The Sun.
London, England, 1826-01-10 00:00:00

[MORNING HERALD.]

There is no situation in which truth and ac-
curacy are more important, or, in fact, where
they are more imperative duties, than in that of
a writer of history, or of memoirs of public cha-
racters, which form the groundwork of history.
Those who either from negligence or design
represent, or give a false colouring to facts, not
only bring disgrace upon themselves, but shake
the general confidence in all works of a similar
description. Dr. Lingard's " History of En.
land," and Mr. Moore's " Life
,of Sheridan,"
will furnish in each respect a proof of the truth of
this remark. In the former of these works the truth
of history is manifestly perverted to suit the
Catholic views and prejudices of the writer
and in the latter, the way in which his present
Majesty's conduct towards Sheridan near the
(close of his life, is `spoken of, hears, upon the
face of it, manifest proofs of inaccuracy, arid•
which has now been established to demonstration
by testimony to which it is not too much to assume
that Mr. Moore ought and might have had re-
course before he hazarded assertions reflecting
upon the kindness of heart and real benevolence
of one to whom those qualities have never before
been denied. We admire Mr. Moore both as a
wit and a poet; and though his talents as such
have been too often perverted, and are not of a
nature to place him in_quite so high a rank as his
Whig admirers would assign him, yet they are
doubtless of an order at least equally ornamental
and delightful, and calculated, perhaps, to afford
more genuine gratification than higher flights of
genius less adorned with the nameless graces and
attractions which have given such a charm to, most
of his compositions could. Yet it cannot be de-
nied that Mr. Marne is the author of productions
in which the wit is no apology for the ribaldry
and disloyalty they contain-; and though we
would not suspect him or any man of a motive
so base as that of endeavouring to support the,
lies of fiction by the lies of fact (which,
though an apparent paradox, most of our readers
will understand), yet, considering what was
passed, and the impunity which had been shown
it, we think it was incumbent on Mr. Moore,
above all men, before he presumed to detail cir.
curostarices at all disparaging to the _High Per.
soilage in question (even were it excusable in
him, under any circumstances, to do so), to use
all the means in his power to ascertain their ac-
curacy, which it now appears it would have
been inWbssible to do, the real facts being the
very reverse of what Mr. Moore has represented
them. Mr. Moore's ti Life Of Sheridoo,,,
though an amusing book, it is now clear, wilt
not go down to posterity with the stamp of
portance and authenticity which. was' at first at-

tached to it. Whatever may be the character of
his work, that of the author ought not to be les%
dear to him. And if Mr. Moore values that cha-
racter which evejy honourable man wishes to
sustain in society, it behoves him, we think, to
come forward promptly, honestly, and openly, to
correct the misrepresentation we allude to, in any
future edition of his work.. Let him lose no time
in correcting errors which are much too obvious
to be doubted ; taking for his example and apo-
logy the manly language of Churchill, who says—
" Let madmen follow error to the end,
I, of mistakes convined, am proud to mend;
Strive to act better, being better taught,
Nor blush to own the change which reason wrought ;
For such a change as this let justice speak,
The heart was honest, though the head was weak."