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

THE LONDON JOURNALS.

TICTRACTS FROM THE DAILY MORNING PAPERS,

February 5, 18'23.

[NEW TI M ES.]
His Majesty's Speech, to which all Europe
has looked forward with such intense r.nxiety,
was yesterday read by Commission to the two
Boum of Parliament. The policy which we
have uniformly advocated, and which, we may
add, every reasonable man in the country ap-
proves—that of a firm and 'dignified neutrality—
was distinctly announced in this important docu-
ment. Every attempt has been made, and will
continue to be made, by his Majesty's Govern-
ment to allay, by its good offices, the irritation
unhappily subsisting between France and Spain.
But it is manifest that this mild and mediatorial
character cannot truly be sustained by a Power
which treats either of the contending parties
with asperity or disrespect.—On the one hand,
the king has formally declared that he de-
clined being a party to any proceedings at
Verona which could be deemed an interference
in the internal concerns of Spain. This conduct
must necessarily give great weight to all the re-
presentations of our Minister at Madrid tending
to remove obstacles to peace on the part of
spain. On the other hand his Majesty could not
expect, to retain that, influence at the Court of
the Tuilleri'es which belongs to his exalted cha-
racter, had he not studiously abstained from every
expression of an irritating nature, in declaring his
dissent from the policy of France. By adhering
to this. happy medium, the British Government
'will command the respect of both parties ;, whilst
at the same time it recruits its finances, improves
the national "resources, and gradually and stea-
dily proceeds in removing the embarrassments
occasioned by a long and arduous war.

[TILE TIMES.]
There perhaps 'never ‘; as any period at
A% hiCh the probability or improbability of the
occurrence or non-occurrence of a war, between
two foreign countriess excited so warm an in-
terest in England, "as the present. Is France
capable of the iniquity of attacking Spain,
or is she not ? That France, or at least
that Tier Govermneut, is chpable of this iniquity,
is but too clear from the speech of Louis XVIII.
to the Legislative Chambers. In that speech
principles are avowed, of which it were for the
jtsterests of Humanity that every Spaniard who
now breaths should perish in the field, rather
than that the tranquil diffusion should take place.
Whether the attempt to enforce those principles
will he made, appears even now to be doubtful,
notwithitanding the assurances weihave received
from the 'wise in their tian conceit, (of whom
Solomon says "_there, is less hope than of fools,")
that the war was all but begun.—The King of
-England's Speech, pronounced by the Lord Chan-
cellor yesterday, is ofa pacificnature—that is (for
we should be loth to be misunderstood on a matter of
so much importance), it leaves us to infer that the
question of peace or war between France and
Spain is undecided. It gives no pledge as to the
future. 46 Our endeavours," it is only said, " are
used to preserve peace :"•••••••" We take no part
44 in any proceedings at Verona which can be
" deemed an interference in the internal con-
-44 Cerns' of Spain on the part of foreign Powers."
This conduct and these principles, on the part of
'England) we aver, are Christianly and just : but
more particularly is it stated, " That his Ma-
" jesty continues to use his most anxious entlea-
-44 yours and good offices to allay the irritation tut-
" happily subsisting between the French and
" Spanish Governments, and to avert, if possible,
" the calamity of war." War, therefore, is at
present an avoidable calamity—an evil which it
is poftible to avert. That it. will be averted, is
still matter of doubt.

[MORNING CIIRONICLE.3
At'length the yoke of Parliament is beard on
the affairs of Europe. We confess that we are
not a little gratified with the manner in which
the men of different sides in both Houses spoke
of the abominable, principles of the lioly Alli-
ance, end the conduct of the French Govern-
ment. The language of the Ministerial Press,
with respect to Spain, has been all along dis-
graceful in the extreme, and this has been at-
tended with this mischievous effect, that neither
the people of this country) nor the Foreign Po-
tentates whose views Ministers were opposing,
could believe their opposition serious. Day after
day The courier and New Times have been filled
with the most bitter and violent invectives
against the Spanish Government, with express-
sions of sympathy for the ruffians hired by France
to disturb and desolate Spain, with approbation
of the conduct of the French Government, and
wishes for its success. Could it be supposed
that the Papers patronised by Ministers would
speak a language unpalatable to them? No
wonder, then, that their language was disre-
garded on the Continent, and its sincerity doubted
here. It will be seen, however, thut Ministers,
last night, were at pains, not merely to disap-
prove of the conduct of the French Government
and the Allies, with reference to its wisdom and
policy, but to condemn their threatened inter-
ference, us wicked and unjust. Lord Liverpool
went mu so far as to say, " that the conduct of
the Spaniards liad hitherto been, as he sincerely
trusted it would continue to be, wholly untainted
by any thing like crime or violence." This is
speaking like an honest man, and as a British
Minister ought to speak.

[MORNING HERA LD.
Those who expected, if any did expect, to be
much enlightened on domestic or foreign politics,
br the Royal Speech, have been disappointed.
It is as close and guarded as it well could be
under the circumstances. Something interesting,
however, may be gleaned. The qustion of peace,
or way Is that which chiefly occupies and agitates
the public tnind—and the Speech dashes at once
into this ino3t interesting topic. It states, that
since the close of the last Session, his Majesty's
efforts have been unremittingly exerted to pre-
serve the peace of Europe ; and in a subsequent