The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1820-07-28 00:00:00

The intelligence brought by the Paris Papers of
Monday hiss, which have arrived at our office, pos.

mars no il

rime of general interest.

It represents the proceedings of the Cones of
Spain in the sittings of the 10th, 1 Ith. and lith of
July, the three first days of meeting fur the dis-
patch of business, and from this commencement of
its proceedings it, might not be uninteresting for un-
important to collect some general estimate of the
probable tone and temper 'whit+ will be likely to
predominate in the future measures of the notional
sseembly. The meeting of the Cortes is attended
by at least one circumstance most auspicious for
the Spanish Monarchy, namely, the existence of an
apparent good understanding between the Cortes
and the KING. The Speech with which leis MA.
ESTY opened the sitting of the LegialAtive Body
was replete with enlightened sentiments of policy,
and spoke the language of sincerity and confi-
dence; the Address prepared and accepted by the
Cortes on the HMI, and presented to the KING on
the 11th, was, with a few exceptions, an almost
li-
teral transcript of hi. MAJESTY'S Speech, and from
this circumstance our own parliamentary usages,
from which this act on the port of the. Spanish
Cortes is manifestly derived, teach us to collect the
assurance that the sentiments of the Cortes with re•
gard to the general principles contained in the
Speech and the Address, are in unison with those
which have been expressed by the Klan, and esta-
blished as the rule of his Government. It is re-
markable that thus early in the reorganisation of
the Constitution, the Cortes should at once, with a
sensitive regard to their political rights, deny the va-
lidity of a Treaty concluded by the Kt X a's Govern-
ment with the King of the NETH CALA N US. solely
upon the ground of its not having received the
concurrence of the Cones, in pursuance of the
terms prescribed in the Constitution. We are not

quite sure dist. the Cortes, in this refusal to recog-
nize the Treaty, which by the way was one eminent-
ly advantageous to Spain, are well supported by
sound principles of interoational o► civil law. The
KIN a's Government was, with reference to the pre-
eeeding Government of the Constitution of the
Cortes, a revolutionary Government ; hut it still
held the supreme power in the State de fuctu, and
in such circomstauces was the ostensible represen-
tative of the nation, for the purposes of Inaintsin.

Mg the relations of peace and amity with foreign
countries. If a revolutionary Government, no mat-
ter what may be its denomination, had not the
legal power of concluding Treaties with other
State% reciprocally binding the contracting par-
ties, win, under certain circumstances, and an
interruption of communication under every cir-
cumstance, must with respect to such Govern-
ments be inevitable and constant, and a change
in the political frame of society among one people
must plunge the world in confusion. All Treaties
concluded by the Government of Spain dining
the suspension of the Constitution were undoubt-
edly binding upon the other parties, and call it
be supposed that if those Treaties contained cer.
tails conditi iiii 0,. founded on principles of equity
and justice, but possibly favourable to Foreign
Powers, the Cortes of Spain could now with pro-
priety or safety plead the revolution effected by
their KING. end cause him to proclaim his own
injustice nod dishonour to the world, for the pier.
pose of relieving the kingdom from an oppressive
or an inconvenieut stipulation ?
A vast number of propositions has been made in
the assembly of the Cortes by various Members,
massy of theM of extreme importance, and framed
as if for the express purpose of asserting some of
the highest privileges and rights assigned to the
Cortes by the terms of the Constitution. The
Cortes of 1812, to express their determined hosti-
lity to the interests of BONAPARTE, lied, by
decree, excluded front the succession the present
King's brother, the Infant I)on
,FRANCIA, awl
also the Infanta DOllllB MARIA 71.11ERLSA, the
Queen Of Etruria. A Member now proposes the
repeal of this Decree, on the grounds of the titter
destruction of N•POLEolll.linflUence; lint 'mother
Member adds, as en amendment, that the Arch-
duchess MARIA Louisa, wife of NAPOLEON
BONAPARTE, should lie excluded from the succes-
sion to the Throne of Spain, lest it might fly any
possibility be at some future period polluted by the
young NAPOLEON or the descendants of BONA-
PARTE. These propositions have been made with-
out any recommeudation from the Crown, and ap-
parently without the knowledge or concurrence of
the eatcotise authority, and will be debated on
wore rature day with the same reckless iutrepidity_i