The Sun.
London, England, 1840-09-19 00:00:00

effect a partial cGomlobeet.o)
The affairs of Sp(aFinromhatsh•ee
di-
version in the wordy warfare of our Parisian Contempo-
raries on the Eastern question. There is certainly
something rather curious in the opposite attitudes appa-
rently held by English and French diplomacy as regards
that country. The English may be interpreted from all
appearances as the Laissez faire system, with refer-
ence to the internal political movements in Spain.
French diplomacy, on the other hand, throws
its weight into the scale of the party against
which the recent movements in Madrid and elsewhere
have been directed. The Revue des Deux Mondes
and the Journal des Debats have put forth elaborate
articles, the inspiration of which is the same as that of
the French diplomacy, and whose st'aii is to show that the
Royal authority, exercised on the principle of juste milieu
policy, and administrative centralisation, must triumph,
:n the end, over the military, and the municipalities,
whose discontent at the new law of the ayuntamientos
is a main source of the movements in the capital and the
provinces. We have no pretensions to express an opi-
nion on the merits of the change enacted by that law
in the government of the Corporations, trasferring the
nomination of alealdes from the local bodies to the
Crown. Ali such measures are relative ; and the assi-
milation to the French system of unity and cen-
tralization, intended to be effected by that law, can
only be judged of, as a matter of policy, by its
adaptation to the national feelings, which appear to have
risen strongly against the loss of their local privileges.
The Debats says that the present struggle is between
the liberty of modern times, and the liberties of
the middle ages—between constitutional rights and pro-
vincial privileges. That is possible ; but every nation
must be allowed liberty, as it understands it. Paris
imposed upon France centralisation and unity, and
broke to pieces all the provincial institutions which stood
in its way. Whether this entire new-modelling was
an unmixed benefit, may well be questioned ; and the
citizens of other lands will make no question at all, that
the complete centralisation of power in Paris presents
nothing very enviable, so far as regards local improve-
ments and provincial energies and existence.
(From the Courier.)
The private letter of Dr. Chalmers to Mr. Bu-
chanan, published or publishing in all the newspapers
of the country, has attracted the attention which we
foresaw that it would ; and is coming to be con-
sidered very generally as in rather awkward juxtapo-
sition with his pamphlet, " What is the Church to do
now ?" We shall attempt to explain the mystery.
The Non-Intrusionists, notwithstanding all their pre-
tensions, were beginniog to get very seriously to sixes
and sevens among themselves, and that in a manner
thct promised great damage to the spiritual indepen-
dent cause ; and the appearance of Dr. Chalmers,
openly and unconditionally recommending the repeal
of the Veto, alarmed them still more and more.
" The plot," notwithstanding, was a " good plot," " an
excellent plot," in so far as it held out a kind of pledge,
that the next Assembly would take the matter of re-
pealing the Veto into its own hands, and, as it might
therefore succeed in preventing the Legislature or the
Courts of Justice in the mean time from taking up the
subject and providing as they might do, long before the
Assembly meets, for the enforcement of the law of the
land as it has been declared by its highest functionaries.
But then the Rev. Doctor took too decidedly the
ground of the Veto's illegality, as the reason for repeal-
ing ; and gave too broad a pledge that the step would
be taken, or at least proposed at next Assembly. In short,
he inadvertently, it seems, shut the door, which it was
never intended to do, against proceeding with the libel
anent the Strathbogie ministers and the presentee to
Marnoch. The letter was therefore necessary to do
away with the misapprehensions which the pamphlet
had created. It has no doubt succeeded in this ob-
ject. The proposed repeal is conditional, that the
Church shall obtain the Call, a still more stringent
restraint on the patron's rights than the Veto ; and,
being conditional, no argument can as vet be founded
on it, that the ground of procedure against the minis-
ters and the presentee has been removed.
(From the Standard.)
Looking at the various and sometimes conflicting ac-
counts from Constantinople, Egypt, and France, to which
we have elsewhere alluded, it may, we think, be inferred
that to whatever length the blind obstinacy of Mehemet
Ali may drive the Four Powers, in imposing upon him
the conditions of the Quadruple Treaty, the French
Government is not likely to take up arms in his
quarrel. The war preparations are, to be sure, still
progressing in France ; but the impression of one of
the most intelligent of the Parisian Journals confirms
the opinion we expressed when these preparations were
first announced, that the French Government would
be rejoiced to take advantage of the state of public
opinion to renew the materiel, and increase the
personnel of their military establishments to an ex-
tent which they could hardly hope would be
permitted under ordinary circumstances. The
disastrous losses of the French in the recent
campaigns in Africa, the real amount of which has
never been allowed to transpire. had rendered some
aug,mentarion necessary, and although the Chambers
seemed little disposed to afford the means of extending
the French territory in that quarter they were not
likely to exhibit any parsimony on an occasion like the
present. Independently of all this, France has been
long ambitious of rivalling England in her navy, and
the present state of public feeling has naturally allowed
her to make great additions to it and improve its effi-
ciency to an extent, which would never otherwise have
been allowed.

NONE Y MARKET and CITY NEWS.

(TIIIIRSDAY EVENING.)

TIMES.—A letter has been received on a subject
of some interest—namely, the disposition of the Burmese
Government towards the British. The writer's ob-
ject is to remove the current impression that Thara-
waddee, the present King of Burmah, besides being
a treacherous, false, and cruel usurper, cherishes the
most hostile intentions towards the British Govern-
ment. The correct history of the !evolution that
placed Tharawaddee on the throne is, he asserts, still
wanting, but nevertheless, as he has been raised to his
eminence by events that were forced upon him by
his taking necessary measures for the preservation of
his life, he is improperly considered an usurper. The
writer also states, that notwithstanding he may have
uttered hasty expressions, he never intended to vio-
late any treaty ; that he has shown the most amicable
feeling towards the English, 'and that he is a man of
enlightened views, whose chief design is the improve-
ment of his country. It seems that, aware of his
own weakness, and that his whole military force
could not maintain any contest with us, he considers a
rupture with the British as the greatest calamity that
could befall him. At the same time he naturally feels
alarmed at the large British force on the borders of his
dominions, and it is supposed that he might be induced
to adopt precautionary measures, which might be con-
strued into hostilities, and that, with all his partiality
for the English, he is not altogether free from the Chi-
nese notions of European " barbarism." Hence his
refusal of all diplomatic intercourse with the British
Mini-ter, which is by same considered an infraction
in spirit of the treaty of YandabDo, it being argued that
this is a legitimate cause of war, though the expediency
of such a war is considered to be doubtful, since by en-
larging the frontier we should come into collision with
other Powers, and after the victories gained in Affgha-
nistan a refusal to desti oy Tharawaddee could not be
interpreted into weakness.

CHRONICLE.—The resolutions of the Commit-
tee of Spanish bondholders, which we publish to-
day, in regard to the mission of Count Lara, have
given rise to some discussion, and an anxiety to know
more about the matter. We shall have occasion soon,
perhaps, to enter upon the subject of the plan pro-
posed by the Count. At present we have a few words
more to say upon the resolutions of the Committee,
because the bondholders are anxious to know what
kind of plan is to be brought forward, and complain
that the Committee should conceal it. It would not an
swer, we fear, for the committee to make known
every proposal made to them ; but they ought to do so
with all reasonable speed, and we question whether they
should not have declined negotiation with Count Lara
until his proposals, as the fully authorised and uccre-
dited agent of the Spanish Government, were
placed upon their table. That would have been
the direct and proper course. Instead of doing
so, however, the Committee have received the
proposals of the Count, and postponed further proce-
dure until he is accredited by the first competent Go-
vernment which may exist in Spain. Although the
Committee do not say so in precise words, that is the
only meaning which can be attached to their second re-
solution. We have approved of that resolution, but we
should have been able to have expressed our concurrence
in a much wider and more comprehensive sense if the
Committee also told Count Lara that they could not
express any approval of his plan until a competent Go-
vernment was established in Spain, and until he pro-
duced his authority to act as their financial agent in
effecting a settlement of the foreign debt of Spain with
the English bondholders. There eould have been no
room for doubt or exceptionhen they tif they had so acted, and
stated besides that evenhad no power to do
more than recommend the
consideration of a general pubslihecmnie
eetintgo,;thief, foanv oi
tusr ambal e.
ture consideration, the measure should appear to them
resolution, the third of the series,which
we we publish to-day, the Count LArafter he has Wcolme'-'
com-
municated with a duly organised
drid, " may rely on the zealous exertions
Com-
mittee to carry his project into execuotinosn
Com-
mittee will probably find they have gone a
Government in Ma-
y which
entitled
,os,
execution,"
ettthhh
efe
ettyoomogi fgiayhret.
As individuals, they were perfectl
Count Lara any assurance of assistance
deem right ; but in their collective capacity, a, a Com-
mittee representing the bondholders at large, they were
not authorised to say that they would exert their in-
fluence to carry out the project until they had obtained
the sanction of a general meeting. It the scheme should
turn out favourable and practicable—if Count Lara be
duly accredited, and obtain the sanction of the Spanish