The Sun.
London, England, 1808-08-19 00:00:00

OF THE ST. FIORENZO.

/ •
We are indebted for the following anthentic and interest.
ing particulars respeCting a late Naval Hero, ;o an 01Ow iti
the same'service—one" who as zealously env! '37s his sword
in supporting the honour of his Country, as he has thus
eierteid his pen in the laudible attempt to do justice to the
merit of a departed friend.

By the lamented death of this gallant young man,
our Country has lost a most deserving Otficer,.and
her -Flag is deprived of one of its ablest support,
eis ; , conspicuous as are the names upon our' naval
list, it would have, been difficult to have selected
from it an individual of greater promise, or one who,
fUe his standing, was more eminently distinguished.
Though allied to foptune, rank, and power,..he
owed •to neither the high '.rank he attained, -but
nobly foregoing. the -aid -of fortuitous advantages,
he reared a splendid edifice of time upen thes proud
basis of his own desert.
Whilst a boy he served -with the highest credit
to him Self, in the batteries of Toulon, and at the
different sieges in the Island of Corsica ; 1)e was
a•Midshipman on board the Diadem, at the capture.
of Le. Ca Ira and Le Censeur, and in the year t 798_,
after suffering shipwreck on the Barbary Coast, he'
joined Sir . SIDNEY SMITH, on the shores ofSyria,
and had the
.honour of fighting by his side during
the •memorable defence of Acre. On his return
from 'thence be was received into LOrdlNELsoN's
ship, the Foudroyant, and alter assisting in her ce-
lebrated battle with Le Gnilleaume Tell, was -pro-
moted to a Lieutenantcy.
At the- commencement of this war we find him
commanding the Terror bomb, but as she was near-
ly destroyed at the bombardment of. Granville, he
was appointed to the Scorpion as soon as he return-
ed into port. In that sloop, upon the coast of Hol-
land, lie executed one of the boldest enterprizes
that ever graced -our naval annals.
In conjunction with Captain PELLY, of the. Bea,
ver, he, in the depth of winter, and in the midst of
a sleet'storrn, carried the ship's boats through an in-
tricate and dangerous navigation into theVlie Stream,
where he boarded the Atalanta,. of
.20 guns, and in .
despiteof a desperate resistance bore her out, in .de-
fiance of the 'batteries and 'of a large corvette which
lay at anchor on the spots', For this daring exploit
he, was, to ether with Captain PELt.Y, promoted to'
the 'rank of Post-Captain, and the Lords of the Ad- •
miralty, to mark their admiration of the aaion, made
the First Lieutenant of' the Scorpion a Commander,
a circumstance unprecedented •in the usages of the
Navy.•
Soon after this be quitted his native land never
to re-visit it again :he sailed to the East Indies,
where during three yearihe exerted himself unceas,
ingly for the benefit of his country; there, in one
of the most obstinate-and sanguinary confliets upon
record, at the post of danger, and in the arms of
victory, he terminated an honourable and a glorious
hie, without stain, and. without reproach ! HOW
beautiful appears the tomb of such an Hero ! In
gazing upon it death, losesj all its deformity, and to
accomplish a dvstiny •like his, who is there that'
would not sacrate a fleeting'andm feverish existence?
In private lite he was a sincere friend, a.clutitul son,
'and a most affectionate brother ; in his profession
he was bold, adive, and enterprizing, his courage
and his capacity,went hand-in-nand, and th:it
he had the head to plan he had also the heart to
execute.
This is a faint, but a faithful, ; it is traced
by one who knew him well ; by ei'Le whol loved
him. living, and reveres him As he fell at the
early age of twenty-Six, it is. li4tonis'uing that he
should have lour4l so many - ~pporinilities of distin-
guishing himself—but his e.!r i?rii-tiant though
evanescent, and its course, like that of the shooting
meteor, is 'marked by the e-:thdiations which gleam
along its track. •

The following Extract of ,a Lc:trier-furnishes some
additional partictilars with regard to' the conduat of
the'French upon their evacuation of Madrid-:
GIJON, Aub..B.—On. the•29th, 30th, and 31. st
of last month, the French evacuated Madrid; in com-
pany with their intrusive King JOSEPH NAPOLEAN I.
nick-named there, Pepe Cuba*, on account of his
being in a state of perpetual intoxication. They
.abandoned '3OO pieces of caution, previously' spiked,
30,000 muskets, wetted the powder in the Maga-
zines, and tied' shamefully with the plunder they
could snake. It appeared that Gen. CASTANOS,WhO was
coming up, entered, or was to etiter, Madrid' on the
3d of this month, according to the advicei we have
received from that place up to the ed. It is reported
that the French are marching home, but I doubt tkat
they will do it as soon as expected. Howeirer, thing's
go on well, .and I hope we shall ere long get rid of
these Atheists and banditti, these violators of public
I faith, and general usurpers.- I am inclined to believe
1 that the great man, in attempting to'become more
so, is dwindling to a smaller size than his person." ,

- .
* The nick name of, Joseph Buonaparte is the following in
English—Pepe signifies toe, Cuba a Butt of )Vine—therefore,
loe Butt.

Nothing can 'shew. the narrowness of BUONA•
PARTE'S mind more than his absUrd attempt to keep
the Continent in ignorance of the state of affairs in
Spain. The news is too acceptable to every country'
in Europe, not to travel with rapidity, and to find
its way among the most enslaved -nations. • This
attempt is even more absurd than his hope to bring
Spain into the same state of subjeaion to which he
has reduced other countries. Yet there are people
who consider BUONAPARTE. as a great man, though,
considering the opportunity which he hid of se--
curing himself in' France, by not extending her
limits too far, by not exciting the fear and detesta-
tion of other States, and particularly by preserving a'
good understanding with this country, it is evident
that he is only formidable on account of his power,
but thaChe is intrinsically a wretched politician/and
a mean, irritable, silly fellow, who is likcly to sacri-
fice all his wondeiful advantages, and become the
instrument of his own destrudion. The example
of Spanish valour will be a great incentive to other
nations, and the discoMfitbre of the- Tyrant will
forcibly tend to destroy that ;superstition, the off-
spring of cowardice, which has so long attended his
arms, and induced the countries he invaded quietly
to submit to their
The house of Lord FITZ II 1;1 Spring Garden,
was broke open laSt• night, and robbed`{ two boxes
01 plate.
•