The Sun.
London, England, 1827-08-09 00:00:00

MR. CANNING.

CHISWICK, WEDNESDAY NIGHT.

The feverish excitement which has prevailed
in the immediate neighbourhood of Chiswick for
some days past, has terminated with the mortal
career of the celebrated individual whose unfor-
tunate condition was the origin of it. The vil-
lage has almost regained its accustomed tran-
quillity. In most of the houses in Chiswick the
shutters were partially closed this morning, and
the inhabitants on all sides were heard expressing
their sorrow for the deceased Minister. The si-
tuation of Mrs. Canning is truly pitiable. It
seems, that a short time before the decease of her
husband; she was conversing with him, and he
then spoke with perfect calmness and composure.
As the conversation advanced, however, she ob-
served that his voice gradually became weaker,
and the signs of approaching dissolution in his
countenance, alarmed her to such a degree that
she suddenly fainted, and in this situation was
carried out of the room by the attendants. When
she recovered, which was not for several hours,
she eagerly enquired respecting the state of Mr.
Canning. She franticly implored of those around
her to let her know the worst. It had, however,
been previously arranged by the advice of the
physicians, that she should not be suddenly in-
formed of what had happened, and she was there.
fore prevented from proceeding to the room in
which the corpse of her husband lay. We un-
derstand his Grace the Duke of Portland was
fixed upon as the person to communicate to her
the melancholy tidings. The noble Duke arri-
ved about seven o'clock in the morning, and
after remaining at the house some time, he re-
turned to town, and came back again to Chis-
wick in the evening.
Prince Leopold of Coburg arrived about 12
o'clock, and stayed only a short time.
The body of Mr. Canning is frightfully at-
tenuated. He is so greatly changed, that those
who were most intimately acquainted with his
person would not now recognize it.
The Marchioness of Clanricarde was yester-
day in constant attendance upon her father. She
was deeply affected by his situation. Before his
decease she returned to Richmond, and thus
was spared the pain of being present at or near
the scene of his dissolution.

In the course of the day an undertaker arrived
from London, to make the necessary arrange-
ments for the funeral. •

BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIR OF THE RIGHT HON.

GEORGE CANNING.

In the deep and general anxiety which prevails
at this moment, upon every topic connected with
the life or death of the late Prime Minister, the
following hasty notice of his personal and politi-
cal career may not be unacceptable. Mr. George
Canning, the father of the subject of the present
memoir, was an Irish barrister of respectability,
who was related to the family of Garvagh, (for
the present representative of which, the late
Prime Minister a short time since procured an
Irish peerage) ; and having displeased his
wealthier relatives at an early age, by what
they considered an imprudent marriage, he
came over to this country, where he lived
in great poverty, and died, leaving his
widow and family entirely destitute of pro-
vision. While in Ireland, and when he
was first at the bar, Mr. Canning the elder had
produced some poetical pieces ; these, however,
though not devoid of taste and merit, met with
no material success. In London he changed his
course, and attempted to carry on the business
of a wine-merchant ; but this effort was not pros-
perous, and it is generally believed that he died
of dejected spirits and a broken heart, brought
on by the loss of all his early prospects, and the
subsequent miscarriage of several endeavours at
ameliorating his condition. After her husband's
death, Mrs. Canning attempted the profession of
the stage, and performed Jane Shore, in Rowe's
tragedy of that name, to Garrick's Lord Has-
tings ; but her talent was not sufficient to com-
mand a London engagement. She afterwards
acted in various provincial companies, and even-
tually married a person in the same pursuit, of
the name of Hunn. The Garvagh family, though
deeply displeased with Mr. Canning's marriage,
relented so far, at his death, as to take care of his
son George's education, and the future Prime Mi-
nister was placed at Eton, where, while yet a boy he
exhibited considerable indications of genius, and
contributed several papers to a periodical publica-
tion called the Microcosm ,the first number ofwhich
was published in 1786. The essays signed "B."
are those written by Mr. Canning in this work, and
the' poem, on the Slaver) of Greece, maybe quot-
ed as a fair example of their general merit. From
Eton Mr. C. went to Oxford, where he studied at
Christ Church, and distinguished himself princi-
pally as a Latin scholar, gaining several prizes. And,
from thence, coming to London, he entered him-
self a member of Lincoln's Inn, and proceeded
in due course, with a view to being called to the
bar. At this time, however, the friendship of
Sheridan, who was then in his zenith, suggested
another career to him—the career of politics ;
and at three and twenty years of age, he took his
seat in Parliament, as Member for the borough
of Newport, in the Isle of Wight. Prior to the
commencement of his political prospects,, and
while he was studying for the bar, Mr. Canning,
at several private societies, had acquired consi-
derable reputation as a speaker. So much so,
indeed, as to induce Mr. Pitt, who probably
could have little other very cogent motive for be-
friending him, to offer him the post of Under
Secretaryship of State, which he accepted in
1796, and was accordingly returned for the
Treasury borough of Wendover. But he was
some time in the house before he assumed cou-
rage to speak, although so strongly supported ;
for he was returned to Parliament in 1793, and
his first effort was the speech in favour of the
subsidy proposed to be granted in 1794 to the
King of Sardinia, which was not at all in his
best style, and met with a reception more fa-
vourable than its intrinsic merits, perhaps, de-
served. About five years afterwards, too, in
1799, the young orator married Miss Scott, the
sister of the Duchess of Portland, with whom
he obtained such a fortune as gave him more
standing in the country than he had heretofore
possessed ; and he continued a vehement sup-
porter, and occasionally an ultra one, of Mr.
Pitt and his measures, until the latter went out
of office in the year 1803. The short Admit&
stration of
Mr. Addington and his colleagues
was determinately opposed during its whole
existence by Mr.
ri-
dicule exhausted Canning, inugPonwhtoliseeptarelemntiesefsorperri:
11011, while the political
measures of the Ministry
were assailed by his logi •
c and his oratory. At
this time he sat for the borough of Tralee ; and
as he had gone out of office with Mr. Pitt, so he
returned with that Minister in •
the new situation
of Treasurer Of the Navy, which office he conti-
nued to hold until Mr. Pitt's death in 1806. On
the death of Mr. Pitt, Mr. Canning went into
opposig9n. again but his talents rendered him