The Sun.
London, England, 1812-11-13 00:00:00

MADR I D.

As this cit' is at present in.so interesting a
- the following account of "it; as given by
Rehfues, Librarian to the Eing of Wirteln-
berg, may be acceptable to onr Readers.
• On approaching Madrid, M Rehfues Was struck
With the contrast between the heat, of the vallies
and the snow -of. the mountains. The city is in a
low situation, and its approaCh is not animated by
country-houses or gaadens : nor was it till the
tourist advanced towards thee middle of the city
that they perceived the appeatance of trestle. The
men continued, notwithstanding the heat, to wear
woollen cloaks, fOr the purpose of " keeping off
the sun." The women were &eased in blatk, and
• their large dark eyes were fixed with eager curir
osity on the strangers. It was a disgusting spec-
tacle to see beggara ranged in rows before the
doors of the convents, to receive he offerings of
that false charity,which is one of the curses of this
country. -A more cheering sight presented by
a nuniSer of book-shops :• but they furnished no
sale-catalogues, and the books were, in 'general,
of old date.eThe carriages rolling along the streets
were heavy andsold fashioned, and the most lively
part of the scene consisted in the crying and- selling
of newspapers, to which recent events had awak=
ened the public attention. The streets of Madrid
arc seldom either wide or straight ; the pavement
consists of small stones, which are very fatiguing
to the feet s and the squares are, in general, small
•and irregular. 'The houses ire low, and provided
with balconies ; while the window-gratings bring
to recollection the ancient traditions of conjugal
jealousy and romantic adventure. The town staiids
Yin a vast plain, bordered on the North by lofty
mountains, and open only to the South.. Hence
arises .a considerable inequality in the climate; M.
Rehfus having experienced, by a sudden change of
wind, a considerable. degree of cold in the Middle
of Jilne., To delicate persons. these rapid varia-
tions . are dangerous : but people in good health
are accustomed to speak favourably of the climate,
which, in fact, is seldom severe in winter.
No city contains a larger proportion of idlers
than Madrid ; a circumstance which is owing • to
that peculiarity in the character of tlie,Spaniard,
which leads him him to cultivate no acquaintance
but among a few intimate friends. In conse4imence,
a man out of business has a large portion of-time
for loitering about, which he divides between the
public squares and the coffee-houses, passinghis
hours in the latter with nearly as little conversa--
kidn as in the former. After having addressed a
few words to one of tete persons present, he sits
down alone, and betakes himself to his cigar or
pipe, the use of which is alldwed in all Situations.t
The Spanish ladies have little turn for figuring in
large parties, or for dividing their attention among
a number of guests. Their character partakes
greatly of the .national seriousness, their passions
being strong
,and constant ; in which, as in other
respects, they form a considerable contrast to their
French neighbours. Rehfues has not the va-
nity to boast-of engaging the affections of any of
these ladies, but he speaks with admiration of
their baauty of person and elegance of manners.—
In ail their public appearances, the Spaniards are
studious of dignity : which is 'particularly' striking
in the solemnity of, the church-service; and in the
silent attention, of the, auditors. Here, as in Italy,
lovers who have no opportunity of meeting else-
where are said to kneel side by side': but they do
not, as in that country, allow a spectator to ob-
serve their inattention to Worship, nor make the
church a place for the exchange of billets-doux.
POPULATIPN.-With . regard to this disputed
topic, M. Reid-nes appears desirous ofespeaking
truth without possessing sufficient information to
make up his mind decidedly on the matter. Being
a believer in the reported populousness of ancient
Spain, and aware, at the same time, that the thin-
ning effect attributed to American emigration is a
delusiOn, lie is puzzled to account for the wonder-
ful falling-off in recent ages : but he believes that
to the political misfortunes of this country we must
have recourse to account for its loss of people.—
This idea leads him -to dwell on the expulsion of
the Moors and Jews.; but all these considerations
will not give him the supposed 20,000,000 inhabi- •
tants of the fifteenth century; nor -the 78,000,000
of the Moorish age, when Grenada alone was said
to contain 3,000,000. In Spain, as in this coun-
try, nothing like accuracy appears to have been
attained in the population-estimates, till the begin-
ning of the last century. The number was then
6,000,000, and it seems to have gone on in a
course of progresSive augmentation. so as to be-
. come double in the lapse of one hundred years.—
The discovery of this important fact, joined to
some other- observations, has checked M. Rehfues .
in his mistaken calculations, and has preserved
him from the common error of supposing that
Spanish affairs had been in a coursa of uniform de-
cay down to time present time. We are presented
with a specific list of the population-returns ofthe
year 1788 from which we are inclined to set down
the present number of the principal provinces as
follows :

Andalusia, about... —.2,000,000 Arragon. ... 700,000
Galicia 1,500,000 Astnrias • 400,000
Castile, Old and New, 2,500,000 Biscay , 350,000
Catalonia
Valencia 900,000

Of these, the most populous for its' extent ap-
pears to be Galicia, and, next to it, Valencia and
Asturias ; though both Catalonia and Biscay,
which we regard as the sinews of Spanish indepen-
dence, are more thickly inhabited than the majo-
rity of the other provinces. The number of peo-
ple is thus-greatest in the mountainous tract of the
North ; a complete proof, were any wanting, that
the cultivation of, the interior is in its infancy.

(To be continued.)

On Sunday evening lasi, between the hours of
six and eight o'clock, whilst all the family were
at Chapel, the house of Mr. J. Evans, of the Bo-
rough High-street, was entered by means of pick-
lock keys; the drawers of the.sideboard and cel-
laret were opened by the same ineanz;, and eight
silver talcle spoons, two gravy spoons, twelve de-
sert spoons, a set of silver castors, a wine strainer,
and several other articles, were taken away. On
the return of the servants, the doors were foun
open, and the picklock keys remaining in them.

LONDON: Printed by THOMAS WOOD, of N 0.35, Maiden-lane, Covent-garden; 11'1
At
,the SUN Or 119,4, No. 112, kitranj'•, where .ifdyertisementr, Orders-to.

CORK ELECTION.

'The following observations respecting..the Cork
Election are extracted from The Cork Advertiser :

-
The detected attempt to procure a 'vote .by
. fraud, in the 'case of the man who was brought to
the Hustings to personate another; we leave to the,
reflection of the public; , and proceed to observe
upon the speech of an'honOurable Candidate, 'of
whom it may be said that he possesses - satis elo-
qttentLe sapientix pa7'nm. On the style of his
charges against the Diike- of Richmond and the
Lord 'Bishop of ,Cork, it is unnecessary to make
any comment. it is such 'as may be expected. from
the eulogist of Sir Francis Burdett and Cobbett.
As to the matter, they may be easily refuted. The
Lord Lieutenant is accused of. exercising an un-
due influence in the elections for Tipperary, _Lime-
rick, and this city. But mere assertion is not a
proof of the charge, and may be met by an un-
qualified denial. Admitting, however. the inter-
ference of Government in those elections, is' Mi-
nisterial influence on such occasions so nnuSual an
occurrence ) On the dissolution of Parliament,
by that Administration ironically termed the Ta-
lents, Were there no exertions use4,to strengthen'
the hands of Government at theensuing elections ?
And are the declared enemies of Ministers to enjoy
the exclusive privilege of ransacking every corner
of the country to promote their own views, while
their friends are to be interdicted from every ex-
ertion in their behalf ? But the wise and just,
the mild, temperate, and coneiliatQrrAdministra-
tion .of the Duke of Richmond, requires not our
'feeble advocacy. liThile his conduct is sanctioned
with the approbation of his-Prince, and of eyeryi
man who dimly appreciates the blessings of our-
happy Constitution, he has nothing to apprehend
from such inn- otent hostility.
" The imputations against our upright, vir-
tuous, and truly Christian Bishop, pre equally un-
founded. We have authority to deny his having
attempted.to influence even the Clergymen of his
own Diocese on the present contest. ,He resolved
'to keep himself aloof from every species of inter-
ference ; and -.then his son, the Rev. Thomas St.
Lawrance, began to canvass for his friend, Sir
Nicholas C. Coulthurst, his Lordship forbade him
on any occasion to make use of his name, as he
was determined that a vote given by a Clergyman
should nev el-influence him in the distribution of his
patronage at a future day, provided that vote
.was
given with the' spirit, and in a manner becoming
of a Christian Minister. At an early period oldie
Election, his Lordship called upon Mr'. Hutchin-
son to tell bias this determination, 'in conse-
quence of which, this Ct.ndidate got two or three
Clergymen's votes, which would not otherwise
have been the case. One of them -was Curate
either to the Dean or Archdeacon, who can vouch
for the truth of this statement, and for the since-
rity with which his Lordship followed up his de-
claration.

" So much for the justice of those charges,--
a few words more as to the Kobable motives for
preferring them: The Candidate, mortified at his
anticipated and certain defeat, might have -wished
to attribute it ,to any cause that may sooth his
wounded pride. ButNthe truth is, that he has been
rejected by the most respect ble petition of our
corporate, landed, and commercial interests,
which have been united by principle, and not by
undue influence, to oppose the ejection of a luau to
represent this city in Parliament, of :tile, whole
course of Whose Parliamentary conduct they have
had so much reason to disapproved,"

We lately mentioned a regulation .by whi,ch all
Lieutenants who have been ittrthe command of
prison ships for three years, are to lle superseded..
This is solely occasioned by a wish .to ;ive oh!
Lieutenants, on half-pay, an opportunity to have
the command of a prison ship.. It is ,supposed:
this regulation will take plate at Portsmouth and.
Plymouth next month, as the ships, with very few
exceptions, will then have been full three years
under the Transport Board, Shaving been paid off,
and transferred to the Transport Board in the month
of December, 1809. The aforesaid regulation has,
been acted upon at Chatham, where the iprison-,
ships have all along been continued in commission
under the Board of Adariralty. 'A like • regulation
,to the foregoing took place some time since in the.
impress service ; and we understand it is to 'be
acted upon at Portsmouth in regard to Lieu-
tenants whose command under the. Admiralty and
Transport Boards make more than three -years,
(having held the command of the ships previous to
their being paid off in 1.809)„ and in consequence
of which the following arrangeMents have taken
place, Lieut. W. COET, to command the Guild-
ford, in lien of, Lieut. CRONCII j Lieut. JAll,l'2.
HARLEY, to command the SiffblJc, in lieu. of
Lieut. GILMORE j Lieut. A. CHArMAN, to com-
mand the Prothee, in lieu of Lieut. BIRD; and
Lieut. GRANT ALLEN to command the Pegase, in
lieu of Lieut. DECOURDOUX.

It is with pleasure we some time since noticed
the exertions of the Bishop of the diocese in aid
Of 'the fund for the relief of the widows and or-
phans of his clergy. Of all the situations in which
the calamities of life distinguish among the sons
and
_daughters of affliction, none could be more
suitatle to the known benevolence and philan-
thropy of our diocese than that of the orphan and
widow. The state of the orphan is greatly to be
pitied, as being destitute of the guide of his youth,
and deprived, by a premature stroke, of him to-
whom nature directs he should look tip to as his
guardian and support. The widow is a still
greater object of commiseration, who, besides the
affliction of having been bereft of her dearest earthly
friend, is left to struggle alone with the difficul-
ties of a family and the world :—to educate with
--maternal solicitude the party that became an or-
phan by-the same calamity that made her a wi-
dow : to aid in 'the relief of Such we are earnestly
called upon by every tie of humanity. We are in-
formed his Lordship has recommended to his
clergy to preach 4 sermon in their respective
churches and we trust his recommendation will
be attended to, and that their labour twill not be
in vain.—Plymouth Telegraph.
The , Waterford Mirror of Saturday last, ascribes
the arrest of Mr. Trotter_ to a very different cau;te
from that assigned to it in some of the Dublin
papers. It says it was merely for a trifling debt.

•
oblisbed by WILLIAM ARMIGEB SCRIPPS, South Molton-street, Grogronor-sfrate,.
r the Paper, Letters for the Editor, 4kt. (post paid), must be addressed, ,