The Sun.
London, England, 1822-06-11 00:00:00

THE LONDON JOURNALS.

IXTRACTS, FROM THE DAILY MORNING PAPERS,
June 11, 1822.

[mottNiNt4 ros-r.]
Notwithstanding the misrepresentations to
which the Chancellor of the Exchequer's- plan
for commuting the half-pay and pension charges
has been subjected, the public voice is now de-
cidedly and unequivocally in favour of it. To
enlarge any further upon its advantages, at pre-
sent, would therefore be quite superfluous on our
part ; though we cannot resist noticing a very
glaring inconsistency, which some of its opposers
have fallen into ; proving, as it does, that to
cavil, not to enter into the merits of the ques-
tion, is their favourite object. Many of those
who arraigned the principle of this measure
are the very same who in the early part of the
SessiOn proposed, and have since constantly re-
commended, the total annihilation of the Sinking
Fund. They would have the five millions a
year, thus appropriated, at once remitted in -
taxes, and, assuming. that the sole operation and
use of a Sinking Fund is the arithmetical dis-
charge of debt, would leave that task to futurity.
But our Readers will readily perceive, that the
ground on which they thus contend, is also ap-
Picahle in favour of the commutation of the Half-
pay and Pensions. The persons we allude to, in
destroying the Sinking Fund, would take that
step as the best means of hereafter discharging
the National Debt. Their argument is, that by ,
remitting the five millions of Taxes now applied
to that fund, the distress of the country would
be greatly relieved ; that the sooner that
distress is removed, the speedier and greater
will be the subsequent prosperity ; and, lastly,
that as the pecuniary charges upon a State
are always oppressive or otherwise, in proportion
as its resources are low or high, it will in a fu-
ture time of prosperity be no trouble to form a
large new Sinking Fund, and discharge a cor
responding portion of our debt. If the Sinking
Fund were not a great engine of public credit,
and a vast resource ready at the command of the
nation in case of exigency, this argument would
possess much force. But how can those who em-
ploy it-have the face to oppose the commutation
of the Half-pay and Pension charges ? This
measure implies the very principle above laid
down, namely, to relieve present distress by
postponing a part of the burden till the country
has fully recovered itself. They must therefore
believe that even if, arithmetically, a losing bar-
gain had been made with contractors, as was at
first proposed, this loss would, paradoxically as
it may sound,, have been a great gain to the
Public.

[BRIT' -Ai PRESS.]
Last night o discussion took place in the House
of Commons on the brin:ing up the Report of the
Corn Importation Bill, relative to a clause pro-
posed in the Committee by Mr. Canning, for al-
lowing foreign corn at present warehoused to be
taken out of bond, ground, and exported. This
clause was resisted by those who principally re-
present the landed interest; on the ground that
it would be impossible to guard against fraud,
and that if this permission were granted, the corn
when ground would be brought into the British
market, and flour of an inferior quality substi-
tuted in its stead. The advocates of the mea-
sure, on the other hand, contended that it was
the duty of the House to grant that :Joon to the
importers of foreign corn, who were considerable
sufferers, and particularly as it would be attended
with no detriment to agriculture. After some
discussion the House divided, when the clause
was ultimately rejected, the numbers being—
Ayes 31 ; Noes 116--Majority against the
Clause 85.

[NEW TIMES.'!

The Address of the Cortes to the King of
Spain deserves to rivet the attention of all think-
ing men in every part of Europe. We are far
from wishing to treat this painful subject with
the unfeeling levity displayed in theAes and
Chronicle. We cannot, with the one, insinuate
that the-Spaniards should get rid of their King ;
nor, with the other, congratulate the Cortes on a
civil war. In the Cortes itself this Address was
not the production of an overwhelming majority ;
it was carried only by 81 to 54 : and it is not to
be doubted but that in the country at large the
sentiments of the people would be divided iu
the inverse proportion. The language held in
this Address is that of men who have before
their eyes nothing but destruction. They set
out with saying they are " overwhelmed with
grief at the frightful calamities with which the
country is afflicted "—that the dangers "
ary
terrible and appalling," and anticipate an" effu-
sion of blood, outrages, and disasters," which
will cover the land of Spain •4 with consternation
and mourning."—The news which accompanies
this Address,. hut too fully justifies its dreary
announcements. We find a regular warfare go-

ing on in many parts of Spain ; we find the insur-
gents levying regular contributions, and acting
under known Chiefs, one of whom is at the head
of a thousand men ! On the other hand, what
sort of law and liberty has the late Revolution pro-
duced ? A party of the prevailing faction march
into a town unfavourable to their cause : they
erect there three pillars dedicated to the insane
Constitution which has produced all this woe :
and they gravely declare, that if one of these
pillars is pulled down, they will murder the
Curate of the place ; if a second, they will
murder the Magistrate ; and if a third, they will
murder all the inhabitants. This is " the pro-
gress of liberty and knowledge" in Spain ! This
is the result of her " wise institutions !" These
are the acts of her " illustrious Patriots !" Most
deeply, most sincerely, do we lament to see a
country subjected to such miseries ; but none but
a madman' could have anticipated a different re-
sult from the manner in which their late un-
happy revolution was conducted ; or from the
senseless and impracticable scheme of Govern-
ment, which was dignified .with the name of a
Constitution. Let us, at least, learn wisdom by
the sufferings of our neighbours. Sir Francis
Burdett, in 1818, gravely proposed 41 the Legis-
lature to adopt Annual Parliaments and Univer-