The Sun.
London, England, 1829-11-28 00:00:00

BOLIVAB.

The Memoirs of Bolivar, by General Du-
coudray Holstein, ex-Chief of the Presidcia':
Staff, have just been published by Messrs. Cob
burn and Bentley. We have not room now foi
a long notice of this amusing work ; but sonic
of the anecdotes which be gives of the Libe-
rator are not very credible If wa are to believe
Ducoudray, Bolivar, of whose personal
Courage most persons have a high opinion, ha.•
on some occasions proved a miserable coward.
This will require proof; anti we give the follow-
ing anecdote from the work in question, in the
expectaiion that it will soon be satisfactorily con-
tradicted :—" On the morning of the 2d of
May, the squadron being not far distant from the
three elevated rocks known by the name of the
Three Monks (Los Tres Frailes), not far from
the island of Margaritta, two Spanish men-of-
war, a large brig, and a schooner, were signalled.
As our squadron had no colours at all, Brion
ordered the Spanish flag to be hoisted on board
each of our vessels, so that the enemy, believ-
ing it was his own long-expected squadron, took
in sail and waited for us ; but as soon as they
perceived their mistake, the captain of the
schooner, which was a fast-sailing vessel, pressed
sail and left his commander, whose brig did not
sail so well. Both tried to escape, but too late.
Brion changed his colours, and fired upon
them. The brig was soon overtaken by our
brig, a fine large vessel, armed with eight car-
ronades anti a brass 24-pounder swivel.—
Three fast-sailing schooners were detached
from the squadron in chase of the Spanish
schooner, which was taken some hours after-
wards. It was the Spanish royal schooner
Rita, with two 'arronades, 24-pounders, six
S-pounders, and one 18-pound swivel, com-
manded by the Captain Don Mateo Ocampo,
whu was mortally wounded in the combat. The
royal brig was the Intrepido, with fourteen
8-pounders, and 150 men, sailors and troops,
commanded by theßrigadier Don Rafael Inglesias,
who was wounded, and then killed by our men,
who took the vessel by boarding. They entered
the cabin with drawn swords while the surgeon
was dressing his wound, and killed him. The
surgeon attempted to appease them, and he was :
murdered too. Such was the horrid character of
this barbarous war. Commodore Brion, who
fought bravely, received a wound, which was
fortunately of no dangerous consequence, and
was promoted, after the action, to the rank of
Admiral of the Republic of Venezuela. But
bow did General Bolivar behave in this pretty
hot and close action, which lasted more than
four hours ? As soon as he heard that Brion
had ordered the necessary preparations for attack,
he took me -aside and spoke as follows:
But, my friend, do you not think that the
Spaniards will resist and fight to the last ?'
To be sure they will,' replied I, laugh-
ing. Well, but do you think our
schooner is strong enough to fight alone against
those two powerful vessels ? (at the same time
looking at them through a glass) : we are too
distant and too far in advance, which renders it
hnpossible for the remainder of our squadron to
sunport us in the action.' That is true,' said
t'
but we will take her -by boarding, which is
the customary way to force Spanish vessels.'
What, by boarding, do you think of such 4
folly ?' (Y pensez Zoo us 211071 cher anzi? c'est
nn'tblie?) These were the very expressions of
General Bolivar. But what is the best for me I
to do ?' he continued. Do you not think
that if I were wounded, or killed, our expedition
would be totally lost, and Brion, the poor Brion,
would have expended in vain all his fortune ?' '
I looked up, a,tonished ; it first occurred to me
that he might be jesting; but when I saw that
these strange questions were put to the in earnest
I understood him, called Brion, and said,
General Bolivar has made to me a just ob-
servation concerning you : he said, that he being
wounded or killed in the action, you would lose
• all our advances, as then the expedition would
of course, be disbanded.' Well, General,' said
Brion, turning to Bolivar, you will be safely
placed with the Intendant Zea, to whom I have
assigned a place in my cabin, (in which
Bolivar, Brion, Zea, and myself; slept,) at
the entry of the "powder-magazine, to hand the
necessary cartridges.' As Brion said these words
in an angry manner, Bolivar asked, But, my
dear Brion, do you not think that Ducoudray 's
observation is just ? do you not think so F
Oh yes, yes,' said Brion, and turned round. I
was giving the necessary orders to our officers
to arm with muskets and cartridges, when Boli-
var came hastily and took me by the arm, say-
ing, Now I have found an excellent place, bet-
ter than to be down in the cabin with old Zea'
(who looked, in fact, much older than he was,
and was the same man who died as Minister of
Colombia in England). He showed me the
long-boat, which, in armed vessels, is generally
fixed over the cabia windows. He jumped in,
called Garcia (his intendant), ordered his pis-
tols and sword, and told him to load two balls
in each pistol, which Garcia did in my presence,
looking at me and laughing. This position,
which Bolivar chose for himself, was surely the
safest place in the vessel ; then, in sitting as he
did in the long-boat, his head and whole body
were safely protected by the thickness and
strength of the beam which supports the
rudder of the vessel. He sat down in
the boat, and requested the to take com-
mand of the officers, whom I provided
with arms and ammunition ; and Brion intrusted
the with the command of the volunteers, so that
I had to survey the whole infantry of about 160
armed men. A strange contrast was afforded
by H. Ballot, a respectable French gentlemaa
of 64 years of age, who, together with his young
son of 16 years old, put themselves voluntarily
under my orders, in spite of Brion's and my re-
presentations that they should go down into the
cabin, and assist Mr. Zea. Both, full of ardour
and courage, refused positively, and said, that
this was a post of honour, and that they would
not have any other assigned to them. In corn-
paring the behaviour of Ballot, father and son,
who exposed their lives, voluntarily, for the wel-
fare of a country in which they were not born,
and to which they did not come in order to
fight, with that of a military chieftain, already
famous, who now, placed at the head of an ex-
pedition, withdrew himself in such a curious
manlier, when he should have taken the com-
mand of us all, we have surely a very charac-
teristic trait of what I have already said of !;olivar."

The late Duke of YORK, having repeatedly
asked " Who is Mrs. CAMAC ?" " What is Mrs. CA-
MAC ?" " Who was Mrs. CAMAC ?" and finding it im-
possible to obtain any more satisfactory answer, than that
she was Mrs. CAMAC, lived in Mansfield-street, and
slept in her diamonds--produced the following, which
apparently says all that can be said on the subject of this
" fashionable lady.i7—'-g
" There goes Mrs. '‘Caulic,
Whose name's speliVihe saw, both forward and back."
ii.•• Court /outwit •