The Sun.
London, England, 1825-12-28 00:00:00

[N ENV TIMES.]

The death of the Emperor Alexander is offi-
cially noticed in the Gazette of last night by an
order for a Court Mourning on the demise of
that Monarch. Speculation therefore is naturally
directed more intensely towards the character
and probable conduct of the Emperor Constan-
tine. It has been rather hastily assumed that he
must be disposed to favour the independence of
Greece, even at the hazard of involving his own
country in war. There are several reasons which
incline us to doubt the accuracy of these antici-
pations. In the first place, the health of the
new Emperor is by no means well established.
He is not in that state of bodily strength and
energy which would be necessary for taking the
field himself in person. His treasury, though
perhaps better supplied than some persons ima-
gine with stores of the precious metals arising from
loans, is yet not adequate to bringing a large
army into the field, and keeping it there. The
object of a war must be either the selfish one of
aggrandizement, or the more generous one of
giving freedom to an oppressed people. Un-
doubtedly, many considerations attach Constan-
tine to the Greeks, as a body of men professing
the same religion as himself; but, on the other
hand, he has been bred-up in the principles of
absolute power; he has lived in camps and in the
exercise of military authority : he must feel that
the Greeks themselves have injured their own
cause by the avowal of doctrines wholly incon-
sistent with the domestic policy of Russia. We
have heard, indeed, that even in the lifetime of
the late Emperor, Constantine was at no pains to
conceal his disapprobation of the proceedings of
the Greek Chiefs : and they at least have little
reason to expect the countenance and protection of
the new Emperor. Ambition and the love of ag-
grandizement are no doubt charges to which every
absolute Sovereign, on first mounting his throne,
must naturally be exposed ; but Constantine suc-
ceeds to an established system essentially pacific
—a system not only wrought into the internal ad-
ministration of Russia, but embracing the whole
of Europe. Russia could not move hostilely
against any one power Without alarming and dis-
quieting every other ; while, on the other hand,
her statesmen (than whom few are more sa-
gacious) know well that the real power of Russia
may be more effectually augmented by prose-
cuting plans of internal improvement, than by
any course of successful warfare that could be
reasonably imagined.—From all these considera-
tions, we are induced to cherish a confident hope,
that, by the meeting of Parliament, his Majesty
will be enabled to bassure his people of a conti-
nued good understanding with Russia, as well as
wish the other Powers of Europe.

[HORNING POST.]
French Papers and the Etoik of Sunday
reached us last night by Express. The most in-
teresting intelligence which they contain relates
to the contest in Greece. The crisis of that
Country's fate was evidently approaching, and if
the aid of Providence have not again granted vic-
tory to the heroism of man, that crisis has been
dreadful. It appears that the resistance of Mis-
solonghi had been justly considered at Constan-
tinople as the chief cause of the protraction of
the war, and that the forces lately assembled in
Egypt, both naval and military, had orders to
make the reduction of that city the first opera-
tion of the winter campaign. Ibrahim Pacha,
who wished to accomplish the conquest of the
Morea, relied on the contrary on the junction
of those forces with his own, to enable him to
lay siege to Napoli. The Capitan Pacha, how-
ever, refused to depart from the plan which had
been traced out by the Divan or its Christian Al-
lies, and called upon Ibrahim to help him with
his army. Hence some differences arose, from
which a gleam of hope may break upon Greece;
but it is faint and imperfect. Ibrahim, according
to the present accounts, had given way to supe-
rior authority, and had promised to bring the
balk of his troops to the assistance of Redschid,
who was to resume the siege of Missolonghi by
land, whilst the fleet should attack it by sea.—
Aware of the magnitude of the dangers which
threatened him, and determined not to yield
whilst they had life, the brave Missolonghians
sent the archives of the Government, the old
men, women, and children, to Zante and Ce-
phalonia, and prepared to maintain their post, or
to die like Leonidas aml the Spartans at Ther-
mopylae. As the communications were not yet
interrupted, provisions were brought in abun-
dantly, and numerous bodies of patriots and
heroes poured in to share their triumphs or their
glorious death. The batteries were repaired and
the fortifications strengthened, that the ground al-
ready bathed in gore might be defended inch by
inch. Neither did the garrison and inhabitants
trust to human courage alone. They appealed to
that God, who knew the sacredness and justice
of their cause, for protection in the day of
battle. After a general review, in which
every Chief embraced his soldiers, so self-
doomed to the same destruction, the venerable

Bishop of the place (their only Christian ally on

earth t) publicly blessed them, sprinkling holy
water on their standard, which, decorated with
crowns of well earned laurels, was perhaps des-
tined shortly to sink in blood amidst the palms of
martyrdom. Let it be said after this that modern
Greece does not equal in patriotism, devotion,
and heroism, nay, not transcend the brightest
deeds of her early ages ! Let also those Powers
call themselves Christian, who not only view
these preparations of a whole city for immolation
with indifference, but if they betray any feeling
or put forth any strength, betray and put it forth
in behalf of the destroyers, not. the victims !

[THE PUBLIC LEDGER.]
The death of the Emperor Alexander seems to
be an inexhaustible theme with the French Jour.
nals, which chews the powerful sensation it has
excited amongst that People. Every day they

publish some new particulars respecting it, or'
some commentary to shew the influence it is like-
ly to have on the affairs of the world. A Paris
Paper of Sunday contains a letter from Warsaw,
which enters into a more circumstantial account
of his last moments, than any which has appeared
as yet. It seems from this account, that the
event did not take the people of St. Peters-
' burgh wholly by surprise, as they had, a few days
previously to the arrival of the melancholy tid-
ings, received intelligence of the fatal distemper,
which, in a few days, and in the prime of life, and
plenitude of power, carried him off. The news
of his illness is stated to have caused general
cotssternation ; but in the midst of it, a letter
was received from the Empress, announcing a
favourable change, and holding out considerable
hopes of a recovery ; however, in the midst of
the Te Dean, which in conequence of this tran-
sient gleam had been celebrated in the Metropo-
litan Church, intelligence was received that this
mighty Monarch was no more. A stupifying
grief, we are told, succeeded to the joy that had
been lighted up before ; and these rapid alter-
nations of intense pain and pleasure, whilst
they are certainly, if true, a noble homage
to Alexander, are every thing but compli-
mentary to his successor, who probably had
a large share in producing these violent tran-
sitions of feeling. The latter, however, is
much misrepresented, if he does not carefully
note them down in the tablet of his memory;
and, for every tear, shed for his predecessor, he
will exact some mark of respect for himself, if
not so sincere, at least more solid. Indeed it may
be said, almost in every instance, that when the
people rush to mourn over the remains of depart-
ed royalty, they give the strongest possible indi-
cations of their fear of the Sovereign who has just
ascended the throne. An expectation is express.'
ed in the same letter, that the passage of the
lifeless remains from Taganrog to St. Petersburgh
will be one continued funeral procession, th►e
people streaming in from all quarters to express
their sense of the loss they have sustained. We
may, however, without any injustice, except such
persons as have any grace or favour to ex-
pect from the rising Imperial sun ; for these, no
doubt,will have too much prudence to suffer them-
selves to be carried away by the torrent of r,ublic
feeling, in which only the obscure and unambi-
tious can, at least under a despotic government,
safely swim with upon such an occasion. But
there seems to us to be considerable exaggeration
iu this account of the national affliction ; and, if
our surmise be correct, what a lesson does it read
to those Monarchs who think that their subjects

hould have no will but their-, and should hold

their lives, property, and honour, wholly depend-
ent upon their caprice ; or, what is worse, upon
the honesty and wisdom of their chief servants !