The Sun.
London, England, 1825-01-24 00:00:00

[THE PUBLIC LEDGER.]

The Austrian Observer of the 11th inst. which
reached us last night, contains a long article,
consisting of reports, collected at Corfu and
Zante, on the affairs of the Greeks. It breathes
throughout a spirit of rancorous hostility to that
people ; and this rancour is so obvious, and in-
dulged in with so much indiscretion, that it hap-
pily defeats itself. The first series of reports re-
lates to the war in Western Greece, in which
Omer Brione, though pointed out to the ven-
geance of the Porte for having abused his com-
mand, is still complimented for the facility, with
which he has defeated all the projects of the
Greeks to extend their dominion over the
whole of that province. Yet, it is obliged
to admit, at last, that this very Pacha,
on his return from a predatory incursion
into Etolia as far as Vrachori, suffered so
severely, that he as obliged to shut himself
up in Arta, having abandoned the strong position
which he had held with 6,000 men for several
months at Caravanserai. It then affects to scoff
at a promise, required by Mavrocordato from the
Officers under his command, to preserve order
and discipline amongst the troops, during a
journey which he was obliged to undertake to
Missoloaghi, to repair his health which had '
suffered from the fatigues of the campaign. He
threatens to brand them as " anti-patriots" if

they disobey his orders ; and this menace is
held up as an indication of the lax sentiments
prevailing amongst them. Had they violat-
ed the parting injunctions of their Chief,
there would be some ground for the charge ; but
as this is not stated, we cannot see any point in
the ridicule. It appears to us on the contrary,
quick sense of
Ittio)antoutri,ew deemed sufficient
by their Chief ; but the word—patriot, ;
iGienreesukchoaffict;rresalttavies a
is sure to
throw the organ of the Austrian Government into
convulsions of rage, which accounts for the ex-
travagance into which it has betrayed itself.—
But, instead of stating that the Greeks did not-
execute every thing they had undertaken in
the last campaign, it should have pointed out
some reverses on their side, and shewn that
their cause has retrograded. It is absurd to
nibble slight blemishes, more fanciful too than
real, in a comprehensive plan of military opera-
tions, which upon the whole has been successful
and even glorious. Before the campaign• com-
menced, the Austrian Observer had repeatedly
predicted that the issue would be most disastrous
to the Greeks ; and, now that these predictions
are falsified, it vents its spleen in a futile attempt
to undervalue their triumphs. The account.
which is given of the late disorders in the W-
ren, has the usual taint of exaggeration in the
first place, and, in the next, of falsehood, for they
are spoken of as still raging, though it was welt
known at Zante at the date of these pretended_.
reports, that they had entirely subsided, and
been succeeded by tranquillity.

[TIT TIM ES.I
The right, or rather the question of right, to
report police proceedings, is rather in, a singular
position. An imperfect kind of verdict has been
obtained against the Herald ; but the Managers
of that Journal have given notice of an appeal hi,
the House of Lords. In the mean time, a totally
different verdict has been since pronounced by a
special Jury upon the same act, in the case of
the Morning Advertiser; and it is very clear,
that this verdict, given in a prompt and unhesi-
tating manner, will be the precedent for all future
verdicts in similar cases. No jury will ever
hereafter convict or give damages for a faithful
report of a police proceeding. But now,
suppose the Lords were to confirm the ver-
dict of the first jury against the Herald, which
is not very probable, after the finding of
the second jury in favour of the Advertiser, what
effect would that produce upon the practice of
giving police reports ? Why, certainly, none at
all. We should continue, and so would theother
respectable journals, to report the proceedings of
the public offices, and should have nothing to
fear. The House of Lords, though the highest
authority, the Bernier resort, is only a court of
appeal.: it cannot act in the first instance, orpre-
prio motes. But we and the other journalists would
have this verdict of the Advertiser as our security
for an acquittal upon the first trial. Indeed, %V
should be acquitted, beyond a doubt, if our reports
were faithful. None of our cases, therefore, cam
hereafter come before the Lords, except by An
appeal from the prosecutor; and upou such an
occasion, should such an one occur, what wonkl
Ibe the result ? The Lords, by the constitutions
of their Court, could not inflict a punishment,
impose a fine, or award damages ; they could
only reverse the judgment of acquittal given on,
the verdict : the cause would be to be heai4
again, and Juries of our countrymen must and-
would acquit again ; and that toties quotit>s,
if the same case, or similar cases, were sent
down to them an hundred times. There is Do,
question, therefore, that the law of the land,
as it now stands, allows, or rather does more
than allow—it sanctions the publication of police
proceedings. And let it not be supposed, that
in this reasoning we put too little value on the
decision of the House of Lords. Juries have as
great a right to pass a verdict upon an indictment
or an action according to their own consciences, as
the Lords to decide upon an appeal. Besides, at
this precise moment we are not setting up the Courts
of Law against the Court of the House of Lords : we
are only upholding theauthority of a positive verdict
found and recorded, against a possible, an imagi-
nary, a hypothetical decision of the House of
Lords, which it is more than probable will urger
take place. We regret the nonsense that has
been talked by grave people, about partial state-
ments, ex parte evidence, and all that ; we cau-
tioned them against it ; but the foolish verdict in
the case of the Herald misled them. It should
really seem that they do not know the difference
between travelling all on one side the road be-
tween London and York, and only travelling a
part of the road, but on both sides indiscrimi-
nately. A police report travels on both sides in-
discriminately, so far as it goes.

[MORNING CHRONICLE.]
Few bargains had been made in the Funds
on Saturday, either for money or account,and the
fluctuation had scarcely amounted to u per-cent.
A number of the jobbers had abandoned the
English for the Foreign Stock Market. In con-
sequence of the steadiness of the prices in the
former, it had been nearly deserted. Consols for
Account opened at 94k, and left oti' a shade higher.
The interest excited by the speculations in the
Mining Shares, which was so intense during the
preceding week, had very much subsided, within
the last few days, and they were no longer sought
after with that avidity; the consequence of this state
of things had been, that the prices of the whole of
them have, more or less, been depressed. The
Brazil Shares, which hp_ve chiefly regulated most
of the other shares, have since Monday fallen up-
wards of twenty per cent. In the Colombian
and Rio de la Plata shares, there has been less
speculation entered into, but the reduction has,
been nearly as considerable. The Anglo-Mexi.
can, which at one time rose to the same premium
at which the United Mexican were sold in the
market, have been particularly heavy. The re.
descriptions of
private securities, which have become the subject
duction in the price of the United Mexican Min-
ing Shares have been from 1501. to 1101. The
Chile Mine shares and the Anglo-Chile shares
worth Saturday
w
abeoek.
above half
Allother what they were sold at
onare not
of speculation in the Foreign Stock Market)

have; is way. The Equitable Loan Bank
shares have declined from 41 to 1 Z premium ;
and the Canada Shares from 211. to 13/. pre-
mium. Several other new schemes are said
to be in agitation, but probably will not
be brought forward until the condition of
the shares generally shall become more favour-
able. The Sharfs of the South American Gene-
ral Mining Association, in which a good deal of
business has been transacted, in anticipation,
were brought out on Saturday, but the pressure
on them which, early in the week, was at 25 per
rent., had fallen that morning to seven per cent.,
hut left off rather higher. In the other Shares
there has been much less doing than for some
days past, but they continue extremely heavy
at nearly the same quotations as on Friday.—
Further news from General Bolivar is most
anxiously expected, from the alarm still par-
tially felt, owing to the reports which had been
current as to the success of the Royalists. The
South American Bonds, of which some very large
sales have been effected, still remain flat. The
variation in Mexican Bonds on Saturday had
been between 81 and 814, and in Colombian
Bonds of 1824, between 90 and 904. In Brazi-
lian Bonds there had been scarcely any thing
doing, but Buenos Ayres Bonds was selling from
911, to 92. French Stock and Scrip was nomi-
nally the same.

[MORNING HERALD.]

Some men lead a life of perpetual paradox.
This arises from one or two causes—either from
a want of fixed principle, or a certain vanity of
appearing able to defend both sides of a question.
Dr. Johnson, we think, recommended a young
reasoner, who wished to shine in argument, always
to take the wrong side of a question, as that
which gave the greatest scope to ingenuity, Mr.
Cobbett seems to have adopted the reverse of
this recommendation : and having taken the right
view of things in early life, is ambitious towards
it-S close of distinguishing himself on the wrong.
The latter part of a wise man's life, it is
said, is employed in correcting the errors of his
immature judgment. Mr. Cobbett seems only
ambitious of differing from, and " turning his
back upon himself," and seems determined that
there shall have been no one principle which he
formerly espoused which he will not now as zea-
lously. impugn. His History of he Reformation
is a striking proof of this ; though, we confess, we
were hardly prepared to see him, versatile as he is,
espousing the errors of Popery, and crying op the
Roman Catholic religion as the only true one.
This is an inconsistency which it would be in
vain to attempt to account for, except upon a
ground which we should be sorry to impute to
any one, viz. an indifference to all religion.
He has now fallen foul of the Newspaper Press,
and having tried his hand at a daily paper, both
as an owner and contributor, without effect, he
now turns round upon those who have had better
success; and assails the whole Newspaper Press
as not only destitute of the smallest merit, but,
in fact, the very disgrace and scourge of the
country. Would it not have been more
manly and consistent to have attacked the
readers, who, with such a miserable lack
eV- taste, fled away from the death of the
,StatelSvititn, and refused to nurse into existence his
own Porcupine, or Evening Post ? We do not,
however, much fear that our-changeable country-
man, all-powerful antagonist as he is, will do us
much harm. There never was a period when the
power and extent of the Press was in any' de-
gree equal to what it now is ; and Mr. Cob..
.bett may just as well attempt to blow out the
sun as to arrest its influence. In proportion as
that influence is great, so, we admit, should be
the caution, the judgment, and integrity of those
who wield so powerful an engine. Generally
speaking, we believe this is the case. After all,
the Newspaper Press, though it may powerfully
influence public opinion, is governed by it. The
readers and buyers of Papers are those who give
the tone to their contents. Mr. Cobbett's last
Register is almost wholly occupied with a series
of bitter invectives against the Newspapers, of
which we ourselves (in our late contest for
the right of publishing police reports)- have
furnished the text. It would be in vain
to attempt to follow this singular writer
though his labyrinth of mis-statements, false in-
ferences, and inconsistencies; but on one score,
that of interest, on which he talks so loudly, we
must be permitted to say one word, and that,
notwithstanding the dislike he has to all lan-
go-ages of- which he has not himself written a
Grammar, shall be in the words.of Cicero, Hoc
lion concede, ut quibus rebus, gloriemini in vobis,
iisdein in aiiis reprehendatis.