The Sun.
London, England, 1823-07-26 00:00:00

PROVINCIAL. JOURNALS.

As The Liverpool Courier is distinguished for
loyalty, good sense, and sound patriotism,"we ex-
tract with pleasure the following article from that'
paper of Wednesday last :
SPAIN.—The defection of Morillo has not been follow by his
joining the Regency. That he has renounced the Cortes cer-
tain ; and the efforts of Sir R. Wilson, who seems to have put
himself forward as a diplomatist on the occasion, have not been
able to induce him to forego his resolution. Sir Robert has
transmitted his correspondence to Quiroga, who, it seems, ob-
tained money from Morillo to leave the kingdom, but has got
together a part of the army and people, and has assumed the
command of the Constitutionalists in that part of Spain, or,
rather,,of the faCtion which still acknowledges the Cortes.
rillo, we think, has acted apart which, in its principle, ought to
be approved. He, like many others, and, we doubt net, the
majority of the Constitutionalists, wished to impose limns on
monarchial power, and to remedy the abuses
ef ages. .They
did not, however, wish to destroy Monarchy. None but the
most desperate and ignorant men' could wish to endeavour this.
Some there were, no doubt, who, like our own Radicals, wished
first to make the 'Monarchy a shadow, and then to annihilate it.
The number was, however, small ; "and of those who have gone
into the recent violent measures of the Cortes, the greater part
have been impelled by'fear fbr their own safety. Men [lime-
diatelYin the cartes, or with them; could not be expected to
net deliberately or freely; iiiirronfided, its they were,, with the
most excited part of the army., It was.otherivisewith
who saw, as every man who was not prepared to go all lengths
must have seen,that the fOrcible deprivation of the King of his
freedom discbarged them hatiourably, and even necessarily, as
from the party of* the Cortes., The only thing to be
that all the other commanders, Ballasteros,-Mina,
&c.; did not, upon hearing of the ,dispositon of the King,. for
such it really was, declare with Morilltilheir disavowal of the
Cortes., and their determination anyM neither to the Regency
rl°loareltiteden4, ...
created by the Fre,nch, nor to other government not esta-
blished by the nation, left free from the presence of the.enemy..
If such a determination had been taken by these leaders, and.
the support of the moderate part, of the peo-'
provinces would have been secured ; the
plc iii
itnhectoiru;
rearniltel, ti v e e
violence of the fanatic' faction been checked; and the French'.
might not have been ,indisposed to leave them to forth" a Re-
gency in the name of Ferdinand, till he should be restored,
having less of the appearance of being imposed by a foreign
force than. that of Madrid; and have even been glad of the
meant of relieving themeelvee of the difficulties in which they,
are still inirolved, As thiS has not been, done, and we fear'
is not a likely event, we do not, see bow Morillo can main-
tain that suspensive kind of attitude in which he now reposes;
'and, should Quiroga make any head against him, lie must be
driven into' concert with the French. It is very. clear that
Spain, by all these measures, is about to be phinged into a
most. wretched condition. The French, leaders complain that
they cannot restrain the violence of the partilans of the Inqui-
altion and arbitrary power, lii them' the sanguinary spirit
of Popery is excited • by the priests and their'
.proposed
measures of vengeance seem to know no limit, but the extirpa-
tion of every individual who has declared in favour of the Con-
stitution. One of two results, equally appalling, seems likely
to follow. Either this impolitic and blind fury, with whichlthc
Cortes and their adherents know them to be animated, will prop
duce desperation among those who have the Royal Family in
their hands ; 'an event which appears to be anticipated in the
French papers ; and, in retaliation, the wild passion of revenge
will be let loose Upon the innocent and the guilty throughout
Spain. Ferdinand will be surrendered without stipulation, or
under stipulations which will be no longer regarded than until
'his power is fully regained, and then the process of proscription
and vengeance, in Anore legalized form, but still spreading
throughout Spain, andin involving the best as well as the worst
men, will inevitably follow. Such has been the etibet of the
invasion of Spain by France. If left alone, there can be no
doubt but that whatever there was of revolutionary intent in
Many members of to Cortes would have been counteracted by
the feelings of the nation, which, it is now certain, loves Mo-
narchy, and loves it not as a name and a phantom, but as a sub-
stantial and efficient power. It is our most firm belief; that, in
such a country and among such a people, that part orthe Consti-
tution of MP, which encroached too much upon the power and
place of the Sovereign, could not have been long maintained.
It must: have given way to better opinion, or to the impulse of
the monarchical party; and, if no foreign intrigue or hostile
interference had taken place, that modification would not have
involved, as it must now do, the destruction of all poplar rights
and real liberty. To France belongs the guilt of arming Spain
against Spain; of stirring up nassions which years will not allay;
of-fomenting a civil war, the' termination of which cannot be
; of leading the way
`calculated uponto proscriptions, and mur-
ders, and ravages, at the inevitable prospects of which the Due
d'Angouleme stands appalled, and which he feels himself un-
able to restrain. And, after all, what must be the issue ? The
iminediate issue is Palpable enough ; but we mean that ultimate
issue, which, though it may be thrown back a few years, yet
beyond a very few year% cannot be postponed. Should Verdi,
nand be restored safe, his government will not be suffered to be
AS liberal as even the Bourbons, if they were not interfered with,
would leave it; for, lest they should alarm France as to their
own design,they would .lot restore the Inguiaition in its full
powers, and..the old government with its worst abuses. But they
have given a party
t eontroul over an ignorant and supersti-
tious people, by means of the priests, which they confess them-
selves unable to restrain. livery thing, therefore, will be done
in the extreme s the extreme of bigoted ignorance as to go.
vernment, and the extrelue of rash and restless vengeance as to
punishment. Anil is what this but prepare combustibles for
a future explosion, more fell and more ?Weeping ?--The
correspondence between Mr. Canning and. the Spanish Mi-
nister, by the latter in behalf of the Regency of Madrid, an-
nouncing its formation, and making an overture for its acknow-
ledgment, has been laid before Parliament. TO the overtures
before made by the regencies formed under the'- influence of
the French no answer was returned ; to this overture the answer
was, that the, diapatches were returned unopened, because his
Britannic Majesty had an Ambassador accredited to Ferdinand,

This was the only message which could be sent, consistently
with the. neutral -attitude in which the Ministry have wisely
placed and kept the- country.. How the deposition of Ferdi-
nand may place our relations is a matter of more serious consi-
deration. `Pith the Cortes, who hold their King in durance,
we can Maiptain no diplomatic correspondence, and the Re-
gency of Madrid have had their answer. For the resent, the
official communication between this country and Spain must
be suspended, and by ftiture events only, in this most per-
plexing affair, will Ministers be able to shape their course.
In his Majesty's speech, at the prorogation of Parliament, it
is satisfactory to observe, that our relations with the other great
powers are reported to be perfettly pacific ; and we hope, not-
withstanding the difficult questions which have grown out of
the State affairs in Spain, they Will continue so. The wisdom
with which the country has been directed, since the troubles in
Spain commenced, affords confidence as to the future guidance
of the helm of State, so long as this agitated state of things shall
continue. No principle of public faith, honour, or interest has
yet been sacrificed or weakened ; the character of the country
has been held up in honourable contrast to every thing aggres-
sive on the one hand, and to every thing passionate or quarrel-
some on the other; and, should the contending parties become
cool enough to seek a mediator, the character we have acquired
and maintained will turn their attention to Great Britain aft" the
only power, qualified for that office, and on her good faith and
integrity bath will lean with the fullest confidence.