The Sun.
London, England, 1823-05-05 00:00:00

Enttnisit

The south of Ireland is in -a
most dreadful
state. A t the same time we know that the array
of horrors presented in the Dublin Evening Past
anti other Irish Papers is greatly heightened and
overcharged, but the reality is appalling. Not a
night passes without successive murders, con-
flagrations, and attacks on houses. This dread-
ful state of things cannot go on. Some remedy
must be applied, and of this Government have,
we believe, no idea whatever. We have heard from
a source which never, yet deceived us, that it is in-
tended to apply for powers to proclaim martial
law in the South of Ireland, and thus again in-

troduce all the horrors of 1798 into that devoted
country. If Ministers wish to drive. the Irish
,people into general _rebellion, this would be the
plan ; a system so atrocious could not fail of
success. The legislation of the halberds and the
bayonets in the 19th century This would be a
congregation of horrors indeed, and a consum-
mation of all the miseries of devoted Ireland.

[MORNING POST.]
It has been currently reported for some days
that the French Government has either already
attempted to renew negociation with that of
Spain, or has determined to make such attempt
immediately on the arrival of its army at. Madrid.
That the Government of Fiance, if in the pro-
gress of its operations it should see reason to des-
pair of the triumphant accomplishment of its in-
solent and unprincipled designs, may try to ca-
jole the Spaniards into such compliances as may
mitigate the ignominy of its retreat, is we think
highly probable. The failure of any 'such effort of
cajolery we believe, however, to be quite certain.
The question at issue between France and. Spain
is not one which admits of compromise. Spain
is engaged in a holy war of self-defence, not be-
cause she believes her political institutions to be
so perfect as to render every possible change in-
jurious to her welfare ; not because she has any
invincible repugnanceeven in some of the modifica-
tions which have been suggested ; but because she
will not sacrifice that sacred principle of national
independence which adjudges to every people
the sole right to frame or to correct their internal
system of Government—because she is actuated
by that just and elevated feeling of national
honour which inspires a sense of injury and
insult when any foreign Power aims to usurp or
to share a function, the highest, the dearest,
the most exclusively national, that belongs
to any political community. It is impossible that
Spain should not see that the principle for which
she nobly contends would be as completely sur-
rendered by the slightest,as by the most import-
ant changes in her Constitution ; as completely
surrendered by the promise even of the least
change ashy the full accomplishment of the greatest
—such promise being given to reconcile or to
propitiate. her haughty and oppressive neigh-
bour. The peculiarity of the quarrel between
France and Spain was, from its commencement,
that it consisted in the assertion on either side of
principles irreconcileably hostile. Whilst it was
merely a diplomatic dispute, it was of necessity
interminable, without humiliation to one party
or to the other. It was this circumstance be-

longing to it which constituted the great difficulty
of mediation, and which was allegid by both
parties, probably with truth, as the main ground
of their common disinclination to submit it to
the decision of any umpire. But if the pretensions
of France and the rights and national honour
of Spain were from the first so incompatible
as to render the maintenance of peace almost
hopeless, how 'much greater are the obstacles
to its restoration now that the territory of the
lattei:,r has been violated, and multitudes' of
her peaceful subjects driven from their avocations
and their homes. The first intimation by France
of her disposition to regard with a more indulgent
eye those, defects of the Spanish Constitution
from which she affects to have suffered so much
uneasiness and alarm, would be met undoubtedly
by.the loud and just demand of Spain, of re.
paration and indemnity for the positive suffer-
ing inflicted on her people in a most wanton and

unprincipled attack. We urge these considera-
tions, in order to show that reports tending to the
probable restoration of peace ought to be listened
to with the greatest distrust. Never has any
war broken out in Europe which afforded at the

commencement less. chance of a speedy termi-
nation, or indeed 'of any other termination than

such as may at last be produced through the re-
peated defeats and the utter exhaustion of one or
other of the- belligerents.

[MORNING HERALD.]

Our readers wilt see by the G azetle of Satur-
day, that the average price of wheat for England and Wales
this last week, was fifty.one shillings and fourpence the
quarter, or six shillings and tivepence the bushel. This is
just sixty per cent. higher than Mr. Cobbett prognosticated, that
the very best wheat Would be at before Christmas, 1823. " The.
very best wheat," said Mr. Cobbett, in his Registers for
1823, " will be at four shillings the bushel, unless Peel's Bill
be repealed ;" and " further," said Mr. Cobbett, " if what I
say does not come to _ pass, I will give any one leave to
broil me on a gridiron. And far that purpose I will have one
of the best gridirons I can possibly get made, and it shall be
hung out as near to my premises as possible, in the Strand ; so
that it shall be seen by every body as they pass along." Unfor-
tunately fin Mr. Cobbett's prognostications, they have not been
fulfilled, either as regards the very best wheat being at 4s. the
bushel before the closin of the year 1823, or the inevitable re-
peal of Mr. Peel's Bill; and this non-fulfilment has depriv-
ed Mr. Cobbett and the Public of the two most enter-
taining subjects on which Mr. Cobbett so humorously used
to dilate in his Registers. But the gridiron has not ap-
peared ; Mr. Cobbett, therefore, has not kept his promise in
this respect. Mr. Cobbett of late has been either silent -as to
the non.fultihnent of his prognostications, or he has been en-
deavouting to back out from his assertions by the use of the
word if. in the Saturday's Evening Paper for which he writes
the leading article, he has, found it convenient to put off the ful..
filment of his " Prophecies," as he calls them. He says that.
it is next January that th:t very best wheat is to be at four
shillingi the bushel; and that the " stock-jobbing press"
are wrong in saying, that he said it was last .January.—
All•that our readers have to do, is to Tefer to his Re-
gisters of last year, in which, week after week, he asserted,
" that the very best wheat would be, before the close of
1823, at 4s. the, bushel, unless Peel's Bill was repealed."
"l'is thus with too many whose prophecies do not come to pass,
We recollect that for many years, Johanna Southcote was promsnosticating the birth of 'Ado, and every year she fixed the
month for the appearance of her Shilo; but year after year pass-
ed away, and Shit° did not appear. What did she do ? Did
she recant, and acknowledge the imposition ? No; on the con-
trary, so far from acknowledging the imposition, she got
over it in this way ;—she pub)ished a new prophecy, saying
that a spirit had appeared to her, and that site had been com-
manded to declare to her believers that the birth of Shilo was
put off to the next year. Mr. Cobbett abuses the press gene.
rally by calling -it a "Stock jobbing Press;" but, fcir aught
that we know to the contrary, there may be a " Wheat jobbing
Press,"- conducted individually, or on the behalf of a company,
1 for the purpiaie (as the Stock. Brokers say) of banging darn
the market, while they (the Betas) quietly get into stock them-
selves. •

M. SAN MtauEL, who cammands at Figueras,
and whose noble answer to, the summons of
Marshal MONCEY has given such universal admi-
ration and interest, is the eltfer brother of the
Minister. His name is Santos San Miguel, and
not Sway, as given in our Paper of Friday.