The Sun.
London, England, 1840-12-23 00:00:00

THE SUN., LONDON, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 23, lB4O.

in the information they convey respecting the differences
between Spain and Portugal, realize in a remarkable de-
g ee the anticipations on that head formed in our article of
Monday. In fact, Portugal is now suddenly presented
in all the activity of military preparation and determination
to resist aee,ression on the part of Spain, held to he all but
certain. The cause; of quarrel between the two countries
is now also more distinctly stated. The original treaty
for the navigation of the Douro was executed in August,
1835, by which a mixed commission was appointed to fix a
tariff, end regulations connected therewith. The first set
of Commissioners met to deliberate thereon, and finally
came to certain conclusions, which, when submitted to the
Portuguese Government, were rejected. The sittings of
these or of other Commissions—for it does not clearly ap-
pear which—were then resumed, and terms finally settled
hetwcen them. On this latter modification of the treaty
a report was presented to the Portuguese Cortes in
the session just ended. The delay which ensued in the
discussi,n of this matter by the Portuguese Legislature
has been adopted by the Spanish Government as a ground
of complaint of the most serious nature, notwithstanding
tlae declaration in the Queen's Speech on closing the ses-
sion, that it would be one of the principal objects of dis
cussion in the new session to be commenced on the 2d of
next month. Sa deeply do they resent this delay, that
they have addressed, it is said, a note to the Portuguese
Government, in which, besides offensive expressions to
Portugal, a declaration is made, that if the Govern-
ment of Her Most Faithful Nl:ijesty do not within the
very brief time of twenty-five days absolutely ratify
the terms finally agreed on by the Commissioners, Spain
will employ military force to compel it. At the same
time a note and memorandum have been addressed by
the Spanish Government to Great Britain to a similar
purport, and calling, it is said, upon this country to
sanction this appeal to arms. The Portuguese Govern.
ment have also addressed themselves to this country, as
their most ancient ally, hoping for interference and support
against this aggression, not neglecting in the mean time
such measures as may serve to protect Portugal, should
matters come to the worst. Of the importance of this
juncture it is unnecessary to say anything. We are
scarcely provided at present with sufficient means for a
judgment on the absolute question of right, which re-
quires indeed a close insight into the agricultural and com-
mercial, as well as into the political, state of the two
countries ; but we cannot help entertaining a strong per-
suasion, from the haughty and imperious tone adopted by
Spain, that the ..hole is a mere pretext assumed by her
military dictator, Espartero, for aggressions, by which be
hopes to acquire popularity and to distinguish himself, but
which are likely, in the end, looking to the limited capacity
he has hitherto displayed, to end in his downfal and ruin.

FROM THE DAILY PAPERS OF YESTERDAY.
(From the Globe.)
The Journal des Debats brings against the whole Eng-
lish press a sweeping and unsupported charge of irritating
language towards France, which, it says, can only reanimate
and render irreconcileable the ancient enmities entertained
between the two countries. We have called the charge un-
supported; and we should be very glad to know from the
Defats where it found such a passage in an English jour-
nal as that which it quotes as follows—" that the Mi-
nisters of the Ist of March have deserved a rope
from Europe, and a guillotine from their own country-
men l" All the English journals have reported, not
long since, similar denunciations—against whom ? M.
Thiess ? No! Lord Palmerston ! All the English journals
have recorded the outpourings of Messrs. Attwood, Cardo,
and Co.—" a clique of crazy partisans," as the Quarterly
justly calls them—denouncing, as a traitor to his country,
the Secretary for Foreign Affairs, and declaring that
his head ought to roll upon the scaffold. The Quar.
terly affects to be exceedingly scandalised that Lord
Palmerston and the Government treated those sal-
lies with silent contempt. According to the Quarterly
they durst not resent, or even notice, such outrages 1 An
old idea of daring, and dignity too ! The Debats is scan-
dalised that such douceurs should be uttered, even of
ex- Ministers. We can only answer Que voulez vous?—
such things will happen in a free country. We laugh at
them, when aimed at our own leading men. Why take such
prodigious offence when levelled at yours ? And, we repeat
we should like to know in what journal the Debats found
this vulgar violence ? We should know something of the
ordinary tone of the press ; and we say fearlessly, it stands
most favourably contrasted with that of the press of
Paris, whether last July, or before. We say
that under great provocation, the English press has ab-
stained constantly from those indiscriminate attacks on
the entire national character of our neighbours—from
those appeals to by-gone motives for hatred and jealousy
—which have systematically and continually been made by
the bulk of the press of Paris. We say that, to extract a
passage or two of invective against this or that French
Statesman (not at all more violent than is every day
bestowed upon the statesmen of this country), is to trifle
with readers who know the vile unremitting aspersions
with which the taste of French readers permits their jour-
nalists to assail England. We say deliberately that a
journal could not live in this country which should attempt
to address itself to passions so hostile against our nearest
neighbours, as those which are daily addressed by most of
the French journals against ourselves.
(From the Standard.)
At a meeting at Belfast on Tuesday last of the Ulster
Reform Association, it was suggested by a Dr. Mont-
gomery, apparently the moutbpicee of the Association,
that petitions should be presented to Parliament
for establishing a lower rate of franchise in Ireland
than existed at present. The reasons assigned by
the Reverend Orator were, that he himself had heard
men swear their houses were worth 101., the value of
which others had sworn on oath did not exceed 71. ; whilst
a third batch of witnesses had been brought to swear that
the said houses were worth 11/. I The reverend orator,
who was of opinion, therefore, that 61. ought to be
adopted as the amount of the qualification, does hot seem
to have been aware that, if the qualification had been
fixed at 31., the amount of perjury would have been
the same, perhaps greater, because a lower class of per-
sons would have been interested in the matter.
It was fur endeavouring to supply checks is
the atrocious system of perjury, which is the
usual concomitant of an Irish election, that Lord
Stanley's admirable Bill was framed. It was the
danger of allowing men to swear to the value
of their own qualifications, and oven to swear to
a qualification when they possessed none whatever,
of which Dr. Montgomery complains, which it was the
peculiar object of his Lordship's Bill to avert. Yet
dila consistent politician does not scruple to declare
almost immediately afterwards, that measures should
be taken to resist the introduction of Lord Stan-
ley's Bill on the ground that its object is to " trample
under foot the liberties of Ireland." Such are the
doctrines and inconsistency of the organs of Whig de-
claimers, who usually take the initiative at I rich Reform
meetings, and instance facts invariably contravening their
own arguments. Dr. Montgomery admits the extent of
perjury inseparable from the present system, and proposes
as a remedy a qualification which is likely to raise up more
perjurers than ever, whilst he unreservedly repudiates the
only measure that would obviate the evil of which ho com-
plains.