The Sun.
London, England, 1847-03-01 00:00:00

411... .

CHARLES COCHRANE, ESQ., AND
THE ELECTORS OF WESTMINSTER.

mat a meeting held at the Craven Head. Drury-lane, on
en( lay last, Mr. 13ochrane alluded to the correspondence
ic h had appearr.d in Mc Sun newspaper, and is reported
t: he 3lnrning Advertiser to have said, as follows :—" One
ho
letlne. atter°, appeared to be written by a Mr. Bass, of
gentleman whom he knew very well, and who
had treated him with kindness. In fact, dressed as he was
tr tl
ey tame, he was supposed to be a Spanish Quaker, and
"14teaaecordingly, and he had certainly enjoyed the juke
tri uch. He had however written to Mr. Bass on the
eject of the letter, and that gentleman denied that he was
Ithlaies wd: :Id it, Cr that he knew anything at nil about it."
The following letters appear in the Morniug Advertiser of

•• PO TIIE LIMT01: OF THE MORNING ADVEIITISER.

"Sit " Brighton, 2d Month, 26, 1847.
tol,„ observe in thy paper of the 23d instant that
We;;"ine i 3 made common property between the electors of
„
plc, "aBter and one of their candidates. I will thank thee
t-; Publicity to the correspondence which has taken
show ~,etw'een Charles Cochrane and myself, in order to
e lectors the extent of my acquaintance with their
4"h-t uate.
It
h.
pNe 13, be as well to state that I never in the least sup-
hitrl was a Spanish Quaker, but was induced to treat
(ogee wit i kindness merely from a belief that he was a re-
• I am, respectfully, &c.,

"ISAAC BASS."
" 26, Devonshire-place, Marylebone, London,
II " Saturday, Feb. 20, 1847.
Paper —I feel it my duty to forward you The Sun evening
put, 4)f the 16th instant, as it contains a scandalous letter
was ing to conic from you, and to which my attention
that (1; "n yesterday evening. Permit me to premise,
vritte • do not suspect for a moment that you have
of I the letter, MS lam quite sure you are incapable
~,,11414 thing so gross or unjust, as your kindness to me,
%ark,
iunder the character of a Spanish minstrel, and the
zoss. acknowledment by me in my work of such kind-
could leave no other, I presume, than agreeable re-
-8"11:14,4
o•ence3 between us. It is necessary, however, for the
Parr, my character, and the future proceedings which I
'1,3 adopting, that I should communicate with you, and
o04;eall feel greatly obliged by an answer at your earliest
"ence--I am, sir, your obedient servant,
tix,r " CHARLES COCHRANE.
• Bass, Grove-street, Brighton."
" Brighton, 2d Month, .., 1E47.
fie, I I:"o
the receipt of TiThe Sun newspaper, which thou sent
e• ' 'new nothing of the paragraph concerning Juan De
toCa• I- well remember the circumstance of being imposed
od,'.rd afterwards seeing it ridiculously detailed in thy book,
Wity g
:l'o n a way which thou must be quite aware would carry
anyth,at_ but agreeable reminiscences.
• Char!!s Cochrane." " J. BASS.
Sir " Devonshire-place, Thursday, Feb. 25, 1847.
do is with great regret that I have read that por-
patii."`TY;.e letter which appears to indicate impressions on
Alf as
other than what I could have desired, relative. to
aquai7atance with you, under the character of a Spanish
liae,tirial• I can sincerely assure you of this,. that I never
raighst traost distant intention of doing or saymg aught that
that h Ir'Dve unpleasant, and trust you will bear in mind,
°a,"ever much the indiscretion of my conduct might be
Ineto,43,._'' to you, the motives were innocent, and I was a
aLripling at the time.
" I am, Sir, your obedient servant,
CHARLES COCHRANE."
ono •• CoL'chratie and Juan de Vega aro now established to be
and the same person. We will, therefore, in a few days,
ar.ieh
.% .•-ten the electors of Westminster as to the sayings and
doings
for "f the Senor Juan de Vega, and enable them to judge
thranselves as to his fitness to represent them. We will
;18° Rive them a " Biographical Sketch of Mr. C. Cochrane,
rndidate for Westminster," to compare with the one printed
lithe horning Advertiser of 17th December last, and since
lePrinted by authority at the steam-press of W. H. Cox, 5,
Great Queen-street, and circulated as a handbill among the
tors. Mr. Cochrane seeks publicity—we will assist him
t'`) hl5 heart's content.

..

MIT of the PUBLIC 'JOURNALS.
„
41RONICLE.—A person of the hams of Cochrane, who
lately, as some of our readers,may have chanced to ob-
teull'e, been laying himself out for notoriety, as a political
I "4)4, by way of introduction to the suffrages of a me-
tropolitan constituency, has at length fairly succeeded in
:,e.tablishing a sort of a claim to public notice. So long as
pip individual in question was known only as one of the
„___ttatriuus obscure, who please themselves with fancying that
IN; "vrr ain obtrusive loquacity is a valid title to the confidence
f.,'eglish electors, there was of course nothing to do but
the absurdity run its course, and go quietly out in the
flatural way. Even the stimulant and attractive heading,
City of Westminster Election," was insufficient to give
interest, or dignity to what it was impossible to look at
any other light than as an awful heavy joke.
Westminster happened, moreover, to be well enough
suite,{ with a candidate already, no practical inconvenience
...could arise from treating nonsense as nonsense, and letting
_aar- Cochrane, or Mr. Anybody, recreate himself in his own
aeolon. Nobody cared to inquire who or what Mr. Coch-
hale might be—first, because it did not in the smallest de-
gree signify, as regarded any apparent practical purpose,
Vim or what Mr. Cochrane was, and next, because the seem-
ing anxiety of this gentleman to advertisehimselfin every pos-
sible way operated as a damper on one's speculative curiosity.
The secret was sofe, since nobody dreamed that there could
be any secret worth knowing about a person at once so un-
important and so garrulous. The prying industry of an
evening Contemporary— or rather of our Contemporary's
correspondents—has, however, bad the effect of lending a
momentary interest to an otherwise ridiculous and insipid
fair. Certain letters have appeared is the columns
of The Sun, reviving disagreeable reminiscences of a va-
gabond imposter who once rejoiced in the name of
'Jou or Senor Juan de Vega, and to whom, as our contem-
IZrY's correspondents suggest, in terms pointed rather than
—lllPlimentary, Mr. Cochrane stands related in the closest
conceivable degree of consanguinity—namely, that of down-
"gilt personal identity. Mr. Cochrane is accordingly re.-
Quested to enlighten the Westminster public on this point of
his history—the only point on which the Westminster public
have ever betrayed the faintest curiosity. Mr. Cochrane's
answer to what, under the circumstances, must be allowed
to be a very natural and legitimate question, consists, first,
in a threat of an action against The Sun for defamation
of character, and next, in a public coufession of the youthful
" indiscretions," or frolics" heretofore fathered on Don or
Senor Juan de Vega. From this moment, of course,
our illustrious obscure may safely assure himself
of that public notice which he has so long been vainly
traving, thongh we cannot exactly promise him that noto-
riety will come in the shape desiderated. There is now a
dealt of romance about the thing, which may at least serve
idle people for a nine days' wonder. Plain, vulgar Mr.
Cochrane could not so much as get himself laughed at; but
3nan de Vega is a fair circulating-library xame, and smacks
Juanystery. Everybody will be wanting to know
haboutiet
de Vega, especially as the fellow is said to have. ee
decided scamp, and to have played the guitar. It is super-
fluous to observe that the oddity of a Parliamentary candi-
date, on the flaming patriot interest, answering a plain
question through his lawyer, is of itself
a sufficient stimulus
In Popular curiosity. We cannot undertake to present our
'Were with anything like a complete account of the
tcal or imaginary life and adventures of Don or Senor
Uan de Vega. A very brief summary will, however, suffice
ter those practical purposes with which alone we are now
the to
concerned, This Juan de Vega was, then, be it known
electors of Westminster, an exiled Spanish Nobleman in
"ulguise, who tramped about the country some years back,
a tour of minstrels and mendicancy—picked up all he
could get in the way oft cash, kindness, and broken victuals—
Wormed himself into the good graces of many worthy and
LaBPeetable families of the most gullible class of British
F'letY, who made the unfortunate--and' -interesting refugee
..e both to their sympathies and their dinners—and finally
is°,ll," PluP the " frolic," by publishing a disgusting book,
..,-.°3? slandering the wives, daughters, sisters, and ser-
--nta 0f his kind-hearted dupes. In two words, Don
21. Senor Juan de Vega was an excellent subject
„s" the discipline of the cart's tail and the horse-
-I.°". It is a matter, of course, of the smallest possible
cot neern to us whether Mr. Cochrane be capable or not of
also •
titZetori
Inggood advice when be sees it. But as we wish the
no harm, we make him kindly welcome to the
me ('fit of our very decided opinion that he had better let the
ulernory of his "youthful indiscretions" go quietly to sleep
11143,,ink, as soon as may be. We do not suppose there can be
feel 61 use in advising such a person, and we certainly do not
Ini,,;4isPosed to take any p/rticular trouble about so unpro-
,,--wg an experiment. If, however, he should think proper
our well-meant suggestion, to refrain from enlarging the
lf
catalog" of his " indiscretions," and to throw him-
te
hiaitt once on the mercies of public oblivion, we shall always
NZ Christian satisfaction in the idea of having been in-
tr-Zindsental in sending home a fool to be taken care of by his
Ita„WEEKLY DISPATCH.--311t. COCHRANE AND Tl!!E
urstassramots OF WESTMINSTER.-1 hat remarkably vain
—"4 equally silly personage, Mr. Cochrane, who has lately
Indered himself. conspicuous as a working merpber of th
°°t Min's Guardian Society, and by poking his nose into
tru.P-kettles, and all for the sake of gaining a little popu-
„aii;:tY ere the struggle for Westminster's representation, take
vn ca. has threateried the worthy proprietor of The Sun with
tion.
-eeattae he has admitted into the columns of_ hisu
Au_ „pendent ;,„„__,
v edrzio.ia Zuu number of letters relating to one Juan
electors, it
was
afhhehe
et,l e ttit:eari s
Perannage than
pinir.
of the el rane
Coch himself. Two or three
hinted by the writers, lmeseseta.
, all consequent upon the appearance. of
red The Sun, have since taken place , and from
at those meetings, we advise Mr. Cochrane,
all fart have any regard for his character or pocket to stay
to
tb, her law proceedings. To render the case intelligible
article": who had not an opportunity of perusing an
the
n the subject of the election of Westinster, inserted in
eia-naisatch last week, we may repeat,m that some years
since one Juan de Vedra
travelled the counties of Kent and
et ae;as a Spanish minstrel. He was a smart foppish sort
.ellow who thought every personal wo came in contact
1_"1.• hint deeply smitten with his appearance. His
tula_e_lr glossy hitir, rendered still more glossy by some unc-
Nun" aPpliance—his fanciful dress, and his gentlemanly de-
Prc)nebt-all these, added to a good natural voice and the
o..eueieney he had attained as a guitarist, rendered him an
..,01 et of peculiar interest among the gentry, by whom he
,7eas._elloticed, and taken from the streets into their houses and
;;:liesit.ys,otinSgundry young ladies thought him " a nice young
11`11:' and married ladies confessed their admiration ot him.
.people flitted with him, and the old folk became
gay in the mpany of the poor exile(' Spaniard—the
andr yt,org creature who had been obliged to quit his country
ii home in consequer ce of having formed political notions
c,l to the exerting Government. Presently Juan de
after having visited Canterbury, Margate. Rains-
mta and Brighton, published a book, in which
not sparing in his remarks upon the gay and vole-
c induct of these who had fed him, and furnished him
iltyterd and gold. The young were reiained that they had
.'
e with a stranger, and the more matronly blushed for
e t folly and the dirty conduct of Juan de Vedra. Time, the
eit agsnt in developing all hidden things, at length dis-
covered the author of the work to be, not Juan de Vedra, but
i.
tiAir• Cochrane, and many were the curses uttered against
nt lu consequence. We had lost sight of Mr. Cochrane for
s:"Y ea-a ; but at length his name came upon the carpet,
In c liii.nction with that of Mr. Walter, Mr. Bond Cabbell,
Mb:lm)%
n• 1 Mr. Hansard, and since then he has been a sort of soup-
tfahi:ettuyare,er-general to the Poor Man's Guardian Society
iibi7he-bv, whose greatest claim to notice has
with which it has hitherto wormed subscrip-
t:lll2.7 out of the pockets of the rich, for the alleged object of
i'll,tii,g the poor—though how many poor men and
ert have been assisted by the society, except in the
trrt,cle of soup, we have it not in our power to state. Well,
"• Cochrane, backcd up by the soup-kettles, and thinking
that his connexion with a few great men besides, amid
c3pecially the Poor Man's Guardian Society, must
Selre him a 'great 'teal of notice and popularity, offered
!Ant-Itself to represent Westminster, anti then came the letters
Ide 11 The Sun, wondering whether Mr. Cochrane was the Juan
Vedra of such unenviable notoriety. Mr. Cochrane bore
the Pelting like a martyr for some days ; but at length the