The Sun.
London, England, 1838-02-08 00:00:00

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•
MEMOIRS OF JOSIPs G RIM A LDI,
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EXCURSIONS IN ITALY.
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The publication of THE SUN NEWSPAPER commenced this day
at 10 minutes past Three o' Clock.

WITH WHICH
TRH TRUE SUN" Is NOW

INCORPOP.ATED.

:
THURSDAY EVEOND ON
NING, FEBRUARY B, 1838.

The Hccst of LORDS did meet yesterday ; and in the
HousE of COMMONS the sitting was short, whilst the business
trans-Acted was small in amount, as well as inconsiderable in
inroortance. A summary of the proceedings, therefore, would
be but a repetition of our Parliamentary report, to which, we
deem it better to refer the reader desirous of learning the de-
tails. We may, however, state here, that amongst the peti-
tions presented, there were seven in favour of a remission of
the sentence passed on the Glasgow Cotton-spinners. The
Controverted Elections Bill was postponed till the 14th ; the
second reading of the Rating of Tenants' Bill, after some
little desultory discussion, was also postponed till April. Mr.
O'CONNELL obtained leave to bring in a Bill to amend the
Law of Libel. Lord JOHN RUSSELL, it will be seen, coupled
with an indistinct answer to Mr. MACLEAN, relative to Lord
DURHAM'S Canada instruction, a declaration, "that Sir Jolts
COLBORNE was removed for no cause in the slightest degree
derogatory either to his character or reputation."

An important question of international law has
arisen between this country and the United States,
which, threatening war as its consequence, demands
the most calm and serious consideration. The Bri-
tish accuse the Americans of violating the laws of
nations by supplying the insurgents on Navy Island
with ar.us, ammunition, and men ; the Americans ac-
cuse the British of having violated those laws by
se:zing an American vessel in an American port, and
'destroying her. The people of both countries enter-
tain in many cases, a warm and just indignation
against those who violate the laws, as, for example,
the laws against robbery or murder, and there is some
reason to apprihend that they may extend a similar in-
dignation to the presumed violation of international law,
losing that calmness which, on such an important sub-
ject, they ought carefully to preserve. Should
that he the case, mutual and exasperated cri-
mtnations will prevent the two Governments from
settling the dispute, and war will be the result. It
seems therefore proper at this time to remind the
public that what is called international law is nothing
more nor less than the theoretical generalization by
skilful writers of the practices of Sovereigns and Go-
vernments. They have in some cases endeavoured to
defend those practices, by deductions from the laws of
morality, or the natural principle of self-defence ; but
in general they have contented themselves with refer-
ing to th;; conduct of the rulers of Europe. To
violate. the laws of nations so laid down is in fact
ne;:bing more than to depart from the practice:,. of Go-
vernments in past times, and as their practices have
slot always been righteous or wise, to violate them,
may be deserving, not of indignation, but of
approval. For example, it was quite consistent with
the laws of nations that Great Britain and France
waged, in the middle of the last century, a long war
with each other, to determine which of the two should
be the Sovereign of a few hundred leagues of
barren soil in America ; but it would be very
wrong in us to follow that example, in or-
der to settle with the United States the boun-
dary line between their possessions and ours. It
was quite consistent, too, with the laws of nations
that Great Britain should enforce, at a somewhat
earlier period, her right to cut logwood in the Bay of
Campeachy by her fleets and her armies ; but we shall
certainly not now go to war with France, as in former
times we should possibly have gone, because she un-
wisely and unjustly excludes by a tax our linen yarn
from her markets. The practices of nations towards
each other in past times not having been invariably
founded on justice, to violate or depart from them
ought not, therefore, to excite public indignation
like the violation of a law made to repress crimes.
Having premised this general statement, we come
to the particular case. The British accuse the Ame-
ricans of violating international laws by interfering to
assist one of the parties in Canada. It is not our
wish or our business to defend Mr. MACKENZIE and
his. followers, who may be, as the Chronicle says, " a
set of worthless miscreants ;" but we should be false
to the principles of liberty if we did not contend
for the right of any and every people to put an
end to a Government by force, if necessary, which
they regard as a tyranny. Mr. MACKENZIE may
not be supported by the majority of his fellow sub-
jects, but he declares the Government of the mother
country to be a tyranny ; and to bring the question to
issue, he hoists the standard of revolt. Arms alone
will decide which is right. Don PEDRO, a few years
ago, declared the Government of Don MIGUEL in
Portugal an usurpation and a tyranny, and he fitted
out fleets and equipped armies in our ports, to put
He was successful ; and the down that tyranny.
assistance openly given him in our country having
been more than once questioned in Parliament
was justified, as consistent with the laws of nations.
In like manner there is now a civil war raging in
Spain, and England has actually repealed her Foreign
Enlistment Act—always said by the Liberal party
here to be foreign to the genius of our Constitution ;

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