The Sun.
London, England, 1823-03-24 00:00:00

SMITIIFIELp AI44K ET, Al ARCH 21.

There was a good supply of Oxen at 'Alarket this morning,
and the prices may br. ►luoted as per last Monday ; thr combcr
of Sheep were not NO great as this day sennight, and the prices
asked are tl►lly as hio, as on that day. There was &so a rood
nunai►er of Lamb at Market, for vadat a high price iie
Mantled,

THE LONDON JOURNALS.

EXTRACTS FROM TILE D 111,Y MORNING PAPERS,
March 24, 1823.

[MORNING CHRONICLE.]
Vlre learn that letters from Paris, from a very
high authority, dated Thursday last, state, that
it was reported there in well-informed circles,
and generally believed, that a Russian army, in
three divisions of 40,000 men each, had been put
in motion with a view to enter France ; that part
of this army was to be conveyed to Dantzic by
water ; and that rations were ordered for Ahem
in that city. We had previously heard of the ex-
istence of a similar report at Berlin, by letters from
that capital which arrived on Wednesday last. It
will be seen in our extracts from Dutch Papers•,
that strong negociations, on the result of which.
'the question of war or peace will, it i& said, de-
pend, .are now going on at St. Petersburgh and
Vienna. From hints which dropped from indivi-
duals in communication with petsons in office,'
in the beginning of last week, we could gather
that Ministers were aware or the application
which had been made by the French Govern-
ment to Russia and Austria, to aid it in keeping
down and intimidating the population and' the
army, and that this had given rise to much
anxiety and apprehension. It would seem that
without a Russian and Austrian force to impel
that of France, an invasion is now out of the
question. It is difficult to know how the case
exactly stands ; but coupling the rumours with
the negotiations, we can hardly help thinking
that matters of no ordinary nature must be in
agitation.

[MORNING IItIIALD.]
Thursday's and Friday's Paris Papers arrived
yesterday. Their contents are not of positive
importance. The Duke of Angoultuire had not
yet reached the line which he is to inspect, on
his way to join the army, and though the build-
ing of a bridge over the Bidassoa, and the closer
approximation of one or two divisions to the
frontiers are mentioned as indications of imme-
diate hostilities, yet there is some appearance of
lagging and embarrassment. The Regency and
the French Government do not appe-ar to have
a perfect understanding—and the chiefs of bands
are not only unwilling to be under the command
of the French, but are engaged in furious quarrels,
amongst each other. Eroles, Quesada, arid
O'Donnell were in France, and their several
shares in the operations distributed—but it
does not appear that they can count on any
considerable force of insurgents, and those
who are placed nominally under their com-
mand, seem far from disposed to obey. A
band of officers of the Faith, and some privates,
who rallied under the command of Eroles, in the
neighbourhood of Perpignan, after having been
routed by the Constitutionalists, quarrelled
amongst each other, and proceed to blows. It
was fonnd necessary to call out the French gens
d'artnerie to quell them. Mosen-Anton had
escaped with the remnant of his band, and was
proceeding to Perpignan, to inform the Baron
d'l4:roles, that from the system of pillage pursued
by the bandit chiefs in Catalonia, the population
was rising en masse against them. The Spaniards
appear to be making the best preparation in their
power; and if the nation be really heart and
soul in the cause, there is no reason Jo despair of
its ultimately triumphing. They appear to
avoid the great error of the Spanish Generals in
the beginning of the war of invasion—viz. hazard-
ing pitched battles. In these the French were
uniformly successful. M. de Rocca, in his His-
tory of the War in Spain, states this as the great
fault of the Spanish Chiefs of that day. " The
French armies," he‘says," were chiefly consumed
by the harrassing of Guerilla parties;and the de-1
solation in which the towns and villages were
left by the Spaniards at their approach. The.
inhabitants fled, destroying all they could not
carry off, to' the neighbouring mountains, from
which they assailed the French with bitter
taunts, and the more effective annoyance of per-
petual firing of musketry, their position being
inaccessible. The King of Spain had not yet
left Madrid, but all was ready, and there was no
appearance of opposition to his' departure. It was
to take place on the 15th.

[MORNING POST.]
Paris Papers to the 2G2d instant have arrived
since our last publication. They are still filled
with details of warlike preparations, but no-
thing decisive can be expected to take place till
the arrival of the Duke of Angoulilme at
Bayonne, At the date of these accounts he had
not reached Toulouse ; and as he was to spend a
few days in that city, and the inclemency of the
weather had been suck in the Pyrenees as to
render them almost impassable, it is not impro-
liable that hostilities may be delayed till the be-
ginning of A pril, if even they should breakout then.
Meanwhile the hostile aspect on both sides does
not prevent the forms of neutrality from being
still observed. As, the few Royalist Guerillas
who bud remained' in the mountains, or had re-
entered Spain, after having obtained a shelter in
France, no longer'able to resist the strong force
which the Constitutionalists are assembling on
time last line of their frontiers, are thrown back
upon the French territory, they are still com-
pelled by time local authorities to lay down their
Arms, 'as though it had not been announced that
they were to compose the vanguard of the French
army, as soon as the signal fur this most un-
provoked a1;',.1 iniquitous invasion should be given,
ft is now boastfully stated, that instead of expe-
riencing any delay in crossing the Llidassoa, the
army will have a quick and easy passage,
engineers having collected and prepared a su
cient number of pontoons on that river, to
construct a bridge in less than twelve hours.—
Whilst national rights and constitutional free•
Glom are so daringly and unjustly menaced in the
West, the heroism of a long-enslaved, reviled,
and deserted people, has established them in the
East. The accounts received from Greece for
a considerable time announce such an uninter-
rupted: series of brilliant enterprises and solid ad-
vantages, that, in the opinion of the French

the

Ministerial Paper, the Journal des Dlbatsy the
fate of the war is decided, and the yoke of
Turkish despotism for ever removed from that
land of past greatness and reviving glory.-

[NEW TIMES.]
The French Papers of Friday afford little in-
formation of interest as to the progress of the
two adverse parties to open hostilities. The
whole French army has not yet assembled on the
Spanish frontier; and it can hardly be said that
any Spanish army is collected to oppose its en-
trance into Spain. Numerous petty conflicts seem
to have taken place between the royalist and re-
publican bands in Spain. Abisbal appears to have
finally got the better of Bessieres, whose troops
are scattered probably soon to unite again. On
the other hand, General Quesada reports, that
four hundred of the republican troops have come
over to the Royalists. Nothing decisive can be
expected from this desultory sort of warfare.—
France has clearly an opportunity for acting a
most honourable and beneficial part. The speech
of Louis XVIII. was in its leading points ex-
tremely similar to the Declaration of William
prior to his coming over to lingland in 1688.

if the French Government act with the same
decision as the Prince of Orange did ; if it
proceed as fairly to the- establishment of just
and moderate institutions in Spain as he did in
England, the consequences will no doubt be as
salutary in the one case as in the other; making
allowance for the lamentable state into which
Spain has fallen, and the impossibility that under
any system she can soon be placed on a level
with a free nation like England. The inter-
ference of the Prince of Orange in the affairs of
England was by a foreign armed force ; but it
nevertheless laid the true foundations of that
liberty which we at this day enjoy. We do not
pretend to foretel so beneficial a result to the
French invasion of Spain ; all we say is, that
to such a result it is professedly directed, and by
such alone can it be justified.

[TIDE TIMES.]
Viewing" on every side our conduct in relation
to this unhappy war, we cannot help suspecting
that it has been vacillating, timid, and contempti-
ble. It is at least certain, if we have interfered, as
is professed, in favour of peace, that we have gain-
ed nothing by our interference. And is such a re.
sult becoming a great nation, or honourable to its
Counsellors ? It is said, that if Government had
known, or could have anticipated the senti-
ments of the people of England upon the horrid
aggression of France, a more decisive tone
would have been assumed at Verona ; and a
more decisive tone on our part Would, have
prevented the meditated wrong. but why did
not Government know, why did it not foresee,
the universal indignation of the people of England

upon a cruel, unjust, insolent violation of natural
right, committed on an innocent people, our
friends, whom we had already supported during
a previous aggression ? Now,• also, it is asserted
that, indignant as the people of England are at
the unjust conduct of the Bourbons, they still are
averse to our taking up arms afresh in the cause
of Spain,. But whence, we ask, is this supposed
aversion ? We answer, because the people do not
believe the flattering representations which have
been made of their finances in particular,and of their
ability in general to re-commence the war ; and
.up to the extent that this incredulity exists is
there an accompanying dread of having recourse
to arms to check the aggression of France.
Assure the people that war could be undertaken
with security to public credit at home, and assure
the idle pensioners that war could be undertaken

without any diminution of their plunder, and it
would not be long before Ministers would be forced
into it. But at present some men fear the fall of
the funds, from which they are in no degree re-
lieved by Ministerial profession : ofhers appre-
hend the curtailment of those needless expences
on which they batten ; and though neither of
even these two classes of politicians can deny the
justice of the war, they yet speak of it coolly,
suggesting pacific counsels on a principle of pru•.

Bence. Into the war, however, we strongly
suspect we shall be forced at last; and have
little doubt, however unjust such a consequence
may be, but that the war will produce an im-
portant change, in the condition of the public
creditor. Such, also, we believe to be state of

►norals among our Governors (whatever may be
their pretensions to integrity, or their clamour
about the preservation of the national faith,) that
if they find they cannot carry on the war without
either diminishing the payment of the just debts,
or the unjust and extravagant pensions of the
state, they will find the latter the more sacred
obligations.