The Sun.
London, England, 1823-12-12 00:00:00

thought the principles of commerce had been
better understood in the Common Council of the
city of London. We are sure that in Liverpool
or Glasgow, the idea of a commodity—in
general use, in a country abounding with
capital ready to be poured into every channel
in .Avhich even a moderate profit can be
made—being arbitrarily raised by any under-
standing, or by any union of proprietors, dealers,
and shipowners, would not be listened to fora
moment.—The motion for leave to erect a monu-
ment to the memory of Riego was lost. It was
ably introduced and seconded ; bat the Court
seemed to`think with Sir C. Hunter that the
question had been " set aside by' the interven-
tion of Providence." In short, it would ap-
pear that success in en undertaking has its effect
with the Common Council as with the world in
general—Riego riding in triumph through the
streets of Madrid, and Riego on a scaffold, were
very different personages.

[THH TIMES.]
We are glad to find that the high price of
coals has been at length taken up by the city of
London. The Lord Mayor yesterday introduced
the subject to the Common Council, mentioning a
hint which he had received, that effective substi-
tutes ought to be provided for a number of super-
annuated coal-meters. Mr. Ilurcomhe read some
statements and calculations, whence it would ap-
pear that the acting coal-meters do not, from
some cause or other, succeet4 in getting cargoes
delivered as expeditiously as might be wished.—
There is, however, a Committee of the Common
Council, engaged in a close investigation of
this important subject, and from their • la-
bours much benefit will, we have no doubt,
result. As the chief purpose of the Committee
must be to obtain intelligence from all quarters,
for the direction of its judgment in framing a
report, we would suggest to those of our own
correspondents• who nre in the daily habit of fa.
vouring us with communications on the coal
question, which by reason of their length it is
wholly impossible for us to publish, that the
above-mentioned Committee would he the
proper tribunal to which to submit their sen-
timents, and the most certain channel through
which the advantage derivable from such ma-
terials might be conveyed to the public.—
With regard to the coal-trade generally, we
must add, that as the authority of the City of
London cannot be exercised over abuses or mal-
practices carried, on at a distance from the port of
London, Parliament itself ought at once to take
up those brances of the subject which lie beyond
the dominion of the City ; and if the monopoly
conferred by law upon the coal proprietors of
the North, should appear to have been perverted
to purposes neither contemplated by the Legis-
lature, nor consistent with the public interests,
and above all with the comforts of the poor of
London, prompt measures ought to be adopted
for breaking the monopoly, and opening the trade
to general compotition.

[NEW T M vs.]
Alas! for the Common Council of the City of
London ! They have offended The Morning (Aro.
nick beyond forgiveness. Onr cotemporary tried
hard yesterday to dragoon them into a Statue for
Riego. He intimated, that if they did not erect it,
they mast be 44 influenced by a feeling of regard for
their pelf"--that they would " Jneanly shrink from
their duty in order to be agreeable in high places"
—in short, that they would be " slaves in heart !"
Now, really this' was overacting the part of Bom-,
bastes Fallow. There may have been several to.
lerable sensible reasons for not going quite so far
as The Clironiet s :wished in honour o the defunct
Spaniard. It may not have been " the height of
meanness" to calculate the cost of the proposed
statue—theCemmen Council may have prudently
, considered "the state of the city's funds—they
may have.remembered that they had receiVed but
a bad account of the last thousand pounds which
they had expended on ipanish Patriotism—they
may have reflected that of the thousands of brave
British Admirals and Generals who have bled for
their king and country, not one ever had hiS statue
erected in any square in London—they may
have thought it odd to begin these posthumous'
honours with the case of a man who imprisoned
and plundered British merchants at Malaga—
in short, they may have rejected a very foolish
proposal from motives not abiolutely base and
servile ; and therefore The Chronicle would have
done well not to have abused them by anticipa-
tion quite so unmercifully. For our own part,
we congratulate the Common Council on the
good sense and independence they have evinced
on this occasion. They have shewn that there
are absurdities into which they are neither
to be bullied nor led by the nose. The pro-
posal to erect a statue to Riego was of the same
stamp as the proposal to, pull down the statue of
Mr. Pitt, or the proposal to record in marble a
vote of censure on that highly respected Magis-
trate Mr. Alderman-Bridges. Nothing but the
disappointed malignity of faction could give
birth to such preposterous ideas ; and they will
always be scouted with indignation by any
assembly which retains 4 spark of English feel
ing or English sense.

[BRITISH elms.]
The Ministry of unhappy Spain has been
changed. The question for humanity in general
is, what change of councils will follow on the
succession of Irujo to Saez ? There is an old sav•
ing, " that:when things are come to the worst
they must mend ;" and that period, of necessity,
►nay at length have arrived 'in Spain. Casa
Irujo has been beyond the Pyrenees—he cannot
be a mere Spanish bigot. Be was Ambassador in
Franco previous to the Revolution, and negociat•
cml the sale of Florida to the United States ;
he is well known in the diplomatic circles from
his long career in politics. It hardly possible
his mind, from such an intercourse, can be taint-
ed with the atrocious bigotry that marked every
measure of the Andalusian Monk. Saez would
have been fitted for the walls of the fell Inquisi•
sition in its darkest hour : he would have sat in
the subterranean dungeon of interrogation and
torture unmoved ; and whil► the shriek of agony
rung through its humid vaults, from the fainting