The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1824-06-08 00:00:00

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bled to maintain her.monopoly in the New iVoria. To-
wards the close of the 16th, and during the greater part
of the 16th century, Spain and Portugal were the two
great Naval Powers on the Ocean. The Spanish in-
fantry, exercised in the wars of Italy, under Gonsalez
de Cordova, was then the first in Europe. Venice,
at that period, was a trading power of considerable
consequence ; her commerce was spread through every
part of Europe; but her vessels scarce ever sailed beyond
the Mediterranean. The Spaniards, relying on the right
of prior discovery, claimed all America as their own. They
could not prevent the Portuguew, who were then their
rivals on the ocean, who had discovered the passage by the
Cape of Good Hope, and whose conquests under Pc Gams
and Albuquerque, in Asia, had added so much to their
power, from settling in Brazil. But such was then the
terror of the Spanish name, that it dismayed other nations
from attempting a settlement in America. The early
French colonists who landed on the coasts of Florida were
all exterminated by the jealous Spaniards. 'l'he destruc-
tion of the Armada was the first efficient blow given to the
Spanish power at sea. Drake, Frobisher, and other ad-
venturous seamen, carried soon after terror through the
whole coast of Spanish America. In the course of the
17th century the English, French, Dutch, and other na-
tions, were enabled to make settlements on that Continent.
But Spain had already extended her sceptre over the
largest and richest portion of the New 'World. Ilex au-
thority was recognized from Florida to the southern extre-
mity of the barren coast of Chili. She had influence
enough to maintain a tyrannical dominion and a proacrip-
' tire monopoly throughout these possessions, until within
the last ten years: but both are now parted from her
hands for ever. But Spain and Portugal are memorable
examples that the monopoly of the trade of colonies,
however great and populous, is not of itself sufficient to
establish or maintain manufactures in any country. Both
these nations possessed considerable manufactures before
the New World was discovered ; since they held the
richest possessions in the world these manufactures de-
clined to almost nothing. The commercial profits of
the merchants of Cadiz and Lisbon were very large ;
but they did nothing to augment the capital of either
country ; they neither alleviated the poverty nor increased
the industry of the people. The Colonies of both
, powers gave more encouragement to the industry of other
nations than to their own. In the article of linens alone,
the annual consumption of Spanish America and Brazil
amounted to near four millions ; but of this large amount
Spain and Portugal furnished but a very small part; the
demand was principally supplied by France, Flanders,
Holland, and Germany. Gold was the great object of the
Spaniards in conquering America. Columbus for a while
believed the countries he discovered to be a part of those
which Marco Paolo, the early oriental traveller, had de-
scribed ; and in his letters to Ferdinand and Isabella, he
always called them the Indies. It was the search for gold
that carried Cortez to Mexico, and Almagro and Pizarro
to Chili and Peru. When those daring adventurers arrived
on any part of the coast, their first inquiry from the na-
tives was whether any gold was found there, and according
to the answers they received they either settled in the
country or determined to leave it. The Crown of Spain,
from the tax os gold and silver, derived a large revenue
from Spanish America, almost from the first moment of
settlement ; the revenue too was of that nature calcu-
lated to excite expectations of unlimited riches. These
colonies attracted, in consequence, the immediate and
marked avidity of the parent country, and adventurers
went out in thousands ; but the violent and arbi-
trary Government of Ohl Spain paralyzed for cen-
turies their finest capabilities. The cities of Mexico,
Lima, Caraccas, and some others, were populous and
wealthy ; but the country in general was poor, and the great
mass of the inhabitants plunged in abject poverty, and
degraded by the grossest superstition and tyranny. Since
these great countries have shaken off this oppressive yoke,
industry, intelligence, and activity arc fast increasing
amongst them. The trade of Great Britain with this ex-
tended Continent has now risen to a vast amount: last
year it wanted little of six millions sterling; the entire,
with a trifling exception, formed of our domestic manu-
factures. In one year the value of cotton goods exported
to Spanish and Portuguese America, from the port of
Liverpool alone, was more than eleven hundred thousand
pounds sterling. Millions of British capital are also com-
mitted in loans, successively negociated with every pro-
vince. Under such circumstances, it is not surprising that

the country at large should be deeply anxious to ace the
independence of these States acknowledged, knowing that
such a recognition by this country would be decisive.
Public meetings, with that feeling, have already com-
menced, and Liverpool has taken the lead. It is expected
that the Foreign Minister, who has devoted so much of
his attention to this interesting question, will make an im-
portant communication on the subject to Parliament before
the Session closes. The policy of our Cabinet is clear and
simple ; no doubts can rest upon it. Spain, and her claims
of weak supremacy, to us are nothing ; in the independ-
ence and welfare of her emancipated Colonies we now
possess the strongest interest.

iVixnsoa (MoNnav), JUNE 7.—Yesterday afternoon
the King, after attending Divine Service at the private
chapel in the Castle, took an airing to the Royal Lodge,
where his Majesty dined, and returned to the Castle in the
evening. This morning the King took his accustomed
I ride in different parts of the lark in his phaeton.
The King will hold a Levee to-morrow, at his Palace in
Pall-mall.

Yesterday the Princess Augusta visited the Duke and
Duchess of Gloucester.

The Duchess of Clarence dined with the Duchess of
Kent on Sunday, at her apartments, at the King's Palace,
Kensington.
The Duke of Gloucester was on a visit to the Earl of
Derby during the Epsom races. His Royal Highness re-
turned to town on Saturday afternoon.
The Duchess of Gloucester went to Bagshot on Wed-
nestlay, accompanied by her Royal Sister, the Princess
Augusta, where their Royal Highnesses remained till Sa-
turday, when they returned to London.
The Duchesses of Gloucester and Kent paid visits to
Prince Leopold yesterday.
Yesterday the Duchess of Kent, accompanied by the
Princess Fendore, visited the Duke of Clarence.
A private letter from Paris says it is rumoured that a new
batch of Peers is to be made, and that there will be several
changes in the Ministry.

It is reported that the Queen of Portugal will shortly
quit the kingdom, and retire either into France or Italy.
The Marquis de Pannell° is on the point of setting off
for London, to open a negotiation with the Agents from
the /trazils.

A subscription for the Credo has been commence& at
Calcutta, anti up to the ath of January, 1d,76$ sicca ru-
pees bad been subscribed.
Owing to an extraordinary influx of ship letters, the let-
ter-carriers were not despatched from the Post-oilice yes-
terday morning till an unusually late hour.

The Royal Museum, at the Louvre, at Paris, is to be
immediately opened for students, Tuesdays, IVednesdays,
Thursdays, and Fridays, from nine till 'four ; also to
foreigners shelving their passports, and to the public, on
Sundays u usual.—French Paper.