The Sun.
London, England, 1822-11-14 00:00:00

[MORNING HERALD.]

We little thought the other day, when we ob-
served that France's invading Spain, at present,
could be accounted for only on the supposition
that she was commissioned to chastise, and bring
to order the Spaniards, as Austria the Italians,
that this supposition could be adopted for a
moment. We regarded it only as the basis of a
conclusion ad absurdum. It is not without some
surprise that we find this very task gravely
assigned to France in the last Constitution/rel.
—This arrangement, it states, was made by
the Great Powers in Congress, England only
dissenting. Now we still believe as before, that
this supposition is unfounded, and utterly im-
probable. But observe the sang froid with which
the politicians of the Continent regard the power
and authority of England in the continental
affairs of Europe, reduced to a state of nullity—
to a mere unfruitful nega'ive, calculated only
for Naples or Sardinia—in one of the most im-
portant transactions of the present period.—
There are undoubtedly two impressions prevalent
on the Continent—the one, that the influence of
this country has dwindled, from the difficulty
of her encountering a war in her present
financial state ;—the other, that the Conti-
nental Powers are all ready to confederate
against her interests, and for her exclusion. As
to the first, we believe the enemies of Eng-
land deceive themselves as to the extent of her
power, and the elasticity of her resources, to de-
fend and enforce it if necessary. It is from an
opinion of the decay of English influence that
the Continental speculators can suppose Eng-
land a passive, powerless,spectatress, whilst Rus-
sia, Prussia, Ausria, and France, are disciplining
and dragooning independent nations at their will.
But it is because we know and feel the genius of
the English Goyernment and people,and the station
of England in the councils of Europe ; that
we judge it impossible for England to appear
in this situation of mean and pitiful neutrality.
But if the first impression—that England has de-
clined in power—be mistaken ; the second, viz.,
that Continental powers are ready to confederate
against her, is perfectly correct. Their separate
interests apart, they would unite against,her.

MYSTERIOUS DiSCOVERY.—On Satucday last,
the 9th instant, Thomas Hague was committed
from the New Bailey to Lancaster, on a charge
of bigamy ; but other circumstances of a myste-
rious nature, have tended to make this person's
case extremely awful. lle had been for some
days in custody, for arrears of bastardy money
which he had neglected to pay, when, on
Monday, the ,lth instant, a charge was pre-
ferred against him of bigamy, by a woman who
stated herself to be his second wife. She was
told by the Magistrate (James Norris, Esq.)
that she must produce evidence of the man's first
wife being alive at the time of the second, before
the charge could be received. Hague was then
committed on the bastardy warrant. The second
wife and her friends accordingly made inquiry in
the neighbourhood of Chorley, where the first wife
had lived, and discovered that, on the 2Gth of
September, Hague had fetched her away, and
that she had not since been heard of, though her
friends supposed she was in Manchester, where
her husband said he was taking her. The
second wife, knowing that he had been living
with her ever since that time, told the
relatives of the first, who, being alarmed,
came over to this town, and here learned that on
the 28th September a woman was found drowned
in the canal' in Oldfield-lane, Salford ; that a
large wound appeared on the back of her head ;
that no one was able to identify her at the Co-
roner's Inquest, and that the verdict was—Found
Drowned. They also learned that the clothes
of this woman had been kept at the Work-
house, and on being permitEed to examine
them, they were satisfied they were those
worn by the first wife of Hague. The grave
has since been opened, for the observation
of her relatives, and they recognized her by
a particular scar under the ear, which was well
known to them. These, though foul circum-
stances, were not deemed sufficiently conclusive
to warrant a commitment for the greater crime.
He is, however, in safe custody for' the minor
offence, and it is to be hoped the ends of justice
will ultimately be fully answered, by a discovery
of the whole truth, which the time intervening
betwixt the present and that of the Assizes will
enable a vigilant police to effect.—( Manchester
Herald.)