The Sun.
London, England, 1840-10-26 00:00:00

Zfu 3.13.1.

LONDON:
MONDAY, OCTOBER 26, IMO

By extraordinary express from Marseilles, let-
ters and papers have this morning been received
from Alexandria of the 6th, Constantinople of the
7th, Smyrna of the 9th, Syra of the 11th, and
Malta of the 16th inst., with highly interesting
and important news from the East. This news
has been published in Second Editions by our
Morning Contemporaries the Chronicle arid the
Herald, from whose columns we have taken it.
The operations on the Syrian coast have been most
successful. Between Kaiffa and Tripoli upwards
of 14,000 Maronites had taken the field against
the Egyptians, 2,000 of whom repulsed with loss
an attack upon them headed by IBRAHIM
PACHA in person. In every engagement that had
taken place the troops of the PACHA were sig-
nally defeated, and wherever the Allies appeared
the desertions from the PACHA'S ranks were so
numerous as to threaten the complete disorganisa-
tion of his army. Saida was taken in few hours,
on the 24th of September, when, besides a large
quantity of military stores and provisions, 2,000
Egyptians were made prisoners. On the same day
SELIM PACHA, Commander of the Turkish troops,
aided by a body of Maronites, attacked a large
Egyptian force in the mountains, which he de-
feated, carrying with him three hundred prisoners
to the camp of the Allies at Djunieh, where they
were treated, by command of Commodore NAPIER,
with great humanity.

It is these successes of the Allies on the coast
of Syria that have really upset the THIERS
Cabinet. There is no longer a word to be said
about the popularity of MEHEMET ALI among
the Syrians. The experiment is now making, and
as far as it has been made, everything proves that
the Syrians regard the Viceroy of EGYPT as a
tyrant and an usurper. He is not the Sove-
reign of their choice ; and this is an answer
to all the rigmorole nonsense in the French
war journals. The question no longer
stands on the footing of legitimacy only ;
it embraces the right of the people to choose
their own Government. The rights of legitimacy,
as they are called, and the indefeasible rights of
the people, are here on the one side ; nor will the
wildest political theorists in France be rash enou2ll
to contend that an usurpation, detested by the peo-
ple, can create any right whatever. M. THIERS
saw this. He was not inattentive to anything
taking place in Syria. He knew on Wednesday
last the purport of the intelligence now
brought from the Syrian coast, and he
prudently anticipated its effect upon the
country by resigning. It would never do to
proclaim war against the Allies in the Chambers
to uphold the dominion of MEHEMET ALI in
Syria, and at the same time have to tell the Depu-
ties that the Syrians were going over in thousands
to the standard of the SULTAN wherever there
was not an Egyptian force strong enough to coerce
them into submission to the VICEROY. This
would not answer at all. Hence the timely re-
signation of the French Premier, which leaves tc
men who have not committed themselves upon the
Eastern question its pacific arid honourable
adjustment. The promulgation of this news
before the meeting of the Chambers, will
tend greatly to moderate the opinions of
those Deputies who have been, like many
politicians among ourselves, labouring un-
der the impression that the sway of MEHEMET
ALI over Syria was based on popular sympathies ;
whereas no impression was ever more erroneous.
The Allies are really fighting the battles of Syrian
independence.

We refer our readers to an advertisement in
another part of the Paper, containing an account of
a meeting of Alderman HARMER'S friends on
Thursday, with the reply of the worthy Alderman
to a request inviting him to a public dinnenThe letter
is highly creditable to his feelings, and will be duly
appreciated by his supporters, and by not a few
also of those who were induced, by malignant in-
sinuations, to vote against him. Englishmen hate
persecution in every shape, and though for the
moment they may be carried out of the strict line
of justice by mistaken zeal, religious or political,
they seldom fail in due time to see their error,
and make amends for it. The motives for declin-
ing the invitation are consistent with that kindness
of disposition and forgiving spirit for which Mr.
Alderman HARMER, both in public and private
life, has been long distinguished.

The Great Western, Captain Hosken, has
made another splendid passage across the Atlantic.

She arrived at King's Road, Bristol, at a quarter
to five o'clock on Saturday morning, in thirteen
days and eleven hours, bringing ninety-seven pas-
sengers, and upwards of 200,000 dollars in specie.
The news from the United States is highly favour-
able, both in a commercial and monetary point rf
view. Produce of all sorts was superabundant—

sully more than thirty per cent. over that of last
year. _ _ _

Electioneering was the order of the day all over

the Union, and the popular enthusiasm was uni-
versal in favour of General HARRISON, whose
election to the Presidential Chair was considered
certain. Indeed, so much was his success secured,

in the opinion of his friends, that bets to any amount
were offered—and refused. Meetings were
held, morning, noon, and night, and the
display of popular enthusiasm was vehe-
ment in the extreme. And for all this fervour
there appears good reason, for the people expect
from the administratio❑ of General HARRISON a
balm to the wounds inflicted by the misgovernment
of VAN BUREN. A National Bank will be among
one of his first acts ; the consolidation of the debts
of the several States under the guarantee of the
Union—the sale of public lands, to provide for

the interest—and several other comprehensive mea-
sures, are
understood to be the first fruits of
General HARRISON'S election. No wonder then

that the feeling in his favour should be so uni-
versal. One thing is clear, that the public secu-
rities have improved and are improving in conse-
quence of this expectation ; and if Mr. President
HARRISON manage things wisely, he will soon
repair the damage inflicted on his country by the su-
perficial and self-sufficient policy of his predecessor.
With good government America has the finest op-
portunity of any nation that ever existed to become
rich herself and dispense riches to an who deal with
her.

Copious extracts from the American Papers will
be found in another part of. The Sun.

Mr. O'CONNELL has addressed a letter to us on
the Union with Ireland, -which will be found in