The Sun.
London, England, 1855-02-14 00:00:00

PERSIA.

At a moment when a closer alliance with Persia,
the frontier neighbour of Russia, should so earnestly
be cultivated, we are sorry to receive dates from
Teheran, the capital, to the commencement of the
present year, loudly complaining that, through the
gross mismanagement of affairs by the represen-
tative of Great Britain, British influence is at a
sad low discount, whilst that of Russia is daily
increasing, and the internal state of the country is
in deplorable anarchy. Mr. M'Coan, the corre-
spondent of a London morning journal, on his road
from Tabreez to Mooscool and Constantinople, has
been attacked by brigands, five hours' journey from
Jesireh, and stripped of all lie possessed ; and in
this destitute state forced to retrace, barefooted,
his steps to Mooscool, for five long days and nights,
begging his bread I The Russian army continues
at Bayzid. The Hon. Mr. Murray, the newly-
appointed minister at the court of the Shah, was
looked for at his post by the way of the Persian
Gulf and Bagdad, early in February. Mr. Stevens,
the late British consul at Tabreez, has left the last-
mentioned city for Teheran, to which he has been
appointed, in order to receive the new minister, on
whose arrival, with the knowledge of the Persians
which Mr. Stevens can impart to him, a speedy
change of things to the benefit and advantage.
of British interests is confidently reckoned upon.
It is with these views, no doubt, that Mr. Stevens
has been induced to postpone the availing of the
leave to visit England, which was accorded to him
on his removal from Tabreez, where, on the acces-
sion to the throne of the present Shah (at that time
governor of the province of which Tabreez is the
chief city), and for some time afterwards, Mr.
Stevens rendered very signal services to his coun-
try, whose interests were then, as they unfor-
tunately now again are, suffering from Russian in-
trigues, crafty policy, and paramount ascendancy.

SPAIN.
The Madrid journals of the 7th have arrived.
The debate in the Cortes on the preceding day.,
on the proposition of the Government that the
laws already passed should be submitted to the
sanction of the Queen, terminated by the adop-
tion Of the motion by 187 votes to 9. In the
Cortes, on the 7th, M. Mariategui asked the
Minister of Finance if lie intended to support
that part of M. Silva's proposition for a reform
of the tariffs which was injurious to the West
Indian possessions. The Minister said the reform
he contemplated was one which would conciliate
all interests, and especially those of the West In-
dian islands. The papers contain no news of inte-
rest. A letter says :
" The last despatches from our Minister at Wash-
ington represent in very favourable colours the
sentiments of the population and Government of the
United States with respect to Spain and her colo-
nies. The Pope's Nuncio frequently sees the Mi-
nister of Foreign Affairs. They hoped that rela•
tions with Rome will not be interrupted. It is not
true, as has been stated, that it is intended to form
armies of observation near the frontiers of Navarre and
Catalonia. The troops %in those provinces have, how-
ever, been concentrated by way of precaution. De-
spatches from Navarre say that perfect tranquillity pre-
vails there."