The Sun.
London, England, 1842-09-28 00:00:00

The 2uat,

LONDON:
WEDNESDAY MORNING, SEPTEMBER 28, 1842.

--T

The Marquis of WELLESLEY wisely retired from
pthlic life in 1835. Since that period he has grace-
fully eultiyated. the Latin muse, and has proba-
bly been, as is said, the delight of his friends,
he has taken no part in public business. Ru-
mottr indeed says that he remonstrated against
the Affghan war, and wrote to Lord ELLENBO-
- to express his approbation of the order to
'withdraw the army. In losing him, however,
the public has not lost an active, vigorous states-
-Min, but one who, full of years and honour, had
-p'reiiously retired, worthily,. to pass the close of
ids life in the privacy of his family. If that ne •
vesarily lessens the public grief fbr the loss of a
statesman, it must enhance the public respect for
the man. We cannot allow him to pass* to the
gr.lve without saying a few words of our own on
..such a remarkable person.
We find his name mentioned in the corre-
spondence between Mr. PITT and the Duke of
RUTLAND, COpiOUS extracts of which are pub-
lished in the last number of the Quarterly Re-
elew, and we will quote the passage to show how
warly he was distinguished:—

Among the few persons for whose employment Mr.
l'itt himself expresses a wish in these pages, it is in-
teresting to trace the name of one who has since at-
tained such high renown in the public service, and
lvho still survives in a green and honoured Old age-
-the then Earl of Mornington, the present Marquis
Wellesley. In a letter of August 9th, 1784 (Lord
:31ornington being then but twenty-four years of age)
I,Tr. Pitt says:—

" The immediate object.l have in tcriting at this
rlnornent is to state to you some circumstances relative
-to Lord Mornington' and to beg you to let me know
iiow far the ideas I have conceived on the subject cor-
respond with yours. I find he considers himself as
entitled, from the assurances he received both from
-.-ou and me (either personally or through Lord
• :einple), before you went to Ireland, to expect the
4,mirliest mark of the favour of Government in that
4.oiiiitry which its circumstances could admit 'of. He
ciircsses a full disposition to have made every allow-
:„ice for the exigencies of a new government, at so
c..itical a time, but I think fie seems to imagine that
faere was 'an appearance of his pretensions being post-
Toned, either without sufficient grounds, or without
heir being so confidentially stated to him as he sup-
-I),,,sed he had a claim to. He seemeat the same time
70 feel a real zeal for the interests and credit of your
\-erninent, and a strong sense of the marks of your
sone
friendship. lam very anxious, for all our
:-Aes, that there should he no misapprehension on the
;-and
that fromany‘,;,.ject, both from a high opinionoaft desirehirn,
I,eing (as .1 am sure you will) a great
dog like an engagement, or even a reasonable expec-
i should not be disappointed.
And on the 15th of August following the Duke of
7--';14t4414 thus replies :
;i711.4 eapa have no hesitation of sayingthatmay fall
Lord Mor-i
24140444‘ shall have the first office which
Si, hi; acceptance. His merits are very great,
*6044 Aim sure I am one of the first men to allow.
lob .1.4401'd Mornington, as I have lways stated to
liiiii/-,standsi first for whatever may offer. I have his
iiqvrest much at heart, as well from private regard as
conviction of his powers to render' the public
ential service."

in the same year (1784) he was elected a
:,`ember of the British House of Commons, and
Vciti frolll that time till 1835, (luring the long pe-
rlud of 51 years, continually and prominently
agage
din public affairs. We may, for our pur-
v
11)se, distinguish in his life four epochs, and
t.peak ofhini as Governor-General of India, be-
./ ween 1797 and 1806—as connected with the Go-
vornment at home between 1807-1812—as the
vidvocate of the
:Catholic claims between 1812
ad 1822, and as the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland
1 om 1822, with an intermission between 1828_
3 8:3, till 1835. He was in the first Period the
tecessful administrator of a great empire, of
• hell he much extended the hounds; in the
c!ond, he was the most conspicuous advocate
• a vigorous prosecution of the war in the Pe-
I•insUla, and contributed by his councils, as his
i :.(strious brother did by his arms, to the rescue
I't. iiurope ; in the third, he was the zealous and
• t.ady advocate of religious freedom ; and, in the
I • lull), he endeavoured to carry into effect the prin-
t lles of his own policy, and realise in Ireland that
p :ice between rival sects, which, .on principle,
11 • said, would be the consequence of abolishing
vlitical distinctions on account of religiou dif"
rences. lle took the lead in four great
• •Itemes of policy, extending our dominion in
3 fldia, opposing BONAPARTE in Europe, pro-
rioting religious freedom in his native country,
:;nd bringing, for the first time, rival sects to
might differ
le practical belief, however they
another world, that in this they
s ')out might