The Sun.
London, England, 1822-12-23 00:00:00

ROYAL NAVY, &c.

PORTSMOUTH, DEC. 21.—There appears to be no longer
any doubt that the ships about to sail under the command of
Sir Edward Owen, are intended as a reinforcement of Sir Chas.
Rowley's squadron, at Jamaica, for the purpose of being em-
ployed in taking possession of the island of Cuba, should Spain,
be forced into a war with France. The French have a small
quadron of ships (including one line-of-battle ship) at Mar-
tinique, whose intentions it may possibly become necessary to,
thwart. Should the deprecated event not take place, and Sir
Charles Rowley wish to return to England, Sir Edward Owen
may, in that case, hoist a broad-pendant, and assume the com-
mand of the station for the next three years.

The strong easterly winds have no doubt prevented the ar-
rival of -ships here from the• westward, during the week.—The-
Calliope, Lieut.: Justice, came in on Wednesday, and sailed
again on the following day, to cruise after smugglers.—There
is neither ships of war nor merchantmen now lying here.
On Sunday the Leander, 60, Captain Hanmer, came into
harbour to be paid off—On Monday the Valorous, 26, Capt.
James Murray, sailed for Plymouth, to join Sir Edward
Owen's squadron.—On Tuesday the Briton frigate was com-
missioned at this port by Sir Murray Maxwell.
Lieuts. George, G. Pierce, J. W. Aldridge, Sam. Meredith,
F. Ramsden, C. A. Barlow, and Charles Hallowel (Flag
Lieutenant,) ; Mr. Wm. Purdo, master ; Mr. J. Robertson-,
surgeon; Mr. J. .M'Arthur, purser; and the Rev. J. Kirby,
chaplain, are appointed to the Prince Regent at Chatham.
There are no vessels of war at Spithead. In Harbour—The
Queen Charlotte, Albion, Ramillies, Leander, Briton, Ring-
dove, Clinker, and Pelter.

TIIE 'LONDON JOURNALS.

%%TRACTS FROM TILE DAILY MORNING PAPERS,
December 23, 1822.

[HORNING HERALD.]
Paris Papers and private letters of the 19th
lave been received since,_ our last. The same
degree. of anxious uncertainty continued in the
French capital. Yet neither do the journals, or
any other source of information, account for the
continuance, and even increase of the public
anxiety. The journals which espouse war merely
reiterate their awn rumours of the preceding day
—such as the receipt of a communication from
►he Continental Powers at Verona, decisively
'hostile to the present Government of Spain, and
the resolution formally come to by the French
Cabinet—but not yet dispatched to Madrid, for
recalling the French Ambassador. But there is
uo novelty in these rumours ; and the mere reite-
ration of them, however confidently made, adds
nothing to their credibility. The illoniteur -is
uaturally looked to in this crisis ; but hitherto—
that is, since the commencement of the present
alarm, it- is silent.

[TH E T 1,14 Es.]
Since our last a mass of foreign intelligence
hav'arrived, which still in truth says but little,
and respecting which we do not know that much
that-is decisive can be said. The aspect is cer-
tainly more threatening and warlike, but
" Itow many cowards, whose hearts are all as false.
" As stairs of sand, wear yet upon their chins
The beards of Hercules and frowning Mars ;
" Who, inward search'd, have livers white as milk ?
" And these assume but valour's excrement,
•" To render them redoubted."

—The line of policy which we hold is, that war
would be injurious to the interests of human so-
ciety—would, perhaps, on its commencement,
lead the wretched Ferdinand to an unhappy,
but, if he brings it upon his country, a justly
merited end—would finally occasion the expul-
sion of the Bourbons from France, and shake the
cause of legitimacy throughout Europe. Bat we
confess we do not think these important reasons
against the justice and policy of the war so con-
clusive as they ought to be against the probabi-
lity of its being undertaken; and shall therefore
be-excessively alive to the first clear intimation
that so disastrous a course is decided on. We are
happy to see these opinions of ours confirmed
by the more intelligent part of the French Mi-
nistry, through their organ the Journal des Dj...
bats, and by the conduct of our own Ministers at
home, who evince their ideas of such a war by
abstaining from it.

[NEw Timcs.l
Consols for the opening closed on Saturday at
791-,, sellers. This price indicates that Saturday
was a war day : but as the rumours of war and
peace have alternated pretty regularly each suc-
ceeding day of business, for some time past, we
may reasonably believe that to-day will be a
peace day. The Journal des Dards of Thursday
Contained a pacific article ; but these articles on
each side have lost much of their weight. It is
observed that they generally contain a saving
clause, which goes a great way toward neutraliz-
ing their effect. Thus the Journal des DAats
says, " lf, notwithstanding the prudence of the
King's Government—notwithstanding the pacific
views of the Holy Alliance—this war must break
out, at least the rigour of the season on which
we are entering must retard the commencement
of hostilities." This is talking a very rea-

sonable language. It amounts in-other words to
this, that the Continental Powers in general are
perfectly sensible of the value of Peace ; that
the French Ministers will abstain, as long as
they can with safety and honour to their country,
from any hostile measures ; but still the state of
-affairs in Spain may be such as to force them to
War; which, however, they will not attempt to
begin while the passes are blocked up with snow.
Now we needed no Ghost to tell us all this. It
contains not one political secret, not a shadow of
ministerial information, and might just as well
have been written in a garret in London as in
the bureau of a French Minister.

[BRITISH PRESS.]
To those who regarded the Quotidienne and
Etoile, of Paris, or the pari passe Courier of Lon-
don, as veracious organs of official information
and honest opinion, it must have appeared passing
strange that at the very moment when the answer
of the Cortes was expected, it was another
dispatch from the Congress that actually ar-
rived. It had been most gravely affirmed
that France had solicited permission to in-
terfere in the internal affairs of Spain, and that
the Congress had granted permission. Here was
an end then of all doubt upon this side, and the
only object of delay and inquiry was, the answer
of the Cortes to the Ultimatum, whatever it might
have been, which France, with the consent of
Congress, had sent. But all of a sudden another
pressing order from Congress arrives in Paris,
and the impartial umpire at Verona becomes at
once a furious partisan, and urges France to arms.