The Sun.
London, England, 1830-01-09 00:00:00

LONDON,
SATURDAY EVENING, JANUARY 9, 1830.

Despatches from General Sir LOWRY COLE,
Governor of the Cape of Good Hope, dated

the 24th of November,---and also from Lie-nt.-
General Sir C. COLVILLE, Governor of the
Mauritius,--were received this morning at the
Colonial Office.

The French Papers of Wednesday conta
lo particular news worthy of extract :

FItENCII FUNDS...-TA MS, JAN. 6.—Five per Cents,
108 f. 50e. to 1081.60 c. ; Four and a Half per Cents. 105 f.
40c. ; Three per Cents. 841. 20c. 84f. 10c. Bank Stock,
1,890 ; Rentes de Naples, 91f. 85c. 70c. ; Royal
Spanish Loan, 811 ; Rentes d'Espagne, 7 ;Rentes Perpe-
tuelles d'Espagne, 62 61i; Haytian Loan, 4801. Ex-
changron London,—one month, 251. 60c.; three months,
25f. 45e.—Cout s Authentique.

Lisbon Gazettes to the 26th December, in-
clusive, have been received, bat their contents
possess no public interest here. They merely
give an account of some religious ceremonies
performed by the KING and his accomplices in
the sacred work of usurpation.

Our Paris Correspondent informs us that a

question of the greatest importance to the free-
dom of discussion in France has been for some
time seriously agitated before the Provincial
Tribunals. It arises from the restrictions im-
posed by the Government on the manual or me-
chanical operations of the printing press, which,
according to certain old laws and decrees, framed
at a period when liberty did not exist for periodi-
cal publications in France, have been subjected
to the superintendence of the Government au-
thorities, who forbid any printer to exercise his
trade until he has obtained a Ministerial licence,
which is granted, continued, or withdrawn at
pleasure. It is obvious that, in a great capital
like Paris, and even in:some of the more con-
siderable provincial towns, there cannot practically

be any serious obstacle to the establishment ol

a Newspaper on liberal or anti-Ministerial prin-
ciples. The Government, in fact, find it im-
possible, in such situations, to make the old law
of license an efficient engine of restriction. It
is different, however, in those departments which
do not contain any second or third rate towns.
There the Minister is able, by limiting the
number of licenses, and placing those who enjoy

them under the watchful superintendence of the
Prefet and the Bishop, to obtai❑ a complete
and effectual controul over this part of the pro-
vincial press, and thus, in fact, to fetter a con-
siderable proportion of the whole number of the
periodical journals in the kingdom. When
it is proposed to establish a Newspaper decidedly
hostile to the Minister of the day, or even o
doubtful or suspicious principles, a hint to thee
printers, one or more, is i❑ general all that is
necessary to prevent its appearance, and even
without any direct interference, it is often enough
to stifle the Paper in its birth, that the printers
be of a timid and cautious character, and above
all, that they have reason to be well convinced
of the disposition of the Government to watch
their proceedings, and treat their literary delin-
quencies with severity.
The Charter declares that every Frenchman
has the right to cause print, " defaire imprimer,"
and to publish his opinions on condition of his
conforming himself to the laws for the repression
of the abuses of that liberty ; and the law of the
18th July, 1828, in pursuance of the fundamen-
tal principle of the Charter, allows every French-
man, arrived at the age of maturity, and in the
enjoyment of civil rights, to publish a journal,
or periodical Paper, without any previous au-
thority. But, by means of his controul over the
printer, the Minister is enabled to impose a ,