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

.befbre he quitted St. Petersburgh, bad ' sent Dis-
patches to the Court of Vienna, which gave so much
satisfaetion that the Emperor of AUSTRIA gave a
Valuable present to the bearer, yet as it is impossible
•
.tp say, how far the contaminating influence of
BUONAPARTE may have operated upon ALEXANDER,
and impregnated him with his own subtle qualities,
the Emperor FRANCIS, far from relaxing, is straining
every nerve to put his Dominions upon the best
footing. ALEXANDER had reached Elting on the
20th ult. and NAPOLEON passed through Hanover
on the 26th on his way to Erfnrtb.

WE have observed, with much more concern than
surprize, the language and conduct of the opponents
of Government with regard to the late Convention
in Portugal. That they should eagerly seize every
opportunity of attacking Ministers; that they should
studiously exaggerate every disaster, and endeavour
to diminish the value of every advantage which we
obtain, is so consistent with their general practice,
that we should have been rather astonished if they
had deviaied from their system upon the present oc-
casion. But we cannot without concern behold men,
from a mere spirit of party, and a desire to embar-
rass Ministers, wantonly and cruelly sporting with
the characters of Officers, and peremptorily deciding
upon their condua without being in possession Of
that degree of information which is ntscessary to the
formation of a correct judgment. If they were not
blinded by party rage, they could not but see the
glaring absurdity, as well as the gross injustice, of
clamouring for an investigation into the conduit of
Otfic,.:rs, and at the same time, without hesitation,
pronouncing them guilty. It seems, indeed, to be
the uniform practice of the present Opposition, to
tall for investigation, not for the purpose of ascer-
taining the guilt or innocence of the person whose
condua is under consideration, big merely as a kind
of form,- which is necessary to go through, previous
to punishment. It is, however, in one point of
view, fortunate that the Party, in their eagerness to
assail the Ministers, have unguardedly exposed to
the Public the motives by which they are aauated,
and the objects which they have in view. They
have sliewn that a fair and impartial Inquiry is not
their object ; all they want, is to remove the present
Ministers ; and to accomplish that favourite object,
they do not hesitate to employ any means, how-
, ver unjustifiable.

Yesterday morning his MAJESTY, attended by
Princesses AUGUSTA, MARY, SOPHIA, and AMELIA,
accompanied by Lady I. TIIYNNE, General FITZROY,
Coionel DESBROW, and Major PiticE, went to St.
George's Chapel, and heard a Sermon by the Rev.
Dr. GOODALL.

His Royal Highness the Prince of WALES left
town yesterday, ou a visit to their MAIESTLES at
Windsor.

The Sheriffs have waited on the King, and his
Majeskv has appointed Wednesday next, to receive
the City Address, at Buckingham House.
Saturday morning the Marquis Dc ROMANA, who
commands the Spanish troops• which were rescued
from the Danish Islands, Colonel O'DoNgELL, Aid-
de-Camp, Mr. LAS i-lEaas, Intendant to the Army,
and Mr. CACHAPERE, Secretary, Mr. FREER, Mini-
ster Plenipotentiary to the Supreme Government of
Spain, and Mr. FRERE, his Secretary, arrived at
Portsmouth from London, to go to Spain, in the
Semiramis Frigate, Capt. Cirt4NcEa.• A million and
a half of dollars have been shipped on board her for
the Spanish Patriots.
A bag of letters was received at the Post-Office
from Oporto on Saturday, with accounts from thence
to the 2sth ult. They merely state, that the Spanish
troops, which had advanced into Portugal, had com-
menced their march back towards Badajos ; and
that the Spaniards who had been confined in the
Tagus, were about to take the same route.

It is said that the six battalions which were sent
to Kilifax under Sir GEORGE PREVOST, in the then
probable event of a rupture with America, have been
ordered to be embarked immediately for Spain.
Among the next Regiments of Infantry to go on
service will
.be, the ilth Foot, 2d battalion ; 21st,
2d battalion ; 25th, 68th, '69th, and 71st, 2d batta-
lion ; 72d, 2d battalion ; 73d, 77th, and 87th, 2d
battalion ; 88th, Ist battalion.

By the late accounts from China it appears, that
the Mandarins, having extorted as much money as
they could from the English, on account of, the
murder of the Chinese subject formerly mentioned,
have consented to consign the affair to oblivion.

General PVENTAti, and the other Of sentenced
to death for the surrender of Copenhagen, have ex-
perienced a mitigation of their punishment. Some
are to he confined for life at Bornholm, and others
banished.

At the Ordinary at Oswestry races, last tveek, a
Gentleman, well known in the sporting world, un-
dertook, for the trifling sum of seven shillings, to
eat three quarts of custard in the short space of two
minutes, which he performed, with apparent • ease,
in 16 seconds under the given time.

By a late report from the Indian Medical Board, it
appears that the Vaccine virus had been for a time
lost in China. By the exertions of the English
Fa&ory it was re-introduced from Manilla, and has
been propagated with the most beneficial effeft in
most of the provinces of that extensive empire.
Letters from Oporto state, that the Spanish troops,
•iaiclibad advanced into Portugal, had commenced
ibeir -fiord) back towards Badajos ; and that the
Spaniards, who had been confined in the Zips,
acre about to take the saute route..