The Sun.
London, England, 1840-10-12 00:00:00

sibility. In this perplexing situation the King and the '
Cabinet have to look to, and, perhaps, to choose be-
tween, the risk of a revolution at home and the perils of a
foreign war. This is a fearful choice of difficulties, but
a crisis that would call forth the splendid resources of
true genius, enfeebles, distracts, and alarms the minds of
meaner statesmen. Unable to escape from difficulties
of their own creating, the King and his Ministeas have
resolved to call upon the Chambers to extricate them.
They know that whatever may be the decision of the
Chambers, the responsibility will have been shifted from
their own shoulders to those of the representatives of
the nation.

(From the Morning Advertiser.)
Whatever solution the chance of events, or the ca-
price of Governments may give to the grand question
Peace or War?" now engtossing, public attention,
there can no doubt exist as to the policy which the in-
terests of universal man indicate as the goal of popu-
lar aspiration. 'War may no doubt promote individual
ambition, but, in its most fortunate contingenci?s, it
cannot prove other than injurious to the general wel-
fare and prosperity of nations. Mehemet Ali, while
professing himself a vassal cf the Sultan, may endea-
vonr to wrest Syria from the authority of his acknow-
ledged master, and M. Thiers, while professing an
anxiety to preserve Turkey intact, and to protect her
from ail aggression, may abet. the rebel Viceroy in his
encroachments, and threaten Europe with the resent-
ment of France if the terms of a treaty of which she
approves the provisions, be carried into effect. These
and numberless other anomalies may be resorted to in
vindication of the outrages designed by personal ambi-
tion, but the feelings and the interests of the people
whose government forms the ground of contention, have
an aim altogether distinct from that of their rulers.
Apart from other irifleenzes, Syria might perhaps he
regarded as the ass in the fable, who tens quite indiffe-
rent into what hands he fell, as he should, in any case,
have to bear the burden. But there are influences in
operation, altogether without the control of M. Tillers,
Mehemet Ale or the Sultan, which make the fate cf
Syria, at the present moment, a crisis in the destiny of
nations. Eren in the present incipient stage of the
contest, the bombardment of Beyrout, made necessary
only by the aggressive obstinacy of the Paella, encou-
raged by M. 'fliers, has caused a greater amount
of human ill and suff_eing, than if these two (Ins-
semblirig reformers, but reckless disturbers of the
public peace, were placed dangling on the same gibbet
To the ill-directed and accursed ambition of these two
men is the prose it darner of a general war to be attri-
buted. And what are the grounds which they allege
in their justification ? Aldiemet Ali professes allegi-
ance to the Sultan, and yet will expose the Syrians to
the horrors of war, rather than nllow them to acknow-
ledge the authority through which alone he himself
could possess the slighteet claim to their government ;
and M. Thiers, while epnroving of the treaty of Lon-
don, threatens Europe with the hostility of France, if
that treaty be carried into effect by forcible agencies—
a treaty which, with such a temperament es that of
Alcd-,emet Ali, would for ever remain a dead letter, if
there were not sub,tantive appliances ready to give it
operation. Under the auspices of M. Thiers, France
is invoking the very evil she professes to deprecate.
(From the Morning Post.)
We availed ourselves of the earliest opportunity after
the publication of Lord Paimerston's letter to Mr. Bal-
wer, containing an official statement. of the whole course
of the negotiations on the Turco-Egyptian question, to
record our comineed.tion of that document. We felt
that so lucid and so frank a statement was highly srVis-
factory in a national point of view, and therefore we did
not allow any sentiment of party opposition to the Mi-
nister whose name was affixed to it to interfere with the
public praise to which we considered it entitled.
Perhaps we were the more struck with this State
paper, and the more pleased with it, on account of
the rarity of such satisfactory and straightforward state-
ments oe the part of the-members of the present Govern-
meat. Assuredly the Whigs de not shine, for the most
part, in respect of frankness and fair dealing ; but the
document to which we refer seems to show that, in
the negotiations reskiecting Turkey, and the usurpations
of Mehemet Ali, there was the utmost sincerity as well
as patience, and the most unequivereal desire for unani-
mity, combined with a determination not to be tricked
out of the accomplishment of the purpose for which the
representatives of the Five Great Powers had met toge-
ther. Until Lord Palmerston's letter was published the
clamours of the French press, combined with the general
character of the Whig Government, had led the more"'
respectable and influential part of the people of England,that is to say the Conservative part, into the suspicion, if
not the belief; that the negotiations had been so managed,
especially towards their- conclusion, as to give the French
Government just cause of offence. The wisest, be-
ceuse the honr.stest, wry of dealing with this impres-
sion was to publish in an authoritative forra a
candid account of what had really been done. his
was the course which Lord Palmerston took, and the
result has been what always may be expected from the
Conservative party when they are met by candid and
well-principled statements. They have abandoned their
' doubts and suspicions, and -have - feanlay and earnestly
avowed their satisfaction with the course taken in this
matter by the Government to which they are generally
opposed. We attach so great a value to the plain and
intelligible account which the Government has given
of its motives and its objects in the negotiations upon
the Eastern question, that we cannot see without much
regret and some disgust the attempts which are wade
by certain Journals in the interest of the present Go-
vernment to shuffl! and to propagate lies upon the very
points regarding which the official document is most
distinct.

SECOND E.1)1TION
• ta,
THE FUNDS—(CLOSING PRICFS)

BRITISH- FUNDS.

Bank stock
3 per Cent. Red titii Ditto Bonds
3 per Cent Cons ..... ... 87A Ditto Old Annuities
3i per Cent Red........ 953 Ditto New Annuities...
New 3i per Cent
New 5 per Cent ... Ditto 5001 3pm
Long Annuities to expire • Ditto Small lpm
Jan. 1860
Oct. 1859 lndia Stock for Acet ...
Jan. 1860 — Consols for Acet Z37%
FOREIGN FUNDS.
Austrian, 5 per cent... Portuguese, 5 per cent.
Belgian, 5 per cent Ditto, New Ditto —
Brazilian Bon's ... .. .. Prussian, 5 per cent....
BuenosAyres, 6 per cent Russian, 5 per cent. ... --
Chilian, 6 per cent
Colombian, 6 per cent... - Spanish, b per cent 2lli
Ditto, P 324 2l& Ditto, Deferred .
DR:is!), 3 per cent..... 73.1 Freneh,s per eent...losf. —c,
Greek, 1825, 5 yer cenl. Exchange ..
Mexican, 5 per cent.... French,-3
per cent— 701. 50c
Ditto, 6 per cent, 1825. -- Dutch, 2% per cent -Itq
Peruvian,lB2s, 6 per ct. Ditto, 5 per cent..... 944
SHARES.
Eastern Counties Railway
Great Western Railway
London and Birmingham Railway ... 162
London and South Western Railway ... 52
Northern and Eastern Railway
North SLdland Railway
Ditto New Shares 39

SPIRIT of the PUBLIC JOURNALS.

FROM THE EVENING PAPERS OF THIS DAY.
(From the Globe.)

The nature of the documents transmitted by the
French Government to our own bas been misun-
derstood and exaggerated by s:rne amongst nur contem-
poraries. A note, dated the 3d, and a memorandum,
dated the Bth, have been received ; the former of
which declares, in an unreserved manner, though
in general terms, the views espoused by France
in favour of Mehemet 4!i. The latter is an
answer to Lord Palmerston's memorandum, and is
expected to be made public within a few days.
We hope that pacific results may be aided by these
documents ; as we hope that such results may be aided
by the fullest possible knowledge, on bo:li sides, of
all that can seriously be advanced and avowed " from
authority." The fact that France now declares, with
less diplomatic reserve than forrherly, the nature of
the position which she thinks tfit to assume on
this question, may tend to facilitate whatever adjust-
ny-nt is practicable of' the opposite interests. The
Erawiner and- Spectator, of yesterday, have each
cxceeding.y able articles on the Eastern question, which
we may praise with the less appearance of par-
tiality, as they do not favour the policy of the Four
Powers, any more than of France. But we should
ha- e little fear of aggravated misunderstanding with
our sensitive neighbours, if they appeared to have any
" public instructors," equally capable of dispassionate
judgment. This is a testimony which no difference of
opinion on the facts of the question could justify us in
withholding from the reasonings of our Wcekly Con-
temporaries, which we are sorry the state of our columns
does not permit us to lay before our readers.

(From the Courier.)
However little we may be inclined to undervalue the
indisputable resources of this great empire, it must he
conceded that under any, and how much more under
present, circumstances, a decrease of revenue at the
'ate of four or five millions sterling in the year, as
estimated by the one quarter, affords matter for serious
reflection, if not misgivings. Further reference to the
comparative receipts under the head of Excise, far pre_
ceding quarters of the present and last year, do not serve
to reassure us that the actual defalcation is temporary
only and likely to be compensated hereafter, and in no-
wise progressive. The Excise returns are ever appealed
to as the unerring test of the prosperous or adverse
financially and economically.
of Excise revenue for the year,
cyoentdii
ot i onthe
o of
grossthe a
oin aotoi onnt,
not only is there a deficit of 166,7041., notwithstending
an inc :ease of tax it (a blaring en the half of one and
tie whole of ai other qaarter's returns, but a general
tcndeacy to deere: e. Thus stand the returns for corre-
sponding quarters of t'H two years in round numbers:—
January rettirn... ..... 1839 ......... ;.£3,6',7,000
id.................. 1840. ......... 3,427,000
April ..... ......... 1839 ......... 1 841.000
id .......... 1840.......,. 1,929,000