The Sun.
London, England, 1823-05-14 00:00:00

M !MCA NTI 1,1 i; Sill Nil NG.

DEAL, MAY 13.—Wind S.W.—Arrived last night and sailed
for the River the Uptan Castle, from Bombay ; Minstrel,
Barnes, Calcutta ; Rose, Corneby, Lisbon ; and this afternoon
the Asia, from Gibraltar. Came down from the River this
morning the Princess Charlotte of Wales, Gribhle, for Madras
and Bengal ; the Marquis of Wellington, Blanchard, ditto ;
George Home, Young, Batavia, Sincapore, &c.; Alfred,
Tobago ; Aurora, Young, Gibraltar i • St. Domingo, Young,
St. Domingo; Harleston, Gulliver, South Seas.—The Bengal
Merchant broke her anchor whilst weighing this morning, and
has been supplied with another, and still remains.
PORTSIIIOI.IIII, MAY 13.—Wind W. S.W.—Arrived the
Independent, Carter, from Malta.
PLYMOUTH, May 12.—Wind S.W.—Arrived the Nymph,
Watkins, from Messina.

FA 1.310 U ru, MA v 12.—Wind S.W.—Arrived the Brothers,
Davison, from Cephalonia.
DAR TmouT MAY 12.—Arrived the Clementina, Tozer.
from Gibraltar, with loss of boats and other damage. She
brings Government dispatches, and an account that the Mar-
quis of Hastings had arrived there on the 29th ult. in the Glas-
gow frigate from Calcutta, on his way to Genoa.

The Lion, Blasdale, from Alaranham to Bahia, has put
back, and been condemned.

suT T E E.

The following interesting account of one of
these dreadful sacrifices is extracted from the
letter of an English Officer who superintended the
ceremony he describes :
" DummyAK, OCT. 18.—In my present situation it fall's
to my lot to preside over the executions of criminals, and also
over those horrible exhibitions peculiar to this country, of a
widow burning herself on the funeral pile of her dead husband ;
and as the authentic account of such a scene may be interesting,
I send you a short description of a suttee at which 1 was lately
present in my new character of presiding officer. The day be-
fore it took place (as is customary) a report came from the
police of the widow's intention to burn herself if the magistrate
gave his permission. On the -principle of religious toleration
this is always given ; the magistrate is allowed to argue, and to
endeavour to dissuade the woman from her purpose, but cannot
absolutely forbid it, unless under certain circumstances, such
as when it is not perfectly voluntary on her part. Myself and
several friends went to her house, and did all we could to turn
her from her design, butshe answered only by quoting her bible,
in which she obsery itis written," The widow who burns herself
with her husband's body enjoys happiness with him in Heaven.
Havingthusfailed in our entreaties, which are, indeed, usually to
no purpose, we ordered a guard to watch, and take care that slue
had no opitim or intoxicating drugs given her, and that she
went to her death in her senses, at least as much so as she could
be under the influence of such extraordinary fanaticism. The
next morning, at day-break, we proceeded to the ground ap-
propriated to the ceremony, where the woman had gust arrived
In a rude sort of car, carried on men's shoulders, and accom-
panied by the barbarous music of her country. She seemed
quite unconcerned at the preparations for the horrid sacrifice she
was about to perform. For my part, when I looked at the pile
on which lay her husband's dead body, the faggots, her nearest
relations with firebrands lighting the pile, the victim dressed
and adorned with flowers, the whole scene appeared to me us a
frightful vision : I could hardly persuade myself of its reality.
I spoke to her once more (being a high-caste woman, she spoke
the Hindoostane language), and represented to her the horrible
death she was about to suffer, anti the long time she must con-
tinue in the most dreadful agony. I urged to her that it was no
sudden or easy death by which she was to reach paradise, but
protracted course of torture. She heard me out with calm.
nets, thanked me for my intentions, which she admitted were
good, but again repeated her intention so decidedly as to preclude
any hope of saving her. I felt her pulse, and it was far calmer
than my own at the moment 1 am writing. Airs. E. (of
whom I have often made honourable mention) thinking her
persuasions as one of her own sex, might avail, then went up
to the wretched victim, and in the most earnest manner tried
to dissuade her. She offered her a pension for life, and an
honourable asylum in the Company's territories. Among other
inducements, intending it probably as an appeal.to -female
vanity, Mrs. E. said that she should 'be made a lady of, and •
have a palanquin to ride; she immediately answered, pointing
to the pile, ee lismara palkec hp—that is my istdanquin.”
The victim then performed various ceremonies, and prepared •
herself to jump on the pile, which was blazing to receive her.
The flames had arisen to a great height, anti they were feeding
them with tar and faggots. I then addressed her for the last
time ; told her no force should be used to keep her in the tire,
but conjured her, if her resolution failed, to jump out and run
to me; that I was surrounded by my • policemen, and that I
would bear her away from her cruel relations to a place of
safety, where they should never see her more. Her resolution
was•not to be shaken. She then distributed flowers and sweet-
meats, gave me a piece of her dress, and having danced three
times round the pile, threw herself in. At that moment the
people shouted, the drums and native music struck up, and if
she uttered any cries I heard them not. She resolutely sat in
the tire, apparently alive, for two or three minutes, hut moved
only her hands occasionally. Stich is the description of a dread-
ful act that takes place every day 1"

MELANCHOLY ACCIDENT.—A poor industrious
woman named Cork, a widow with eight children, living
at Barrow Green, in the parish of Tenham, was heating
her oven on Sunday morning last, for the purpose of bak'ng
some bread for- the use of her family (being prevente:l front
so doing at other times, by the daily labour necessary for the
support of herself and children), unfortunately her clo:ties
caught fire by the flame from the mouth of the oven ; two of
the children being present; and ' seeing their mother in flames,
attempted with great presence of mind to extinguish the
fire with a great coat, but their efforts were too kale to
succeed; having burnt themselves in the attempt, they ran for
aasistarm, but before any could be afforded, the ptior woman's
clothes were almost entirely brunt from her; what .remi.inNl
of them were extinguished by a pail of water being thrown over
her ; a thick pair of stays appears to have saved the vital
parts of her body. She is still living, but in a most dreadtlil
state of suffering, with but little hopes of recovery. It appears
she was so alarmed from the moment of her clothes taking fire,
as to be incapable of the least effUrt to save herself. A comb
which was in her hair was burnt almost to a cinder.--(
stone Journal, May 13.)

CORN EXCHANGE., Max 1,1.
Our supplies since Monday are short, except some arrivals of
a few Irish Oats, Wheat commading rather' higher price, and
.we have ready sale of flour at fht. —Oats sell fully as well
as on last Monday.—Pcuse and Beans are somewhat -Weer in
price.

VIE LONDON JOURNALS.

DAILY
Earacts from the Morning Papers, May 14.

[MORNING CHRONICLE.)
The disposal of the Marquess of flastings,now
on his return to England,' has, we learn, given
rise lately to several discussions in the Cabinet.
It has been proposed that he should succeed as
Lord High Commissioner of the lonian Islands,
&c., Sir Thomas Maitland, who, for various rea-
sons, is the last man who ought to be at the head
.of affairs in that part of Europe, at the present
conjuncture. According to the received notions
It may be deemed no slight condescension on the
part of the Marquess of Hastings, to accept of the
lonian Islands,after ruling over nearly 100 millions
of subjects. A new title and the Embassy.to Vi-
enna were at first in contemplation for him; but we
hear the interference of the Great Captain of
the again behalf of a near relative succeeded in
the highest quarter, in opposition to very power-
ful interest, and even the wishes of the Prime
Alinister. The enlarged views and kind and
conciliatory character of the Marquis of Hastings
peculiarly fit him for the situation now filled by
Sir Thomas Maitland, at an agitated period like
the present. We do not, at all events, suppose
the Greeks would have cause to regret his ap-
pointment.

The accounts from Ireland are of a very
alarming nature. If the peasantry, encouraged
by the success of the Captain Rock system,'
should think of movements on a larger scale, the
Government would be much less embarrassed
than they are at present. The disturbed districts
would then be declared under Martial Law, and
the flames of rebellion would be extinguished by
the blood of the unfortunate and misguided pea-
santry. The present disturbances are infinitely
more formidable to Government than an organ-
ized rebellion would be, because, its force is liar-
rassed to death by an invisible enemy* We really
cannot see, if the people do not attempt a general
rising, how Government are to obtain any mastery
over them. Insurrection Acts, and all other Acts
of the same description, will always be inoperative
against a population like that of. the South of
Ireland, united together by a common bond of
wretchedness, who have no interest in sup-
portibg authority, who have nothing to lose
and nothing to fear. But we suppose every
attempt will be made to produce a rising.—
There is concentrated in Ireland (said Mr.
Gamble in 1819) cause sufficient to erase half
the actual generation from the earth." Appear-
ances certainly favour the supposition that a
crisis of some such nature is not far distant. An
terval of torpor mill next succeed, till the miser-
able and neglected Population, again spurred on•
by the excess of its misery, Oat) rush into
fresh violence and excesses. This is a melan-
choly prospect; but who will say that there is
ground for indulging in any other? We see no
disposition to grapple with the evils of Ireland—
l'a thatives, palliatives for ever.—Scotland was
the scene of frequent violent convulsions from the
Union of the Crowns, till after the extinction
of the rebellion in 1745. After that event, which
destroyed the cause of convulsion, the progress
of improvement astonished all who, witnessed it.
John Wesley remarks, in his Journal, in June
t‘2, 1788, "In the evening I preached at Dun-
bar—lmmediately after preaching we set out.
How is the face of this country changed in a few
years It was twenty years ago dreary enough;
but it is now as a pleasant garden." This was
said of the finest part of Scotland. But Scot-
land_was not abandoned to all sorts of abuse as
Ireland is;--A sae direction was given to the
energies of the people. The extinction of are-
hellion in Ireland only tempted the Government
and the ascendancy to he more audacious.— (Ibid.)

['pm
The debate on the continuance of the Irish
Insurrection Act, moved by Mr. Goulburn on
Monday evening, was one of fearful interest;
let if any thing could be more surprising than
the unaltered wretchedness of Ireland, forming
*8 she does a portion at once so extensive and so
,vital of 'this: great civilized empire, it would be
the inveterate apathy With which the bulk of our
English countrymen regard the current, or rather
the vortex of Irish public affairs.
,Instead of a
limited monarch rind a loyal nation, Ireland has
for ages presented to us the picture of a des-
potic oligarchy, and a people incessantly plot-
ting or executing schemes of bloody insurrec-
tion. The picture remains unchanged : but it
seems on all sides admitted that a fresh grouping
of the figures is now unavoidable. "l'he Insurrec-
tion Act, an imperfect, but we believe indispensa blc
expedient, has been again proposed by the Irish
Minister to Parliament. The speech of Mr.
Goulburn was little more than a recominendation
°Hills harsh and unconstitutional measure, on
the express ground that it had not succeeded to
the extent which he himself had promised at its
former Introduction, inasmuch as the tranquillity
which the 'act was to establish had been left,
by it in a condition deplorably incomplete.
But a reason—a characteristic reason, we must
pronounce it—was discovered for the failure
of the Insurrection Act, and by consequence a
new motive for prolonging it, by two Irish mem-
bers of- tjje old school. Sir N. Cotthurst stated
that too much forbearance had been evinced by
the Irish Government, and that
.the people were
afraid to give evidence against iiffenderss What
cure was an Insurrection Act, then, for evils
like these ? It was alleged, again, by Lord
Ennismore, that the people of Ireland are dis-
tinguished by a " total contempt of danger,"and
therefore 'that they eau be no otherwise to.
vented but by fear! NoW, acknowledging that
'm better grounds than thosq adduced by the
Lord and Barinio, the Insurrection Act may be
a necessary mischief, is it not dreadful that men
are to he found, so high in station and in power
over their fellow subjects, upon whom ex-
perience is utterly thrown away ? What was
the state of Ireland in 1798; and the two or
three yeai's preceding—was it not a struggle be-
tween coercion and resistance ? And did coer-
cion under LOrd- Camden and the Orangemen put
down the rcbellious spirit of the multitude ? Was it I

not, on the contrary', reserved for Lord Corn-
wallis to extinguish the insurrection, by a return
to the principles of humanity and mildness in his
administration of the law ? What is the whole
history of Ireland since Elizabeth, but that of a
reign of terror ? What but a living reproach to
Lord Ennismore's maxim that the people of Ire-
land must be ruled by force ? And well does he
conclude his speech, by an illustration, of the real
wisdom of such a Government, when he affirms
that a large portion of the Irish arwatthis mo-
ment 44 ripe for rebellion," than at any former
period! We, indeed, have fears that the latter
allegation is true.

[BRITISH PRESS.]
There has been nothing very rapid in this
movement (Vide the Telegraphic Dispatch, dated
Paris, May 12, in the SUN of this day).—More
than a fortnight has elapsed since we were told
the head-quarters were at Burgos, and several
days have passed since it was announced that
Valladolid was in possession of the French ; yet
now it appears only a movement had been made
upon that city by the first corps, and Angouleme's
quarters still remain stationary at Burgos, near
120 miles from Madtid. As to the brilliant recep-
tion given to Angouleme, and all the trash about
the joy of the Spaniards in seeing their country
overrun by a foreign-force—us Lord Grey, with
the memory and discrimination that distinguish
him, remarked in his speech of Monday night.—
Soult and the other French Marshals' dispatches
in the former war were full of this fraudulent
jargon. Soult then wrote from the South of
Spain, " The inhabitants of Andalusia are all in
a repose;` their countenances are open and placid.
The King (Joseph-the Usurper) is everywhere
received with the most enthusiastic joy. In fact
the whole nation are tired of their sufferings, and
receive us with affection." This was the language of
falsehood at that day, and not an atom more false
than that of Angouleme and his parasites at the
present. Sunday's papers state the important junc-
tion of the Portuguese General with Morillo, at
Leon, and that united they had an imposing force
of 16,000 men. Madrid was tranquil. The
Conde Abisbal was said to have adopted every
measure to prevent excesses being committed by
the bands of the Faith, in• case it became ad-
viseable to evacuate the capital on the ap-
proach of the French troops. In the interval
the inhabitants of either rank or property were
quitting the city, with their, effects and families,
in crowds. This proclamation of the infamous
Junta had exasperated the most lukewarm; and
their atrocious proceeedings in Biscay and Na-
varre, where proscription was going qu in its
worst forms, had convinced all Spaniards what
they have to expect from this band of traitors and
intolerants. Tne former Ministry continued in
their functions in Spain, and it was not thought
those recently named would accept the appoint-
ments. Ind eedwe do not see why San Miguel Banos,
or his collean•ues, should be superseded. Repeated
changes of Ministry can introduce nothing but
weakness and discordance into the Spanish councils.
France, previous to the mighty convulsion pro-
duced by the Revolution, had a new set of Mi-
nisters almost every month ; the result was, all
confidence and energy departed from her Cabi-
net ; and repeated changes of the same descrip-
tion in Spain must be productive of equally de-
structive results. Continual demands were
making to the Cortes for commissions to
form corps of Guerillas. Spain cannot arm
her hardy population too generally,, or form
too many bands of this most necessary de-
scription. The warfare they can wage will
be most consuming and destructive to the
French armies. Letters from Bayonne to the
4th state, that Oudinot's (the Duke of Reggio)
head-quarters were, on the 25th, at Burgos,
and that it was expected he would advance
on Madrid without any opposition. The con-
stitutional troops under the orders of Morillo,
which were at Valladolid, were prepared to fall
back on Astorgo. This place lies in the pro-
vince of Leon, in a plain, on the river Tueira,
25 miles south-west of Leon. The constitutional
troops which occupy the mountains in the
Asturias were to hold them as long as they could
as partisans ; if obliged to retreat they had
orders to fall back on Leon, and join Morillo.
was not exactly know what direction Abis-
hal would take if obliged to quit Madrid ; that
of course must be governed by future circum-
stances, and the position of the invaders. The
vile Junta were carrying terror in the train.
independent of the arrest, of two hundred
persons, male anti female, at Puente la Reyna)
under the directions of this infamous body, arrests
and proscriptions had followed in several other
,places. Twenty-six were already counted at
Vittoria. This is only the commencement of
that dreadful system, which, if accomplished, as
its abettors wish, 'would people every dungeon
in Spain. We shall soon see, according to the
proclamation of the Trappist, the bloody Inqui-
sition again restored, with its train of fami-
liars and tortures. Amarante is stated to
have arrived as an almost isolated fugitive at
Burgos ; the factious he commanded are said to
have been utterly dispersed by the Constitutional
General Rego, who had from 8000 to 9000 men
under his individual command iii Spain. Ac-
counts from Perpignan to the 3d of May state,
that Marshal Moncey had set out on the 27th
from his head-quarters at Peralada, and had
gone to Besalu, to direct in person the movements
of the troops destined to attack Mina, who,
it was said, had concentrated his forces in the
positions of St. Feriol to Santa Pau. ~ The Me.
ficarnois states, that, the Spanish General
Juan Martin, culled the Empecinado, had fallen
back on Madrid, and that Abisbal had received
orders to retreat on Andalusia. Three French
regiments, it appears, only remained to mask
Saint Sebastian. Several soldiers, ill with fever,
had arrived at Toulouse ; their distress is attri-
buted to the rains which had fallen, and the un-
wholesome dampness of their bivouacs. The
guerillas certainly succeeded, it appears, in ear.
rying off, some short time since, a convoy of mill-
tary effects in the environs of Salinos ; it fell into
the hands of the Spanish soldiers almost under
the eyes of the escort. This is only the com-
mencement of this harrassing system of warfare,

which will be ultimately more destructive, with'
the climate and want of resources, to the French,
than twenty battles.

[MORNING POST.]
The speech of Earl Grey, on Monday night,
presents a singular instance of self-delusion. The Noble Earl
labours' without any apparent consciousness of the hopeless-
ness of the task, to prove that his present opinions, with re-
spect to the duty and interests of England in relation to the
contest now proceeding in the Peninsula, is quite consistent
with those he deemed it proper to proclaim when the Spaniards
were before struggling for their national independence against
the power and ambition of France. He quotes, with much
emphasis, the general principles he then laid down, and asserts
with a solemnity altogether needless, that he does not now
swerve from them. If a charge of inconsistency can be thus
rebutted, it is of all charges the most harmless and un-
meaning. It is only in the application of general principles to
given circumstances, that any two Statesmen are likely at the
same period to form different opinions, or any individual
Statesman, at different periods, to form inconsistent ones. Let
the abstract principles of Earl Grey be as sound and unvarying
as they may, it is nevertheless certain, that at a former period,
when the independence of Spain was at stake, and when this
country had a more direct and peremptory interest in the issue
than she can be supposed to have in the event of the present
struggle, inasmuch as the destruction of England was evi-
dently and avowedly the ulterior object of the Power by which
Spain and Europe had been overrun at that time—it is, we say,
undeniable that this Noble Statesman then did all that he could
do to chill the ardour and paralyze the exertions of England in
the cause of Spanish freedom. It is equally certain, notwith-
standing the boasted immutability of his principles, that now,
when England is in safety and at peace—when all her domestic
interests are daily advancing with accelerated steps in prosperity
—when the war between France and Spain does not of neces-
sity involve the welfare or security of England—when from the
divided sentiments of the people, both in France and Spain
no less than from the existing relations amongst the different
European powers, the interference of England in the war might
be a doubtful advantage to Spain herself—Earl Grey first mani-
fests a peculiar zeal for the cause of Spanish independ-
ence, and a signal indifference to the blessings of peace on
the one hand, or the sacrifices and calamities of war on the
other. The Noble Earl may enjoy, without exciting
envy or provoking competition, all the praise that may
be considered due to such inflexibility of principle
as Admits a discrepancy of conduct so decided as his. If in the
tail( of self-defence Lord Grey entirely failed, in that of recri-
mination he was if possible still more unfortunate. We are at
a loss to conjecture how, with no better means at his disposal,
he could be tempted to engage at once in two enterprises so
difficult, as to repel and to retort the accusation of the Secretary
of State for Foreign Affairs. Perhaps he flattered himself that
he might half succeed in one, and half in the other, and in-
tended, by some system of political arithmetic, as novel as
his notions of political consistency, to sum up these frac.
tional successes into one entire triumph. Unhappily, however,
his failure was in both cases complete. He retorted the charge
of inconsistency upon Mr. Secretary Canning, because that able
Statesman refused, on the death of Mr. Percival, to take office
'unless upon the condition that the claims of the Catholics
should engage the immediate attention of Administration, and
now fills a high station in the Government without any such
condition. If Mr. Canning, at the period alluded to, enter.
tained the opinion that he might then urge with success a mea-
sure that he thought conducive to the general good of the state,
lie would have been regardless both of duty and consistency if
he had not urged it in whatever manner seemed to him the
most likely to be effectual. Ile gave no pledge however
that the attainment of this object should in all future time,
and in all possible circumstances, be an indiensible con..
(titian to his resumption of office. Under different circum-
stances, therefore, when he could no longer foster the idea
that his acceptance or rejection of office would have any
decisive influence on that important question, he was not
only at liberty to yield to the country the full advantage
of his transcendant talents, but he was bound by strict and
unequivocal duty to do so. It appears to us that the trans-
actions to which Lord Grey recalled the recollection of the
country for the purpose of imputing inconsistency to Mr. Can.
ning, is precisely that to which a judicious eulogist would
have had recourse in order to place in the strongest possible
light his unbending integrity and his spotless honour. On the
measure in question, he has never swerved from his deliberate
and conscientious opinion. On one occasion, the only one,
when such a sacrifice could have advanced it, lie sacrificed
without reluctance or hesitation all considerations of personal
greatness to its success ; and this noble sacrifice is now per-
versely made the ground of an imputation on his consistency.