The Sun.
London, England, 1849-08-01 00:00:00

(the Sovereigns of the Holy Alliance) themselves."
We must be excused for preferring Lord IV. BEN.
TINCK'S exposition of his own opinions to the uncor-
roborated assertions of Lord HEYTESBURY as to what I
those opinions were. The discussion which took
place in the House of Commons on the 21st of June,
1821, is also valuable, as enabling us further to
test the accuracy of Lord HEYTESBURY'S recollections
with regard to those events in Sicily, in which he
himself was concerned. It will be recollected that on
the 20th of October, 1814, a memorandum was pub-
lished at Palermo, addressed to the Sicilian people,
and signed W. A'CouaT, by which it is contended
that Great Britain, by her Minister Plenipotentiary,
guaranteed the constitution to the Sicilian nation.
In speaking of this memorandum in 1849, my Lord
HEYTESBURY says :—" Now, with respect to the
part taken by the British Government in those trans-
actions, it had been assumed that something amount-
ing to a guarantee of the constitution bad been given
by this country. That assumption was founded upon
a document which had been prepared by him, and
whatever the merits or demerits of that document were,
he was entirely responsible for them, for the Go-
vernment at home had had nothing to do with
that docunzert." Yet we find that on the
21st of June, 1821, the Marquis of LON-
DONDERRY, speaking of this very document,
declares, not as Lord HEYTESBURY asserts, that the
Government at home had bad nothing to do with
it, but that] " in 1814 Sir W. A'CouRT was
authorised to explain to the people of Sicily the
reasons which compelled Great Britain to withdraw
her troops from the island ; and it was perfectly true
that in the memorial which he presented on that
occasion he expressed a hope, that whatever changes
were made in the constitution should be worked out
by means of the constitution." It is evidently
impossible 0
f ton
gentlemanplace any rewlihanoscee on the tm„esittih-
regard to transactions of such importance is
so exceedingly treacherous ; therefore we pass
over his account of the removal of the QUEEN,
who was banished, not for any matters connected
with the constitution, but because she was engaged
in a treasonable correspondence with MuRAT, to
whom she had engaged to betray the English troops,
and to whom she would have betrayed them had not
the Sicilian peasantry risen en masse and expelled the
French invaders, in spite of her orders; we likewise
pass over his lamentations on what he absurdly calls
the degradation of the KING, who had been de-
prived of his Government, it being well known
that FERDINAND IV., 111., or L, (for be in turn
bore all these titles) of Naples, ranked lower in the
intellectual scale than does even the ex-Emperor
FERDINAND of Austria, and that he never governed,
because he was absolutely incapable of governing;
but we cannot permit to pass without observation
what his Lordship says with regard to the general
doctrine of international guarantees. "I cannot con-
ceive," says my Lord HEYTESBURY, " what in
reference to these transactions is meant by
the word guarantee, for I cannot under-
stand how any nation can guarantee the con-
stitution of another." Innocent Lord HEYTES-
BURY ! But perhaps the Earl of ABERDEEN may
chance to enlighten his Lordship. In the debate on
the affairs of the River Plate, the Earl of ABERDEEN
said, in justifying his own interference in the internal
affairs of Monte Video, " he was at the Foreign-
office himself at the time (1828) when that state was
created, and Lord PONSONBY acted under his instruc-
tions. No doubt there was no formal guarantee ;
but it was the desire of the British Government that
the future independence of :that state should be re-
cognised, and from recent transactions we were bound
in honour and common justice to see that its indepen-
dence was maintained." Now this, according to Lord
HEYTESBURY'S version of Sicilian affairs is precisely
the relation in which we stand with regard to Sicily.
Lord HEYTESBURY denies that there was any formal
guarantee, but he says that " the Sicilian constitu-
tion of 1812 was drawn up under the directions of
Lord W. BENTINCK ;" and we learn from the speech
of Lord W. BENTINCK himself, delivered in the
House of Commons on the 21st June, 1821, that he
had throughout acted under the instructions of the
Marquis of WELLESLEY, the then Secretary of State
for Foreign Affairs ; therefore, according to the
principle laid down by the Earl of ABERDEEN, in the
case of Monte Video, although there may have been
no formal guarantee, yet, " we were bound in honour
and common justice to see that that con-
stitution was maintained." And, to quote the
words of another great reactionary authority,
"it cannot be deemed consistent with the
honour of a great nation to evade the performance of
a pledge, on the ground that it does not amount to
what writers on international law would term a
guarantee." It would appear, therefore, that so far
from Lord PALMERSTON having gone too far in sup-
port of the Sicilian constitution, his Lordship did
not go far enough, and that, on the principle of the
Earl of ABERDEEN, he would have been perfectly
justified in interfering by force of arms in its support.

THE FRENCH REPUBLIC.

We have received the Paris papers of yesterday.
The Petrie contains the following semi-official an-
nouncement :—" It was stated to-day at the As-
sembly that Marshal GERARD is to resume the func-
tions of Chancellor of the Legion of Honour, which
he discharged at the revolution of February. In case
the Marshal's state of health should not permit him
to take the office, General A&RIGUI DE P. Apou, the
oldest of the generals of division, will, it is said, be
appointed."
The illoniteur declares that when the last accounts
left the West Indies, tranquillity had been restored
in Martinique, Guadeloupe, and their dependencies.
The following order of the day has been posted in
the four arrondissements of Paris :
" Reports have been vaguely circulated that the 4th
Legion was to be dissolved. The 4th Legion during the
difficult days the Republic has passed through has never
for a moment ceased to prove its devotion to the Con-
stitution, and its resolution to defend order with firm-
ness.l;iGns Colonel,ruurareryd to
of
thimselfh
the
he nese
ew4vrethvhrei tct
Legion,
roe
rs
ts
hd,
eicmsoheinanrsdiei
sdpaheonrrtyeht ds it to be
There could, therefore, be no reason for such a
m
hi
eal:
vl i ceo hrf
mlesegadNhs uutatrtcyeia:
utnosaeTal
and he is authorised to declare that founda-
tion;therezwne
was any intention of dissolving the corps to which he
has the honour to belong.
" Signed by the Colonel of the 4th Legion, Ramond
de la Croisette."
Several arrests of Socialist leaders have been made
in Paris within the last few days.
The Gazette de France has the following extraordi-
nary article:—
"We are abused, notwithstanding our excessive
moderation. Well, we will at one expose the exact state
of the situation. We are marching to Orleanism
through the Empire. It is proposed to make the Presi-
dent Consul for ten years, and thus provide for the Go-
vernment until the Count of Paris shall attain his ma-
jority. M. Thiers is the chief of this movement, and
consequently the chief of the Royalists, who aid in this
movement without knowing it."
The Gazette de France is one of the most talented
organs of the Legitimatist and parti-pretre party.
The PRESIDENT continues his progress in the
Western Departments ; at Angers he was received
with shouts of " Vive la Republique !"
The majority of those who were last year sent out
by the Government to colonize Algeria have re-
turned to France.

Two companies of the 25th Regiment have been
stationed in the neighbourhood of Pontarlier, on the
frontiers of Switzerland, to prevent the Baden re-
fugees from entering France.
Several members of the Committe of Polish refugees
have been ordered by the Ministry to quit France.
These gentlemen have resided in France for many
years, and have always cautiously abstained from mix-
ing themselves up with French:politics. This is admitted
to be the case, even by the Ministers ; but the orders
of the Emperor of Russia are imperative, and the
Government of the cousin of the Duke of LEUCUTEN-
BERG dares nut disobey.
An agent from the Imaum of MUSCAT has arrived
in Paris.

The celebrated Father VENTURA landed at Mar-
seilles on Sunday from Rome.
PARIS BOURSE, TUESDAY, JULY 31, llalf-past 4.
The market has been rather firmer, but with still little
business doing, speculators being mostly occupied with
preparing for the settlement, which, from the small
amount of business done during the month, is expected
to be a very light one. Threes at the close were marked
at 53f. 50c., and Fives at 88f. 25c. The market closed
as follows —Threes, for cash, 53f. 45c.; for Account,
53f. 50c.; Fives, for cash, 83f. 20c.; for account, 88f.
25c.; Bank of France Shares, 2,270 f.; Neapolitan, 82f.
50c.; Spanish not quoted.
RAILWAYS.—The Share market has not been very
lively, but prices hove been well maintained. Orleans
closed at 755 f.; Havre, 250 f.; Avignon, 220 f.; Vierzon,
305 f.; Strasburg and Bale, 100 f.; Bourdeaux, 395 c.;
Northern, 418 f. 75c.; Paris and Strasburg, 353 f. 75c.;
Nantes, 3G6f. 25c.
BUSINESS DONE IN FOREIGN RAILWAYS AT THE
LONDON STOCK-EXCHANGE, JULY 31.
East Indian, 334—Luxembourg, VA ex in.--Na~iiu tend