The Sun.
London, England, 1824-11-22 00:00:00

. .
the full mourning of the CoUrt has expired
Ills Miljesty continues his gracious career to,
wards all parties. The Duchess Decazes is con,
fined, and the King is among the number o'
those who have made inquiries after her health.

[MORNING CHRONICLE.]
It is whimsical enough to observe those per-
sons who lent their countenance and support to
the Constitutional Association, with its strife-
stirring funds, uow looking grave at the Catholic
Rent, and talking wise saws about the danger of
an imperium in imperio. It was the very finest
thing imaginable that a host of wealthy indi-
viduals should combine and confederate in this

country to single out and crush, by the weight
of their purses, such persons as might incur their
displeasure ; but it is regarded as of the very worst
example that the Catholics of Ireland should raise
a fund for the purpose of protecting the poorer
members of their body from oppression—that the
strong should unite against the weak in England is
all perfectly legitimate, but that the weak should
unite against the strong in the sister kingdom is
shockingly unconstitutional. It is praiseworthy
i for five hundred Lords and Ladies h this country
to club their purses to ruin a poor printer and in-
carcerate shop-boys, but how wicked is it in the
Catholics to raise a fund for their better security
against a domineering faction. A society here
say, let us subscribe and buy a lawyer, and prose-
cute somebody to ruin; the majority of the people
of Ireland say, let us each contribute our mite to
defend the members of our body from oppression.
The organs of Government praise the one, and
cry down with the other. All associations form-
ed with the design of obtaining that for the people
which they should of right enjoy, argue a rotten
state of things, and are as unequivocally indica-
tive of bad government as they are inconsistent
with good government; but he is an unskilful
physician who applies himself to the cure of the
symptoms instead of that of the disease, Idle
and wealthy folks who cannot contain the excess
of their virtue, may open their purse-strings for
the sake of making Printers see their errors at
their leisure in gaol, but many thousands of
people not burthened with riches will never
usurp the dearest function of government, and
tax themselves without a very powerful provoca-
tion. This is a sort of pecuniary felt) de
se, which can only arise from absolute de-
spair of every other remedy. Those men, how-
ever, who exalt themselves as patterns of loyalty
in this country have set the example of forming
societies for the purpose of obtaining a command
of the laws, and they have now no right to com-
plain if they .find their weapons turned against
their brother zealots in the sister kingdom. We
are not aware of any body of men so candid as to
avow bad intentions; and if one association is
tolerated and supported on the score of its pro-
fessions, another of a far less questionable nature
is entitled to favour on the same score.

[THE PUBLIC LEDGER.]
We mentioned on Saturday that the departure
of the French troops from Madrid bad been
countermanded, and tried to account for it by
supposing that the Spanish Court had made the
concessions required of it by the French Govern-
meta. However, as the stay of the French
would only retard, without wholly averting, the
violent catastrophe that impends over Spain, the
policy of this sudden change may be reasonably
doubted, particularly as the irreconcileable
feuds of the country will assume a fiercer
character hi consequence. Still the Constitu-
tionalists who comprehend the respectable part of
the nation would continue to he harassed by the
fanatics; for the value of Ferdinand's pledges on
the side of mercy is pretty well known. His
concessions after all would be only nominal ; and
the bitterness of disappointed hope would be
thus inconsiderately added to the other wounded
feelings of the Nation. A complete amnesty
might be promised ; but where would be the gua-
rantees for its observance, unless the French were
to take the absolute Sovereignty into their own
hands. The character of Ferdinand oilers none ;
and that of the persons who enjoy his exclusive
confidence offers as little. Yet these would have

the execu lion of the Decree ; and how they would
execute it, may be easily imagined. This attempt
to bring Ferdinand and the faction of the Serviles
to a due sense of the intemperance of their pro-
ceedings having failed, the French would be
obliged to revert to the course which they have
just abandoned, or rather postponed. It is clear
that the proposed concessions would not even
serve as palliatives ; whilst, to obtain a real
remedy, the present despotism must be removed,
and constitutional rule substituted. Every other
plan of relief would be worse than nugatory, by
increasing in the long run the mass of national griev-
ances. Yet we have not unqualified confidence in
the virtue of this remedy, as we much fear that
the character of Ferdinand would require much
stronger checks than could be found in any sys-
tem, emanating from foreign influence. The
difficulties which the subject presents are truly
appalling ; and if the knot can be loosened, with-
out applying the sword, our surprise will equal
our pleasure. To restore tranquillity, the com-
plete triumph of one of the factions seems to be
indispensible ; and as soon as the French retire,
the question respecting ascendancy will be spee-
dily settled.

CTIiE TIMES.]
Every one can bring to mind instances of the
injustice often resulting in this country from the
operation of local acts of Parliament, more espe-
cially when the purpose of such acts is to insti-
tute or to regulate a demand of money from the
people ; and still further, when it is attempted to
invigorate the law by a systematic misconstruc-
tion of its powers. The town and neighbourhood
of Southampton, among other places, have afford-
ed us matter for the above remark. The Com-
missioners of that port have applied for an act of
Parliament to enable them, as it would seem, to
do that by law, which, in the teeth of the law,
they have long been accustomed to perpetrate—

namely, to inflict certain rates and duties on the
commerce of the port of Southampton, which
rates, &c. had been declared illegal by a
decision of the Court of King's Bench. This