The Sun.
London, England, 1824-01-20 00:00:00

Mit. PIERCE OF BRISTOL.

A statement appeared in a Paper of yesterday
respecting the supposed discovery of this Gentle-
man, which is materially incorrect. Messrs.
CLARKE, RICHARDS, and MEDCALE, Solicitors,
of Chancery-lane, g
ive the following contra-
diction, in order to counteract any unauthorized
anticipations which the friends of Mr. PIERcE
may thencis have entertained.
Hare's belief, that be had discovered Mr. Pierce, arose from
the simple fact of the servant of the family residing at No. 18,
Buckingham-street, having given him a pair of boots to clean,
in which the name of the Maker, and his residence at Bristol,
were pasted. The Gentleman to whom they belonged was
stated to hare been a lodger in this house but a few days, and
Hare immediately repaired to the office of the respectable
Solicitors, tiorn whom we have received this statement, and
by whom the reward of 1001. is made payable by the placards
and advertisements. In consequence of this information a
Gentleman in the office (to whom the person of Mr. Pierce was
known, he being the son of his late partner), repaired to the
lodging-house, for the purpose of making further inquiries;
not fully succeeding, however, in this object, one of the prin-
cipals and another gentleman to whom Mr. Pierce was known,
subsequently applied in Buckingham-street; they there learned
that the owner of the boots was a Mr. Yates, of Bristol, and
who had taken lodgings in the house' as a temporaryy conveni-
ence, until he could procure chambers. Mr. Yates, by a singu-
lar
coincidence, bears a strong resemblance in general appear_
ante to Mr. Pierce ; Mr. Y. still resides in Buckingham-street,
The report that Mr. Pierce had been seen walking with Mr.
Palmer, jun., in Chcapside, was a day or two since brought
to Messrs. C., It., and M., who, on inquiry of Mr. Palmer,
ascertained that he had only been in company with a Gentle-
man of the name of Yates, of Bristol, who had just arrived in
London from that city. We believe that Mr. Palmer, jun.,
and Mr. Yates, served their clerkships in the same office—that
of a most respectable Solicitor at Bristol. Singular, therefore,
as may be thought, the circumstance of hare's fixing on this
same Gentleman (Mr. Yates), as Mr. Pierce, from his boots
having in them. the name of a Bristol tradesmen, neither of the
suspicions have any rational origin, and the favourable ex-
pectations which this promulgation may have excited, it has
been our unpleasant duty to disappoint. Thus, it unhappily
appears, that no clue whatever has yet been discovered to ac-
count for the mysterious and distressing absence of Mr. Pierce,
and the afflicted friends of that gentleman fear that the worst
has befallen him.

Although it seems to be the opinion, both of a
great part of the Public, and of the majority of
our brother Journalists, that there are no grounds
for dreading, either that France seriously intends
to make a hostile attack on South America, or
that the new States of that Continent are really
in any danger of being again subjected to the
dominion of Spain, yet we confess that we are
still sceptical as to the sincerity of French profes-
sions on the one hand, and somewhat apprehensive
as to the incorruptibility of South American pa-
triotism and the stability of South American in-
dependence on the other. That the patriot
forces are chiefly composed of men who have
hazarded, and who are ready to continue tl►e
hazard of their lives, in defence of that freedom
which they have substantially purchased with
their sufferings and their blood, and that many of
their leaders and commanders, as well as many of
the persons by whom the functions of the olif-
ferent Governments are exercised, are un-
doubtedly as incapable of being- basely
purchased, as they are of being intimidated, into
a surrender of the independence of their country,
is true. It is not less true, that South America,
with the elements of resistance which she pos-
sesses, and the energies that she is capable of
exerting, might bid defiance not only to the
combined power of France and Spain, but
to all the efforts which the united strength
of the Holy Alliance could direct against
her. Those persons, however, who imagine
that these considerations present a sufficiently
solid and satisfactory guarantee for the secu-

rite and permanent emancipation of the South,
Americans, have been but little instructed bf
the history .of modern diplomacy, and by the fate
which has cut short the career of modern revolt'
lions. The events of the last year in Spaitraione
furnish irresistible evidence- of the sudden ruin
which may at once crush the best-founded hopes
and overwhelm a political fabric apparently well
and firmly established, and faithfully and strongly
supported. No army could be more ardently at-
tached to tha Government and to the cause of
its cquntry, than that of the Spanish Constite.
tionalists, many thousands of whom are still
immured in the prison's of their perfidious ene
mies, into which they chose to be thrown, rather
than basely unite themselves to the banners of
those who had sworn to subvert the liberties of
the Peninsula. No army could boast of better
braver, or more experienced Generals that
those which the Spaniards seemingly posses-
sed in their MINA, their BALLASTERO3, MO'
rtur,o, and A BISRAL. No depository of a
nation's power ever displayed -greater firm-
ness and patriotism than that inflexible Cortes
which maintained the rights of Spain till she
sunk under the united force of foreign violence
and domestic treoson, and whose last act was to
protest against a power that it was no longer able
to combat, and which only separated in order that
its Members might become fugitives and beggars
in foreign lands, The Executive Government of
Spain, with the personal exception of the KlNG-
himself (who, however, was powerless as an
enemy to the nation), was as sincere in at-
tachment to the Constitution as the Cortes.
--Yet, notwithstanding all these: element;
of strength, and in' spite of the hiroic and
persevering exertions of MINA, who alone, of
the principal Commanders, did his duty to his
country in her hour of peril, a campaign of sit
months subdued and disarmed all Spain, and
plunged her into the hopeless abyss of anar,i
chy and wretchedness by which she is still
overwhelmed. It would be needless to say that
this ruin was produced by corruption rather than
by the sword. The true causes of the triumph
of Frauce, and of the bands of the Inquisition,
are too well known, and too fresh in the recol-
lection of our Readers, to require re-capitulation-
Amongst the Spaniards of South America there
may be found Anrsnar.s and MoarrAos as well
as amongst those of Europe.

_

CITY, Twelve o'Ciock.—Con4ols opened thy
morning at 88i to 89, with scarce any business
doing. The great anxiety which prevailed on
account of the Spanish and French armaments,
supposed for the South American Colonies, has
now subsided since the distressed state of Spain
has become manifest. With respect to France,

we are informed that she is determined to remain
neutral, and professes a strict friendship for this
country. There is no news in the City.
FonEttarr MAnEET.--lip to eleven o'clock there
was not a bargain done in any Foreign Securities
in the above Market, which has not happened
for a length of time ; and to the present hour
scarce any thing has been done.—Spanish Bonds
may be quoted to 211.

We have been furnished with the follow-
ing gratifying intelligence from LLoYn's this

morning :