The Sun.
London, England, 1836-01-04 00:00:00

THE PORTFOLIO.—No. V.

COPY OF A DISPATCH FROM PRINCE LIEVEN,

DATED LONDON, 4TH (16TH) JANUARY, 1829.

To complete the information that I have the honour this
day of transmitting to the Imperial Ministry, I think it my
duty briefly to lay before it a picture of the situation of the
internal affairs in this country, at the time of the meeting of
Parliament.

The Duke of Wellington has employed the interval be-
tween last session and the one about to open in increasing,
to the utmost of his power, the number of his adherents,
and in this vital interest he has employed more money and
address than any of his predecessors.
Not being able to conceal from himself the insufficiency
of his talents as a statesman as an orator, to draw into the
sphere of his opinions the majority of both Houses, he wished
to secure at least the number of votes by means more sim-
ple, and which are not less efficacious in this country than
in any other. In fact, he foresaw it would be impossible for
him to permit the approaching session to pass over without
entering upon the discussion of the most important State
questions. These had been adjourned in two preceding
sessions owing to the Ministerial revolutions, which had
disorganized parties. But now men and affairs have re.-
covered their equilibrium. While the Duke sought to
strengthen the Government party, the time has been
thrown away by his adversaries ; and if he has obtained
the superiority of numbers, that of talent is evidently
against him.
The Catholic Question is undoubtedly the one that will
present to him the greatest difficulties, whichever side he
may embrace. They have for a long time been engaged
in discovering what line he intended to pursue with regard
to this important object. But although he has made
every effort to conceal his intentions in this respect, it is
evident that he has formed no plan whatever, except
that of waiting in order to adopt in the end the opinion
which will appear to preponderate.
This conduct would doubtless indicate but little energy.
But, indeed, the course of his administration proves that he
has always hesitated to pronounce himself in a posi-
tive manner, and that when circumstances have forced
him to come to a resolution, he has always stopped at
half-measures.

The course which he has pursued in the events in
Portugal will probably be the occasion of very thorny
discussions. The relations that unite that country with
England are too intimate, not to give its affairs, so to
speak a national interest, and the uncertain and timid
policy which the Duke has adopted in this question will
'be difficUlt to defend.

As to our war in the East, whatever may be the pre-
judices of the public in general, it does not lack de-
fenders among the most distinguished Members of both
Houses. The favourable position in which our Govern-
ment has placed itself with regard to England would
offer to them, if there was any necessity, powerful arms
with which to combat the Government ; and it would be
easy for them to prove all the impolicy of the encourage-
ment given to the journals to deceive the nations as to the
true relative position of the tn o belligerent Powers.
A circumstance very favourable to the Duke is the im-
provement that has taken place in the national prosperity,
whence results an excess of revenue over that of last year
of more than a million and a half sterling. This excess
proceeds partly from the reductions that have been effected
in the service, and partly from the considerable increase of
revenue from the Customs and Excise. But the Duke
,could only take to himself the merit of the first of these
causes ; the honour of the second belongs to the measures
of political economy adopted by the last Ministry. But as
the nation in general, is little capable of appreciating this
distinction, and as the question of finance is a vital one to
it, the Duke, in all appearance, will reap the merit as well
as the fruits of the work of his predecessors, and this fa-
vourable circumstance will probably influence the majority
of the public in favour of his Administration.
In short, then, M. le Compte, although the Duke of
Wellington may not precisely have any serious fears of the
stability of his ministerial existence, yet his position is suf-
ficiently surrounded with obstacles to lead him to avoid
further and gratuitous complications of them, and I ven-
ture to believe that he will be disposed to conciliate rather
than to exasperate opinions, to calm storms rather than- to
raise them. I have the honour to be, &c. &c.