The Sun.
London, England, 1827-03-20 00:00:00

Macgregor gave him some laudanum, and after some time he he-
cerae-more composed, and fell a4lcep.
I learnt early in the morning of the 30th, from Mr. Macgre-
gor that his Royal Highness had had some sleep at intervals, but
that he appeared much weaker, and that there were other indica-
tions of increasing danger. His Royal Highness had determined
not to "quit his bed-room.
- He sent for me at half-past ten, and I remained with him for
more than an hour, until Sir H. Halford came. I was extremely
-shocked at the extraordinary change which had taken place in
.one night, or rather since the preceding morning at the same
hour. He appeared extremely feeble and under great uneasiness
from pain, but otherwise composed, and although suffering so
much he uttered no complaint. He asked me when I had come,
and I told him I had slept in the house. He did not seem sur-
• prised, or displeased, but said he concluded he was considered much
worse, for Mr. Macgregor had been three times to see him in
the night. But that he felt quite equal to business. I therefore
• brought forward a few subjects, and received his very clear instruc-
tions, though. his voice had become so feeble that I could with dif-
ficulty hear him.
- His. Royal Highness saw the Dukes of Clarence and Sussex,
and Sir William Knighton, who was going to Windsor, and
through whom he sent an affectionate message to the King. To
the Dukes of Clarence and Sussex he spoke cheerfully on the state
of Portugal and other matters of public interest. The Princess
__Sophia was also with him for a considerable time.
- Between nine and ten be expressed a wish to see Col. Stephen-
son and me, and we went to him, but be said little and wished us
good night.

He passed a restless night and appeared much weaker on the
_ following morning (the 31st Dec.) but continued perfectly sensible,
took nourishment when offered to him, but chewed no inclination
to speak, unless spoken to. His medical attendants apprehended
from the increased weakness, the rapid approach of dissolution.
I went to him by desire of the physicians between one and two.
He took my hand and received me most kindly. He said, " here
I am, I feel weaker but not worse, and I do not suffer pain." He
moved his lips occasionally but I could not distinguish what he
said, he appeared quite sensible, very composed, and twice looked
_at me, the first time seriously, the second time with a placid, al-
most a cheerful smile, and I came away perfectly satisfied that his
mind was freefrom anxiety and uneasiness. The Princess Sophia
came in, and the manner in which be roused himself when she
was announced was very striking. Her Royal Highness staid
•
, with him about twenty minutes. He continued very quiet
throughout the rest of the day, and at half past seven desired
s "Sir A. Cooper, who was going to Windsor, to give his affec-
tionate duty to the King, and to tell him he was very comfortable.
. On the let January I learnt that his Royal Highness had
Rased i Very quiet night, with four hours' good sleep, and that
no material change had taken place in his state ; that he conti-
nued perfectly sensible, took sufficient nourishment, and spoke
whenever roused; nor were the legs in a worse state ; on the
contrary, their appearance had become more favourable.
Upon the whole, the Physicians thought he might linger on
longer than they had expected, such was the extraordinary resist-
ance which his constitution opposed to the progress of the disease.
The Dukes of Clarence and Sussex again saw him, and he re-
ceived them affectionately, but did not speak, and they left him
-immediately. The Princess Sophia then went to him ; he kissed
her, and said—" God bless you, my dear love—to-morrow, to-
morrow," and she left him. He continued in the same quiet and
composed state throughout the day, and occasionally told his me-
dical attendants that he felt no pain, and was very comfortable.
•I did not see him.
The report on the following morning, the 2d January, was,
hat the night had been quiet, and that he continued free from
pain, and perfectly sensible, though he seldom spoke. Soon after
ovine he had a shiveriug. attack, which was very alarming, and
his pulse was hardly perceptible, but he rallied. He had been
moved nearer to the window, was quite himself, and asked
whether the day was not a frost, which was the case. He be-
Came slightly delirious at twenty minutes past one, and other
'symptoms had become more alarming. Still he was quite sensible'
at intervals. The Princess Sophia was with him for a short
time, and he knew her.
' The Dukes of Clarence and Sussex, who came in the afternoon,
did not sea him. His Royal Highness continued nearly in the
_ tame stale, except that his pulse had been gradually lowering,
and his breathing becoming very short, and his situation ap-
peared so critical, that I and other attendants in the house deter-
mined not to take off our clothes. The street was crowded with
_ people throughout the day, not apparently assembled from curio-
sity, but •• from anxiety, extremely quiet, and hardly speaking,
except to inquire, in a subdued voice, what was the state of his
Royal Highness.
I learnt at six on the following morning (the 3d), from Mr.
Macgregor, that notwithstanding a restless and uncomfortable
• night, his Royal Highness had rallied, and appeared then stronger,
more inclined to talk, and to take nourishment, than he had been
on the preceding day, and that it was impossible to calculate when
the crisis would arrive. His pulse had also become more steady.
The other medical attendants confirmed this at a later hour, and
observed that his Royal Highness's extraordinary powers of con-
stitution and tenacity of life, dened all calculation. The Princess
Sophia, being unwell, could not come this day ; the Dukes of
Clarence and. Sussex came at twelve, and staid until six, but did
' not see their brother.
s Sir :Wm. Knighton, having come from Windsor, and been
'jigged- to hie Royal Highness, he desired to see him, that he might
inqsaire after the King, and requested hien to assure his Majesty
of hiketffectiOnate duty.
Towards the evening his Royal Highness chewed symptoms of
returning strength, and the physicians reported to his Majesty,
that he continued in the same state, without appearance of im-
mediate dissolution, but without hope. Between ten and twelve
he was very quiet and inclined to sleep.
The assemblage of people in Arlington-street was the same as
on the preceding day, there was the same propriety of conduct,
the same manifestation of affectionate interest, free from curiosity.
His Royal Highness passed a very restless night, with occasional
attacks of faintness and spasm. His breathing had become more
difficult, his pulse more feeble and irregular, but yet there were
no symptoms of rapidly approaching dissolution. Sir Astley
Cooper had sat up with him to relieve Mr. Macgregor, and when
the latter went to his Royal Highness, he desired him to thank.
him, and say he was very kind.
Shortly after he saw some one near him, and Mr. Macgregor
told him it was Mr. Simpson, and his Royal Highness said Mr.
Simpson is a good man. He took some slight nourishment oc-
casionally, and towards ten o'clock he had a serious attack of 1
faintness, during which his pulse was hardly perceptible, but he
rallied again. Sir Wm. Knighton saw his Royal Highness, but
Ile did not speak to him.
Between one and two, Mr. Macgregor came to tell me that
hie Royal Highness had named me frequently, and at last_made
them understand that he wished to see me. I immediately went
to him. I found him dreadfully changed, very feeble, much op-
presied, and evidently unable to distinguish objects clearly.
Batchelor nained me to him, and I sat down close by his
right side. He looked at. me with a kind smile, took me by the
hand, and I told him I had not left the house since I had last
seen him. He asked me with difficulty, anti in a faint, though
steady voice, whether Colonel Stephenson was in the house. I
said he was, and asked whether he wished to see him; he nodded
assent, and I immediately sent for him. Colonel Stephenson went
to his left side ; but, as his Royal Highness could not see him, I
beckoned to him to come to the right side, and I moved bank, so
as to enable him to come close up, while I supported his Royal v
Highness, by placing my hand against the pillow, behind his back.
He then gave his hand to Colonel Stephenson. After some in-
terval, during which his Royal Highness breathed with great
dif-
ficulty, and was very faint, and during which, Batchelor bathed
his temples with Cologne water ; he collected his strength, and
said in a steady, firm tone of voice, but so low as to be hardly
audible to Colonel Stephenson, whose head was further removed
than name," I am now dying." After this, he dropped his
head, and his lips moved for about a minute, as if in prayer. He
'
then looked t us againt and appeared to wish to speak, but an
attack of faintne; e came on, and his respiration was so difficult,
and he seemed so wie'lc and exhausted, that I thought he was dy-
ing, and expressed that NT
rehension to Colonel Stephenson, who
partook of it. Batchelor biethed his temples again, and he rallied,
after which he again took Colotiel Stephenson's hand, and nodded
to Batchelor, who told us he meant we should leave him.
The scene was most affecting and trying, but yet in some re-
spects satisfactory, u it chewed that be was perfectly aware of his
situation, and we concluded that he had seen us together, as being
his executors, and meant to take leave of us. I heard afterwards
that he had appeared much exhausted by the effrt, but subse-
quently took some chicken broth and became composed, with-
out having any return of faintness. Towards the evening, h
rallied again, and had some sound and comfortable sleep, and his
attendants separated under the impression that his Royal Highness's
life would he prolonged at least another night.
In the course of the night he had so serious an attack of faint-
ness that Mr. Macgregor thought he would not have recovered
from ; but he rallied again towards the morning of the sth, and
had taken mune nourishment. The breathing had, however, be-
come extremely difficult. About II Mr. Simpson came to me to
say that the symptcons of apprpaching death had came on, and that
the medical attendants wished me to be in the room *djoining to
that in which his Royal Highness lay. I brought in the Duke.
of Clarence and Sussex, and Colonel Stephenson, ar,d we conti-
nued in the room, expecting every moment to be called in by 46;

medical attendants (who were all with his Royal Highness) to
witness his death. Sir Henry Halford came to us occasionally,
and stated that his Royal Highness's pulse was hardly perceptible,
his extremities were cold; he was speechless, and had with diffi-
culty swallowed a little milk and rum, but nevertheless appeared
to retain his senses. Of this, indeed, he gave proof at 12, for
Mr. Macgregor came in to say that his Royal Highness had in-
isted on having his legs dressed (which they naturally wished to
avoid at such a period,) for he had looked at him several times,
hid pointed at the clock, then at his legs, and had pushed off the
covering, thus showing his determination to go through all that
was required to the last moment. When be found that he was
understood, and that Mr. Macgregor was preparing for the dress-
ing, he signified his thanks to him with a kind smile, threw back
his head, and hardly noticed anything afterwards.
The pulse became more feeble, the attacks of faintness more
frequent, but his Royal Highness struggled on, and between eight
and nine this state appeared so likely to last for some hours, that
the Duke of Clarence was persuaded to go home, and I returned
to my room to answer some inquiries. At twenty minutes past
nine, Colonel Stephenson called me out, and told me that he was
in the last agonies. I hastened down, but my dear master had
expired before I could reach his room, and I had the comfort of
learning that he had expired without any struggle or apparent
pain. His countenance indeed confirmed this, it was as calm as
possible, and quite free from any distortion, indeed it almost
looked as if he had died with a smile upon it.
The medical attendants, the Duke of Sussex, Batchelor, and
another servant, were in the room, looking at him in silence, and
with countenances strongly expressive of their feelings.
Such was the end of this amiable, kind, and excellent man,
after a long and painful struggle, borne with exemplary resolution,
and resignation, and I am confident, that the details into which
I have entered of the last circumstances of that struggle, will not
prove uninteresting to those who were sincerely attached to him.

I feel that I owe it to his Royal Highness's character, to aid
some general observations, which may serve to place it in its true-
light, and to confirm the opinion of those who view his loss as a
national calamity.
It may be necessary to premise that from the moment that I
had received the alarming report from Brighton, I ceased to en-
tertain any sanguine hopes of his Royal Highness's recovery,
and that my expectation of it became gradually more faint, al-
though they varied occasionally, as the symptoms of the disorder i
fluctuated.

This impression led to my keeping the minutes, from which I
have extracted theforegoing statement, my object in so doing, being
that I might be better able, from such accurate source, to do jus-
tice to his Royal Highness's character and sentiments.

The 30th December was the last day on which I submitted
any papers, and he was then quite equal to any business, for al-
though his state varied in the course of the day, yet, there were
hours when physical causes, or the effect of medicine, did not
interfere with the clear application of the powers of the mind.
It has been already shewn by the details, I have produced, that
almost to the latest hour his Royal Highness was anxious to dis-
charge his official duties, and the interest he took in them was at
no time weakened by the pressure of bodily disease or pain. In
further proof of this, I may state, that on Saturday the 9th Dec.
I received from Lord Bathurst at his office, secret instructions
respecting the force to be prepared for embarkation for Por-
tugal, and that I communicated them in the same evening to
his Royal Highness. He was then in great pain, but he
became indifferent to bodily sufferings, and immediately drew up
the heads of the military arrangement (which paper in his own
writing I now possess) from which were framed detailed instruc-
tions approved by him on the following day, and issued,on Mon-
day the 11th Dec.

This measure naturally produced the necessity of other arrange-
ments connected with kome service, and the Adjutant General and
Quarter Master General will bear me out in the assertion that
these were entered into and directed by him with the same intelli-
gence and attention which he had manifested on previous occa•
sions, when we are bound to state that every arrangement was
made by him, and that the execution of the details was alone left
to us.

It may not be irrelevant here to observe, that this had at all
times been the case ; his Royal Highness had been at the head of
the army more than 32 years ; during that period various officers
were successively employed fiy him in the situations of military
secretary, and at the heads of departments at the Horse Guards;
and they possessed his confidence and exerted themselves zealously.
But the merit of rescuing the army from its impaired condition, of
improving, establishing, and maintaining its system, of introducing
that administration of it, in principle and in every detail, which
has raised the character of the British service, and promoted its
efficiency, belongs exclusiiely to his late Royal Highness. The
work was progressive, but his attention to it, his able superin-
tendence of it were constant. He guided and directed the labours
of those subordinate to him ; their task was executive. He gave
the impulse to the whole machineryand kept the wheels in motion,
and to him, I repeat it, the credit was due.
An arrangement for the promotion of the old subalterns of the
army had long been the object of his solicitude, but it was one of
difficult accomplishment, as it was understood that no measure en-
tailing extraordinary charge on the public, would be admitted.--L
Hence the delay in bringing it forward ; but his Royal Highness
entered into every detail of it on the 26th of December, and the
King having paid him a visit on the 27th, he ordered me
to submit it to his Majesty on that day when it obtained the
Royal signature; and the communication of his Majesty's gracious
approbation of this arrangement nig received by his Royal High-
ness with a warm expression of satisfaction.
Of the resolution and resignation with which His Royal High-
ness submitted to protracted confinement and a painful disorder,
my statement offers ample proof; but I have not stated, that
during all this period, during this serious trial, his excellent tem-
per and kind disposition to all who approached him, continued
unimpaired. I appeal to his medical attendants, I appeal to his
servants, to those who transacted business with him, official or
personal, whether at any time he betrayed a symptom of irrita-
bility, whether a sharp word escaped him, whether a murmur or
complaint was uttered. Every attention, from whatever quarter,
was kindly received, and gratefully acknowledged. Great anxiety
was shown by him to avoid giving trouble ; and, at the later
perio • ds of his illness, that which seemed to distress him most teas
is being reduced to the necessity of requesting others to do for
him that which he had ceased to be able to do for himself.
Of the kind attention of his medical attendants, and their
anxiety to afford to him the utmost benefit of their skill, he ex-
pressed himself most sensible. And it is due to them to say,
that if he had been their nearest and dearest relative, they could.
not have devoted their time, care, and attention to him with more
affectionate zeal than they did. Nor did he ever betray any want
of confidence in their skill, or the least desire to resort to other
advice.

I must add, that I can positively state, having been admitted
freely to their consultations, that no difference of opinion pre-
vailed among them ; they acted together cordially, and their only
object seemed to be the welfare of their illustrious patient.
During the progress of his illness his Royal Highness received
the most endearing and affectionate attention from the King, and
from his brothers and sisters; and they never failed to be acknow-
ledged with satisfaction and with gratitude ; the Princess Sophia
especially, whose near residence admitted of more frequent inter-
course, never missed coming to him in the course of the day,
unless prevented by indisposition ; and I have already stated that
her Royal Highness, by his desire, took the Sacrament with him
the 28th December.
The visits of his Royal Highness's numerous and attached
friends were frequent? and' they were invariably received with sa-
tisfaction, and with an expression of his sense of their attention.
Upon these occasions lie exerted himself to meet them cheerfully,
and to suppress the expression of pain or bodily uneasiness, and
they often left him with the belief that he was free from both, al-
though this had Isy no means been the case.
Nor did his Royal Highness's bodily suffering or the contem-
plation of his critical state diminish in any degree the interest
which he had ever taken in the state of public affairs, and in the
welfare and prosperity of his country. These were at all times
uppermost in his mind, and I am convinced that they often en-
gaged it in a much greater degree than did his own situation.
H. TAYLOR.

M. Camacho, the Mexican Minister to this country,
is about to proceed to Paris immediately. In his passport, which
is signed by the French Ambassador, he is designated by his full
title of " Miniater Plenipotentiary of the United States of Mexico."
It is said that this concession was not at first granted, but M.
Camacho was firm, and would have declined going to France, had
not his diplomatic character been declared on his passport. The
French Government are too well aware of the importance of the
commercial intercourse with Mexico to stiffer a mere form of this
nature to s:.sz„nd in the way of it.. advantages.
The letters from Naples express high gratification at
the departure of the Austrian troops, the charge of supporting
whom ha., been an intolerable weight ou the resources of the
country. It appears by letters from Milan of the 4th inst., which
have been received to-day, that an Austrian army of observation,
amounting to near 25,000 men, is to be formed in the neighbour-
hood of Milan. The garrison of Milan, which was to have
marched on the arriyal of the first division of the troops from
Naples has received orders t,..) remain, and instructions have
also been sent to the corps in other places, to aseemble on
that point.

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF LORDS, MARCH 20.
CATHOLIC CLAIMS.

The LORD CHANCELLOR presented a peti-
tion from the Congregation of Protestant Dissenters, meeting at
Grove Chapel, Camberwell, against any further concessions to the
Roman Catholics.

The Duke of RICHMOND presented similar peti-
tions from certain Dissenters of Chichester, and from a parish in
Carnarvon.

Petitions to the same effect were presented by the Bishop cf
GLOUCESTER, from the Clergy of the Archdeaconries of Wilts
and Berks, diocese of Salisbury.—Laid on the table.
Petitions, praying for Emancipation, were presented by the
Earl of CLARE and the Earl of ROSSLYN, from the counties
of Limerick and Mayo.—Laid on the table.

The Bishop of BATH and WELLS presented
a petition from Frome, Somersetshire, against any further conces-
sions to the Catholics.—Laid on the table.

Lord KING had to present to their Lordships the
petition of a Roman Catholic, named William Calaghan, who
stated that his ancestor bad been a Dragoon in the Army of Gen.
Sarsfield, and the petitioner therefore prayed, that as a Catholic,
he might he held entitled to all the benefits secured to persons of
his religion by the treaty of Limerick.—Ordered to lie on the
table.

Lord DUFFERIN presented a petition from
Bangor, county of Down, against any further concessions to the
Catholics.—Laid on the table.

The Noble Lord had to present a similar petition from Donag-
hadee, same county.
The Marquis of LONDONDERRY complained
of the mode in whieh those petitions were got up. The person
who was most active on the occasion was not a resident of the
North of Ireland. He could state from his own knowledge, that
in the part of the country with which he was more immediately
connected, the decided feeling was in favour of concession.

Lord DUFFERIN said, that both petitions were
fairly got up, and respectably signed. He had himself been asked
his opinion on the subject of the Catholic Claims, and his reply
was, that if concessions were made, it ought to be only on suffi-
cient securities being obtained from the Catholics. The petition
was then withdiawn, in consequmee of an informality.