The Sun.
London, England, 1808-10-17 00:00:00

TO CORRESPONDENTS.

*** We are sorry that we mislaid an account of a Cause tried
at the Devon Summer Assizes before Mr. justice GR A.
SI Ast ; but without distrusting the. accuracy of our Cor-
respondent, it is never our pradice to insert ex parte state-
ments of such matters.

SW ELDN A will perceive that we have availed ourselves of
the suggestions contained in his Letter.
The Fire at Covent-garden has not consumed the pitiful
spleen that assailed KEMBLE on. account of his pronuncia-
tion of aches, though it is ustitied oy the usage of our hcs t
dramatic Writers.

The Article from Mr SOPYR es, which we intended to insert
this day, is unavoidably delayed till to-morrow.

MAILS.
ARRIVED—t Lisbon, z. Dublin, i tV a ter ford.
Dos-L-2.Gotienburgii, I Waterford.

' PRICE OF STOCKS
THIS DAY AT TWELVE O'CLOCK.
66k jOranium

Consols - -

THE SUN.

. z } dis.

COLIM QUIS urcalez lALSUI4 AUDIAT

LONDON,

MONDAY, OCTOBER 17, 1808.

TH it Peacock Sloop of War has arrived at Plymouth

with dispatches for Government. By her we have re-

ceived Spanish Papers to the 7th inst. Gen. NEY,
Who has assumed the command of the French
Army, has retreated from Burgos, and its vicinity,
with the whole of 'his Troops, amountittg to about
40,000 men. One of this divisions succeeded in re-
taking Bilboa; but the'''taiittnish, Garrison effeCted
their retreat, with all their baggage, ammunition,
&c. The main body of the Spanish Army was
advancing, and an aflion was daily expeCted to
take place. The Corunna Paper of the 4th contra-
diets the report of the re-capture of Bilboa, by the
French, but we fear there is no doubt of the fa&.

The Intelligent Gun Brig has arrived at Plymouth,
with Dispatches from Lisbon, which place she left
on.the.2d instant. The second division of the French
Troops sailed a few' days befbre, under convoy of
the Africaine Frigate, on board of which the French
General KELLERMAN was embarked. The Fleet on
Ow passage encountered a dreadful storm, in which
the Africaind lost her bowsprit, and received so much
damage that she was obliged to put back to Lisbon.
Several, of the Transports also received.con4iderable
damage, and three of them foundered, and all' the
troops on board, together with the crews, perished,

except eight, which were picked hp by the 4fticaine.
The whole Fleet was dispersed.

FROM the intelligence which has been received
from the Baltic, we are inclined to believe that all
-intention is given up for the present of making an
attack upon the Russian Fleet. We were led, from
the statements in the Swedish Papers,. to. suppose
that an attack, by means of Fire-ships, was practica-
ble; but it appears that the Russians had 'taken
such measures for fortifying the entrance of the har-
bour, that it was not thought advisable to make the
attempt. Indeed Sir JAMES SAUMAREZ,' in .his
first dispatch, said he had but faint hopes of being
able to succeed in his attack upon the Russian Fleet.

It will be recolletiO, that in the Debate which
took place upon the Catholic. Petition, in. May last,
the Duke of NoaFoLic and Mr. GRATTAN stated,
that they were authorized by the Catholics of Ireland
to make a proposition, which, it was contended,
would ,remove an objection which had been made,
viz. that the nomination of their Bishops, and conse-
quently of the whole of their Clergy, was under the
immediate sandlot) of -the Pope. The Proposition
which the Duke of .I<IOIiFOLK and Mr. GRATTAN
made, in the name of the 'Catholics, was, that they
should lay before his Majesty a list, of three persons,
of whom, if his Majesty should rejea two, the re-
twining one should be invested with the Episcopal
Dignity. But if his Majesty should rejea all three,
then another list of three (halo& persons should be
submitted to his consideration, and so on till his Ma-
jesty.should signify his approbation of any individual,
by allowing his name to reniain. At a late Meet-
ing, however, of the Roman Catholic Bishops, in
Dublin, the following Resolntion was agreed to and
published :7-- •

" That it is the decided opinion of the Roman Catholic
Prelates of Ireland here assembled, that it is inexpedient to
introduce any alteration in the Canonical Mode hitherto ob.
serval in the Lamination of Irish Roman Catholic Bishops;
which mode long experience has proved to be unexception-
able, wise,
.and salutary."

This Resolution is in dire& contradiction to the
proposition made by the Duke of NORFOLK and
Mr. GRATTAN; it follows, therefore, either that the
Roman Catholics have thought proper to retra&
from the over which they instruaed the Duke and
Mr. GRATTAN to make, or else that the latter made
the proposition without being authorised by the
Roman Catholics, A discucsiou of considerable
warmth has already began between the advocates
of the two parties, but the important fat still re-
mains to be cleared up, viz. whether the Duke and
GRATTAN had or had not authority for the. pro-
position they made.

The desperate retainers of Party are daily employ-
ing themselves in furious declamations, the purpose
of which is, to identify Ministers with the Conven-
tion of Cintra, presuming that the Convention will
be found deserving of all the opprobrium which the

I Opposition Writers have thrown upon it ; and thus
.prejudging and condemning what they hold forth as
[ ; an obje6t for inquiry. These Writers absurdly con-
ceive that by such ridiculous attacks upon Mi-
nisters, they have a chance -of elevating their
own Fadion into power. With this view they
continue to revile Ministers on account of the
answer returned by his Majesty to the Address
from the City, as if his Majesty were not to
.be suppoSed to have any sentiments of his own
upon the subjed, and as if it were possible for his
Majesty to avoid feeling a consciousness that, to
- request him to adopt a measure which the.nature of
the case pointed out as necessary, were not, in fad,
an officious obtrusion. Yet nothing coold be more
, mild than the manner in which his Majesty conveyed
his sense of the diSresped that had been ()fired to
him, and he signified his readineSs to institute the pro-
posed inquiry. Yet the FaCtion are not satisfied, be-
, cause nothing willsatisfy them but the removal of Mi-
nisters, in order to make way for themselves ; and
they are labouring to excite other places to address the
Throne for that which His MAJESTY has explicitly
promised to grant. Can these perturbed spirits hope
that such liinisy artifices will deceive the good sense
of the Public.? But it seems the instigators of the
Petition from the City of London are determined to
try what they can do to raise a spirit of discontent
upon the Answergiven by His MAJESTY. We know,
however, that some of the more respectable pro-
moters of the Petition are now satisfied that they,
were too hasty, and regret that they were con-
cerned in such a measure. In Westminster, too,
we flint. ..that. a Meeting is .to be convened
upon the subject of the Convention, notwithstand-
ing that an assurance, has- been given from the
Throne that the matter shall be fully investigated.
Can it be possible then to impute the proposed•meets
ing to any thing but the views of party, and a dis-
position to disturb the public peace ? To the mortifi-
cation of theselnal-contents, they will find that Mi-
nisters are determined to employ, all possible:zeal and
industry in an inquiry into the business of 'the Con-
vention, and, to lose no time on the occasioh. We
therefore, call upon the. good sense, the liberality,
'and the justice of Englishmen, to discountenance
r all the maliAnant efforts of party to disturb the public
mind, and thereby prevent the inquiry from pro-
ceeding with all that calmness and impartiality which
ought-always to charaderize the investigation of
whatever involves the national interest and ho-
nour. To prove that the Meeting proposed in
Westminster is at least unnecessary, it is express-
ly stated, in the requisition to the High Bailiff, that
it is " to consider of an. Address to be presented. to
His Majesty, praying that-His Majesty will be gra-
ciously pleased to cause an Inquiry,"- &c. respeaing
the Convention in Portugal. We are sorry to see
some respedable names among thoSe who have
signed this fiNuisition, beeause, after the answer
that has been given to the City of London, in which
the object of suck? a Petition has ad ttally been con-
ceded, it is a' gross insult to the King to addres
His Majesty on the pine occasion. Do these persons
think that his Majesty is likely to retract his prOmie,
or that Misnisters are disposed to throw any obstacles
in the way of the royal -word ? The Meeting of
Westminster, therefore, is not merely needless ; it
is an affront to the royal' charader, and we hope
that if it should take place, it will only be attended
by those who will render such a Meeting as insigni-
ficant as it will be obviousVdisrespeelful,to a Mo-
narch who is always alive to the happiness of his
People, and the honour of bis Throne.

Saturday morning early the Duke of Yottx trans-
adeci business with the KING, at Windsor, after
which he rode nut .with.him
.and the PRINCESSES;
stopped and dined with the QUEEN, and afterwards
went to Oatlands.

Yesterday Morning, his MAJESTY', Princesses Atr-
GusTA and Am ELIA, accompanied by Lady .G. Mu It•
RA Y, General FITZROY, Colonel DEsBEow, and
Major PRICE, rode to St. George's Chapel', and
heard a sermon, and afterwards returned to the Pa-
lace.

By the last arrivals cram Cadiz; copies of a secOnd
Address from the Governor, Don THOMAS MORLA,
to the inhabitants of that city, andalso'of one from
the Junta at Seville to the Spanish Colonists in South
America, have been. received. They are written
with that spirit and good sense, which are the per-
culiar charach'r.istics of all 'the produdions of the
Spanish leaders and governments, but contain no-
thing new. -
An application has been made to the. Portuguese
Ambassador, to-obtain froth the Portuguk-se Govern-
ment the same permission fOr the importation of our
cotton manutadures into Portugal, which has been
recently granted by .the Government of -Spain, and
there is, we uridl:ratitnd, every reason to ,calculate
upon success.

Private accountS.froin the Baltic repeat the repoti
of SirJ. SAUMAREeN ; and.acjd, that fur
nearly three weeks 'he bad not an 'hour's. steep 3-his
medical attendants hadseciods apprehensions for his
'safety, and his own opinion was, he should not
survive his-Baltic :•rt.ti?e,