The Sun.
London, England, 1823-08-19 00:00:00

intOVINCIA.L JOI/RMAM:

( From the Staffordshire Advertiser, Aug. 16.)

We h&ve copied from the Courier of Wednes.
day, Under the head of " Most Important News," an article
of some length, detailing the difficulties arising out of the iier-
' verse violence of, the Royalists, by which the progress of the
French army and the interests of the Bourbons, are embarras-
sed, all which impediments are imputed by the writer to the
sinister intrigues of Russia. • A Morning Paper of Thursday
( The Herald) denies the authenticity Of the article in question,
and claims a property in all its leading suggestions, by the title
we presume, of invention, for if these averments were founded
in truth,-the Morning Editor could have no pretence for setting
up a claim to knolledge of their truth to the exclusidn of !di
evening contemporary.
The fact is, that there is not a single proposition In the irm;
portent news which must not have been obvious to every man
endtied with the least portion of common sense, or which has
not been again and again advanted in most of the newspapers
of tire empire. That the unmanageable Violence of the Spanish
Royalists wad the chief cause of the universal desertion from
the Government of all moderate men, and conseqUently of the
temporary success of the revolutionary party, has been long no-
torious. That the same unmanageable violence has repelled
the nation from the cause of the King and the Church, and
given the strength of despair to the democracy, i 3 equally cer-f
tain, and .there wants not. the form of logical deduction to in:
fer from these premises that the impracticable folly of these
Royalists is the great difficulty which the French have to oVer-
colue--a difficulty; however, which must be overcome before
any approach can he made,to the pacification of Spain.
The part which Russia is said to have taken in the affairs of
Spain, though it admits not of equally direct proof, is scarcely
less certain. The prominent share which Russia had in the ne-
gociations at Verona is sufficient evidence of the lively interest
with which that power is affected by the affairs of western Eu-
rope ; in this negotiation, it will be remembered, Russia did
not act with the coldness of a disinterested accessory, but with
all the zeal of a principal. The same zeal she had manifested
during four preceding years, and it still seems to burn with un.:
abated fervour. Now it is notoripus that mere dissimulation
can scarcely be sustained so long at ad high a pitch, and we are,-
therefore, bound to believe that the anxiety of Russia with re-
spect to the state of Spain is as lively as it is said to be ; but we
are not bound to believe that it arises from the causes to which
it is ascribed.

The state of Greece.—Let us look back here, and we shall
find ample means to solve the problem. It is a point which
has never been denied by Russian statesmen, that Russia, dur-
ing more than half a century, has contemplated the acquisition
otthe European portion of the Turkish Empire; and that she
has merely delayed, without ever relinquishing the enterprise,
in submission to the jealousy of tly, other European States, and
in the confidence that the impaired, and still decaying, power of
the Porte could never present a serious opposition, when an op.
portunity to rise and take possession, should be afforded by the
embarrassments of Europe.
• Had Napoleon aspired to less than universal dominion, the
cross of St. Michael had long since surmounted the cupola of
St. Sophia.—But though that Tyrant lost all by the attempt to
grasp all, his power for a time curbed the ambition of Alexan-
der ; and, at the moment of his fall, the principles of national
justice were too fashionable to permit Russia to disclose her
naked views of plunder; besides, there still remained the hope
which had so long delayed the fate of Greece, namely, that the
ultimate acquisition of that country was inevitable. A new
I)lwer has, however, since arisen, which bids fair to extinguish
that hopo for ever. Greece has declared that she will be Tree;
and, associated with the free naval power of England, and the
great military power of France—nations which have a common
interest in maintaining the independence of Greece, and resist-
ing the aggrandizement of Russia, Greece has nothing to fear.
Nninan who reflects that the Porte, with all its suicidal mis.
manitzement, with its stupidities and abominations, which
made it alike the scorn and loathing of mankind, has been
yiruersoeiriveeadn
powers,through cecantnutideosuof t
dotage
prosperity
ptlieerityofa
jealousies Christian
t the
an
State upon, the same soil, in the" elasticity of youth and the
b o f the
vigour of a fret Constitution. • What then remains for Russia ?
To embroil' the west-of Europe, that she may snatch perhaps
one oiinortunity from the chapter of accidents to enslave the
country she has so long coveted,: Which is otherwise likely to
pass fronylier for ever: This is the true motive of Alexander's
interference at .Veronit', and his intrigues in Spain, a motive
much more congenial to his character and conformable to his
interests than any dread of deniecratie principles, which he, of
all European princes, luta least reitson to care for_; or any de-
votion to aristocratical power, which, of all mankind, he has
most cause to dread, Whether, thaefore, the Journalists,
who claim• to know that Russian agents are employed to fan
the decaying firebrand in Spain,
speak truly or not; the fact
shoidd be as little doubted, as a the secret instructions of the
autocrat were thrown open to the world.
_ _

BREACH' or P noss tse.—ltr h
the greater part of Saturday (tohe n
occu-
pied by the trial of an action for
breachßecord
a soCf ourt
pro-
mise of marriage, brought by Miss MARY ANNE
LEONAR», u young lady of 22, against BIDDY
HARTFORD, Esq., a widowed gentileman of 60,
and the father of eight children. Its chief inte-
rest was caused by the talents of the lawyers em-
ployed for the plaintiff. Mr. DOHERTY opened
the case with his usual ability. During
his statement he kept the Court in a roar of
laughter ; and Mr. Smut., in speaking to evi-
dence, commanded profound silence, by the
splendour of his eloquence and the power of his
appeals to the hearts of the Jury. _When he sat
down, there was a simultaneous clapping of
hands through the crowded Court. After a
short deliberation, the Jury, which was special,
gave a verdict for the plaintiff, 3251. damages,
and Cd. costs.—( Kilkerm,y Paper.)
EXTRAORDINARY CASE.—An extraordinary
case of hydrocephalus, or water of the brain, is
just now exciting the interest of the medical gen-
tlemen of Salisbury. The bead of an infant, be-
fore any operation was performed, at the age of
six (now only seven) months, was of the follow-
ing astonishing dimensions : round the forehead
and back part of the head 30 inches, and from
ear to ear, across the vertex, 21 inches ; which
measurements will be better understood by
stating, that the larger circumference of the
adult head averages but 22 inches, and from ear
to ear but 12 ; and of a healthy child of she
months old, the largest circumference averages
16, and from ear to ear nine inches. The infant,
belonging to respectable parents, is under the im-
mediate treatment of one of our surgeons, and is
submitted to a novel practice, viz. the removal of
the water by degrees, through the means of ope-
ration, and at the same time the employment of
pressure. The infant has undergone the opera-
tion five times, and one hundred and ten ounces
(nearly seven pints) of water have been re.
moved. The present state of the infant, and the
effects of the operations and treatment are such
as afford well-grounded hopes that, for this dis-
ease, considered hitherto as hopeless, a remedy
has at length been found.—( Salisbury Journal).
IVlELancuoror ACCIDENT.—EarIy on Tuesday
morning considerable alarm was excited by the
appearance of a hat floating on the Canal, and a
dog and umbrella lying on the bank, near the first
bridge beyond Gilmour Place. It was with too
much truth conjectured that some person had fallen
in, and drags were employed for some time with-
out success. A boat passing about twelve o'clock
brought up a corpse, which was recognized
to be that of Thomas Armstrong, a currier, who
left Gorgie at 11 o'clock the preceding night, in
a state of inebriation. lie was seen about half-
past eleven o'clock by a bargeman, of whom he
inquired how he might cross the canal, who pro.
perly directed him. It is thought that he had
been in the act of washing his face, and had un-
fortunately fallen in. lie resided in the Plea-
sance, and has left a wife and five children.—
(Edinburgh Courant, Aug. 14.)