The Sun.
London, England, 1822-12-17 00:00:00

FRENCH COMMERCE AND MANUFACTURES,

( Extract of a Letter, dated Paris December 14.)
It will be remembered that the Journals lately
stated that the Council-General of Commerce
had presented an Address to his MAJESTY, peti-
tioning strongly in favour of the preservation of
peace. The same Journals contained shortly
the substance of that representation. A petition
for peace from such a body could not fail to ob-
tain attention. The Council-General of Com-
merce is composed of the most eminent merchants
and bankers, not only in the capital, but in the
other cities and sea-ports of France. It consists
of about 50 members, 20 of whom are nominated
directly by the Minister of the Interior, and the
rest by the Chambers of Commerce. His Ex-
cellency is President, and appoints the Vice-
President. The opinions of such a body are not
likely to be factious or revolutionary, and there
is every reason to suppose that the Cabinet did
not think its advice unworthy of attention,

though its representations have hitherto remained
unpublished.
The Council-General of Manufactures have

likewise presented an energetic remonstrance
against the commencement of hostilities. This
Council, like that of Commerce, is composed of
the most eminent individuals, whose capitals are
invested, or whose labours are employed, in
manufactures, whether resident ih Paris or in the
provinces. The Minister of the Interior is like-
wise its President, and has the nomination of 20
of its Members.: It may seem strange that both
these bodies shoruld have left their petition in the
hands of the ve'ry.Minister who presides at their
meetings, •and not have insisted on.carrying•them
directly to the fobt of the Throne. Hence re-
sults the care witlywhich their representations
have beeii,kept from the public. Of the latter
have been so -fortunate as to obtain a copy, and
shall lay before you the principal passages
" Sire,--The Council-General of Manufactures, called by
the confidence of your Majesty to give your Majesty its opi-
nions on whatever interests that important branch of the public
prosperity, would think that it failed in its most imperious
duty if it did not respectfully express to your Majesty the
alarms and anxiety which are produced by the sinister reports
of an approaching war with Spain.
" The recent depreciation of the public funds is but a feeble

indication of the terror which is manifested in our warehouses
and manufactories. In the latter that terrior has been more
striking than on the Stock Exchange, and its consequences are
still more lamentable. In the speculations of the public funds,
the least combination of circumstances—the most feeble ray
of hope—can lead to a salutary re-action ; but among mer-
chants and manufacturers, when confidence is once shaken,
credit is contracted in a frightful degree, and the effect exists
long after the cause has disappeared. The dealers, dreading
the stoppage of their sales, have counternmnded the orders
which they had 'given. Already in several manufactories
workmen have been dismissed. What would be the conse-
quence if our fears were realized.
" Considerations of a higher order, and worthy of particular
attention, have•fixed the solicitude of the Council of Illanu.

factures ; these considerations it takes the respectful freedom
of submitting to the enlightened view of your Majesty, as the
'necessary results of a rupture with Spain. Considerable %ums
are due by Spain to French manufacturers. The first act of
hostility on the part of France would lead to the sequestr:ation
and loss of the funds and the credits of French sub-
jects, and all our relations with Spain would be broken ; while
the merchants of other countries would not only be maintained
in their rights, but would not fail to obtain privileges in fa-
vour of the neutral or friendly flag.
" But this is not all. A crowd of adventurers, whose mis-
chievous activity has been chained for some years by the peace,
expect with impatience in our own ports, and those of the Penin-
sula, a rupture between the two countries, in order to obtain from
the Spanish Government letters of marque, authorizing them
to pursue on all seas our shipping, ill prepared for attacks of
this kind. On the other hand, the commerce of the American
colonies will fall entirely into the hands of England and the
United States. The habit of dealing with their merchants will
prevent for a long time our intercourse with several important
regions, where the use of our language and other circumstances
had created dispositions favourable to the consumption of our
commodities.

" No military success can indemnify French commerce for
the disadvantages of commencing hostilities ; the Council ze-
strains itself from reflections on a reverse.
" The members of the Council General of Manufactures, as
heads and directors of establishments which employ thousands
of individuals of the most improvident classes of the nati'on, bear
witness to the justness of the alarms which the manufacturers
express on the dangers to which the interruption of the labours
of their workmen would expose public order, particularly in the
cities. These manufacturers justly point our attention to the
circumstances, that provisions and articles of the first necessity
have, for some years past, been at a very low price in France,
while wages, on the contrary, have risen; that a great number
of labourers habituated to a country life derive from that state
of things facilities of obtaining ease and comforts which they
could with difficulty renounce ; and that, in fine, malevolence
might be easily listened to by such a population addicted to
activity, and for a long time familiarized to dangers.

" The Council General of Manufactures checks in itself even
the idea of darkening the presages which its duty compels it to
declare ; but it has not heard without painful surprise, as mo-
tives and argument decisive of hostilities, expressions which
are familiar to flatterers of all times, and which appear in pre-
sent circumstances only a parody of the adulation with which
the Imperial Government was intoxicated in the last moment
oflits existence. The true glory of the Bourbons has long
been attached to acts of justice, prudence, and love for French-
men.
" The heir of the throne of our ancient Kings has illustrious
examples before him to induce him to teach to Europe anew,
that twenty-five millions of men compose the family of a King
of France.
" United in love for the immortal author of the Charter, your
faithful subjects, Sire, approach with confidence the throne of
your Majesty, and implore your Majesty to maintain a peace
so necessary to complete our institutions, and to favour the de-
velopements of that commerce and industry which are destined
to replace France in the rank to which she is' entitled among
the nations.
" Full of hope in your royal paternal bounty, we are with
profound respect,
" THE MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL 'OF •
MANUFACTURES."
It is reported that an address of this kind was
first suggested by M. Ternaux, the Deputy for
the department of the .Seine, who, as having 30
different manufacturing establishments in different
parts of France and of Europe, was best entitled
to speak with energy against a war by which all
manufacturing industry would have bee❑ so deep-
ly injured. For thus stirring in the cause, though
one of the most respectable members of the Le.
gielature, be has been taunted by the Ultra
papers as interfering with the state. when he
ought .to be attending to his manufactories, and
desired to renounce politics for his cashmeres
and merinos. Having obtained with difficulty a
copy of the original project which he presented
to the Commission appointed to draw up the
address, I now send it to you. M. Ternaux, it
will be seen, found his representations in favour
of peace more on reasons of state than the ad-
dress that was finally adopted.
The. two first paragraphs of M. Ternaux's pro-
posed address are the same as in the preceding :
it then proceeds thus :
" It does not belong to us to discuss whether, without
offending against the laws of justice and morality, the right el
interference in the affairs of a country can be exercised by one
state with respect to another equally independent; or, sup-
posing this right to exist,
.whether France and the Allied
Powers are placed in a situation which renders it necessary for
them to exercise it with regard to Spain.
" We shall not examine whether it is prudent for the ab-
solute monarchies of the West and the North to confederate, in
order to control or judge the operation, more or less regular, of
the wisest monarchical or constitutional systems of the south—
whether several or some of the latter would act conscientiously
and wisely in supporting the pretensions of the former—or
whether the federation of absolute or even of constitutional
governments may not provoke or justify the same measure on
the part of the republican governments, each party acting ac-
cording to their own views of their respective interests.
" As little does it belong to us to describe what humanity
might have to suffer from an armed intervention, which, by
exasperating party hatred among our neighbours, would give
more bitterness to the civil war ; how much moral feeling
might have to regret the giving assistance to the cause of men
whose pretensions and opinions are .supported by foreign
bayonets against those who defend the independence of their
country ; or, finally, to inquire whether Majesty itself would
not be compromised by an interference which might occasion
in Spain a repetition of our horrible crisis of 1793.
" All these considerations must be too well appreciated by
your Majesty's wisdom and high views of policy, for us to
need to suggest them as' motives for averting from your sub-
jects the evils of a war, the engaging in which would be so in-
fatuated with respect to our interest, that the advice could-only
be giyen by men constantly accustomed to sacrifice the public
welfare to their self-interests or their passions.
" sire, we do not fear -to state, that were even the most bril-
liant success toattend our:anus, no useful result would be ob-
tained for France; on the contrary, independently of a dread-
ful loss of men and money, the chief burden of which falling
on France, would place her, after having exhausted herself, at
the mercy of allies who excite her to go to war ; we should,
from that moment, and for an incalculable time, see the agri-
culture and the manufactures of France languish. The pay-
ment of the French creditors of Spain, who are very numerous,
would be suspended, or perhaps entirely cut off, as well as our
commerce with the whole of the Peninsula ; whilst our rivals,
consulting their interests better, would profit at our expence by
all that our want of foresight would cause us to lose. How
much more unfortunate would be our situation if our arms
should experience the reverses to which they might sustain from
a people driven to despair ?
The importance- of the enormous losses to our commerce
which would inevitably result from such an event, is not the
only misfortune which we ought to dread from a war of opinion
rather than of necessity. Its result would infallibly be to en.
danger the social order by which we are governed, by giving
power to the factions which are in motion around the Throne,
some of whom would derive from success pretensions for the re-
turn to an ancient ordel of things which can no longer exist;
whilst others would see in a reverse the oppoefunity for reviv-
ing anarchical chimeras, which might compromise along with
the constitutional charter, the existence of your dynasty and
the safety of the Throne—of that protecting Throne around
which all Frenchmen will rally, fully convinced that it is under
its tegis they will find true liberty ; and that if the irritation of
parties may occasionally injure the State, and retard the course
of prosperity, which must result from the masterpiece of mo-
dern legislation, the light cloud will he dissipated by your wis-
dom and firmness in support of your work.
" Full of confidence in your paternal kindness, we respect-
fully subscribe ourselves your Majesty's faithful subjects,
-" THE MEMBERS OF THE GENERAL COUNCIL
OF MANUFACTURES."

NEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE, DEC. 14.

in Consequence of the restoration of order,
the naval force in the Tyne has been relieved from the laboriou s

duties which they have in long performed, and his Majesty's
ships Egeria, IVirlnrod, and Swan, have sailed from the port.
Previous to their departure, the Mayor of Newcastle, ROBERT

BELL, Esq. (whose exertions were truly indefatigable during

the whole period of- the disturbances), conveyed to Captain
NicoLAs, of the Egeria, the senior officer, the cordial thank*

of the civil authorities to himself, Captain Rocur OnT, of the
Nimrod, Lieut. STEWART, late of the Swan, Lieut. APLIN,
now of the Swan, Lieut. STEWART, first Lieut. of the Egeria,
who commanded the boats, and the Officers, Seamen, and
Marines of the several ships, for their zealous and indefatigable
exertions in support of the civil power, and in preserving order
on the River. Neither have the Gentlemen interested in the
Coal-trade been deficient in expressing their gratitude. At a
general meeting held on Wednesday, the thanks of the body
were unanimously voted to the naval force, for their great and
eminent services in protecting the Trade of the River during
the late disturbances. The acknowledgments of the civil au-
thorities, and of the Gentlemen interested in the Coal-trade,
have likewise been conveyed to Colonel Holmes, of the third
Dragoon Guards,
,Lieut.-Col. Brandling, of the Northumber-
land and Newcastle Volunteer Cavalry, and the Hon. Captain
Liddell, of the RavensworthCavalry, for their services in sup-
port of the civil power, and for the exemplary conduct of the
troops under theii command.
The following are copies of letters addressed to Lieut.-Col.
Holmes, of the 3d Dragoon Guards :
" Clerk of the Peace's Office for Northumbertlnd,
Newcastle, 12th December, 1322.
" Srn,--I am desired by the Magistrates acting for Castle
Ward, in the cotthty of Northumberland, to convey to you
their sense of the obligation you have conferred upon them, by
the manner in which you have performed a very important and
arduous duty, during the late disturbances among the keelmen
of the port of Tyne ; and I am, at the same time, deSired to
say, that the Magistrates request you will be pleased to con-
vey to the officers, non-commissioned officers, and privates of
the distinguished regiment under your command, how highly
they appreciate the zeal, firmness, and uniform good conduct
they displayed on all occasions, while employed in assisting
the civil power.
" I have the honour to be, Sir,
" Your most obedient and very humble servant,
" THOS. DAVIDSON,
" Clerk of the Peace for Northumberland."
" Lieut.-Col. Holmes, d-C. 4-c. 3d Dragoon Guards."
" Newcastle, 10th December, 1322.

"Si R,—The disturbances amongst the keelmen having hap-
pily terminated, I have the pleasure to convey to you the thanks
of myself, and the other Magistrates, for the valuable assist.
ance to the civil power which you so readily afforded on every
occasion which required the presence of the troops under your
command, and to express our high sense of their exemplary
conduct in the discharge of the duty assigned to them.

" T have the honour to be, Sir,
" With great respect,
" Your most obedient humble servant,
" ROBERT BELL, Mayor.

"'To Lieut.-Colonel Holmes, Barracks."
" We, the undersigned Magistrates, acting for the county
of Durham, request Colonel HOL3IES to accept for himself,
and to convey to the officers and privates under his command,
our thanks for the important services performed by them in
protecting at different stations the staiths and keels, for their
resolute and humane conduct, and their uniformly steady dis-
cipline. As the keelmen have now returned to their duty, we
have the satisfaction to state, that the parties of the regiment
under your command may be withdrawn from the posts in the
county of D urham.