The Sun.
London, England, 1823-05-20 00:00:00

THE LONDON JOURNALS.

DAILY
Extracts from the Morning Papers, May 20,

[MORNING CHRONICLE.]
We regret when we see the violent Ultra pcm
litics of a Morning Paper, attempting by every
means to encourage the present outrageous at-
tack on Spain by the French. ' It would endea-
vour to persuade the public that Mina had been
forted into a false and dangerous position. It de-
preciates him because he was born in a cottage
instead of a palace; and' then sagely discusses
the movements, and warps them to its own views.
We 'do not at' this distance, and with an im.
perfect knowledge of the manoeuvres, pretend
to see the result. What' talent, when com-
bined with great courage, will do, is not to be
calculated by any rule, and Mina possesses
both. Moncey might find' but one road for
his army to enter by (and there is but one fit
for artillery, the same in which this' old Ge-
neral's carriage broke down). Yet there are
seventy passes in the Pyrenees, by which Fab-
vier's legion may enter France and retire at will.
There are seventy passes by which 9 Mina may
enter and retreat when it suits him ; and we ven-
ture to say that after such a foray he will never
want recruits. We should even doubt whether
the morals of the Army of the Faith would with!
stand the temptation of joining iresuch adventures,
which are so much more to the taste of the com-
mon soldiers, than' staying with foreigners who
make them pay for all they get. The more we
look at Mina's movement, the more judicious
it appears. [lad he continued retreating along
the sea coast, he would have been in danger of
being thrown upon the Mediterranean, or forced
into Barcelona. lie has left part of his extreme
right to reinforce that garrison. Those are the
troops left at Hostalrich. lie is now in what we
will call his natural position ; that' is, with his
back upon A rragon and Navarre, the scenes of his
former exploits ; for exploits they merit to• be
called. Surrounded by hostile armies during the
last war, the deeds of Mina were but known in
ptirt. How often were corps of 15 and 20,000 men
rapidly formed by the French in order to over-
whelm him! They never could bring him to action.
They, covered Navarre and Arragon, too, with
castles, as 4hey did the rest of Spain, on the system
of the Moors. Mina reduced them by regular
siege; he opened trenches; made breaches;
stormed and carried their forts. Mina had his
battering guns, too in the last war. They were
buried in the mountains when in danger; they
were disinterred when wanted. Every thing as
yet is in favour of the Constitutionalists ; and we
repeat what we have so often said, that the base
attempt of the French is attended not only with
great difficulty, bat with the greatest danger to
themselves.

ETklr. TIMES.]
The news in the last arrivals from North Ame-
rica is of a nature to extend the interest now
prevailing on the subject of international rela-
tions, over scenes which had for some time been
thought of with indifference, or altogether for,
gotten. The 'Ukase, by which the Emperor of
Russia thought fit, within these two years, to
appropriate to himself a considerable share of the
north-western coasts of America and Asia, from
the Straits of Behring doWnwards, and moreover
to seize the' whole surface of the Pacific
Ocean interposed between the Continents 'so
laid claim , to, was retarded by the reason-
able part of mankind •as likely to remain
a dead letter, from the difficulty which must
attend the execution of it, and, indeed, Ifrom its
repugnancy to justice and common !sense. Ra-
tional men, hoWever, as in the case of aid' Spanish
invasion, sometimes calculate erroneously, from
the very circumstance of taking reason for their
guide. So it appears to have happened in this
case of Russia, and' her colonial and Maritime
pretensions. She has actually sent frigates to
enforce those pretensions' : yet the coast she
claims she cannot occupy, without diSpossessing
two great commercial powers—Great Britain and
the United. States-7-of a country, over large
parts of which they severally exercise a peaceful
and profitable dominion. The sea,. frotn which
this Autocrate Cabinet seeks to exclude
the rest of mankind, is the common proper-
tv of all nations, and of the British and
United States among them Russia might,
with full as much equity, proclaim herself sole
mistress. of the Baltic, and the Euxine, among
the close seas; and of th'e entire ocean which ex-
tends from Archangel to the meridian of Kamt-
schatka. She might as honestly say "The moon
is mine" and no ships but those of Russian mer-
clients shall navigate by moonlight with impunity.
The attempt is an unsound one, and never can be
admitted : that it never will be so by the mari-
time powers is obvious, until Russia becomes the
first. maritinn; power on the
_globe. But we pre
some that she must have thought about the con
sequences, and it Is not our business to protec
her from them.

c:cr.w TrAtEs.) .
The Ittorithip• Urronicie• lately exulted in the
station of a violent attack having been made in
the French Chamber of Peers by the Duke Mat..
thieu de Montmorency, on the speech of Mr.
Canning in. the British Parliament. Doubtless
The Chronicle wishes to see national discord
kindled by personal irritation ; but the fact is,
that the Noble- Duke, whilst he defended the
policy of the French Government, was stu-
diously attentive to the forms of politeness in
speaking of the English Ministers. lie thus
notices the Duke of Wellington—" the Illustrious
General"—" the Illustrious Plenipotentiary,
whose frankness and firmness of character inspire
me with particular esteem :" and elsewhere he
says of his Grace," I may appeal to that good faith
which I most readily recognise in him."—Mr.
Canning he designates as 44 honourable;" and in
reference both to him and to Lord Liverpool he
says) " I render justice to fine talents, to pure
intentions, and to a patriotism worthy of respect
even in an adversary. That M. de Montmo2
rency should have carried his politeness so far