The Sun.
London, England, 1817-12-16 00:00:00

not " the 'good. souls," think you, be ins-
. tified in turning with contempt front the plausible
adiocate, and shutting their hearts and their ports
against his ungrateful and insatiable client in the
water ! Let us, however, go a step farther, and
suppose that a partial schism among the Crew
had tended to create' a party in favour of
this man, and .that the false plea cif ; huma-
nity had prevailed with many to blind them-
selves to these consequences, that a strong desire
had been expressed to take hint on board, but that
even these rash partisans admitted that so dan-
gerous a mess-mate should give some pledge of
future quiet and peaceable conduct. Suppose fur-
ther,- that the Rogue himself, laughing in his
sleeve at the presumptuous folly of his advocates,
should on a sudden assume a new tone, and pro-
fess his willingness to give the security required,
and absolutely propose to place in the hands of the
Commander A DEPostr,of no real intrinsic value per-
haps; but still one'with which many of the " good
souls" had agreed to be satisfied ; suppose them
in the act of lowering the accommodation ladder.
for his reception on board, when this promised
DEPOSIT should be snatched front their hands with a
declaration that it was already in pawn, would the
" honest souls" be .so very simple, as to believe
that any credit could in future be given to his-
professions, or that he really meant to deal fairly.
by them. But if even after this, fresh proposi-
tions, fresh..securities, were :to: be brought for-
ward, and that some of rhecrew were still mad
enough to second his protestations and vouch for;
his character, he were to come alongside and man-
fully declare that his opinions were unchanged, that
his principles were founded on a rock unchangeable
and immoveable, that he gloried in his former ex
'ct'sses, and that his allegiance was still due to
foreign Commander, "WHOSE law was as the word of
Gob TO 11151, does' our simile-factor really be-
lieve, or in his heart think it possible that the
most honest (by which. he, no doubt facetiously
means most silly) souls among the sober and ho-
nest part of the crew, could he satisfied to receive
this drowning sailor on board on. arty terms, invest
him with power, and plant the ladder for his old
ambition to attain the summit from which the
exertions of the whole crew had previously been-
necessary to hurl him. Why, Sir, the spirit of
folly and fatuicy must first have pervaded 'every
breast on board, and then indeed this happy simile
might receive the stamp of literal authority, and.
the commonwealth ol'England be identified with
" 'IncSHIP OF FOOLS:'

This simile has, 1 find, occupied more space
than I had anticipated.; and I tremble under the
impending lash of our Respondent's Champion in
The British Press, who has already fallen so no-
mercifully upon the length of my communica-
tions. Perhaps he speaks figuratively, and trolly
means that they only go a little too far for his'
and his clients' views : be that as it may, I can-
not conclude without adverting in -two words to
the very curious but characteristic manner in
which our Pamphleteer infers the oppression of
IRELAND, in consequence of the Union, tioni the
circumstance of ENGLAND haviug taken upon her-
self the whole Earthen of the Irish .Debt !
.1 am, Sir, your's,

LANFRANC.