The Sun.
London, England, 1823-05-14 00:00:00

[NEW TIMES.)

Consols opened-yesterday at 781 f, advanced
' to 784 i, and closed at 798 ; but little beyond the ordinary
business has been transacted. Spanish Bonds openedat
advanced to 354, and closed at 31f. It does not appear that
political causes of any kind influenced the advance either in the
British or Foreign Funds. Although little doubt is now en-
tertained of a favourable termination to the contest in Spain,
by the adoption of a moderate Government, yet, as nothing
certain has transpired of the proceedings at Seville towards an
accommodation, no great impression can be made on the
money-market from this source. We have received the French
Papers of Sunday,-and the Telegraphic Dispatch of Monday.
The French army in the Western part of Spain proceeds un-
resisted. The head-quarters were advanced to Burgos on the
9th inst. and his Ronal II igh n mu the Prince Generalissimo nuule a
brilliant entry into the Capital of Old Castile. The Ist corps had
made its movement on Valladolid. With respect to the army in
Catalonia, the Pilots, a liberal Journal, contains information of
the 2d inst. from Tolosa, stating a report which prevailed thereon
the preceding day. "that the corps of Mina had had a contest
with that of Marshal Moncey, and that much loss had been sus-
tained on both sides." This tale was said to have been brought
to the Duke of Angouleme by a special messenger from Per-
pignan. Now Perpignan is about 30 miles from 4'eralada, the
first station occupied by the French troops in Catalonia, and
thence the special messenger must have gone by Bayonne to
Vittoria, a distance of nearly 300 miles, which must have oc-
cupied at least two full days; add to this another day for the
report to travel back from Vittoria to Tolosa, and this great
battle must have been fought about April 26. Unfortunately
fqr the Liberal Journalist, we have Marshal Mancey's own re-
pt.rt of the 3d of May, from Gerona—to which place he had
advanced, without encountering a single soldier of Mina's
boasted army, except those that were shut up in the citadel of
Figueras ; Mina himself having abandoned his entrenchments
on the. Fluvia, and retreated behind the Ter, the moment that
the former river became passable by the French troops.—The
Constitution nel is equally well informed of what is going on at
Seville. It says that the old Revolutionary Ministers remained
in office, and that the Government was resolved to listen to no
propositions wilting as the French should remain on the Spa-
nish territory. Now we .yesterday mentioned the official ap-
pointments of the new Ministry ; and quoted the words of the
President of the Cortes, declaring expressly that they were ready
and willipg to receive propositions; nay, hinting at the proba-
bility of alterations in the Constitution.—We are sorry that Lord
Grey is so sore at the recurrence of his former speeches. Nobody
(that we know of) impeaches his Lordship's sincerity. , Nobody
pretends to say, that because he blows the great war-trumpetnow,
and solaced himself with the weak pipe of peace while Boone-
Parte was in the field, he has not spoken Ins honest sentiments
on both occasions. Neither do we mean to deny that he is
pet fecdy consistent. His Consistency is that of a
.party man
who can see nothing but the interests of his party, in peace or
war ; every thing takes it peculiar. tinge to his eye; •objects
magnify or diminish, not aceording to their real proportions,
but according to the position from which lie views them. • It is
very true that these circumstances occasion much false reason-
ing, and many predictions which are rendered ridiculous by
the event; but a very honest man may be a bitter bad logi-
cian, and a worse prophet ; and just such an honest man we
take his Lordahip to be.—ln 11110, the Noble Earl drew the
following picture of the situation to which all Europe, as he
thought, was then reduced :
" France is now sole mistress of the Continent ; that domi-
nion for which in the reign of Louis XIV. she so actively but
ineffectually struggled, She has now acquired. The independ-
ence of Europe is lost ; the balance of power is destroyed
the military greatness imd character of Russia, Austria, and
Prussia, are annihilated ; incapable any longer to oppose, they
have become wholly subservient to the interests and wishes of
France, whose Ruler, at the head of a nation situated the best
of all continental countries for offensive operations, distributes
at his will the nations of Germany and Italy to recruit his
numerous armies, at the same time that he holds at his dis-
posal the resources of all those Maritime Powers who, in for-
mer times, had even disppted with ourselves the empire of the
seas."

Now either Lord Grey was right, or he was wrong, in this
view of things passing before his eyes.—lf right, surely he, of
all men livings ought,to bg ready to fall down and worship the
great Statesmen, who not only without nu aid, but in spite of
his remonstrances, snatched Britoil} from. this.state of peril,
and rescued 'Europe fromsuch lainentable degradation. We
take his Lordship to he a patriot and a 'Philanthropist ; and,
therefore, we are sure he must be deeply grateful for such in.
estimable Benefits conferred on hii country and on mankind.—
Truth,liowever, compels us to. acknowledge that we think • lie
was wrong., ..Much as the world owes to the persevering firm-
Deo of those " Pilots who weathered the storm," still that storm
was not quite se dark, so terrible, 46 hopeless, as was figured

Iby the patriotic fears of the Noble Earl. He was wrong in
thinking the independence of Europe totally lost—he was
wrong in thinking the power of Russia, Austria, and Prussia'
annihilated—he was wrong in thinking so highly of the Ruler
of France ; and, above all, he was wrong in not relying more
confidently on the resources, the spirit, and the energy of Britain.
—True, he could not foresee that Sir Arthur Wellesley would
conquer at Salamancha, at Vittoria, at Toulouse, or at
Waterloo; but he might have drawn some inquiry from
Assye. He could not even tell that Britain's favourite Hero
would be a Wellesley ; but he might have known that there
were Pictons, and Beresfords, Hills, Combermeres, Pagets,
and hundreds of others, some of whom might possibly beat the
" invincibles" of the Tricolor Standard; and all of whom
would try for it. But it is said, though he doubted in 1810,
he became confident in 1812. Certainly not in the early part
of that year; for in the debate of the 19th of March, he said,
" that his communication with the highest Statesmen had of
force taught him the,vanity of all hope of final resistance to an
enemy possessed of such armies and of such means ;" and he
added, that " nothing could retard the gigantic strides of
France towards the subjugation of the Peninsula." Such at
least are expressions attributed to. his Lordship in The Time:
of the 20th March 1822. Our inference is this—lf Lord Grey
was so blinded by party bias in 1809, 10, 11, and 12, (for we
have quoted his speeches in all those years,) it is strongly to
be suspected that he is equally blinded by party bias in 1823.
If he was wrong then in clamouring for a dishonourable and
dangerous peace, he is equally wrong now in clamouring for
measures which must precipitate us into an unnecessary and
therefore unjust and impolitic war.