The Sun.
London, England, 1840-10-17 00:00:00

pose. The great gun of the Urquhart party has
been spiked by M. Thiers' Memorandum. It is utterly
impossible, in the face of that document, to persuade
the world that any predetermination towards the side
of Russia has presided in the negotiations pursued by
the British Cabinet. To be sure, it is the fixed idea
of these diplomatic oracles, that Russia, like the Evil
Spirit, is at the bottom of every misdeed everywhere.
In the amusing letter from Mr. Cargill, of New-
castle notoriety, which we insert elsewhere, it seems that
France, as well as England, has been acting by Rus-
sian counsels ! There is really no escaping this all-pre-
valent Russian influence. It goads France to do pro-
voking things, it goads England to be provoked, and no
doubt it puts Mehemet Ali up to resistance. There is no
end of its operations. Who knows, indeed, whether it
does not hire and instruct these delegates of the people
of England ? We think this a much more probable con-
jecture than any which they have offered. We are sure, at
least, that if Russia paid this ridiculous junta to exaggerate
herinfluence over the councils of Europe,and to propagate
the notion that nothing ever resists her machinations (a
notion the most flattering possible to the policy of a rising
Power), they could not do that work for her better
than they are doing at present. They do her the
farther favour of exposing to all Europe the
folly and credulity of themselves, her most loud-
tongued opponents: They run about crying, '6 Wolf',
wolf!" and disclosing plots amongst all the shepherds,
as if they expressly intended to bring ridicule on the
caution which unquestionably ought to be exercised in
dealing with a Power such as Russia. But by exag-
gerating every thing about that Power, its intentions,
and instruments—they produce just the effect which
they pretend to deprecate—that is to say, they put the
public mind to sleep by over-excitement, and create ab-
solute scepticism by preposterous allegations.
(From the Standard.)

We have copied from the Morning Herald a note
addressed by M. Thiers to the French Minister in
this country—its tone is plainly pacific. From the
moment when M. Thiers confessed before Europe
that "France had isolated herself," all fair pretence
of quarrel on the ground of wounded honour was
abandoned, for the act of France herself could by no
strain of punctilio be construed into an affront of-
fered to Prance by others. The paper before us
completes the work of cutting the ground from
under the feet of M. Thiers and the war faction, for
it admits that France hag no interest in the
Eastern Question beyond what is common to Eu-
rope, and what belongs in a much higher degree to Eng-
land, Austria, and Prussia, as more immediately exposed
to danger from Russian ambition. We have thus the
distinct acknowledgment of the French Minister, that as
France has suffered nothing in honour or in interest by the
course which the Allies have taken, her war upon them,if
she make war, must be a war of wanton, unprovoked

•
aggression. A great deal has been said in England as
wail as in France, of the dismissal by this Porte of
Mehemet Ali from the Pachalic of Egypt (decheance
it is called, but we like to write English when we
can), and the subject is referred to in M. Thiers'
more recent letter. This, however, we submit
is a matter altogether beside the question. Tile dis-
missal of Mehemet is the act of the Sultan as a Sove-
reign, not the act of the Quintuple Alliance, and it
is as act which the Sovereign of Turkey could
scarcely omit in the relation subsisting between
him and Mehemet, without absolutely resigning all
claim to the fealty of Egypt. Mehemet is in open
rebellion. This, we suppose, will not be disputed.
Now, when was it ever heard of, that a Sovereign con-
tinued to bestow his confidence upon, and to continue in
his service, a Subject in open rebellion fe'ainst him ?
To tell Mehemet that, though he is a rebel in
Syria, he shall still represent in Egypt the Sove-
reign against whom he rebels, would be to tell him
that Egypt is really his in absolute and independent so-
vereignty—that the Porte has no more dominion over it.
This is more than Melied,et himself ever had the impu-
deuce to ask. According,* to the universal law of
uatior.s, a rebel subject forfeits everything—
even his life. If the Porte were not, by its acts,. to
claim this forfeiture it wculd declare that Mehemet is
nut a rebel. There is, therefore, really nothing in the
dismissal of the sanguinary old traitor but a necessary
legal consequence of the relative position of rebel and
Sovereign in which he has placed himself cud his master.
With this matter, therefore, we repeat it, the /Vl:es
have nothing to do.

HONDURAS MAHOGANY

We understand that this very valuable wood, which
hitherto, in consequence of its dearness, has been used
principally for articles of furniture, is daily becoming
more in request for general purposes,—and especially for
ship-building,--possessing, as it does, all the good proper-
ties of oak, and being superior in many respects to Afri-
can teak. Its adaptation to this purpose has been tested
by long experience ; and the Committee of Lloyd's have
admitted vessels built with this wood as a substitute for
teak, to the same classification and advantages as vessels
built of teak. In the present dearth of timber suitable
for ship-building purposes, it is a matter of some surprise
why a material, which can be had almost in any quantity
from the British settlements of America, is not brought
into general use ; but the wonder vanishes when we dis-
cover the solution in our absurd fiscal and commercial
system, which steps in everywhere—whether in the
matter of the Corn-laws, the timber duties, or the
sugar tax, to prevent that mutually beneficial inter-
course between different nations and climes, which
would enable all mankind to buy the best articles in
the cheapest markets. It is high and unequal duties
which keep down tho consumption of mahogany. With
regard to Baltic timber, foreign corn, and foreign
sugar, there may be some shadow of pretext for
what are called protecting duties, but with regard to
Honduras mahogany, even the shade of that shadow
is wanting. The duty charged on teak timber from
Sierra Leone, the procuring of which from the charnel-
house of Africa is annually attended with the loss of
many valuable lives, is Bs. per ton, whilst that upon
mahogany from Honduras is 1/. 10s. for the same
quantity. Both places are British settlements ; can
any man tell us why the produce of " the white
man's grave," has a protection of about 300 per cent.
over the produce of British America, a country distin-
guished for its salubrity? It would puzzle a Phila- i
delphia lawyer to discover any reason for such an ano.
maly. The duty on mahogany ought to be reduced to
the same scale as that on teak ; and if it were, we
have no doubt that there would be such an increase of
consumption as would soon make good any temporary
loss to the revenue. Not only ship-builders, ship-
owners, and cabinet-makers, but the public ut large, are
interested in this question, as they are in the removal of
all other monopolies, and we hope that it will soon be
pressed on the consideration of Government and the
Legislature, in such a manner as to procure the redress
of an evil which cannot plead either justice, policy, or
profit for its continuance.—Lierpool Mercury.

ABDICATION OF THE KING OF

HOLLAND.

A letter from the Hague contains the following par-
ticulars of the ceremonial attending the abdication of
the King of Holland :
" The abdication took place at twelve o'clock. King
William I. was seated in the large hall of the Palace at
a table, having on his right the Hereditary Prince of
Orange and Prince Alexander, and on his left Prince
Frederick of the Netherlands. Opposite to his Ma-
jesty sat the Secretary of State, M. Van Doom. Next
to Prince Alexander were stationed the several Mi.
nisters according to their seniority in service. The
rest of the table was surrounded by the members of
the Council of State according to their seniority, the
youngest being only separate'? from Te'rince Frederick
by, M. Stiffs, the Referendary for the Affairs of Lux-
emburg. When all were seated, his Majesty William
I. made known his intention to abdicate the Crown
and transfer it to his Royal Highness the Prince of
Orange, using nearly the terms of the proclamation.
The King then desired the Secretary of State to read
the Act of Abdication, which being finished his Majesty
signed two acts, one o; the Netherlands, the other for
the Grand Duchv of Luxemburg, with a firm hand.
These acts were also signed by all the Princes, 'Minis-
ters, and Members of the Council of State there present.
After this ceremony the King, in concise terms, thanked
ali the functionaries present for the counsel and advice
they had given him for so long a period. He then an-
nounced that in future he should bear the title of King
• William Frederick, Count of Nassau, the last title being
in honour of his illustrious house. During the whole
of the solemnity the most profound silence reigned in
the hall, and when his Majesty had finished his address
every one retired. The King and the Princes after-
wards dined together en fizmille, not a Chamberlain,
or an adjutant being present."