The Sun.
London, England, 1823-04-03 00:00:00

FOUNDATION OF TILE OTT,

At what preiise period the.metropolis of the
British empire waa founded, remains to this day hidin obscurity.
Several of our earlier chroniclers have, it is true, settled the point
:for posterity in a very circiunstantial manner, but without the
smallest regard to evidence of any sort. According to Geof-
frey of Monmouth, and all the retailers of his fables, London
was founded in the year 1108 before the Christian era, by
Brute, a lineal descendant of Eneas, and called by him, after
the great scene of his ancestor's exploits, Troy Norant or NeTr
Troy, whence the inhabitants received the name of Trinorantes
or Toinobuntes ; and so, as we are further told, it continued to
be called for a, thousand years end more, till the sceptre having
devolved on King Lud, a native of Britain, he gave it the name
at Cuer Lud, or Ludstoun, which in process of time became
softened into London. Mr. Pennant, rejecting this romantic
story, has framed another of his own, on the basis of a derive-
, tion in Baxter's Glossary, which seems nearly as fanciful.
" London," he says, " certainly existed prior to the invasion
of Cesar • it was, at the time of his arrival in this island, the
capital of 'rrinobantes, who had recently come from Bel-
gium, and composed one of the small nations into which Britain
was formerly divided. The name of this nation, as we learn
from Baxter's British Glossary, was derived from the three
following British words—tai nova hunt, which signify the inhabi-
tants of the New City, the ancient name of the renowned metro-
polis of Britain."—lf it were in the usual order of things, for
people to bond cities first, and then to be called after them,
this definition would be plausible at least; but since we know
of nothing of the kind in the history of nations, we are forced
to conclude that New City and New Troy belong equally to
the domain of fiction.

" The Romans," continues Mr. Pennant, " soon fixed their
eyes on this new town, and great numbers of them settling
in it, they gave it the name of Londinium from its situa-
tion, and Augusta for its grandeur ; and in a little time it
became the largest and most opulent city in the island."
—Taeitus, who is the first Roman author who speaks of Lon_
don by that name, does say, that London is so called
from its situation, and Augusta from its grandeur."—(Lib.
xiv. c. 23.) But he does not say from whom it received these
different appellations ; nor does there seem the least reason to
infer, with Mr. Pennant, that they were both conferred by the
Romans. The name given to it on account of " its situation,"
Was doubtless derived from those who chose that situatiot ;
and there is no better proof that the city had an existence peat
to the invasion of the Romans, than that it is in the. language
of the native Britons we find the explanation in the name.—
" Lyn-Din," in the ancient British signifies the town on the
lake ; and this we may readily suppose to have been a correct
enough description of the situation of London at the rim,
of its foundation, when the waters of the river, not confined
as they now are by buildings and embankments, spread over
a vast portion of that large flat which 'lies between Wands-
worth and Deptford. From Lyntlin to London the deviation is
slight ; and in Londininm, the original British name merely ac-
quired a Latin formation. Augusta, the name which it subse-
quently received on account of its magnificence, was evidently
.altogether Roman.
___ . _

Ainmianus Illarcellinus, who flourished Liter than Tacitw,
speaks of Londiniunt as the city of Trinobantes ; and this is the
most decisive evidence that we have, that it is to this people the
honour of founding the British capital belongs.

STATE OF THE CITY BEFORE THE HOMAN INVASION.

When we read of London being " the Capital of the Trino-
bantes," the mind naturally completes the ideal picture, by
.supposing it to have been, at the arrival of the Romans, the
seat of a regular government, and of a numerous and fixed
Population .; but the term is altogether misapplied. We may
rest satisfied that Ctesar does not deceive us, when he relates,
in his Commentaries that " what the Britons called a town
was nothing more than a thick wood, surrounded by a ditch,
and fortified by a rampart, into which they retired when ap-
prehensive of invasion. The proofs are indubitable, that
the Britons had not as yet emerged from a state of barbarism ;
they knew nothing of brick-making, and had never, so far
as the Romans could observe, attempted to raise one stone above
another. No traces of building have ev;r been discovered about
London, which could with any probability be ascribed to a pe-
riod anterior to the Roman invasion. Of natural advantages,
however, the Britons were probably as good judges as the lto-
mans themselves; and we find, accordingly, that as far as re-
gards the site of. London, a stronger one for purposes of defence
could scarcely have been chosen. The heart of their city was
on the sumnut of an angle of rising ground, (about where St.
Paul's Cathedral now. stands), bounded on the one side by
the broad and marshy Thames, on the other by the Fleta, a
stream or torrent since covered over, which emptied itself
into the Thames, near to where Blackfriars-bridge has been
since erected ; and behind this naturally entrenched mount
there was a thick wood, wbich extended fkr into the interior.
We haVe ,only in imagination to cover this mount also with
" thick wood," to complete the idea which Clew presents to
us of a British town ; and unless it had been actually so cover-
ed, there is little probability that it would have become the
' chosen fastness of a naked and houseless people. So slowly, in-
deed, was the wood cleared away, that so late as the reign of
Henry 11. all the northern parts of the city bordered on a thick
forest, were beasts of the chace roamed at large.
When the Romans, under Ciasar, advanced to the Thames,
the Trinobantes were the first of the tribes beyond that river
who sent proposals of submission to the invader ; and there is
every reason to believe, that they formed no part of that na-
tive force which, under Cassivelaunus, attempted to oppose
his progress. When victory declared for Clesar, and he had
effected, the passage of the river, he found not only a friendly
people in the Trinobantes, but in their city or stronghold in the
wood, as advantageous a position for encampment as the in-
vader of an unknown territory could desire. It was such' as a
very slight application of the Roman skill in fortification could
render impregnable to any attacks from the still hostile nations
of the interior; while, on the other side of the Thames, that
noble stream secured to it a free communication with the sea,
and with all the 'earlier settlements of the Romans on the Bri.
tish coast.

STATE OF THE CITY UNDER THE ROMANS.
The Romans conquered only to civilize. They chewed the
Britons bow to fashion the clay of their soil into bricks and
domestic utensils ; to build houses for themselves, temples to
their gods, and courts for the administration of justice ; to drain
and embank ; to cut roads and erect caseways; to lay out their
towns in streets and square, and to surround them with walls
and towers. The Britons chose the site of London, but to the
Romans we must allow the praise of adorning it with all those
monuments of art, which procured for it the name of Augusta.
It was soon perceived by this sagacious people, that Lon-
don, though well fitted by its natural strength for a military
station, was still better qualified to be a place of extensive
commerce. Seated at a considerable distance from the sea on
a broad and navigable river, which, after watering some of the,
Fairest portions of the island, discharges itself into the ocean
almost in sight of the Continent of Europe, it seemed calculated
to 1.):: at once the mart for a great domestic and great foreign
trade. The Romans, however, were warriors, and not traf.
tickers ; anti they contented themselves with directing the
Britons to the, cultivation of those advantages, which have
raised their capital to the proud pre-eminence which it now
holds among the cities of the earth. We find accordingly, that
London was never,. like other settlements of the Romans,
formed into *hat they termed a military colony, exclusively
Romqn. Here the Roman prefects resided; and from this
point, as we learn from the Itinerary of Antoninus, branched
most of the great roads into the interior; both decisive proofs
that they regarded-it as the most important station they pos.
seamed in the island; yet neither did they occupy it alone, nor
did they subject it to the inconvenient restrictions of a gatrixon
town. London remained a free city, where Roman and Briton
mingled amicably together, and to which strangers from Al
parts were encouraged to resort with their commodities.
So rapid was the progress of London,in commercial import-
ance, that as early as the revolt of the celebrated Boadicea,
it is described by Tacitus as having become famous for the vast
number of merchants who resorted to it, and the abundance
of every species of commodity which it could supply. The
first interruption to its prosperity arose from the early triumphs
of this illustrious heroine. The Roman General Suetonius,
unable in the outset to encounter so formidable a rebellion, was
obliged to abandon London to its fate. Boadicea and her
troops, edger to punish the ancient defection of the Trinobantes
from the common cause of the native powers, and irritated by
the spectacle which London presented of Roman greatness,
massacred every soul they found in the city, and setting fire
to it inseveral
places, nearly reduced the whole to ashes.
e Romans,
however, again recovering the ascendency, a
ian
new city speedily arose on the same favoured spot, devoted as
before to the peaceful pursuits of commerce, and flourishing
by them. In the year 389, no less than eight hundred vessels
are said to have been employed In the exportation from London
ofcorn alone.
On the decline of the Roman empire in the fifth century,
London had to lament the departure of the beneficent founders
of her greatness. There are various statements of the period
when the Romans abandoned Britain ; all that is certain is, that
it took place not later than the year 450, when a dominion
which brought many blessings to this island had wholly and for
ever ceased.

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22:1, 289. Quart. tin,
Court Iloy's School; It 1
COUNTRY. Nos. 20, 64, 72, 10:4 "'
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COUNTRY. Nos. 24, 67, 1a0,i,,,, ,
263, 292 427 684, 19'167
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Wednesd*Y> -9, LONDON. Nos. :1, 11, 16,'1..„,9, -',,,,,,''
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COUNTRY. N1)11.4,1;1494,, 2414:0% "4.,4125: 4213:71:
478, 647, 661. ,n,
- 10, LoxpoN. Nog. 6, 18. 2 86, in:
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COUNTRY. Nos. 110, 111, J 33,,,,,,/
178, 269, 278, 3N, 1"'"
Oh 540, 391.
- 11, LONDON. Nos. NI, '275.04
Cour/Tar. Nog. 52, 282, -
IRELAND.
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Tuesday, April 8,
CORK.. • N0.:1___1.:...............____
------

Tuesday,

Thursday,

Friday,

F STOCKS
ON t: O.COCX.
siniolituliitaah if:15t0C,eamdk55.....0,......k...........:,.....,...;.i. i:
1....,..01..,...,11t.
Old Annuities ........ •::: . ;3„r.
Ex. Bills . , ........... 14 . r,
PRICEins"
or
OF FORE I G N ST 0 C DlClBn:aiSdtnitl!x.ftSf:ool,)}4'l::POc rrit.D. i 1.::::.;c0::..1.t::111:4r.: :IP:
r
--....
AT ON E O.CI,OCK.
Five per Cents. 713.
Russian Six per Cents. 00.
Five per Cents. (Metallic)
Ditto New 711.
onds, 671
Neapolitan f Five per Cent. B.
Scrip, 00.
Fiv Metallic)
e per Cents. (M
Austrian w..m. •
tt
Spanish {Five per Cent. Bonds, .
New I)itto, 291.
Scrip, 00 disc.
Prussia f Fire per Cent. Bonds, t 2.
Danish
n 1
Ditto New, 79i.
Chili Five per Cent. Bonds, 81.
t'obian 68A ex div.
Peruv lom
ian Six per Cent. Bonds, 58.
New Loan, 00.
(Bank Shares T2l Ss.
Six per Cent. 0-99.
American )
Five per Cent. 95i--91.
Urliree per Cent. 70.

French

0.31010";:
A WTER A T SDON Rag; F: ott,
31"ning, 6 minutes after 8. i Evening, :)bini

THE SC

•
t
•jg A
SOLSM QUIS DICERE rpv-

LONDON, 103_:
,
THURSDAy; jpRI
s

shallof the arrival lg ;
but.
a y e%Pec ,
receivedre
io
tool
We have n I' ouch J Lord,
this morn' not any talit'n
! nd 01
of an Express from Paris, a
or,
receive
hasten to •ay
1 the intelligence which we Pi
..., by it before our Readers'
Every hou is ots,tilat
it is
_,.,, r now so pregnant with eve ity, ii,
umscutt so far to relax from the lute° toe.
a whichi expectation has. been stretched, 95 11 or
triu mph
upon its own soil, may aua calm
view of the present situation of 911.51;r,
re n eful retrospect of circumstances of rerentroce,
ce . Every one feels that the fate ar
top,
perhapssingle
of Europe, depends upon the even
II 0
be'eday. That of Spain is not so sold° la
,ister
tit determined. A long course even of o'''
elk
and
ene arms of a nation struggling for its i'1(1.11 tt,,e
foofrejiugsnticaerta•
discomfiture of the Molders, t'ertbe
be followed rii),i'
oie
fi
iie e
ultimate
a"
instruments of
said
other The
stabilit— of
I the French Governinentlurtiitd
in ter hand,
pegndstate of ,
t"ings in the French iNlooarß 11! 301
Thetles and
if
the entirely upon the fidelity of the ar""dle'4ree
of troops should even enter with n'') ic of'
the pern innency of Ibie dr
vice alacrity on the disgusting and iit'ill°''twitly
ongda
opcaet rill
tol tdi $00100:10;
standing which they are to be emplold' iwortios
uing the strong symptoms of dis° ord
which are to have already 1111, 0
amongst them,
of their sustaining a
to there .arc' none so sa"
,14,11:::: „to
the event
event severet; 0,
upon .-their continued obe 1
,beri;
from
ti, the Spaniards, or encountering 1 io,
carte
S •
_panish e belleVe E
I • people, may, atm w nod
heroically exert themselves to resist so ' 00;
to produce a
miseries of an unfortunate ir,
/heir Pre
Government E, oP ,
violent change of le of
and institutions. The i e trot;
France w 1 p coo' •
to. !it
be s'e are convinced, will 011
r_foit 1
almost wholly passive, if froro are f°
their own of llY"
armies, or the irroptioil ,of IP
formidable force he standar(' ,
1,
from Spain, t • ,flei.
surrection Goce'
against the flotialt°l4 . rf.
Should be tilt°
planted within the Fretieb te

EXPRESS FROM 11.01,. ( Too'
e bare received the Paris Parrs °
W
day, but at too late ke e/fr
nor do an hour to ru°o of V'
they indeed contain any ne loot
portance, being chiefly filled ‘lvitt.i-d—liellft4'i:
debato .
which had taken place in the C"'" vit.,
ID,Ee_puties7 in the course of which I oich OF
" stated, that the last news I. oOf
French Government had received (

I

05
,};

FRENCH FUNDS, 79f. I.sc.—Spanish;

Ve extract the following from the German

Papers received this morning :
" ODESSA, MARCH 6.—A ship has just arrived
here which left Constantinople on the 28th Feb.
She brings accounts that the Porte had acceded
to the proposals made by Lord Strangford.
" CONSTANTINOPLE, FED. 25.—Lord Strang-
ford has had his audience of the Sultan and the
Divan, for the payment of the troops has
passed over without disturbance. Some days
after the great Divan was held, when the
Ulemas and Chiefs of the Janissaries were pre-
sent, and the proposals of his Lordship were
taken into consideration. At this extraor-
dinary assembly, it is said that the Sul-
tan was placed s.o as to hear the proceed-
ings without being seen. It was resolved to
take a step towards an agreement xsith Russia,

the Reis Effendi having declared to Lord Strang-
ford that the Turkish Ministers were ready to
renew the relations with Russia. A formal
communication has not yet been made. So
soon as this is done, expresses will be
sent off to London and Vienna. Private letters
say, that an extraordinary Courier from Constan-
tinople, arrived at Vienna on the 18th, and pro-
bably brought this com►nunication. Expresses
were immediately dispatched to London and St.
retersburgh.

" The Porte seems to have been led to this
concession by the events in the Peloponnesus,
and is now seriously thinking of striking some de-
cisive blow against the Greeks. The armaments
making here with this view are extremely great,
ani have already led to some excesses on the
shores of the Channel. The Austrian Observer
contains no news from Constantinople. It gives
the Convention between the Emperors of Russia
and Austria and the King of Prussia o'n the one
part, and the King of Sardinia on the other, for
withdrawing the Austrian troops from the Sar-
dini4 territory." -

[FROM A CORRESPONDENT.]
STOCK EXCHANGE, 114 f-past Moire &Clock.—
Consols opened this morning at 74 4, at whirl
they are steady, with little doing.

FOREIGN MARKET.—Spanish Bonds expe-
rienced a rise this morning in consequence of the
speech of M. DE VILLELE being thought to augur
favourably for Spin.—These Bonds left off yes-
terday at 28 I, but opened to-day at 29, and
Went up to 294 ?,

Letters from Havanna') represent the state of
Society at that place, as dangerous in the extreme
for strangers, and Americans in particular. One
dated the 6th ult. with 'an extract from which
we have been favoured, says—" I shall get away
from this as soon as possible, for a residence
here is really dangerous to strangers-6 or 7 men
have been murdered within the last *eek ; some
of them in the most shocking manner, being
seized, stripped, and then laid on a cot and com-
pletely cut to pieces, from head to foot. It is
trot considered safe to be out after sunset.—The
boat of the United States' brig Spark was stoned
at the public landing a few days since, and there
is no doubt that they would all have been mur-
dered, had the Officer persisted in landiitg.---On
being informed of the circumstance, Capt. Wil-
kinson wrote to the General of Marine, to know
if be must arm his boat's crew, or whether the
Authorities, here would 'protect him. The an-
swer, I am told, was a very polite one ; stating,
in substance, that he and his crew would be pro.
tected, and expressing regret at the outrage
which had been committed."

FALSE DICE.---The recent detection of false
dice reminds us of a circumstance which hap-
Pened Many years ago at a famous gambling.
house, in the chief region of gambling, the
Parish of St. James.---A Nobleman, when he had
lost considerable sum, suspecting some fraud,
declined playing any longer, took the dice, and
Placed them in his pocket. The gang were all
ta
nd larm, fearing that the detection would
put an
to their depredations. After a consultation,
st "Me time, it was resolved to offer his Lord-
i'i ra valet de chambre five hundred pounds,
thp'e., would enter his master's room, remove
bait "Ise dice and substitute good ones. The
racter.
"cceeded and the house preserved its cha-
Yest
erday afternoon his MAJESTY held a Priv
uutteil at Brighton. y
IsTAN.A, ,
the llus;"'n l,”.POlNTMENT.—Lieutenant llovr, to
ote, 46 guns, at Chathatn.

. .
deaux was 'of the 24th of March, from
Toulouse of the same clay, from Bayonne

of the 22d, and from Perpignan of the 20th, at
which time he said there were
_20,500,000
francs in the military chest of the Army.—
The Minister's language respecting the war

is far from being remarkably confident. These
papers contain no news of any importance from
the armies.