The Sun.
London, England, 1809-12-19 00:00:00

POETRY.

CONSOLATION FOR NEGLECTED BARDS;
In vain for present fame you wish,
Your person first must be forgotten.
For Poets are like stinking fish;
They never shine till they ate rotten. •

Letters from Cadiz to the Ist instant were -few

ceived yesterday. They state that ROMANA W
advancing at the head of 12,000 men, to reinforce'
the army of General AKEYZEGA. The late chariget
in the Junta are said to have proved Noll , .(t
it was hoped that the enemy would soon I e com

gelled to retreat from La MArctia. The Jt111:a were

abolat to issue a Proclamation; calling on every man*
from 16 to 60, tojoin the army. The Gov; rnhr
Cadiz had also issued a Proclamation for arming all
the inhabitants of that place who had not ti e; joined.
any military corps, and the most energetic etfotti
were expected to. be made by every .departent of
the Government. The following is the extract of a
letter received yesterday
CADIZ, Nov. 30.—N0 doubt you are already ac-
qnainted with the fatal termination of the b.i.:!e of
Ocana, on the 19th instant, which,- just at the
meat of being gainedby us, wa, lost by the cavalry
giving ,way, and of course exposiog thel,ti wmg;
which covered the retreat. The di.v-sion in the
army has been very great ; but the troops re= •
unite in La Carolina, and the valiant AriF.1zi.1.3,4,..
proposes advancing again to attack the Freneh, ;:1-10
have been greatly cut up in the battle, as We learn
they lost from 10 to 12,000 men. • Our loss iu men
is not so considerable, but we have lost a tpi.intty
of ammunition, arms, &c. &c. All accoutiis agree
that our infantry on this -occasion performed prodi-
gies of valour, and if the cavalry had done their
duty, few of the French would have escaped..

-Yesterday being the Birth-day of her Majesty.
the Queen of POATTJGAL, high Mass was celebraie.l
at the Royal Portuguese Cllapel, in•South-strret;
and in the evening a numerous company assetub.eLt
at the Thatched House Taverns and partook ct
elegant entertainment, at which his Excellency the
Portuguese Minister presided. - Amongst the corn.
pany were most of the Foreign Ministers, and
many of the Portuguese Genilemeh resident in
London.

The Court of Directors of the East India Corapany was occupied till eight o'cl.,ck on Fiid;:y
evening, in examining the Captains of the Cwn
panyss ships, with a view to ascertain the prolm-
bility or improbability of the safety of the inis ing
sliip4'of the last and the preceding hotnewaM-botiml
fleet. We understand the Captains were unanl-
mously of opinion that the three ships first missing,
the Experiment, Glory, and Lord. Nelson,- were lost
heyond'all possibility of hope. With respect to tin
four missing ships of the last fleet, viz. the Laezi
Jane Dundas, .Jane Duchess ,g' Gyrcliml Calcutta,
anl Bengal, the Captain were generally of opinion
that hopes of safety may be sill entertained, not,-
withstanding that the last adv:c;s from B,)inh .y,
Madras, Bengal, Prince of Wales's Island, 'St, • Hea
lens, and the Cape, make no mention of then,.-,.
The Captains, we understand were further ones-
' tinned as to the causes of the loss of so many of the
. Company's ships in recent years, «hick they ascrib-
ed principally to the insufficiency of the number of
hands on board to their effectual navigation, in. con,
sequence of the impressment of the men for h:s
Msj(:sty's service.--A-',representation Will, •we un-
derstand, be made to Government, in consequence
of this opinion, in order to obtain a complete exemp-
tion from impress for the Company's xt amen,