The Sun.
London, England, 1847-06-30 00:00:00

is diversified by mountain and plain, by wold and

valley, by prairie and dingle, whose pastures are
irrigated by plenteous and fructifying streams, whose
highroads are intended to be the channels of commu-
nication between the two great continents of America
—the vast majority of the citizens of that magni-
ficent republic are showing themselves incompetent to
appreciate the blessings of national independence, or
to assume the protection of their national heritage.
Hitherto the free populations of Europe have regarded
the progress of events in Mexico with interest, if not
with consternation. The enemies of that ruthles A
spirit which strives at all hazards to assure to
possessor the bloody spoil of territorial aggrandizem' ent
—the enemies to that damnable spirit which has rer
edly been the accursed sequence of despotism, but v
,shish
has now-a-days become theincompatible inciter .nent of
a federative constitution, have looked hereto core with
abhorrence upon the southward progress ',lf the Ame-
rican soldiers through the WO Gri:inde,atad with sym-
pathy upon the stragglin deNnce made by the Mexi-
can forces. If circumsta-aces similar to those which
have recently transirei3A, and which have just reached
us by the arrival of the Hibernia steam-ship, be re-
newed with much frequency in Mexico, all the gene-
rous sympathies of the lovers of civil liberty for its
inhabitants -will evaporate, and the various provinces
will in time be portioned out as the rewards of a
lawless expedition.
ANTONIO LOPEZ DE SANTA ANNA has been re-
ceived in the capital with yells, with hisses, with
execrations ! He has been stoned in the streets like
a malefactor ! For what ? For risking his personal
safety by entering his agonised land, through the
blockading squadron of its enemies ! For abandoning
the secure quietude of the Havannahs for the stormy
perils of a beleaguered state ! For refusing the Pre-
sidentship when he had only to stretch forth his
hand and grasp the sword of a Dictator ! For
voluntarily accumulating on his own head the ven-
geance of the advancing legions, by becoming
the soldier and the captain of his native
country ! For accepting the onerous responsibilities
of government when it was most peculiarly sur-
rounded by internal and external dangers—when it
was directly menaced by the uplifted brand of the
United States, and by the mines of the treachery, and
conspiracy, and disguised insubordination of its own
citizens ! SANTA ANNA has experienced the
fickleness of democracy as strikingly as ever did
MILTIADES, or TIIEMISTOCLES, OT ARISTIDES, or
ALCIBIADES, or EPAMINONDAS. Hiving mortgaged
his own personal estates for the prosecution
of the war in defence of Mexico, SANTA ANNA
is stoned by its ungrateful and insensate popu-
lation. The great ISABELLA I. of Spain pawned
her _ jewels to furnish COLON with the means
of carrying into effect his project for the discovery of
a New World. For the defence of a portion of that
new world SANTA ANNA has pawned his patrimony,
and has since been reviled by the descendants of the
subjects of that great ISABELLA.
In a communication addressed on the 13th of Mav
to the Mexican Minister of War and Marine, Presi-
dent SANTA ANNA alludes thus to the supposition
that the United States were deceived in admitting
him through their blockading squadron in the expec-
tation of his abandoning the republic to their pos-
session :—" Indeed, most excellent Sir, the United
States did deceive themselves when they dreamed that
I was capable of betraying my country. Before this
should happen I would prefer to be consumed by fire,
and my ashes should be scattered so that not a single
atom were left." " Would to GOD," he exclaims in con-
tinuation, " would to GOD the Mexicans would open
their eyes to discover the poison in the golden
chalice that the perfidious SCOTT proffers !" But, no :
the patriot who endeavours to animate them with
some faint sense of that love of country which burns
in his own bosom is scorned, is hissed, is stoned.
" GOD and Liberty !" his battle cry, is drowned
in the din of a cowardly and licentious rabble.
Instead of meeting with co-operation he is compelled
to resign the office of President. He endeavours to
fortify the outposts of Guadeloupe, of Perion, and of
Mijicazingo—he is prevented by the contumacious
opposition of the inhabitants. Everywhere the sha-
dow of a dreadful destiny impends over the plains of
California and the mountains of Mexico. The phan-
tcm of a NEMESIS seems to lead onwards the armies
of the United States, and to foretel; the doom of a
splendid republic and a degraded race.

We have already pointed out the vast distinction
between the principle of the measure introduced by
Lord GEORGE BENTINCK and that brought forward
under the auspices of her MAJESTY'S Government for
an advance to certain railways in Ireland, the second
roc4air.Es of -nbla• • creen menday carried by a majority
of 113 in the House of Commons. The Noble Lord
the Member for Lynn and his supporters still con-
tinue to assert the identity of these principles, and to
rail against the inconsistency of those who, by an
overwhelming majority, rejected the former pro-
position, while they give their support to the more
moderate and reasonable one now sanctioned by the
House. We should not be so much astonished at
these petulant outbreaks if they proceeded only from
the camp of the Protectionists, but we confess that
we are surprised indeed at finding some of the Liberal
Members—persons who are generally more clear-
sighted and intelligent—joining in the same ridiculous
assumptions, and becoming the accusers of the Minis-

erial policy. The Premier fully and completely
vindicated the justice and the expediency of the
course adopted, and thoroughly refuted one of the ar-
guments so loudly urged against the measure. He
showed that the advance was proposed, not
because they had the 600,0001, and should
devise some means of spending it, but be-
cause, being thoroughly convinced of the benefits that
such an expenditure would confer on the country,
they were enabled to sanction it to that extent with-
out inconvenience to the national Exchequer, and
without disturbance to the money market. A large
and lavish outlay would involve the necessity of the
State again becoming a borrower, and would, to a
certain extent, expose the Cabinet to the imputation
of being guilty of a breach of faith towards those per-
sons by whom the last loan of 8,000,000/. was advanced
—it would occasion mischief more than equivalent for
the benefits that could be derived, even under the
most favourable circumstances, from the assistance
granted. Nothing of the kind, however, could be al-
leged against the disposal of a sum already in hand,
which formed a portion of the amount which it was
intended to expend in public works in Ireland, in
consequence of the exigencies of that country. 'We
confess that we should have been much better pleased
had the original intention been carried into execution
and the money applied in the reclamation of the
waste lands ; difficulties, however, intervened, which
occasioned the withdrawal of that measure for the
present session, and the fund for that purpose re-
mained at the disposal of the Ministry, who decided,
as the next best mode of application, to lend it to
certain companies, and thereby to expedite the con-
struction of railways that possessed peculiar claims
upon national assistance, and that were enabled to offer
ample security for the ultimate repayment of the ad-
vance with full interest thereon.
Lord GEORGE BESTINCK desired that the Exche-
quer should advance no less than 16,000,0001. sterling
to be distributed indiscriminately to all railway com-
panies in the proportion of two parts from the State for
one provided by the companies. Here, then, was at once
a new and a most dangerous precedent ; vast advantages
would have been afforded to speculators in Irish rail-
ways and a consequent injury to, and deterioration of,
the property of those who had made investments in
similar works in this country. The Government would
depart from its legitimate sphere—it would become a
money lender on a gigantic scale—it would incur a
risk of a serious loss, while any possible gain
should find its way into the pockets of the
dealers in railway scrip on the London Stock Ex-
change. It would give a most injudicious impetus to
a kind of speculation that had already been carried to
an undue extent. If the nation were bound to provide
enabled
two-thirds of the expenditure on any Irish railway
that had already, or might hereafter, be sanctioned
by Parliament, while
theil v
e the sharetholpotsamongst
themselves
swouldbe
to distributeent
themselves beyond the 3i per cent. interest pay-
able on the loan, many
works of a doubtful cha-
racter would be undertaken and carried on.
Nothing of the kind, however, can possibly be the
result of the present Bill. It is merely the extension
of a principle that has long been recognised, and
which has been peculiarly advantageous to the
kingdom in general. The Public Works Loan