The Sun.
London, England, 1836-03-28 00:00:00

making 'preparations
for the opening' of the Cortes.
His is certainly no enviable position, and if he con-
trive to remain at the head of the Government till the
next dissolution, he will be entitled to the distinction of
being regarded as one of the ablest men in Spain. On
all sides intrigues have been set on foot to compel him
to retire, even before the opening of the Cortes; but he
is resolved to maintain his grouni till after the new
legislative body has manifested its feelings
on the pre-
sent state of Spain. It is as yet very questionable who

will be appointed to fill the vacancies in the Cabinet,
or whether an entire re-organization will not be the re-
sult of such an attempt. But according to the
prevalent rumour in the political circles of Ma-
drid the appointments will run thus :—lsTuniz,
President of the Council and Minister for Foreign Af-
fairs ; MENDIZABAL, Minister of Finance ; SAN-
CHO, now Secretary to the Council of :Ministers,
Minister of the Interior ; CALATRAVA, one of the
new Members for Cadiz, Minister of Justice ; and
GALIANO, Minister of Marine. We are assured
that amid all the intrigues that are going forward to
compel his retirement from office, M. MENDIZABAL
maintains his usual equanimity of temper, and works
away from morning to midnight :in his office as if he
were conscious that he had not an enemy in all Spain.
The QUEEN REGENT is greatly pleased with his zeal
and firmness, and discourages every attempt to lower
him in the good opinion of the public. The people
likewise are loud in their praises of his urbanity,
and from his prudent reserve are half led to believe,
though unconsciously, that he is in possession of some
secret plan by means of which he can almost at any
time tranquillize the country. It would be dangerous
indeed were any occurrence to take place which would
shake this superstitious confidence of the peasantry ;
but still it is a great advantage to a Minister while it
exists ; and at the same time it is much easier to up-
hold than to generate such a magical impression in the
breasts of Spaniards, when the object of it is not a re-
ligious enthusiast.
The Procuradores held their first preparatory meet-
ing on the 17th, when the President and Secretaries of
the Chamber, pro tempore, were elected. Senor
ISTURIZ was elected President, and Senors ONIZ and
CABALLERO, Secretaries. There will be another
election after the regular opening of the Chamber.
Of the strength of parties in the Spanish capital it
would be useless to waste time in conjectures, when
the delay of a few days will put us in possession of
facts. We must, however, observe, that we think the
retirement of M. MENDIZABAL from the Spanish
Cabinet would, under any circumstances, prove an im-
mense drawback upon the success of the Government,
and inflict a serious injury upon the credit of that
country. We trust, therefore, that he will not retire
voluntarily from office. Of his being compelled to re-
sign we entertain no fears, if he make up his mind
to go on boldly and fearlessly in the reformation of
those abuses which shall be pointed out by
the assembled Cortes. Above all things the
President of the Spanish Council must be aware
of the influence of France. He now knows
all that is to be hoped from the friendship of Louis
PrirLiPPE, and therefore he must not be deterred
from his onward course by a Doctrinaire horror of na-
tional conventions. If the King of the FRENCH ap-
prehend danger to his dynasty from the Spanish me-
thod of quelling insurrection, intervention offers an
efficacious as well as a speedy'remedy. The following
official account from the North of Spain appeared in
the Gazette of the 20th inst.:—
" On the evening of the 14th instant, General Evans, com-
mander of the British Auxiliary Legion, demonstrated in the
most brilliant manner the effect which the example of the
chiefs of an army produces among the soldiers. Having acci-
dentally enctrunt.yed di... coo Carti.l_,..v.alry. supported
by some infantry, the General, without any other force than
the few officers of his staff, and 17 lancers of the legion,
boldly attacked, and by the rapidity of the movement discon-
certed the enemy, without giving them time to return to the
fight. Maier 'Nit, led on by his courage, rode into the ranks
of the enemy, doing great execution, and making a prisoner,
whom he dragged off by the neck. From this rcncontre,
which although, from being accidental, is of little import, may
be learned what is to be expected from our excellent allies of
the British Legion. One of the lancers was killed, and also
a horse of one of the aides-de-camp of Gen. Evans."
Accounti of such skirmishes make up the whole of
the news from the Barques. BATANERO, with his
band of bandits, has been completely driven out of
Santander. General. RoDIL has been appointed to
the command in Catalonia, recently held by the mon-
ster of cruelty NOGUERAS. The main body of the
QUEEN'S army remains inactive at Vittoria, while
Don CARLOS was compelled to fly from Elorrio, and
take shelter in Aspeitia, to escape falling into the
hands of CORDOVA. The PRINCE had for the com-
panion of his flight Father GIL, his Confessor, from
whom he rarely separates. The good Father is a
monk of great spiritual pretensions. The Tories
will be edified to learn that from the lips of this
" man of God" the PRINCE receives daily absolution.

We have received the whole of the Paris papers of
Friday and Saturday. The debate in the Chamber of!
Deputies on the additional grant of 1,200,000 francs
(48,0001.) of secret service money, which was com-
menced on Thursday, was only brought to a close late
on Friday evening. M. GUIZOT made a long speech
in favour of the grant, which was eloquently opposed
by MM. ()DILLON BARROT and DE SADE. The
support of the measure by M. GUIZOT puts an end to
the rumours about the late Minister of Justice being
about throw himself into the arms of the Opposition.
The measure was finally carried by a Ministerial
majority of one hundred and fifty-two—two hundred and
fifty-one voting for the grant, and ninety-nine against
it. The new Minister of Justice, M. SAUZET, de-
livered an oration upon this occasion, in° which he
let fall some expressions which have had the effect of
rousing the whole of the French Press. We quote the
sentence which the Journal des Debats, denounces as
full of evil import :—" We are," said he, " neither
the Ministry of the 13th of March (CASIMIR PE-
RIER'S), nor of the 11th of October (the Doctrinaire
Ministry of MM. de BROGLIE and GulzoT),—we
are the Ministry of the 22d of February last, which
means that we regard the present situation of the coun-
try only. Every other idea would be an anachronism
and an impossibility."
'What there is in this sentence to frighten the doc-
trinaire organs is more than we are able to discover.
In fact, it breathes the very essence of the doctrine.
What does M. SAUZET'S declaration amount to but
this ?--" We have no system. We follow no rules
dictated by this or that principle. Our course will be
regulated by the tides, the currents, and the gales.
Every chopping of the wind requires a different tack.
We shall be guided by expediency, at least till the
world grows a little more systematic in its political
movements. The circumstances which dictated a cer-
tain line of policy to M. CASIMIR PERIER or to M.
DE BROGEIE may be changed before we come to take
measures upon the same questions,and therefore we wish
you to understand that we will not be taunted with a
cry of principle,' neither will we be amenable to the
citation of precedent." This is the substance of M.
SAUZET'S declaration, and instead of putting the
editor of the Debats in a rage, it ought, in point of
fact, to have made his heart sing with joy. Never had
the Doctrinaires a more promising pupil than the new
Minister of Justice.
_ _

- -
In the course of the debate on Friday, M. DE
MORNAY demanded an explanation of the late occur-
rences at Cracow. The President of the Council, M.
TRIERS, declined to answer any questions put to him