The Sun.
London, England, 1824-05-13 00:00:00

CLENNELL.

The misfortunes of this highly gifted Artist
have been of a deep and awful character ; but it is to be hoped
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(If Waterloo, which has been engraved, and The Banquet given
tU the Allied Sovereigns at Guildhall, painted for the late Earl
of Bridgewater, are too well known to require description.—
But the latter is peculiarly interesting, not only for the extraor-
dinary picturesque manner in which so unpromising a subject is
treated, and the faithful portraits it contains, but from its being
the immediate cause of his unhappy derangement. Devoted to
his pencil, and striving to render the picture worthy the event it
commemorates, the many arduous and complicated difficulties
he had to encounter were too much for him—his active and
enterprising mind gave way, and lie sank at once from genius
and fame, to insanity and seclusion. He became an inmate of
one or two lunatic asylums, and was finally removed to Laver-
stock House, near Salisbury, and placed under the care of Dr.
Finch. During his retirement there, his afflicted wife, the
accomplished daughter of the eminent engraver Warren, borne
down by the shock of her husband's calamity, fell a victim to the
same disease; and it is a remarkable fact, that though separated
from each other by distance, and under different superintend-
ence, the most perfect sympathy was found to have existed in the
respective stages of their disease, and the excitement and depres-
' sion were invariably mutual. In a few months the attack proved
fatal to her; and she was shortly afterwards followed to the grave
by one of her children. Thus bereaved of reason, of wife, and
child, the unconscious and unfortunate Clennell became an
object of attention to many Noblemen and Gentlemen who
knew his talents, his worth and his misfortunes. Means were
taken to procure a subsistence for him and his two remaining
children, and his friend& and patrons had the happiness to
feel that they had placed lihn above want. But scarcely was
this benevolont act accomplished, when death suddenly snatched
away his father:in-law, Warren ! In the process of time his dish
ease seemed to yield to the treatment he had received, and the
first dawn of returning reason was his wish to be supplied
with pencil and paper; and it is a singular truth, that his
first efforts in drawing were directed to the very rudest and ear-
liest principles of the art. He appeared to consider it necessary
to feel his way, as it were, and to proceed by regular gradations
to the full developenient of his usual talent. The sketches
which he afterwards drew are eminently beautiful, and all
things seemed to work favourably tar his ultimate recovery ;
hilt the fear of the effect which might be produced upon his
shattered senses by tile communication of his grcat and ac-
,:umulated losses, operated as a check upon the hope of per-
feet restoration. At length the time arrived when Doctor
Finch considered the experiment might safely be made.
He therefore requested some of his family to see him, and
take his son, an interesting bOy of about ten years of age, with
them. It was a moment of intense and painful anxiety, and
the utmost caution and delicacy were necessary in unfold-
ing the miseries and privations which had befallen him; but
when, as a set-off against his overwhelming distress, his boy
was given to his arms, his feelings of delight obtained the
mastery, and lie bore the afflicting tidings with fortittide. His
earnest gaze dwelt upon his son's features—he led him with a
feeling of proud and parental affection to exhibit him to hisfellow
patients—and when tie parted from him, though he wept, he re-
linquished him with cheerfulness, and presented him with a
favourite rabbit, which he bade liiin to love and cherish. It
was received as an assurance of approaching sanity ; and as the
interview had been attended with the happiest results, it will
rejoice those friends who so ardently espouSed his cause, to hear
that he is now in a state of convalescence, and that there is
every reason to believe that a few weeks will restore him to
himself and to the world.( Salisbury Journal.)

Yesterday morning the Duke and Duchess of
CLAItENCE left their residence in Stable Yard,
St. James's, for Bushey. Their Royal High-
nesses returned to town in the evening. The
Duke of SUSSEX and the Duchess of GLoucusTEß
lisited the Princess AUGUSTA yesterday. yester-
day the Princess AU•USTA took an airing in the
Parks:

GRAND ROWING MATCit
FROM OXFORD TO LONDON IN SIXTEEN HOURS,

FOR SIX HUNDRED GUINEAS.

This Match, which has for some time created
unexampled interest among the lovers of Acquatic sports, and'.
upon the issue of which many thousand pounds were depend-
ing, was decided yesterday ;' and it is only justice to the Gen=
denten, by whose skill, exertion, and manly, ,perseverance, the
arduous task was accomplished, to say, that it was a feat never .
equalled in the annals of Aquatic Sports,—The wager was laid
by Sir JOHN BURGOYNE with Captain Sieben., for 600
guineas (and not for 1,000 guineas as erroneously stated).
The terms of the match were these :—" That six Officers
of the Third Regiment of Guards, belonging to Aquatic
Clubs, should row in a six oared wherry, from Oxford to Weste
minster-bridge, in 18 consecutive hours—the, time in the month
of May, 1824." Captain Short, who knew the skill of the
" Guard's Club," accepted the bet of the Honottrable'Baroner,
and the Gentlemen that kindly off eed to aid him in Winning'
his wager, were Captains Standen, Hudson, and Blanc ; and
Lieutenants Douglass, and Westhenry, who, with himself;
made tip the six rowers; It was agreed that the rowers
should choose their own coxswain's, and thi,t time should
be kePt by cheeks previously wound in London and Oxford.
The boat in which the wager was to be contended foe, was
built for the purpose, by Mr. Sullivan, of Millbank, altar
the plan of the Marquis of Worcester's " - Fancy," a boat
remarkable for its fleetness ; and it is no flattery to Mr. Sul-
i • •
liven to say, that he turned out as pretty. a little thing as
ever skimmed on the surface of Old Father Thames. This
match arose out of an attempt made by Lord Newry about 16
months ago to perform the same feat, with six of his servants,
in 17 hours. His Lordship lost his wager on that occasion with
Sir John Burgoyne, by 50 minutes, though wind and weather
were in his flavour, and not only Sir John, but most of the
' deep-onein" as well as the amateurs of the (aqua) " Fancy,"
and the members of the majority of the Aquatic Clubs, were
ready to offer 3 to 1 against the accomplishment of the wager.
A few days ago it was determined that yesterday should be the
day for the decision of the w!tger, and application was made by
Captain Short and hit friends to the Commissioners of the
Locks between London and Oxford, for their assistance in
clearing the bells and pans, end !applying plenty of water, as
they passed through ; this was readily grant A, and by the ar-
rangements made by the Comneissioners, at least half an hour
was gained by the rowers. No trifling interest was excited at
Oxford by the match. On Tuesday morning the whole of the
rowers had arrived at Oxford, and they all retired to bed at
eight o'clock in the evening, and-gave orders to be called uP
at two, intending to start precisely at three o'clock, from
a place named, near Oxford BricigT!. By a quarter before
three o'clock they were all attired in their aquatic club
dresses, viz. narrow striped blue and ' white trowsere,
broad striped jackets, straw hats, light shoes, and silk
stockings. They took in a little wow viler, sandwiches, &c.
and at one minute past three o'clock yesterday morning their
coxswain, Isaac King, gave the word " all's ready," and
the rowers removed their oars from the perpendicular to the
horizontal ; and amidst the cheers of great numbers of persons
(even at that early hour) the wherry cleft the liquid stream 4
and bore away towards its thttinatint at the rate of above eight
miles the hour. On the wherry arriving at Bolter's Lock,
Maidenhead (half-way) it was half-past eleven o'clock—
half an hour had been lost by the wind freshing to the
cast, and the squally weather. At Bolter's Lock, James
Carnnon, the second coxwain, was taken on board, and by •many
" A long pull, a strong pull; and a pull altogether," the wherry.
Was brought to Windsor-bridge by one o'clock. No time was
lost, though every man on board was fatigued; they pushed on
with a most determined resolution; and notwithstanding great'
difficulties, owing to the unfavourable state of the weather, they-
arrived at Teddington Lock by half-past five o'clock. In Ted-
dington Lock they: refreshment, which was supplied by
Mr. Topham, of the Talbot Inn, at Richmond, From Wind-
sor to Staines, a distance of eight miles, the rowers exerted
themselves surprisingly, and they accomplished the distance
in fifty minutes, and made a most gallant show. At Ted-
dington the spirits of the gallant crew were raised very
much by the arrival of a number of their London friends
in wherries, skiffs, &c. who chewed them loudly as they
exerted Themselves to accomplish their object: Thomas
Hill, the third coxswain, was taken on board at Tedding-
ton, and considering the wind was in their teeth, and the
weather foul and contrary, they performed wonders. It waS
half-past five when they left Teddington Lock, and on their
arrival at Putney Bridge it was precisely six o'clock. At
this moment the Thames presented an unusual scene of gaietye
The river was covered with the members of the different aquatic
clubs, in their uniforms. We observed " the Whitehall," the
Guards, the Emerald, the Eagle, the Frederick, the Corsair,
and William Frederick Clubs, in their different boats. The
Sovereign chewed lain prime style. There. were present many.
' Noblemen and Gentlemen of the first distinction. Front Ted.-
' dington to Westminster Bridge, twb 8-oared guard boats cleared
the way thr the wherry, and but for the cheering of the spe.cta-
' tore, which excited the liVeliest emulation amongst the rowers,
• it is thought they would have sunk under the excessive exer-
Oen, and have lost the wager. The umpire, Col. ;Myrick, took
' his station on Westminster Bridge at six o'clock. The cratt
on the river, the bridges, stairs, and wharfs, front which there
was a view of Whitehall-Stairs, the appointed landing-place,
were crowded with spectators. Several of the Bow-street patrol
were placed at Whitehall-stairs, to preserve the peace, and
to assist in the debarkation. At half-past six o'clock the
wherry arrived at Battersea-bridge, the rowers completely
. knocked up, some of them almost bent double; and all of them
much distressed: The tide was now in their favour, and hay-
' ing taken a little brandy, they appeared determined to conquer
' or die ; and at a quarter before seven o'clock they arrived. at
' Westminster-bridge amidst the acclamations of thousands of
' spectators. Mr. Sullivan, the boat-builder, . towed them to
Whitehall-stairs, and on their arrival there they were assisted
out of the boat, and carried on shore, anti put to bed.—They
• were all in a state of exhaustion, and one or two could not stand
' without support. They declared that they should have arrived
,• an hour sooner, if the wind had been in their favour. It is '
be-
lieved that not fewer than 15,0001. has changed owners by the
event, of which sum Capt. Short has won 1,0001. SOme of the
best judges (even the coxswains), -who knew every yard cf the
' river front Oxford to Westminster, were taken in, she current
° bets being 2to 1 against the performance of the match. The.
' distance from Oxford to Westminster Bridge is 118 miles, and
was rowed in fifteen hours and three-quarters.