelled the illusion, whilst we were the leas in. duced t 9 applaud the Performer who had thus out. raged nature. The medium between coldness and languor and declamatory vehemence, appears to me to have been attained by the youth who has already astonished and delighted the ignorant and undiscerning, whilst he has drawn heartfelt tributes oftapplanse from most of those who have any pretensions to judgment or . disctimination. I have witnessed with the utmost attention the performance of the Young Roscius (for so I will call him) in the three charaders allotted to him at Coveor.garden Theatre ; and I do not think it paisible for the feelings of the heart to be pouttrayed in mare ; natural colours. It was not a performance its whic% you merely admired the skill of time ACtor, but the heart was irresistibly moved by that expreeaion of feeling which was at once dis. corned to be appropriate to the character, and as t n a , which would have been the natural result of the ealations of such a charad:r placed in the Gi:it Mott similar to that represented in the mi. I spake at once to the heart ; and this ~ , tnts tut that tumultuous applause I all lets performances ; cur all • 00-', corroairatively, a few can al at l A array :heir feelings, and iii:scriminate ti;eir dlylause. ,The applause Which wa, no common gratulation—it wasthe a ; as emotions of at least nine. tenths of the ht) felt those delicate touches of semi. ho• t o o a l to, were so admirably thrown into hilt per. , fun toll 'who immediately; 4a by an instano impulse, applauded the cause of their de. tYISC h4; , ' 1 is in the natural expression of the emotions non odorkt , ts of the heart that this extraordinary oe-eminent;is still+cis and I think 1 am not ad.. any thing wide of the truth when I say, tl.4t he could nor be taught ; it is, in filet, like grace and rase in common life, which is not to be acilutrsd by rule or study, nor can I account for the ini;nitable grace of his attitudes and aCtion by any .common • ruieS of -education. That he may ha . ve bs‘.. , 4ught much of what may be technically term. ed toe 41,113 , 54 If the Stage, and of which he has a ihOrougli l.w.wictlge, I am feJdy to' allow ; but that he shad (as is aCtoally the case) so far identi. fy bitn.self with the charaeter he represents, as to lesve no void, no chasm, in the representation, to be crmitantly alive to the bwiness of the scene, heti.cr speaking or silent, and to be, during the w h o le o f toe performance, the iithmet, Young Nor. val . , of eederick , which he represents,' without olive diapAtity, 'thy illusion by indifference or inst. ttnrioo, is one of those phenomena which I admire, view with the si - itiist pi4asinz sensatiops ) but far .“t MAILS. Dux—r Hamburgh, r Dublin, z Waterford. PRICE OF STOCKS,' TWILYZ O ' CLOcR• Consols - -59 i I Red, Ann. - - 573 THE SUN. SOLtI4 QUI& tALSUM AtIDLAT ? LONDON. TUESDAY ) DECEMBER 18 t 1804• Ta s Favourite Sloop of War has captured a French Lugger, having on board near bo risen, the Captain of which is a Member of the Legion of Honour. Admiral CORNWALLIS has again resumed his nation off' Brest. Admiral DitUILY is to hoist his Flag at Ports moth, and proceed from thence to Cork, to he Second in Command on the Irish Station, for which we understand, a very considerable reinforcewen is intended to the Squadron . of Frigates At present statiooted on the Coast of that Country. We last night.received Dutch Papers to the mat inst. The intelligence they bring is not very portant : the spirited Decree of the Dutch Govern. ment, forbidding the interference of French Officers in any matters relating to Commerce, his, as we predkled, been wholly disregarded : The French a4l as the absolute masters of the Country ; they even assume to themselves the right of giving away all the places of profit or honour in the State. Of the intolerable oppression under which the people of Holland labour, some idea may be formed from a very accurate statement which we are this day enabled to lay before our Readers, and which will . he found in a subsequent Column, of the various direct Taxes upon Property in Holland. The private Letters which we have received, mention a report which has lately been circulated on the Continent, and to which some degree of be. lief is attached, viz. that the PRINCE of ORANGE is to give up the Indemnities which have been al. lotted to him, in lieu of which he is to have the Eteetorate of Hanover. The Letter of Capt. Couvit,Le, of the Ramey, returning thanks to the Dutch Admiral KIKKERT for his kindness and humanity to the 011icer$ and Men of that Ship, has been published, with evident exultation, in r all the Dutch Papers. The turn of conversation in France, it seems, now tends towards a General Peace. Nothing in. deed is more probable than that the Usurper,having gained the acme of hil ambition,will endeavour to se. cure himself by the accomplishment of such an event. The spirited conduct of the Northern Powers, the late interference of the KING of PRUSSIA, the more than probable conjunction of the EMPEROR of Att,- STRIA with the other Continental States, the accumulating force of the Russians in the Mcdi. terranean, and above all, the Naval Power of Great Britain, have shewn the Tyrant the futility of his aims at Universal Dominion, and convinced him that, having gained the top of the wheel, t he continuance of the War cannot ,raise him higher whilst it might, and would mast unquestionably,sink him at least a spoke or two, if not hurl him down to the bottom. On these considerations we venture to predict, that before many months have elapsed, some overtures will be made for bringing about a general Peace. Having, however, outwitted us once, we hope that no such overtures will be ac. cepted on our"part, except on grounds more solid than the last Peace was concluded, Sunday morning the ROYAL FA.MILY attended Divine Service. at St. Qeorge's Chapel, and heard an excellent Sermon preached by the Rev. M r . Busily, frbm the 7th chapter of Sr. Matthew, the 24th and 25th verses. Alter attending Divine Ser. vice the ROYAL FAMILY took an siring to Frog. more. Yesterday morning Has MAJESTY, the nut s, of KutlT, the PRINCESSES SON-11A and AusLIA, took . an airing on horseback in Windsor Great Park. Ifiß MAJESTY, and the other Pit INCEBSIB, took an Ming to Frogrnore. Her Royal Highness PRINCESS ClitaLoTTe of WALES, accompanied by Lady ELGIN, arrived yes terdsy at Carleton House for the season. A Privy Council will be held to.morrow at Buckingham.house. Yesterday the SPANISH ANISASSADOR transafted business at Lord HARROWS et Oilici, In the gallant Aftion which was latOy Maintained in the West Indies, the particulars of witch we tie. tailed yesterday, by three Merchantmen, against a French Privateer, Mr. Litioo, whose 'fither'rtf. aides in Finsbuiy-square, was unfortunately on board the Tbetn. The loss sustained by the three, vessels atitounted to thteF•killed and eight w ounded, Tres discontents and distresses of the Inhabi tants of the Batavian Republic are daily increasing; nor can we be surprised at either, when we consider the burthens to which they are obliged, by Bo- NAPARTE, to submit, in order to carry on a War which they detest, against their old Allies, to whom they are indebted for the original establish ment of their liberty and independence. We have frequently stated that the oppression and exactions of the French in that devoted Country were intolerable, and upon this point we are sure our Readers will concur with us, when they have pe. rused the following detail, from which it is evident that the few persons in Holland who still possess Property must very soon be ruined. :.~._ Comparative Statement .of the 'Taxa, in the Bata. vian Republic, upon the Annual Income of a person having Property in the Dutch Funds, and having property in Foreign Funds. A person having roo,ooo florins in Dutch Debzntures, at ai per cent. per annum, receives for interest 2500 florins. Taxes upon this Property for the Year 1805. Florins. One-half per cent. upon property, the roo s ooo florins in Debentures being estimated at their present value, at 32,000 florins • r 6• N. B. This Tax is laid for eight years. Two per cent. upon Income of asoO florins . go Five per cent: upon Income (a Tax laid for 25 years) ras z per Cent. on Capital, being the ad Instalment_ for 1804 I* 320 4 per Cent. on,Property, New Tax for tilos - 1.280 * per Cent. on Property, being a Town Tax . 160 Total Flo. zogs By which it appears, that A person possessed of too,ooo florins Dutch Debentures, giving him an Income of zsoo florins, or about 2271.• a year, has only 371. a year left to live upon ; and- he ,is still forced to pay all other Taxes besides. A person being a Subjed of the 134tavian Republic, and possessing property in Foreign Funds to the amount of zo,oool. stock, at S. per cent, receivss for interest, per an num, 5001. Taxes to be paid by him for 180 s. per cent. upon property, the capital of to,eool. being valued at 951. percent. (this Tax for eight years) . • • " 4 7 To • 2 per cent. upon Incom e . s TT oo 5 per cent. upon Income (this Tax for 25 years) . 25 o 0 t per cent.upon Property,second instalment for 1804 95 o o 4 per'cent. upon Property, new Tax for do; 380 o o per cent. upon Property, being a Town Tax 47 to 0 4, 605 0 0 By which it appears, that a person possessing soot. per ann, in Foreign Funds must sell out capi_ tal to the amount of lost value, in order to pay his Taxes, which exceed his Income by that amount ; and that he must then sell out more capital in pro. portion to his expences, upon which he is ,also obliged to pay all the other existing Taxes upon goods, lands, stamps, servants, horses, sales, houses, &c. &c. with an additional ten per cent. on the whole, Thus a Dutchman upon the Income he derives from Batavian Punds, pays about es per cent. in extra 'nixes ; and upon the Income he derkves from money vested in Foreign Funds he pays ao per cent, in extra Taxes, and is still obliged to pay all the old established Taxes, with an additional to per cent. upon them besides. Such is the advantage of being the Friend of France and the Ally of BONAPARTE Mrs. Pow ELL wag too much indisposed' to per. form the part of Ell/if-Oast night in the Tragedy of Pizarro, and it was therefore assigned again to Mrs. Joel NiToNit,from Bath, Pops again resumed the part of Rolla, and supported it with manly force and feeling. The little ROlCia, who has appeared with so much eclat at Itichniond i in the part of Richard the Third, it is said, engaged at the rate of fifteen:pounds g week for Drury-Lane, Theatre, where she is •to Make her debut when Master BE TTY'S engagement at that Theatre closes. It is said that she is to make her tattle in Richard. BILAISAM and STORACI go to Bath during the Christmas Holidays, in Order to support RAUZ ZIN-tbs Concert. Mr. KEMBLE published a volume of Poems many years ago. They were juvenile productions ; and be has since-destroyed all the copies he could recover, with more modesty than judgment, as every effu. skin of such a mind must have been charaderized by taste and genius. A Copy, however, of this work was, it is said, sold last w eek by audion for 31. 55. Mrs. BILLINgION,. the public will be sorry to hear, is, at present, seriously indisposed. She was on Sunday ordered by her Physician to take zs drops of laudanum for her cough ; instead of which the whole contents of the phial (pit least 300) were, by mistake, given to her. The consequence was, that she was in the greatest agonies during the night, and lies at present dangerously ill at her house in Bolton-street. Mrs. SPCOND'S attradion to the Bath Concerts has been . so great, that although her , engagement expired last Wednesday, RAuzzlNt has re.eogaged her for an additional night, and the oldest inhabit. ants o f that gay city do not recolidt so great a favourite since the days of Miss LINLEY I deno. urinated the Maid of Math. As the Poy a wati unable to finish his Speech at the Coronation of '4ONAPARTR in the French lan. gosge, it is very evident that Hii Holinen, has not " the gift of toques." ' HARWICH, DFC. I7.—The Auckland Packet, Capt. Ba IDGE, that sailed from hence on Thursday last for Gottenburgh with the Mail, returned this morning, meeting with boisterous weather at sea ; the Diana Packer, Capt. STEWART, with the Ham. burgh and Bremen Mails on board, and the Diana, Capt. OSSORKF, with the Gottenburgh Mail, ars detained by a strong north.cast wind, thick with 8114 W. A large Flea of Colliers passed this Port for London, from the Niathward. The Prussian Hoy Da/is/Jim, of Embden, A. WAAGENAAN, from London for Rotterdam, sailed hence yesterday morning, having been detained here some time. FALMOUTH, Dec. 15.--Sailed this day Hit Ma.. jesty's Ship Eurydice, of 24 guns, with the Fleet for Oporto, Lisbon, and the Mediterranean ; 31119 the American Ship Aberdeen, MORGAN, for CO • de Verd ; the Danish Ship Dorothea, Capt. Royals for Naples ; the Leicester Packet, Capt. MILL, With- Mails of the sth inst. for New York and Halifax ; the Prince Adel/bits Packet, Capt. Blol ll s ° St with Mails of the same date for Jarnagehtli °alba ' does ; and last evening a Fleet of Conte's for the DOWni. Arrived the American Schooner Fair Americas, Capt; HALL, from Lymington, for Boston; the Swedish Ship Neasar, Capt. Or s a sto, from Pad' stow, for the Mediterranean, with fish, having lost her tails ; and the American Ship General Marthal4 Capt. CoLLy, from Rotterdam, for Virginia. This day the Chesterfield Packet, Capt. BLIGH, from Jamaica, was released from quarantine. POttThMOUTH . ; DEC. t7.---Arrived. the Olhorti Frigate ; Aurora Armed Ship ; Ssuift and Haer Sloops of War, with a large Fleet of outward-bound Vessels under Convoy from the Downs. Sailed the Media Sloop of War on s Cruize. The Pena; of London, bound to the Coast of Africa, upset this morning seven leagues to the eitt• ward of the I s le of Wight ; three men Wet. &o P.. ed, the'remainder were.. picked up by the RIh(CSa of St. Helen's. ........... DEAL, DEC. 17.—Attived La Paulette (rol* Plymouth. • Sailed the immortalize and jaciall, an a Cruize This morning, afr Boulogne ; Starii.iri Gun.brig, and Sussex Oak Navy Transport, with Convoy for Plymouth. , IVell.i, of Leith, 'WALTER STIWAIT Master, laden With fish, bound to Gihraltar, ran on shore on thir about seven o'clock, nastier, Sl oo p North Sand }lead, and Was totally lost. pis People' were all saved by a Deal Baal, .v hich for . tun.r,:iy got there just in time to save them. i , In,, the Dovvns-olvionarcl , Castor, Leopafti, Ardent, In• „nekintes Antelope, Leda, Aimable, Jamaica, Arab, Fische, A utunle, leoulette, Prospero, ilarpys Eugene, Dart, Alert, Orestes, sPect i ff CY gngt4 . Discovery, Devastation, Vesuvius, ' ebra, Mallard, Cone stint, Tickler, Bouncer, Watchful, Safeguard, Ritlernsar Thrasher, Haughty, rClia, Biter, Blazer, Mlot, ho rlacri h • Basilisk, Defender, Staunch, Tigresi, Boid, monkey, Spar)t.. p e r r Clinkers Destrudion, asci Lonvulsion, Mottar-b"'"; and Ann and Charlotte Schooner. Furl, Lt.„iia, v0i....„,,, Thursday --....----;.--...... The retorted capture of the Gears', Capt. Siat. SON, of Greenock, is contradielcsi by a „oboe tr°ll the owners. Blessing Armed Ship, with the Trade flottt the Baltic. morning arrived in Leith Roads the Saturday of War on a Cruise. The H.m. Admiral. Bettlar.rs' is tippointed to he Chief Command of the SCit Fencibles, on g he sailed from Leith Roads the Lynx Coast of England. On Wednesdy arrived at Liverpoo l, where all are to embark for Ireland, the ad 131ttaliort .of tios 92d Regiment of Foot, commanded by Arsi c e r Gal'. rsvo of the Black Regiments in the West I nSdli°e°l laa , i4. according to accounts received within these Ic back and disembarked. It is said they days, were not only embarked, but aaoa ll Y,:r der i way for the East Indies; when they were ° " 7cre d for the Spanish Main. • da The 'following Volunteer Corps were Ye 5141 s r.' inspeeted at their several places of muster, l'i,. 2 ' ‘,,,; M irgaret's and Sr. John's, Lambeth, and ad I° ,7 r . Hamlets. The latter presented their Colored , '7; W. HARDY, with ad elegant Sword and Belt, yell 150 guineas. the A grand dinner was given yesterday at by ; Thatched House Tavern, in St. James's.strerrs cii the Portuguese Ambassador, in honour of the V s , c co of Portngal's Birth-day. The dinner wok 1" 4 0 arc doting . at six o'clock ; after which his Excellency, vii;i Was in the Chair, gave The Queen of Peroise i Health. That Toast was succeeded by, Hit illait i, the Xing of Enslartd, and the Royal FainitY: Many other TOaitS were g i v en ; an d t h e even concluded with the utmost harmony and conviViall'" ty. About thirty- fi ve Foreigners of distil4. ion of the were present, among whom w ere several Foreign Ministers. The party broke up o'clock.din . On Sunday Lord SOMERVILLIII gave a grand ,), ner, at his house in Hill.street, to a select partY ' Agriculturalists and Breeders of Cattle, a mts Duke . t i3si , - whom were, Prince E,TERHAZY, the ---- PRA it i), tOitD, Cs. G. GlitSY, J. P. ?Atm, STLIIY, HUD' Rev . BATII DUDLEY, WBSTCAito A SON, &it t about eleven There is every fishery in the Frith of Forth, appearance o f suc onsful herb', 111%3G LII.I3GA V 41W115 4 lVvii.C.ll3lLl WIC, UM Ilt OIFICr wise, their insertion will oblige Your sincere friend and well.wisher, Dec. 9. rBo4. CRITICUS.