The Sun.
London, England, 1840-12-11 00:00:00

THE AIN, LONDON, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 11, 18

M. Humann, says the Gloomier, is for an nrrnsd peace,
which was not the policy of the late Cabinet. M.
Thiers was arming, in order to obtain in the spring
the solution of the eastern question on his own
terms, or then to go to war. This is not an unfair
mode of treating the subject. It may be replied by !In
ministerial journals, that the necessity for assuming
such an attitude arose from the incapacity of the late
Cabinet to negotiate with effect, and that war for such
an object would have been one of those affairs of life in
which le jeu ne vaut pas la chandelle, and it may be
said again, as has been said a hundred times, that the
859,000,000 of real or assumed deficit, for an armed
peace of two years and a half, is but a mere fraction of
what a war expenditure would have been, in which
nothing but " the bubble reputation at the cannon's
mouth" was to be gained ; but the answer to this on
the part of the war journals is, that war became a duty
of honour, and that there was, at least, the chance of
recovering all the war expenditure by success against the
allies ; whereas, the expenditure of an armed peace is
necessarily all loss and no gain. This argument may be
a very weak one ; but it is argument, and, as such, comes
at once to the point.
The Presse has a very long article on the alliance,
or, as it says, non-alliance with France, from which we
would willingly give an extract or two,but the article is so
dovetailed that it would be difficult to extract a portion
without injury to the whole. It will be remembered by
our readers, that, previously to the treaty of July 15, the
Presse was one of the most avowed opponents of the
alliance with England, and from time to time gave articles
which were intended to show that it would be the inte-
rest of France to get rid of this alliance and seek for
alliance elsewhere. Whilst this journal was opposing
the late Cabinet on the Eastern question it either had
not leisure to return to what was previously its favou-
rite theme, or it had motives for abstaining from it of
which we are ignorant. No sooner, however, is the.
Eastern question settled, than it devotes at once more
than two columns of leading article to its old subject.
As one of the organs of a Conservative party in France
the arguments of the Presse are entitled to notice, if it
be merely to expose their sophistry. This journal be-
gins by saying that the alliance with England is at an
end, and that it is delighted at the fact, without, how-
ever, being angry with England, that country being
merely actuated by a desire to promote its interests,
unaccompanied by any bad feeling towards France.
In the mere assertion that the alliance with Eng-
land is at an end, there is a fallacy which it is
high time to remove. Political feeling in the
two countries may have undergone a change, but
the Treaty signed by the Four Powers for the settlement
of a particular question does not constitute a rupture
with England in the true sense of the term, for, the
Eastern question being at an end, England is unfettered
by an alliance with other Powers, which could prevent
her from forming with France a junction on any other
question, in which the interests of both might be the
same. The alliance of principle between the two na-
tions must remain just what it was, for the Eastern
question has been merely one of real or supposed in-
terests, in which England and Frahce were not agreed,
and no principle common to both nations, and arising
out of a harmony of political institutions, was involved.
Assuming, however, that the alliance with England is
broken off, and that France may now seek for allies
elsewhere, the Presse proceeds to show to what purpose
the rupture may be turned. It asserts that England
never could be a warm friend to France, because
she wishes to retain the supremacy of the seas, and
to have an exclusive monopoly of the markets of
the whole world, and that France having once got
rid of a lukewarm friend, may open new markets,
and augment the number of her ships. As regards
the opening of new markets, it does not appear that the
means of England would be crippled by the cultivation
of exclusive alliances between France and the continent,
for if France were to have even treaties of commerce
with all the nations of the continent, she would not be
able to sell more goods there than she does now, unless
they should be better and cheaper than those of Eng-
land, for these are not times in a Lich people of any
country will pay to one nation a higher price for pro-
duce and manufactures than they could have them for
from another, and no Government would attempt to
compel its subjects to pay a larger price for French
articles, than for those of England or any other State.
France, therefore, would gain nothing by treaties with
other Powers based on an unfriendly feeling towards
England, which she cannot gain now, for the field
of competition is open to her all over the world ;
even with the most cordial political alliance with Eug-
land she has only to manufacture cheaply and well to
increase the amount of her sales in markets where a
prererence is now given to English goods. By a cold.
ness towards England, however, in which nothing could
be gained, something might be lost. A very large pot
Lion of French commerce is carried on with England
herself, and by drawing more closely the bonds of
aili-
ance with that country, the conclusion of an equitable
treaty of commerce, new and important channels of in
dustry would be opened to France. As to the supposed
jealousy -of the Enelisla on the subject of the Fienci,
IR-4,7 11.14 LIJ (.4.sirlit . 11 e ranti
were in intimate alliance with England, both rations

might, as a m'aeure of econnir r;, remain just when
they are, knowing well that they have nothing to fear
ftma the rest of the world ; on the contrary, if the
coldness recommended by the Presse should be re-
sorted to, and Prance should increase her navy.
England would probably do the same, and then the
same causes of distrust and jealousy would still exist,
and the proportionate strength would he the same
the only change would be in the expenditure, which
would be increased, to the injur y of commerce, without
nny beneficial result. Another great argument with the
Presse in favour of non-allian&e with Er,gland, is that
ilre Powers of the Continent would no longer look upon
France with distrust if she was detached from her al
liance with England, and that, all fear being removed,
the French would have security at home, and be able
to dev,,te themselves with the proper degree of union
and energy to the pursuits of agriculture and trade.
If the words and acts of the continental Powers are to
be believed, they want nothing in France but good govern-
ment and domestic peace ; and they profess a determi-
nation to leave her at peace, if they be left at pent
h niselvcs. The true interest of France would appear
to be to remain at peace ; and cultivate fricruty
co mmereial xliances with all the Powers of the world,
not to incur the risk of making any one State an enemy,
or, at any rate, of losing commercial advantages :v it}
one State by attempting to set up exclusive alliance:
with the rest.

The X Oland publishes this morning an artiela it
which it blames the Government for the delay in com-
mencing the works rendered necessary by the late inun-
dations, and expresses a.doubt whether the distribution
of relief is not made with partial views founded on
political interest.
The National is completely mistaken, and it is shame•
fully calumniating the intentions of the Government tr
take up such offensive suppositions. The Government
hastened to lay before the Chambers projects of hit;
rclative to relief to the sufferers by the inundo.tions.
Tne works for repairing the damage have been begun
wherever the state of the water permitted.
It iz impossible to know at this moment the amount
of the losses experienced in the several places whiel,
suffered by the disaster, but the distribution of the re-
lief already voted by the Chamber, is made with the
most perfect equality, and solely with a view to the in-
terest of the sufferers.—Le Moniker.

A letter from Vienna says that Prince Metternich
indisposed. He is nearly sixty-eight years of age.—/a
Gazette de France.

A letter from Malta of 80th Nov , which has been
communicated to us this evening, mentions the im-
portant fact, that "the passage by the Isthmus of Suez.
is declared free in favour of the English by the Sultan
as well as by the Pacha of Egypt. The Pacha, says
the letter, seeing himself abandoned by France, threw
himself into the arms of England. He even took the
lead by coming to an arrangement to be proposed to
Lord Palmerston through the medium 'of the Governor
of Malta, but he wished to keep the Turkish fleet and
leave an army in Syria till England should have ob-
tained from the Porte the ratification of the agreement
to his hereditary possession of Egypt. This England
would not consent to, it being decided that Mehemet
Ali should submit unconditionally, which has been done,
since it is well understood that the Sultan is bound to
nothing, and that whatever Mehemet obtains be will
owe it to the generosity of the Sultan, which the Eng-
lish have, however, engaged to solicit, and why should
it not. As things stand, is not Mehemet Ali the best Go-
vernor of Egpyt that it could choose P—Le Commerce

In fact, the Baulougnais are very much a &Wu and
;town-hearted, and curse the evil day when that man-
nikin statesman, little Thiers, attempted to jockey Eu-
rope, pretty much in the fashion he used to adopt with
the brigand booksellers of Paris. Metternich and Pal-
merston are, however, different men from Ladvocat ;Ind
Gossclin. Thiers, however, has but one standard. He
looks at all mankind] through the spectacles of an
Old Bailey barrister.