The Sun.
London, England, 1823-05-02 00:00:00

[MORNING POST.]

After the discussion in the House of Lords
upon a motion in censure of the conduct of Go-
vernment during the late negociations, we ven-
tured to express an opinion, that a similar mo-
tion threatened in the House of Commons would
be relinquished. The triumph of Ministers in
the Upper House had been so conspicuous and
complete, whether we regard the force of num-
bers or the force of argument, that we naturally
.expected their political rivals to withhold from
them the opportunity of another and a still
more decisive victory. Fortunately, however,
the fondness for crimination, the zeal for cen-
sure, which distinguishes this Party, prevail-
ed over the sagaci►y and proXtee which
dictated the abstinence 'we foretold. The
consequence i►as been, to place the accusing
party upon this subject in a situation the most
deplorable and ridiculous. After a debate of
three long nights, during which it was loudly
charged against Ministers that they had corn-
promised the honour and interests of the country
—that they were incapable or insincere—that
their conduct had reduced them to the alterna-
tive of being held either dupes or accomplices
to the most foul and abominable iniquity ; after
the House of Commons had been wearied by the
vehement repetition of these accusations—how,
after all this, must any uninitiated man have been
confounded to hear one of the great Leaders
of the accusing party—himself one of the loud-
est and warmest in crimination, at the con-
clusion of a speech, too, abounding in unmi-
tigated censure,—to hear him gravely propose
that his whole party, fatigued with their
own railing, no less than they had fatigued all
others, should unite at that very moment in an
Address ti) the Throne, conveying the most
decided and unqualified approbation of the
whole conduct and language of the King's Mi-
nisters ? Talk of consistency and principle,
truly I But we need not suggest the reflections
which cannot fail to arise spontaneously in the
mind" of every reader. The pretence for this ex-
traordinary proposal was not less wonderful than
the proposal itself. The apprehension that any di-
vision of the House upon the direct question might
impair the effect of that unanimous reprobation
which had been incidentally expressed of the
iniquitous aggression of
_France, was the presiding
motive in the mind of the Member who suggested
it. Marvellous simplicity ! Three nights of
warm debate were to terminate in the discovery
that there existed no difference of opinion ! And
the moral censures upon the• conduct of France
were to acquire new force by the unresisted tri-
umph of those who were accused,upon the ground
chiefly that their reprehension of that conduct had
not been sufficiently severe !—Come ! come !
Sir, be for once frank and manly, and avow
that you desired to evade the division only
from the consciousness of weakness. Admit
freely, that you perceived symptoms of the aban-
donment of your party by all those of its adhe-
rents who had preserved any remains of political
character, or any pretensions to political inde-
pendence, and assign at once the dread of that
desertion being exposed to the► worid,as the genuine
motive of your conduct. Believe us, there is no
further temptation to duplicity ; no man's convic-
tion awaits your avowal or denial of this motive. It
is interesting to yourself only. And indeed the
Gentleman we have imagined ourselves to ad-
dress, had formed no inaccurate estimate of the
weakness Lo which his party was reduced. ';The
wish to conceal this weakness was most natural ;
but those Statesmen, who for three successive
night had heard themselves reproached with the
baiest and most flagrant delinquency by the
ruined party, entertained a wish no less natural,
that its ruin should not be shielded from exposure.
They very properly insisted that the assembly
which had heard the accusations against them,

and had heard also their defence, should!
pronounce
.an opinion, and should so pro-
nounce it, too, that the comparative effect of
one and of the Other shotild be apparent. And
the triumphant result was; that the whole House,
not excepting some of the most violent of the
accusers themselves, rushed to the lobby, where
the suffrages in favour of Ministers were to be
collected ; that out of a House of almost 400
Members" no more than 20 votes were against
them, of which small number even, several are
to be ascribed to the circumstance that some
Members were unwillingly shut in the House—
the lobby being completely filled. Such was the
result, glorious to Ministers—disgraceful and
ruinous to their opponents, which, at any expence
of consistency or principle, the Opposition would
have averted.

[MORNING HERALD.]
After three nights' debate, the question raised
on the conduct of Ministers was disposed of yes-
terday, at 5 o'clock in the morning. For so long
and eager a discussion it was rather lamely con-
cluded. The Opposition showed a wish to evade
putting their arguments to the test of a division, by
a compromised withdrawing of the original mo-
tion. But M. Canning was resolved to show
the lion. Gentlemen that he had profited of
their lessons, by not being. so ready to concede as
they supposed he had been in the late negociations.
The hit was cheered, though not in the best taste,
considering the subject and the occasion. The Op-
position, it appears, were now reduced, in the last
resort, to avoid the division by a general disper-
sion. But the Minister was resolved to enjoy his

triumph. Nome stragglers (we do not use the
term in nn offensive sense) were intercepted by
the shutting of the`doors, and were thus consti-
tuted a forced minority. There was snare want
not only of magnanimity, but even of reflection,
in Mr. Canning's insisting upon this public glare
of triumph. What was the foundation of his
sweeping majority ? Was, it the praise of having
carried the country through a trying and difficult
crisis of dispute with another nation, without sa-
crificing peace or honour? This certainly is a merit
he cannot claim. We do not say that he and his col-
leagues have merited the censure proposed. Per-
haps no other Ministry could have done more ; but
any Ministry could certainly-have done as much.
The true foundation of his triumph is, the ddep
and universal sentiment which prevails,. that the
nation is not, at this moment, in a state conve-
niently to go to war. A prudent and reflecting
Minister would not be too ready to put forward
a triumph resting upon such a foundation. In the
mean time the campaign in Spain goes on at a
creeping pace. There are Paris advices of Tues-
day, but
.containing nothing important. It was
the talk of the drawing-rooms of Paris, that
the pretended Provisional Government of Spain
had been broken. Their proclamation had done
mischief. This is very possibly true. They
were mere puppets set up by the Duke of An-
gouleme, whom he could, of course, knock down
at any moment. Another rumour was, that upon
the arrival of the French at Madrid, hostilities
would be suspended, and the negociations be re-
sumed with the Government at Seville. The
, Duke of Angonteme was still stationary at Nit-
, toria, and occupied in no weightier matters than
bestowing promotions in the army and the
gLe-
ion of Honour. These are the only " opera-
, lions " recorded in the last Bulletins.