The Sun.
London, England, 1804-01-18 00:00:00

LONDON, 3.4INUARY 18, 18c+.

WE were happy to learn yesterday, that His MA-.
Pti,TY was in good health and spirits, though still
lame. with, the complaint in his foot, which is now
pronounced to be a slight ttffeelion of the thet;matic
.gout. It was thought adviseable that His MA-
pisTy should not attend the Drawing.rootn this
day, and accordingly we find that he did not leave
Buckingham House, where a vast nutni;.tr of the No.
bility, &c. paid their .respeas to His MAJEsTy be-
fore the Drawing-room commenced. A selca Party
will pass the evening at the Queen's House.

Wiz have not been amongst those who have been
forward, by the repetition of every rumour, to agi.
cite the public mind, werk, after week, and day
after (lay, upon the grand suliea of the Invasion ;
but within these few days we have received such
reiterate.? icforrnation, coining through highly
respeClA,le channels, that we seriously begin to
ditok it will be speedily artempied, if it ever .is
attemeted at all. .Flusk,g is the grand rendezvous
of the invading Force. There are there assembled a
very great number of large Dutch Merchantmen
fi+tcd up as Transport s ;• there and at Rotterdam toge-
ther,, nearly two hundred sail, each capable of Con.
raining from three to five hundred men. There are at
Rotterdam and Flushing two 74, and two 60-gun
Ship., for the purpose of escorting this Flotilla
and though a wetk ago there were -not Troops sum.
cien' upon that part of the Coast to fill these Vessels,
there can be no doubt but enough could in two or
three d.,ys be drawn together for that purpose.
We shall probably soon hear of the First Consul
visited Flushing, and of an Embarkation
huvit;g commenced. His language we understand
is, that give him four days of such weather as,
lie would choose, that is, foggy weather, and he
wi!l be in London. Su-zh vain boasting we can de_
vise, but not so the information which we now
have the means of conveying with respcft to
the probable intentions and movements of the Ene-
my. Our Readers may depend upon the Intelligence
we now convey bring the latest received both
by Government and Individuals, and I.4rhiels we

understard makes a strong icopression with tr..
weft to the probability of an immediate, or at
least a speedy attempt. The Boulogne Fio.
tilla ivill probably come out by way of diversion
upon the Kent or Sussex-Coast, but a few of our
Cruizers we consider as perfealy equal to give a
good account of them.

T/I E Da/in Mail of ;he t4.!fl instant arrived this
morning. It brings 4 the intelligence that Sir
ROB ERT CALD ER'S Squadron had returned to Bantry
Bay. He had been off Brest, it is said, during
the short absence of Admiral CORNWALLIS. He
must, however, during the severe gales which
drove the gallant Veteran into the Channel, have
kept a large offing ; but his keeping at Sea in such
tempestuous weather at. all, is another proof of what
British Seamen can acccomplish.

Yesterday • His MAJESTY was much better ;
great numbers of the Nubility and persons of dis.
tintlion made inquiries after His MAJESTY'S health.
The DUKE. of YORK and Mr. ADDINGTON
waited upon HIS MAJESTY at nine o'clock.
PRINCESS SOPHIA Of GLOUCESTER visited HER
MAJESTY.
His MAJESTY transaaed military business with
the DUKE of YORK on Monday, signed several Com.
missions, &c.
The DUXES of Yoxic and KENT dined with
THEIR MAJESTIES.

In the evening THEIR MAJESTIES, had a %cleft
party to tea ; among the company were the PR IN-
C ESS SortitA. of GLovesstErt, Marchioness of
BATH, Lady WALD EGRAVE, Miss DEE, Earls
MORTON and EFFINGHAM.

His Royal Highness the DUKE of YORK held yes-
terday a Military Council at the Horse Guards :
Lord Hos ART, Mr. YORKE, and the SECRETARY
at WAR were present.
A Board was held yesterday at the Admiralty,
which sat till near six o'clock. Earl ST. V;NCENT
presided. Expresses were afterwards sent off to
Plymouth and Portsmouth.
The Duke of RI cHmorro.tiesided at the Sessions
for the Western division of Sussex yesterday se'n.
night and Wednesday last, and paid so much atten-
tion to the business before him, that on the first
day his Grace sat from ten in the morning till eight
at night, without quitting the Court or taking any
refreshment.

A Bridge is immediately to' be thrown across the
Canal in St. James's Park, with a Milititry.Way
from the South Side to the Palace, so as to afford a
dired passage to the Troops, in case of any emer.
gency.
Yesterday evening at six o'clock, the Countess
of TALBOT died at her residence in Doke-street,
Grosvenor-square.' Her complaint was an. inflam-
mation in the bowels, with which she was attack.
ed in the morning, and which, in a few blurs,
made such rapid progress as terminated in
.her
dissolution, at the early age of, forty-three. Her
Ladyship was daughter to the late Earl of HILLS.
Boitoucti, and sister to the last Marquis of Dowx.
MILE, as well as the present Marchioness of SALM-
BURY, and mother to the existing Earl of TALsor.
Some circumstances relative to the Negotiation
between France and Portugal, with respett to the
Neutrality of the latter, have been received in this
Country by the last Packet.
Two Conventions.have been entered into, one
of which has been made at Lisbon by General
LASNES with Don Jose MANI.; EL PINTO, who was
appointed Portuguese Minister at the Court of
Stockholm, and was lately invested by the Regent
with powers to treat generally, but more particu-
larly for negotiating the Convention with General
LASN ES. The' sum stipulated in this Treaty as
the price of the Neutrality.,o,,',Portugal, is said to
be seventeen millions of francs., ...The other Con.
,tention is stated to have been made at Paris, by
the Portuguese Minister, DON Jose MARIA DE
SOUZA, and is represented to be much more dis.
advantageous to Portugal. It is, indeed, thought
that it will be set 2side,- and that of LASHES
established. Soine popularity seems to have been
acquired by LAsig ES, in consequence of this expe&a-
titgt ; which, it it should be realized, will strengthen
the conjeCture, that the whole affair. is a ma ncguvre
for that purpose, and, et the same time, to obtain
a commission of 2 per cent. which, it is believed,
he either has received,'or is to receive here'after.

,The Convention agreed upon at Lisbon was signed
between the 16th and zoth of December; and on
the zeds, about sixty of the most respeClable of the
native Portuguese Merchants were summoned to
repair immediately to the house of the-Minister of
'Finance. The greater partr accordingly went, but
some declined the visit.' The Minister intimated
to those who went, that the PRINCE REGENT had
finally settled with France the terms on which his
Neutrality might be preserved; and that as -the
Merchants would derive the greatest benc6ts there-
from, His Royal Highness expeCted that they would
come forward and supply bins with the means. The
mode 'was not explained, hut it was supposed he
meant in the way of Loans. The business was re-
commended to their serious consideration. The
Merchants' answer had not been given in at the de-
parture of the Packet; but we understand that con.
iderable dissatisfaCtion prevailed among them on
account of other bodies not 'being equally called
upon, particularly the Clergy and the Nobility.
The Prisoners on board a French Sloop captured
a few days since state, that
.there arc between. Du-
nkirk and Eraple's not less than iooopoo men encamp-
ed in different' di v isions. There are also 800 vessels
of different sizes in BJulogne harbour, but the nr.
jority in France cry out against the war. The
Soldiers in general. are very much discontented at
their inaftive situation, but they rely on Boutir ARTS
heading them in person. They acknowledge, that if
they should be so unfortunate as la fall in at sea with
our British Tars, they must inevitably be
Their only hope is that they may get over unper,,
cejved, and these' deluded men entertain no
(10:4,t
should they make good their larding, that the.), cap
Conquer the Country.

ODE
FOR THE NEW YEAR, Igo4.

BY H. J. PYE, ESQ. P. L.

at the Despot's dread command,
Bridg'd Hellespont his myriads bore
From servile Asia's peopled strand
To Grujiri:Ls and to Freedom's shorC--
While.hostile Fleets terrific sweep
WiqrltUrext'ning Oar th' lonian deep,
Clear circe's bending reeds among
The Theban Swan no longer sung * :
• No more by Isthmus' wave-worn glade,
Or Nemea's rocks, or Delphi's shade,
Or Pisa's olive-rooted grove,
The temple of Olympian Jove,
The Muses twin'd the sacred bough,
To crown th' athletic Vietor's brow,
Till on the rough lEgean main,
Till on Platea's trophied plain,
Was crush'd the Persian Tyrant's boast,
O'erwhelm'd his Fleet, o'erthrown his host,
Then the bold Theban seiz'd again the lyre,
And struck the chords with renovated fire :
" On human life's delusive state,
" Tho' woes unseen, uncertain, wait,
ic Heald in the gen'rous breast is every pain,
1" With undiminish'd force if Freedom's rights remain t."

Not so the British Muse—Tho' rude
Her voice to Grxcia's tuneful choir,
By dread, by danger unsulxlu'd,
Dauntless she wakes the lyric wire :
So when the awful thunder roars,
When round the livid lightnings play,
The Imperial Eagle proudly soars,
And wings aloft her daring way.
And, hark ! with animating note,
Aloud her strains exulting goat,
While pointing to th' inveterate host,
Who threat destrudion to this envied coast :
"Go forth, my Sons—as nobler rights ye claim,
" Than ever fann'd the Grecian Patriots' flame,
• 41 So let your breasts a fiercer ardor feel,
" Led by your Patriot KING, to guard your Country's weal."
111.
He; voice is heard—from wood, froth vale, from dovvri,'
• The thatch-roof 'd village, and the busy town,
Eager th' indignant Country swarms,
And pours a People clad in arms,
Nunierous as those whom Xerxes led,
To crush devoted Freedom'i head ;
Firm as the band l'or Freedom's cause who stood,
And stain'd Thermopylae with Spartan blood ;
Hear o'er their heads the exulting Goddess sing
" These are my fav'rite Sons, awd mixt. their Warrior Kam !"

IV.
Thro' Albion's plains while wide and far
Swells the tumultuous din of war,
While from the loom, the forge, the flail,
From Labour's plough, from Commerce' sail,
AU ranks to martial impulse yield,
And grasp the spear, and brave the field,
Do weeds our plains tincultur'd hide ?-- • •
Does drooping Commerce quit the tide*?
Do languid Art and Industry •
Their useful cares no longer ply ? • •
Never did Agriculture's toil,
With richer Harvests clothe the ;
Ne'er were our Barks more amply fraught,
Ne'er were with happier skill our Ores, our Fleeces wrought•

. . V.
While the proud Fee, to swell Invasion's host,
Ilis bleeding Country's countless millionsdrairls.
And Gallia mourns thro' her embattled coast,
Unpeopled Cities, and unlabour'd plains;
To guard and to avenge this favour'd land,
Tho' gleams the sword in every Briton's hand,
Still o'er our fields waves Concord's silken wing,
Still the: Aiirs flourish, and the Muses sing ;
While ineral Truth, and Faith's celestial ray,
Adorn, illurne, and bless, a G ECO it GE'S prosperous sway,
* See Pin!. Isth. Ode viii. $ Ibid.

TH EOr R A.—Signora GRASSI xi made her second
appearance last nighs at the King's Theatre, in the
new Opera of La Vergine del Sole. Her cold is
abated but not removed. She gains upon the audi.
ence, and as her professional exertions are in unison
with feeling, she will most probably secure her hold
upon the public. She has the rare excellence of
singing in tune, 'and her graces- are regulated by
taste. The charming duo between her and VicA.
Notli, in the second ad; went home to the affec-
tions, and was encored. The Divertisement again
presented DES HAyEs and his wife, PAR !SOT, the
LAsoa t ES, &c, who were all, well received. Them.
was a tolerably numerous audience, : •

COVENT GARDEN THEATRE.--Last night, the
second pait of 'King Henry the Fourth was at last
brought forward at this Theatre, and in a. manner
highly creditable to the Manager and the Per-
formers. Coot E's PWittlic has in our opinion
many solid claims to approbation.—lf he does not
possess the rich humour which some.of the facetious
Knight's former representatives were gifted with,
he has the merit of discrimination and manly sense.
He is, however rather sparing of his stuffing.
staff': belly seemed last night as if the fat Knight.
had fasted for a month.

KEMBLE gave great effed to the charader of
Ilenry . The proud mind of the King Sinking under
the languor of disease, was happily pourtrayed,-and
'the impressive solemnity of his manner in. the scene
with the Prim'', of Wiz/eh-strongly excited the.feel.
ings and the ihilause of the audience. Mr. C.
KEMBLE represented the Prince with great spirit
and propriety —MuNDEN was irresistibly laughable
in Shallow, and all the other parts indeed were most
respectably supported. The dresses and scenery Were
splendid and appropriate.

Mrs. MOVNTAIN being too much indisposed to
-perforin last night at Drury-lane Theatre, in .The
111;fe of Two Husbands and Cinderella, her part in
the former .was supplied by Miss WErawcm7H,
anti in the latter by Miss fitcavi. The House wits
full.