The Sun.
London, England, 1823-04-22 00:00:00

[MORNING CIIRONICLE.I

Few persons in the present day. wilt be dis-
posed to contest the position that our immense
national debt is a great evil. It is no doubt held
iu aversion on very different grounds by different
classes of persons. The economist, for instance,
sees in it a substruction from the means of the
community in general, the Boroughmongers see
in it a limit to profuse expenditure. Another
objection has not unfregnently been lately taken
to it, both in and out of Parliament, namely,
that it prevents us from yielding to our generous,
impulses in favour of the Spaniards. But is
it so certain that, if we were without debt, a
Government constituted like that of this country,
would be disposed to expend its revenues in such
a way as might give satisfaction to the friends of
independence ? Let us always bear in mind that
the sympathies of our Government, ever since we
had no Pretender, have been with arbitrary Mo-
narchs, its hatred directed against popular rights.
In combating Buonaparte, indeed, the Govern.
meet was for a tithe the advocate of popular
rights, as the Devil, when it serves his turn,
appears an angel of light. The liberality,
however, was only the exception. Let us bear
in mind too, that the recent Nogociations
of our Government, however interspersed now
and then with objections to French interference
with Spain, were actually carried on in the
interest of the French Government. It happens
wonderfully that the servants of the English
Goyernment abroad always act as if they sup-
posed their services in behalf of the French Go.
vernment would he acceptable at home.—We are
a fraud, therefore, that till a Parliamentary Reform
takes place, Liberty would gain little by the
in-
ce-eased wealth of the Government. That assist-
ance whit is now afforded sat akingly to des.
potism,, *Dula) in the other case he afforded
boldly -and impudently,-'The French Ultra
Papers, indeed, boast that the majority of our
Cabinet is with them, though Mr. Canning and
Lord Liverpool throw out now and then a semi.
liberal sentiment, as a tub to a whale.

[THE TIMES.]
The Dublin Evening Post of Thursday la
contains the particulars of many ferocious ou

rages in Cork, Limerick, Clare, Galway, Meath,
and Dublin, The two Grand Juries of the
County and City of Cork have addressed the Lord
Lieutenant, upon the state of the country. It is
affirmed in these addresses, " that the spirit of in-
" Surrection is rapidly extending—that there have
" come before the County Grand Jury nearly
" a hundred petitions for compensation for damage
" sustained by fire, destruction of cattle by
" stabbing and houghing, breaking machinery,
" &c. ;" and that, after a patient inquiry,
there are not more than four or five cases
which do not appear fit subjects for relief
from the country—that many have been turned
naked out of their dwellings, to behold them,
a few moments afterwards, in ashes—that
many have been intimidated into an aban-
donment of their lands—that all who have given
evidence against insurgents have done so at the
risk of their lives, and some who had only made
statements respecting property destroyed, have
been speedily punished by the destruction of their
own houses. In the county of Cork' two soldiers
and a policeman were attacked on the road
while returning home from duty. One of the
soldiers died next day from the brutal treatment
he had suffered, and the policeman had his ears
and one of his cheeks cut off! The spirit of
depredation has approached, it seems, within
two miles of Dublin. A. Mr. 14oughnan, of
Prospect-place, was forced to deliver up a
large quantity of arms, which the ruffians demand-
ed from him as " a loan." Several cabins have
been attacked and levelled with the ground in
the same metropolitan county, and the inhabi-
tants barbarously ill-treated.'

[MORNING HERALD.]

Saturday's papers, with private accounts to a
late hour of that day, were received yesterday from Paris. The
contents of the latter are the more interesting. An important
Note is stated to have been presented to the French Ministry by

the British Ambassador. Its purpose was to remonstrate
against the formation of a pretended Junta of Government, as-
suming to exercise the sovereignty of Spain, at the head-quar.
ters of the Duke of Angouleme. It certainly presents a strange
anomaly that the Government of the King and Cortes should
be acknowledged as alone legitimate in Spain, by the King of
England, whilst his ally and friend, the King of France ac-
knowledges only the insurrectionary force of " the Faith."—
But it is the nature of what is morally unjust to lead to the ano-
malous and the absurd—like that which is false in science.
Another result of constituting this pretended sovereign Junta
is, that it makes the war, a •alar ad iuteruecioaem. The French
cannot negociate with a government which they do not ac-
knowledge. What the precise form of Sir C. Stuart's note is,
does not distinctly appear. If it be a mere protest, it is only
so much waste parchment in the diplomatic archives of the
period, and as the act has been already done, the Note comes
too late to be any thing else. The French Government must
have erected the Junta with or without communication of the
matter to Sir C. Stuart. In either case—that is, whether the
French Ministry acted without committing him, or in spite of
his remonstrance—it. is not likely that his protest will have
any weight. ' Another statement in the private accounts is,
that the maritime war has already commenced, and if without
any important advantage, yet with some eclut to the Spanish
flag. A French frigate, it is said, has beets captured in dashing
stylo, and in sight of Brest, by two Spanish vessels of, the one
fifteen the other twenty guns. These small vessels arc de-
scribed merely as " bearing Spanish colours." It is almost
certain, however, that they arc strictly Spanish, being King's
ships, and not privateers. Another French vessel laden with
corn, was captured by a 'Spanish privateer, and brought into St.
Sebastian. These captares excited much alarm among the mer-
chants of Bordeaux and Havre, for the safety of the vessels ex-
pected to arrive shortly at those ports. The prOgress of the
French is . slow, and the fortune of the Spanish Insur-
gents unfavourable. The signal, and indeed, consider.
ing their superior numbers, disgraceful defeat of the
latter, near Valencia, is a great blow to their cause. The
army of Marshal Moncey, at Perpignan, had not yet moved,
but was to pass the frontier upon the Duke of Angouleme's
reaching the Ebro —a somewhat indefinite period, considering
that no impression has yet been made upon'St. Sebastian and
Pampeluna. The French War Ministry has recently under-
gone sonic curious mutations. As soon as Marshal Victor left
Paris for -Bayonne, his deputy assumed the style and title of
principal,' and three important functionaries of the department
were removed, and had their places supplied by the new Mini.
ster. Victor, however, being returned back upon the Govern-
ment at Paris, like an undwned parcel, took possession once
more of the lintel of the War-office, ousted Dijeon, and turn.
ed out the newly app6inted functionaries," and .placed the
bureaux on the same footing upon which he left them. It is
evident that either by counter-manceuvring—or, what is not
Impossible, by something like brute force, he has triumphed
over the intrigue by which it was attempted to get rid of him.
The French Journals amuse themselves with the speedy retire-
ment of Mr. Canning, in consequence of offence' taken by his
Colleague* ut the antigallican tone of hits speech on presenting
the Diplomatic Papers to the House of Commons.

Enarrlsit PRESS.]
Letters from Bayonne say, that the loss of the
French before St. Sebastian was much heavier than Guillemi-
not's dispatch or the French Ministers admitted. These letters
state it at between 00 and 100 killed, and 500 wounded and pri-
soners. The Journal des bibats states, that "Pampeluna and St.
Sebastian are invested, but that they have not'been attacked and
all therumours circulated onthat point are absurd and ridiculous;
that in a few days 100,000 men will be In line, and then the deci-
siVe blow 'wlll be struck. We ask, if these troops are collected to
such an amount ? which we very much doubt. How are they
to be fed ? or whence is their subsistence to be derived ? for
that point is yet to be arranged. Angouleme, according to the
prophecies of the wretched Ultras, was to conquer all before-him
on' entering -Spain, but his invincibility has already disappeared..
Two strong fortresses are in his rear, and he has acquired no-
thing yet but' sang froid." The French Funds bad fallen
considerably, and are a pretty good indication of the state of
public feeling in Paris. Rentes, on Friday, declined from 04f.
20c. to 02f. 15c. On Saturday they rallied a little, and advanced
to 03f. Our private letters state two important facts : the first
that Sir Charles Stewart had presented a note to the French
Ministers, said to be framed in strong terms, protesting against
the tOrmation of a junta of government at the head-quarters of
Angoulemc. We are inclined to believe that the Spaniards
themselvei will protest much more efficiently than the British
Ambassador against this circle of traitors anti servile:. After
the precious "exhibits" laid on the table of. the House of Coin,
mons, we are sick of notea, protests, and Unglish 'diplomacy ;
but the second fact stated w our correspondent is of snore-mo-
ment, and chews that all the glories of the great campn do not
rest with the French. The conununication to us is date" Satu-
rday even i ng," and states, that the French frigate IMi uerri ere was
taken, almost in sight of Brest, by two armed vessels bearing
Spanish colours, one of which was a bri,q carrying from 15 to
20 guns : it appears the frigate suffered- severely. This is a
good commencement by the Spaniards, and will tell badly in
France. Our letters state also, that every communication from
liourdeanx and Havre expresses the greatest alarm respecting
the vessels which are expected from day to day in these ports.
A letter from Bayonne, of the 12th instant, states the cap-
ture' by a Spanish corsair, of a French ship laden with corn,
which was carried into St. Sebastian. All the accounts we
have received agree in stating, that little beyond disaster was
expected from the French armies in Spain, and that public
feeling in France, in all the commercial and trading towns, is
at its height against this most unjust and unpopular war.

ANECDOTES OF DR. WOLCOT.
(From a _MS. Vohime of Reminiecenees.]

BY THE REV. R. POLWHELE.

To introduce the Doctor to my readers In due
form may be unnecessary. But here, if any where, I should
state, that Doctor John W. was born at Dodbrooke,* in Devon,
about the year 1740. It is commonly reported that he received
his school-education at Kingsbridge under a quaker, and that
he went from Kingsbridge to France to complete his studies.
I am greatly mistaken if I have not heard him say that he was
placed in his.childhood under the care of his uncle at Fawey,
in Cornwall, and sent at a proper age to Leskeard school, when
Hayden was its master; and that he was afterwards removed
to Bodmin school, where he owed part of his scholarship to the
Rer. Mr. Fisher. His uncle was a surgeon-apothecary of cha-
racter, and a single man ; to whom young Wolcot returned
with the view of succeeding him in business. Such, at least,
appears to have_been his uncle's wish. But Wolcot was too
early attached to the fine arts to submit to the drudgery of
compounding drugs in a little sea-port town. To the muses he
had already begun to sacrifice. I cannot fix the date of that
plaintive song—one of the sweetest of Jackson's melodies—
' How long shall hapless Colin mourn '
The cold regard of Dalia's eye.'---&c.
But I know that Wolcot's Delia was no imaginary mistress.
His Delia was Miss Couto; one of the Crocadon family ; with
whom he became acqpainted during his residence at Fawey.
There also he developed his genius for drawing: In 1769, Sir
William Trelawney, of Trelawney, Burt. was appointed Go-
vernor of Jamaica ; when Wolcot, a distant relation of the Tre-
lawneys, attended him to that island. On his voyage thither
he wrote some fine descriptive sonnets.—At Jamaica, he com-
menced the surgeon; but he was still disposed to cultivate the
art of poetry more than the art of medicine. From his Per-
sian Love-Elegies,' of that period, I could extract many beau-
tiful passages. The Nymph of .Tauris' (which may be found
in" the Annual Register for 1773) was Anne 'Trelawney,l
who died in Jamaica. The Elegies have more merit than
Collins's Persian Eclogues, inasmuch as they characterize
Eastern manners and moralities, and express passion and sen-
fount as an orientalist would express them. A valuable liv-
ing in Jamaica now happening to fall vacant, drew Wolcot's
attention to church; and he came, we are told, to England
for ordination. But the. Bishop of London refused to ad-
mit him' (it is said) " on account of his premature assump-
tion of the Clerical office.' lie had begun to act the par-
son' immediately as the living fell vacant. Thus disappointed,
he resumed his original profession, was dubbed M.D. and
stepped at once into good practice at Truro. As to his clerical
pretensions he was always reserved. He once, I remember,
was asked to repeat grace before, dinner; which he did with
some hesitation ; but in another company (very soon after) de-
clined saying grace • so that at first be was a sort of amphibi-
ous being. Here, then, commenced my personal acquaintance
with him. And I can say with truth (for I could wish to steer
with impartiality between the reports of his censurers and ad-
mirers); that he had the credit not only of a skilful but of a
benevolent physician. In fevers he was uncommonly success-
ful. In some case* within my knowledge he suffered his
patients to drink cold water, which other medical men would
then have deemed fatal. From consumption many were rescued
by his hand, who had been given up as irrecoverable.—As a
physician he prescribed medicines, but he did more ; he ex-
amined them not trusting to the apothecary ; and sometimes de-
tected with indignation a cheap medicine substituted for a costly
one. He was thus no favourite with the apothecaries and drug-
gists of the place. But his merit bearing all before it, showed the
impotence of their resentment. And here, I should not omit,
(as it is connected with his poetry) a visit to my grandmother
Polwhelc during her last illness, which had more of social plea-
santry than of medical g►ravity. On the verge of 85, and re.
duced very low from weakness, she retained her natural cheer-
fulness and gtxxl.humour. About a week before her death,
whilst NVolcot sat by her bedside, all is well' (said she) but
for the crumbs under me ; they are so hard ; boil them and it
would do'—said she smiling. • Conic tell you a story.'
She then told the story of The Pilgrim and the Peas.' Wel.
cot seized the idea ; and we all know with what felicity Tie af-
terwards turned it to his poetical advantage. Wolcot disliked
his profession. He was always a sensualist, but his chief
luxury was music and painting. His market.bilLs were very.
inconsiderable. A single domestic was, day after day, the so-
litary inhabitant of his house on the bowling-green ; and (Mr.
Daniell's tenant) he held the premises, 1 believe, rent-free,
through the liberality of that good old icentleman. When free
limn business, the wit and pleasantry ot Wolcot's conversation
Would always render him a welcome visitor at the houses of all
his acquaintance in Truro and the neighbourhood ; and at that
time there was a much more hospitable disposition, a much
more social intercourse among the people of Truro, than at
the present day. Mr. Daniell's, indeed, was the house to
which our poet chiefly resorted. There he was usually to be
found, and was never to be considered as an intruder. And in
Mr. Dlniell lie saw with gratitude (for he had gratitude) a se-
cond Allen. To my father, too, lie was not unacceptable as an
accidental visitor ; though, tremblingly alive as that honoured
parent was to every insinuation of an irreligions tendency, there
was oftentimes such a mutual distrust between both, as to check
the Doctor's lively sallies, and from the experience of former
feelings, to render my father fearful of what was to come, in
proportion to that playfulness of wit which was growing more
r familiar every moment, or was taking a more licentious rage.—
Yet. Wolcot was fond of my father's company • from fre-
quenting it, was induced to think seriously ; and had he more
frequented it, would have become, perhaps, not only almost
but altogether a Christian. It was in 1776 that Wolcot was
called in to a beloved sister, who had been seized with a sudden
stupor• and died after a week's illness, notwithstanding all his
efforts, and those of Dr. Gould then resident at St. Austel,
now at Truro. Both ' physicians, though unable to define
her disease, entertained hopes of her recovery ; particularly
NVolcot, of whom my, father's high opinion was much
shaken after his protestation the day only before her death, that
she was in no danger. " I vow to God I see no danger !" said
'he :—lt was very seldom, however, that the Doctor thus com-
nritted himself.
At the south-end of the town, on the west-side of the street,
and on the east-shore of the estuary which approaches Kings-
bridge. is an ancient house with gardens, which for many gene-
' rations belonged to the WOlcots. Here was Dr. NV. born.
And so fond had lie always appeared of the place, that for se-
veral years he talked of rebuilding it for his own residence.—
, Some years ago he went so far as to have a plan and estimate
of the ex pence. But at length he changed his intention, and
in 1795 disposed of the fee to the Reverend Nathaniel Wells,
who has since built, (as I have heard) a neat house there. In
honour of the Poet, the neighbourhood good-humouredly,
called it " Pindar-Hall."
_

-4-Accortringio the Doctor's report, Anne Trelawney,was
uncommonly credulous Wolcot used to tell a story of a
cherub, caught one evening on the blue mountains—which was
pUt into a cage with a parrot. Before the morning, the parrot
had picked out the eyes of the poor cherub. This the Lady re-
ceived, on the Doctor's credit, as an indisputable fact.

SPORTING INTELLIG ENCE,

BETTING-ROOll, APRIL

3.—STATE OF THE ODDS
tnV.
13 to 1 agst Br. to Carbonaro
17 to 1 agat Tancred
20 to 1 agst Lamia c.
20 to 1 agst Web C.
20 to 1 agst Talisman.
KS.
4 to 1 agst Whalebone 1. out
Sister to NVanderer,
ST. LEG ER•
12 to 1 agat Miss Fanny
20 to 1 agst Valais Royal.

1)$li

t to 2 agat Emilius
5 to
I agat Fanatic
10 to I agst Aladdin c.
10 to 1 agst c. by Woful, out
Blucher's dant
A.l

ti.to 2 agst Zaida filly
to l agst Tint
DONCASTER
11 to 2 agst Sherwood
8 to I agst Tinker

PEDESTRIANISM. —Townshend, who calls himself the
Champion of England in this line of art, and who challenges
all the world, commence yesterday morning an extraordinary
task. lie is backed for a wager of 1001. to walk fifty miles per
day, for three successive days, of 12 hours each (one hour al.
lowed for refreshment), half the distance to be performed back-
wards. The ground marked out is one quarter of a mile round
the Wellington Cricket-ground, Sloane-street, Chelsea. The
I.,,round is not strictly circular, and, to complete the measure-
ment, the corded bounds are extended into angles, which appear
to annoy the pedestrian exceedingly when walking backwards,
and occasioned two or three falls. lie started at 7 o'clock in the
morning, and regularly performed the five miles walking
towards, in an hour and a few seconds; but walking back-
wards, takes on the average one hour and fifteen minutes. Ile
stopped to refresh four times during the morning, and at a
few minutes after two, took dinner upon roast mutton,
drinking milk and. water, having, then performed thirty
miles, fifteen fbrwards, anti as many backwardS. Ile com-
plained ea slight pain in the back of his legs and thighs,
but seemed very cheerful. Townshend is thirty-one years of
age, five feet live inches anti a half, and weighs ten stone, seven
pounds. At half-past seven he had not quite two miles to
perform to complete his first day's task, and had half an hour
toi its performance. He was quite fresh and cheeful.