The Sun.
London, England, 1828-02-25 00:00:00

LAST ILLNESS AND DEATH.

" On Wednesday, the Ilth- of July, Mr. Canning,
went to . WiMbledon to a Cabinet dinner, at the
Lord Chancellor's, where, having made himself warm
with exercise, he sat for some time under a tree in
the open air. The next day he complained of a
slight feeling of rheumatism; but it was not till the
following Satiirday that it became so serious as to
make him keep his bed.. He was confined there
nearly a week; but on Friday, the 20th, was, suffi-
ciently recovered to be enabled to go to the Duke of
Devonshire's villa, at Chiswick, which the Duke
had lent to him for change of air. From that time
to the Ist of August, though lie was well enough to
come occasionally to his residence in London, and to
ride out, yet he made little progress towards re-
covery. On the 30th of July he paid his last visit
to his Majesty, and on the 31st he came, for the last
time, to town, ,and transacted business for a few
hours with several official gentlerneo, On his return
to Chiswick that evening, he dined in company with
some friends, and retired early to his bed, from
which he was destined never again to rise. On the
2d and 3d he was in very cheerful spirits, and on the
evening of the latter day he transacted business with
Mr. Herries ,for three hours, - It was .;bout two
hours after that gentleman bad left him, that he
was seized with excruciating pains in the side,
which gave the first striking indications to those
around him of his alarming condition. Two hours
afterwards the Medical Gentlemen arrived, and he
was bled largely. From that time till I;is death
his sufferings were, with few intermissions, so
acute, that he could hardly be said to be in the full
possession of his facti4ies. •He was, however,
at times, tolerably, if not entirely collected; and at
those times. as well as in his wanderings, he expressed
concern at the inconvenience which his illness might
occasion to the business of
.Government, and gave
frequent indications that his King and Country
anxiously occupied his thoughts. On the Sunday
before his death, he remembered the day, and ex-
pressed a wish that his daughter should read prayers
to biin—(a duty which he himself, in his busiest
moments, never omitted to perform to his whole
household, whenever he was prevented from going
to Chtirch)—but a feW minutes after he had ex-
pressedlithis wish, the. train, 'which had for a time
partially subsided, returned with great violence, and
with it returned like Wise the wanderings of his
mind. In the course of the evening of this day, on
some religious observation being made by one of the
attendants, he declared his, hope of salvation
through the merits of his Redeemer, Jesus Christ.'
The two last days, his strength* and his pains dimi-
nished in like proportion, and, having been senseless
for some- hours, he breathed his last, without a groan,
a little before four o'clock on the morning of the
Bth of August."

SUMMARY OF HIS CHARACTER AS AN ORATOR.
" He had studied with a quick and congenial feeling
those severe and eternal models—the remains of an-
cient eloquence. His elegance of expression was
fastidious, without weakening its force; his wit was
not so elaborately—concentratedly brilliant, as She-
ridan's, but it was more prompt, redundant, and
disposable; aHd, if it may be so said, more logical—
whilst his ridicule, inimitably poignant, was ever
governed by high breeding and good taste. Mr.
Canning's reading was_ extensive and various, and
his fancy flitted over history, fiction, and external
nature, with quickness and felicity ; for illustration,
citation, or metaphor. He had the tact to discern,
and the dexterity to expose, what was weak or ridi-
culous on the adverse side—the art to push an oppo-
nent's simile, or analogy, ad absurdzon—or to disco-
ver grandeur in what was meant for reproach (as in
his retort that Proteus, with the versatility of his
shapes, was in every shape the god); and, in fine,
to lay bare by rigorous syllogism, a fallacy in the
envelope of a sophism, or loose phrase. Who has
ever reached him in those clever movements, and
heppy inspirations, which stamp the talent of
debate ?

" Mr. Canning not only meditated his speeches, but
composed carefully (whether on paper or in his"
memory matters not) the passages of effect. His
exquisite sense of the elegance of -style—of the pre-
cise.yalue of words —and of :oratorical collocation
and cadence—will be felt and admired in the speeches
revised by him—and discerned in those that remain
in a state less perfect. His printed speeches present
the orator with rnore interest and fidelity, than any
other published speeches, excepting Burke's, who
wrote his for the press, fortunately for posterity and
his own fame. Mr. Canning, however, will not be
found always equal to himself; but as it is the con-
dition of mediocrity not to exceed—and its privilege
not to descend below itself-..soinequality is the at.
tribute of genius—from the father of poetry and
eloquence down to this day.
D Person and delivery are considerable parts of the
orator. Mr. Canning's height was of the heroic
standard—his form united elegance and strength—
his dress was modern, without pomp or foppery—
his motions and pace firm and elastic—with a cha-
• racteristicr individualising disregard of all studied
grace. His countenance was moulded in the hap-
nglish style--comely, elegant, and simple—
gracefully, rather than- strongly, defined
—the
expressive and mantling as he spoke, with
the Ililleeet cp farehraofingls of sentiment and emotion—the eye large
'and full, and if not charged with the lightning's
flash, yo; . beaming with intelligence—,the voice
strong, flexible, and slightly muffled, so as to impart
a softer melody, without affecting its clearness. His
port,
as he spoke, was -sometimes negligent—often
admirable-,-evincing a proud consciousness of the
superiority of his cause, or the power of his elo-
quence. His action in one respect was objection-
able—he wielded_ his arms alternately and vehemently
without variety or grace, and spoke occasionally with
his arms crossed. The first of living portrait painters*
has represented him in a frock coat, with his arms
crossed, on the'floor of Parliament. But though the
likeness is perfect the portraitavantshistoricattitude,
aspect, and expression. The artist took the orator
,wbo could launch an epigram or a retort—when he
might have gone so much higher.. Possibly, this

Sir Thomas Lawrence.

negligent action of Mr. Canning was indulged in to
avoid the theatricalism of manner with which Lord
Chatham was reproached—and which betrayed, too
palpably, art and preparation in Sheridan. It had
the effect, too, of giving an air of unpremeditated
inspiration to his most calculated strokes and pass-
ages of most elaborate splendour. But his delivery,
on the whole, was at all times effective, and, with
the occasion, impassioned and electrical.
" With the sensibility of his temperament, and his
order of mind, Mr. Canning must have possessed
pathetic power. But the exercise of this is scarcely
within the range of the eloquence of Parliament.
His sensibility, joined with his delicate sense of
personal honour, rendered him impatient, some-
times, of petty outrages in debate—and so gross in
theirlet them
he
in injustice,beforgotten.
" Had Mr. Canning devoted himself to literature,
that of his country must have been adorned by him.
In prose, his early compositions, and some una-
vowed pieces in the maturity of his talent, are
worthy of his fame ;—his State Papers remain
as
recoil upon their authors—but
models in their kind. His pieces, in verse, indi-
cate a resemblance to the genius of Pope. He
would have excelled, like that illustrious poet, in
polished diction, keen satire, and strong traits of ridi-
cule and character. He would have equalled Pope
in elegiac pathos, and surpassed him in lyric spirit.
But the tomb has closed, in its darkness and si-
lence, on the Wit, Orator, Patriot, and Statesman."
The elegant form in which the work is got up is
highly creditable to the publisher, In this respect
it surpasses any edition of speeches which have
hitherto been published. Altogether we regard the
publication of this work as a valuable and substantial
addition to the stock of British literature, and in a
department of British literature, too, which, before
its appearance, was deficient in works of sterling
merit.

FASHIONABLE AND MISCELLANEOUS.

The Duke of CLARP:NCE gave a grand din-
ner on Saturday, at his residence in the Admiralty_ to the
Cabinet Ministers, the Great Officers of State, and a nun'-
her of official gentlemen. Among the company were the
LORD CHANCELLOR, the Duke of WELLING TON, the
-.Marquis of WINCHESTER, Earl BATH UnsT, Earl Dunrry,
Earl of ABERDEEN, Viscount BER.F.SFORn, Viscount PA T.--
.7HERSTON, Viscount MELVILLE, Lord ELLENBOROUGH,
the Right Hons. ROBERT PEP', W. flusrissol;, CHARLES
'GRANT, H. GOULBURN, J. C. HERRIrS, C. ARBUTHNOT,
V. FITZGERALD, Lord HIt.L, Lord MARYBOROUGH, Earl
BRECKNOCK, Earl MOUNTCUARLES, Lord ELIOT, Lerd F.
L. GOWER, Lord ASHLEY, Sir J. BECKET, Sir W. J.
HOPE, Sir G. COCKBURN, Sir G. CLERK, Sir H. lIA Rn -
INGE, and General PHIPPS.

The Prince and Princess of HoHENLOHE-
LAUGENBOURO arrived at the apartnients of the Du'cliese
of KENT, in. the King's Palace at Kensington, on Saturday
morning, from the seat of Prince LEOPOLD at Claremont,
The Duchess of KENT gave an elegant d6eusse at two
o'clock in the afternoon to the members of the Royal Family,
among whom were the Duke and Duchess of CLattrxer,
the Duke of Sussex, the Duke and Duchess of GLOUCESTER,.
the Princess SOPHIA, and the Princess SOPHIA Memerea.
The Royal party, after taking leave of the new-mrtried
Prince and Princess, left the Palace, and returned to town,
The Princess Stymie MATILDA afterward; proceeded to
her residence
o the Duke on
Piackheatih
Yesterday of CLARENCE visited
the Duke and Duchess of GLOCESTFAt.
Prince ESTERHAZY, the Austrian Ambassa-
dor, had a long interview with the Deke of WEL
L INCTON
Fri Saturday, at the Treasury,
Viscounts PALMERSTON and STRANG-
roan transacted business yesterday at the Foreign Office,
The Earl of AlinttnEEN visited the Duke of
WELLINGTON on Saturday, at the Treasury.
The Lords of his Majesty's most Honourable
Privy Council held their third meeting this season, on-Sa-
turday morning, at the new Council-office. Their Lord-
ships assembled at eleven o'clock ; those present were—the
Lord President of the Council, the Master of the Roll
Sir Was. FREMANTLE, the Right lion. iiITOII ELLIOT,.
Gad Mr. Feecerozekeen Lewis. The cases of appeal from.
the decision of the different colonial Courts of Justice,
were from those of Jersey, Antigua, Madras, Prince Ed-
wird's Island, Jamaica, and Bengal. Their Lordship=
;gelled the following order for the regulation of the hearing
of all cases of appeal The Lords of the Knee's Most
Ifienourahle Privy Council are pleased to order, that in
future appeals, the causes shall take precedence according
t,, the order in which they are ready for hearing, and not,
ae at present, according to the order .in which the first
peinted case is lodged upon each appeal." Their Lord,
ipS were occupied in bearing the arguments of Counsel
Gil the different cases of appeal which were heard before
them till four o'clock in the afternoon, 'when their Lord-
ips separated.
FASHIONABLE ARRIVALS.—Prince P,a-
r;atinsky? in Lower Grosvenor-street ; the 1:-.7,1 and
Cpuntess of Darlington, and Lady Anne Poillelt, in St,
JaPaeres-square; Lady Caroline Dundee and Miss Dendae,
in Hanover-square ; Dowager Lady F.llenborOugh and the
N lisses Law, in - Hill-street, Berkeley -square; Dowager
Tarchionees of-Exeter, in Privy-gardens ; Lady Caroline.
Eliot and Lady Jemiura Eliot, in Dover-street ; Conntese of
Easton, in Grosvenor-place; Lady Duff Gordon, in Here.=;
`Feet. ; Farl and Countess of Kinnoull, in Lower-
Grosvenor-street ; Lady Sophie 'Lennox, at. the Dowager
ierchess of Richmond's, in Portland-place Crescent -;
Nicholson Calvert, Esq. M.P. and the lion. Mrs. Calvert
and family, in Citefton-strek, from Rune-lon House ;
Major Addison, in Green-street, Park-lane; Mr. and
Miss Adair, in Gloncester-place; Mrs. and -Miss Agnew,
iit Clarges-street ; Major Anstey, in Pall-mall, from Man=
-rester; Mr. Mrs. and Miss Bethel), in Upper Grosveriere
reet ; Sir George Bamfylde, .Bart. in Grosvenor-square -
Captain and Mrs. Burton, in Baker-street, from Paris;
Lieut.-Colonel _ Cust - and Mrs. Edward Cost, in New-
street, Spring-gardens;- Captain Percy Campbell and Mrs.
George Campbell, in Hertford-street, May-fair; Mrs. and
Miss Chilton, in Piccadilly, from Bath ; Mrs. and Miss
lapel, in Grosvenor-place, from Bath ; the Misses Dov_.
fen, in Weymouth-street; Mrs. and Miss Daub, in
Park-lane, from Bath ; Mr. H. Moreton Dyer, at Devon-
-hire -place-house ; Major Daltein and the Misses DaltOn,
I aoucester-plate ; Major and Mrs. Dawson, in Brook-
,treet ; Mrs. Davenport, in Lower Brookestreet ; Colonel
Deacon and Captain Arabet, •in Palleinall, from Paris ;
SIN Haney -I)oerian, - --Devonshire-;fitares Major de:
ltroke, in Piccadilly, from Corfu.; Major John de Capet, its
Pall-mall, from the lonian Islands ; Captain . Charles Este
title, in Hill-street; Mr. and Mrs. Robert Ellison, in
fewer Brook-street; Lord and Lady Ernaismore and the
lion. Missilare, at Kingston House; the Hon. .Missee
Edirt, in Lower Grosvenor-street ; Mrs. and Miss Edgar
ia Harley-street, front Devonshire; Major and Dirs. Eger-
tan, in Brook street, from the Nether/ands ; Mr. and Mrs:
ford, in:Upper Brook-street; Mrs. and Miss Fielding, in
Park-street, from Bath ; Mrs. and Miss Faulknot,
Grosvenor-place, from Cornwall ; Mrs. and Miss Fer-
nandez, in Portland-place, from Rome; Major and Mrs.
Ferguson, in Brook-street, from Penzance; Major .and
Mrs. Fitzgerald, in Arlingtonestrect, from Paris ; Major
Garland, in Regent-street, from the Hague; Mrs. anti
Miss Gahagan, in Wimpole-street ; Mr. and Mrs.
Gardiner, in Brook-street ; Mr. 'Linter, in Port-
I indeplace ; Colonel Hamilton,- of the Coldstream Guards,
in Piccadilly ; Mrs. Charles Ileneage and Mies Graves, in
Chesterfield-street; Major and Mrs. Hirrick, in Here-
Ord-street, from Paris ; Major Henry Herbert, in Brook-
,ereet, from Longford, Ireland ; Mr. Heatheote, in Piece-
dilly ; Captain and Mrs. Hastings, Albemarle-street, from
the South of France ; Maier Irvin, iu St. James's-street.
from Gibraltar; Mrs. and Miss Innes, in Park-street,
horn Bath; Mrs. anti Miss Jeffries, in Green-street.,
Park-lane, from Clifton Hot Wells ; Lady Kinnaird and
Miss Kinnaird, in Seymour-place; Count Keragay, in
Piccadilly, from Italy ; the Ilne.-Mr. Kenyon, in Port .
man-square ; Mr. and Mrs. '*night, in Portiand-place
Major and Mrs. Kydd, h Seymour-street, from Mar-
; Mrs. and Miss Kirkpatrick, in Davies-street, Ber-
keley-square, from Clifton; Count Dietrichstein, at
Chandos House a Mrs. and Miss Knox, in Cumberland-
street, from Paris; Mr. and Mrs. Littleton, iu Grosvereore
p'ace; Mrs. Lascelles Iremonger, in Dover-street; Mrs.
and Miss Lester, in Park-place, from Paris ; Mator and
Mrs. Lindsay, in Portugelestreet, from .flarrowgate; Ma-
jor and Mrs. Lumley, in Dover-street, from, Shropshire;
Lord and Lady Maryborough, ie 54aville-rew ; Colonel and
Mrs. Lowe, in Hertford-street, from Rath ; 111 r. Martin,
ia Old Board-street;' Mrs. and Miss Maitland, in Brook--
treet, from Bath ; Major and Mr-s. Norman, in Cleve-
uld-row, from. Paris; Mr. and Mrs. North, in Piccadilly,
front the Netherlands; Major and Mrs. Norton, in Bru-
ton-street, from Southampton; Mrs. and Miss Ord, in
Seymour-street, from Warwickshire; Captain and Mrs.
O'Reilly, in Pall-mall, from Dublin ; Mr. William and
Lady Barbara Ponsonby, in St. James's-square; Mr. Ed-
ward Prcitheroe, in Charles-street, St. James's-square;
.M 4 and the Hon. Mrs. George Philips, in
ieieutenant-General Sir William and Lady Pniagle, tli
etratford-place; Mr. John George Phillimore, at
)tall; Mr. and Mrs. William Pole, in Park-street; Mr.
:Old Mrs. Ponsonby, in Harley-street; 31i" Pugh, at the
Countess of Essex's, in Hill-street; Mr. and Mrs. Mar-
maduke Proctor, in Piccadilly, from Naples; Major and
Mrs. Prior, in Somerset street, from Dublin ; Mrs. and
street, from Bath • the
, l
Miss Quartne, in Grosvenor-
lion. Captain Radcliffe, of
.the 6th
raon Guards, ie
eymour-place ; Mrs, Ross,ill Burlington,-
,treet, from the isle of Wight, Mr. and Mrs. D.
Howley, in Harley-street, from Warwickshire; Mrs. and
:Ines G. Rose, in Baker-street, from Path ; Major and
\irs Russell,
in Brook-Street, from Ilampsbire ; Mr,
Mrs. and M
George Smith,iss pper Itarlevestrret
eallat sabojeesai, at Ashburnhane House ; Lord and 'Lady
;herborne, in Low Grosvenor-street Groenor-etreet ; Mrs. and Mies
Stratford, in 13rook.etreer, from Paris ; Mr. and Mrs.
anrutt, in 'Park-street, from Bath ; Mr. John Charles
Talbot, in PiceadillY ; Mr. and firs. Tollemaalse, in St.
uare ;
Junes,,sqCaptain Trotter, of the Life Guards, in
Grosvenor-square; Honourable Mrs. Towrishend and Miss
Stuart, in Conduit street ; Lady Francis Wright Wilson,
Sackville-street ; Miss Williamson, in Ilertford-street ;
Sir Henry Willoughby, Bart. in Hill-street ; Lady Caro-
-Ine Wood and Miss Wood, in Stratton-street ; Mrs. and
Miss Wingfield, in Bloomsbury-square; Major Welsh, in
I iarleyestreet, from Croydon ; Mrs. and Miss Willitt, in
krook-street ; Mr. Mansfield, in Wiinpole-street ; Mr. and
.',lns. Maddox, in Grosvenor-place, from Salisbury ; Rlajor
.lelin Mills, in Albemarle-street, from Florence.

military honours to the
istoladnoding there; Colonel Fra-
_
DEPARTURES.--The-Earl of Uxbridge, for
l)iiblio, to meet the Marquis of Anglesey, the Regiment to
Si iiich the Earl is attached being ordered to march on Fri -
Hotel, for Brighton ;
for Brighton ;
Cldi'::.7;:ileLaftsotthrWdfeoer7LottthiCelvtoittrieltn'shiae,ansorsttfi::fnrthienhillS7tethveLnasncers, for Hounslow
Mr. Dunlop, for Brnisels ;
(' vain O'Niell,
I on. Arthur Eden, for Surrey ; Mr. R. . Aulde, for
exico, as Consul-General; Mr., 0. Barnes, for Essex;
t vtaitt Daly, of the sth Royals-, for Dublin.