The Sun.
London, England, 1837-12-26 00:00:00

HE SUN, LONDON, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 26, 1837.

hates and fears Banks, but that he will be guided in
his conduct towards them by the decision of Congress.
This is the wisest course he could adopt, short of de-
claring himself convinced of their necessity. Most of
the other subjects adverted to in the Message are of
no European interest. That the Federal Government
' is at peace with all the world—that the settlement of
the boundary line between the Republic and the Bri-
tish possessions in America is in a course of amicable
adjustment—and that the cholera has long since dis-
appeared, are facts upon which we may well be excused
writing a commentary.

ante of the prelate. The Papal allocation has been received
at Paris.
A detailed statement of the troops of Don Carlos, is pub-
lished by the Ga2ette de France, which makes the effective
force of his army amount to 46,432 infantry, and 2,819

•
Mr. SPRING RICE'S speech at the Reform dinner
given to him a day or two since at Cambridge, is to all
appearance frank, off-handed, and Liberal ; but o❑
looking closely into it, we find that it is chiefly re-
markable for the tact and adroitness with which it
evades the expression of anything definite or positive
respecting the Ministerial course of policy. It luxuriates
in generalities throughout. When we heard that the
CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER had quitted the
snuggery of Downing-street in order to visit his con-
stituents at Cambridge, we confidently expected that
he would have addressed them on that subject

cavalry.
Besides these were, according to another Journal, 15,000
foot, and 960 horse in Valencia, and 11,000 in Arragon, so
making the whole regular army of Don Carlos amount to
92,145 foot, and 5,156 horse, which are able to combat with
great superiority to the Queen's troops.
The regular Royalist troops not of the moveable column arc
not counted.

which is now engrossing the attention of all Reformers
—namely, Lord JOHN RUSSELL'S late declarations in
Parliament ; that he would have put them out of sus-
pense, and set their minds at ease on this momentous
theme ;—in a word, that he would have frankly and
boldly told them how far himself and his colleagues did,
or did not, coincide in the spirit of Lord JOHN Rus-
SELL'S disheartening confession of political faith.
But on this point the Right Hon. Gentleman preserves
a studied silence. He is wondrously eloquent and com-

municative on matters which we do not care to know

nothing can exceed the vigour and explicitness of his lan
guage, when he assures us that Ministers go mucl
further than the Tories, and not so far as the Radi
cals ; but suddenly, just at the moment when the
mention of the word " Radical" would lead us to in-
fer that he was going to tell us something worth
knowing respecting the Ballot and Extended Suf-
frage—he shifts his sails, puts the helm about,
and is off on a fresh tack ! Now, is this manly—
is this plain-dealing----is this what we have
a right to expect from a MELBOURNE Administra-
tion ? We think not. It is a matter of vital impor-
tance to the people to know betimes whether the Minis-
ters of their own choice intend directly and decidedly
to oppose their demand for the Ballot ; whether they
are averse to meet their views on the question of an
Extended Suffrage; whether,'.in short, they intend to
creep, or to move vigorously, along the broad high-
way of Reform. The people, we say, have a right to
know explicitly from themselves how far they may with
security rely upon Ministers—no matter how inexpe-
dient and embarrassing such frankness may appear to
the well-conditioned tenants of Downing-street. See
the position we arc in as regards the Ballot ! At this
present moment we know not whether Government is
hostile or friendly to that measure—or whether
they have any decided opinions at all on the sub-
ject. We may conjecture, indeed, that they disapprove
of secret voting, but we can affirm nothing with cer-
tainty. Now is it not a discouraging circumstance
that we should be left in this state of doubt and per-
plexity—nay, of utter ignorance—five years after the
Reform Bill—on which, by the bye, it was originally
proposed to engraft the Ballot—has passed into law ?
However, be this as it may, the course which we
ought to pursue, is an obvious and a direct one.
We should lose not a moment in agitating the ques-
tions of the Ballot and an Extended Suffrage—
the former especially—so that when Mr. GROTE
next brings forward the measure, he may be
furnished with such practical arguments as may
enable him to make on an irresistible case•
If the people do not stir, and stir promptly
too, on these matters, they may rely on it they
will lose their only remaining chance of suc-
cess ; for we foresee that this ticklish and complicated
question of Canada will furnish -Ministers with an
excuse—of which they will be sure to avail themselves
—of giving the go-b)e for many a long day to all
questions of inferior moment I Let Ireland look well
to this, for it deeply concerns her interests. A Cana-
dian revolt is a capital excuse for deferring the settle-
'nein of the Irish Tithe System and of Municipal
.tc form.

By the arrival of the larkpendent at Liverpool from
New York, we have received news from Canada of the
2d instant. All sorts of rumours were in circula-
tion, but nothing is vet known of the state of the
contest, beyond that the mal-contents have been
driven out of St. Charles, and St. Denis, by Colonel
\VETE! ERA LL ; and that large bodies of volun-
teers have addressed Sir JOHN COLBORNE, offer-
ing to conduct the war to a successful conclusion,
without the aid of any additional troops from
this country. In Montreal 2,500 volunteers are
under arms ; in Quebec the volunteer force exceeds
1,000 ; while in most of the other towns in the
Lower Province, the proportion of those who have de-
clared themselves ready to shed their blood to main-
tain the British connection is, numerically speaking,
still greater. The extracts from the New York and
Canadian journals, which will be found in another
column, are interesting and important.

Canada was discovered in 1496 by Join,' CABOT,
a citizen of Bristol, and colonized by the French in
1608, during the reign of HENRY IV., of France,
and of JAMES 1., of England. The French held
possession of the country till 1626, when it was con-
quered by the English, but restored about six years
afterwards. Quebec, the capital, was taken by the
English in 1759, after a battle memorable for the
deaths of WOL FE and of MONTCALM, the Generals
of the respective armies ; and the entire country was
ceded to the English, and confirmed to them by the
peace of 1763. In 1791, during the commotions
caused by the French Revolution, it received a Con-
stitution, and was divided into two provinces, which
contained, some years ago, a population of 529,000.
The population now probably amounts to a million.

The French Papers of Sunday have been received.
They report that at a solemn consistory, held at Rome,
on the 4th inst., at which the most distinguished
Members of the Sacred College attended, the POPE
pronounced an approval of the conduct of the Arch-
bishop of COLOGNE, in refusing to obey the injunc-
tions of the King of PRUSSIA.
Letters from Logrono, of the 17th, state that Es-
pARTERo has reinforced the line of the Ebro. Don
CARLOS continued, apparently inactive, at A murrio.
A heavy cannonade' was heard in the direction of
Pennacerrada, from which it was conjectured that
BUERENS had attacked the Carlists in the vicinity of
that town. Christinos and Carlists were suffering
from want of necessaries.
Letters from Toulon of the 18th of this month says, that
orders have been given to bring back to France part of the
troops belonging to the expedition against Constantine_ The
naval department has received orders to offer all the means of
conveyance which it has at its disposal. Several vessels arc
already destined for this service. The amount of the effective
force of the troops that are to occupy Algiers has just been
fixed at 38,000 men of all arms. In lieu of the troops that
are coming back to France, the 3d battalion of the last four
regiments that left France are to be sent to Africa; they arc
to be at their destinations by the Ist of April next.
We stated this morning, after the Diario di Roma, that in
a secret consistory held on the 10th, the Pope had delivered
an allocation relative to the arrest of the Archbishop of Co-
logne. The Gazette de France says this evening that his
Holiness gives his full and entire approbation to the resist-