The Sun.
London, England, 1831-08-06 00:00:00

SPIRIT OF TTTE PUBLIC, JOURNALS.

We publish, this morning, under head of our Expre s
ft oin Paris, intelligence of such a nature, that we ne -d
it point out its momentous importance, and cannot tr. s:
nu selves with any opinion on its unexplained chara:o r.
We sli dl require more light than the. throws on
the afftir, to understand the breathless haste with which
Leopold demanded succours from France, and the extra°,
diary promp.itude with which France has answered his
appeal " to maintain the neutrality of Belgium and the
peace of Europe!" But we forbear at present. The
state of the French Chamber,—of the French :Ministry,
—of the French Court,—evinces a singular balance of
part'es,—a singular degree of uncertainty and confusion.
The Ministerial candidate for the Presidency was elected by
an absolute majority of only one, and the Opposition con-
di late failed by the hiss of five votes. After the election of
the President, the Chamber proceeded to the nomination of
its Vice-Presidents, of whom there are four. The first of
these, M. Dupont (de l'Eure) obtained more votes, by one,
th in the President himself, although of the party op-
posed to him; and M. Berenger, it second candidate, was
elected by a number, one below the President, though of
the same politics. On the first day, none of the others
c iold unite the absolute majority of the votes of the
Chamber. On the second day, two candidates, of opi-
nions entirely different from those of M. Dupont, the Vice-
President, and those of M. Lafitte, the unsuccessful corn-
rtitor for the Presidency, were elected by a small ma-
j .rity over rivals belonging to M. Dupont's party. Thi-
majority in all these cases embraced oily about one-half of
Vie Members present in the Chamber_being, in the case
of the President, 181 out of a meeting of 358 ; in the
case of the first Vice-President, 182 out of 344 ; in that
of the second Vice-President, 179 out of 334 ; iu that of
t' e third (M. Dupin), 175 out of 343 ; and in that of
the fourth (M. Delessert), 197 out of 339. Some of
these votes may have been given on purely personal
grounds, and therefore cannot be taken into account in
estimating the strength of parties; but as the names thus
brought ;forward generally represent systems, the almost
qual division of the votes on the Presidency may be consi..
dered as an indication of the equality of adierse opinions
in the Chambers. In the Government we find the
same' antagonist forces, and the same equality of strength
in each. M. Casimir Perier, M. Sebastiani, and Baron
Louis, insist on resigning office, while Marshal Swat
and Admiral de ttigny express a desire to retain their
places. In this state of things, the King, uncertain how to
act, or what impulse to obey, offers one day to tae a
friend of his late Prime Minister to form his new Cabinet,
and the next lavishes all his caresses on M. Lafitte, his
rival. Thus it would be difficult to say what view the
Chamber may take of any question, or what sort of Mi-
nistry can maintain its ground, so as to give the benefit of
, a settled system to France and security to Europe. In
this state of t hings, it could only be pusillanimity, weak-
ness, or an indifference to his duties still more objec-
tionable, which could lead M. Casimir Perier to make a
precipitate retreat. He should Lave remained at his post
to support his system and to counsel his Sovereign, till
he received a warning from the division on the address, or
the rejection of some of his measures, that he could not
gain the confidence of the Chamber. The discussion on
the address will take place in extraordinary circumstances,
said the address itself will have neither object or result.
The policy of the Government, if attacked in the debate,
must be defended by those who have no longer any official
interest in its honour, and the Deputies will reply to a
speech, the authors of which are no longer present round
the throne to receive their congratulations, or to tremble
at their censures. We have not as yet heard of any de-
finitive arrangement of the new Ministry. Since this
was written, we hive received an express (alluded to in a
preceding article), which announcer' that M. Perier con-
tinues Minister, and pretty intelligibly points cut the
cause ! Times,

Lord Aberdeen made last night a long and tedious speech
on the affairs of Portugal, in moving for papers connected
with the outrages at the Azores, committed on the British
flag by the Government of Terceira. Lord Aberdeen is
new all for Don Miguel, and of course Don Pedro is no
favourite with him. The people of England care very
little either fur Don Miguel or Don Pedro, though they
may be objects of tender regard on the Stock Exchange.
The expulsion of Don Pedro seems to have afforded much
gratification to the brother of the descendant of the Kings
of Spotland. " Don Pedro," said his Lordship, " had
been driven from his throne with an unanimity on the
part of :his subjects, of which there had hardly before ever
been an example.. He was deprived of his throne, and
not a single hand was held up in his defence. He ap-
, Pealed to the troops, but they refused to obey, and he was
forced to abandon his throne, his country, and his children,
under circumstances the must painful tbat could be
conceived," Who would have expected a year ago
language like this from ill* worshipper of Prince Metter-
nich ! Had Don Pedro been then driven from his.
throne, we should have bad many a long-spin sentence,
on the danger to which all thrones were exposed froin the
spread of revolutionary doctrines, and the revolt of the
army would have been deemed the blackest part of the
whole, as setting a most dangerous example to the armies
of other countries. It is now, it seems, high dcctrine to
approve of armies deserting Emperors ; but we remember
the time when the desertion of armies was not so much in
vogue. The Duke of Wellington, well cased as his con.
science is, could hardly bear this approbation bestowed by
his late colleague, on the desertion of Sovereigns by their
armies, without having something like qualms as to his
share in the execution, or murder (for it has been called
both), of Marshal Ney. The gist of his Lordship's long
speech wns an imputation on the Ministry, that they were
abettiag the attempt which Don Pedro is now meditating
against Portugal. Lord Grey, however strong his feeling
against a Government founded on injustice, and supported
by cruelty, trusted that that feeling, 44 neither in his own
case nor in that of any -other Itlember of his Majesty's
Government, would induce them to depart from those prin-
ciples of political wisdom which taught them that to in-
terfere with the affairs of another country was contrary both
to policy and justice." His Lordship ridiculed very sue-
cessful/y the affection taken up by Lord Aberdeen for Don
Miguel.

"The Noble Earl," said his Lordship, " appears all at once to
have become enainoured of the present Sovereign of Portugal.—
(A laugh.) Nor only he, but according to his account never
was thczv a person so beloved by the whole Portuguese people—
never was there a person so generally supported by them.—
I (Cheers from the Ministerial side, answered by loud cheers from
the Opposition, and re-answered by laughter from the former.)
Certainly when I heard all this account of free and affectionate
attachment ftom the Noble Earl, I was not a little surprised; for
I think that I can remember, during the late Administration, a
Member of that very Admlotstration, who stood pretty exactly
as high in it as the N.,..b/e Earl himself did--(A laugh)—statiog
that he did not scruple to admit that Don Miguel was a perlidi-
MIS person,-..c!heets).---that he believed him to be a cruel one,
becaiim oruelty was the companion of cowardice--(Cheers)
the he could not deny that his throne was founded on usurpa-
tion, and by a breach of :OA those promises which he bad given in
this country before he wont back to Portugal.—(Lond cheers.) t
must confess, my, ts:irds, that if the Sovereign of that country
is
deserving a sue)) a description, my predilection is not in hi,:
favour; and though it will be iny care to do my dttt. to this
country and to that, I caniii4 do it with that enthusiastic at-
tachment whirls appears, to warm the heart of the Noble
--(Laughter and Phee4s)—whose affietio4 fur Don Miguel is so
great, that the. ohtly man in the whole world to whom he mulct
Parallel Wm is Henri Quatre."--(A lough.)
If Don Miguel is regardod «with the greatest affection
and confidence by the majority of the people of Portugal,"
as Lord Aberdew says he is, why then Don Pedro will
have tho greater difficulty in ousting him, and the harder
the bargain the Jews will delve with him. God forbid
that the people of this country should quarrel with the
Portuguese respuctiug their taste in Kings. What is the
object of these kng spee4es on a subject which no sensible
persam thinks worth the least regard'; If the Duke .tf
Wellington be candid, he will own, We think, that if, as
he says, " the Csenttenaeti of the Press have tan much to
do with the Qoveruintlas of both England and France,"
they have also ra,ot a little to do with his Noble Friend
and himself; for we will answer for it, had it not
been for the gratification to tn. afforded to them by their
speeches in the newspapers, the debate on this motion
would not have ocoupie4l five minutes.—.2liont. Chronicle.

- -
Lord Altharp did well when lie hinted the other day, in
secret conclave, that " the man who spoke upon the 11.11
was no friend to it." Qh no, we never mention it," said
one Minister ; " brevi:a esse laboro," said another; "
ex nihilofit" },Bing the general sentiment of the majority.
The opinion so expressed by the Chancellor of the Ex-
chequer was singularly confirmed by the speech of Mr.
Hobheu,e. In his enumeration of secure and conservative
principles he laid roach stress upon that one especially
which slionid defend us from the encroachments of the
House of Lords, by a nice definition of its peculiar
''unctions. We are to have under this Bill a series of
representatives so acute, hvical, and temperate, that they
may safely posseaa both the right and the power to
regulate the House of Lords at will, and as circum-
stances may require, set aside its privileges with
equal propriety and advantage. In his eagerness to main-
tain the excellency of such a Reform the Hon. Member
omitted to show What utility Would then be left to the
aristocratic estate, and that he himself was no satop'e of
•he genus of the new representative compound. This
,peech of Mr. Hohhouse (evidently intended in support
may be justly considered as an effort
talent, but we must likewise view it as the link of con_
section between the style of the old Parliamentary elo..
of the second reading)
quence and that of the new. It had much of the classical
which for two centuries have graced
the debates, and given both facility and pleasure tek
taste and information