The Sun.
London, England, 1840-05-27 00:00:00

NEAPOLITAN QUESTION.

We have the following letter from Toulon, 2lst May:—
There is great activity in our port. The arming of
the three-decker the Somverain proceeds rapidly. Other
vessels are arming in all haste. Some ships of the line,
among which is the Marengo, have received to-day orders
to put to sea. Their destination is not positively known,
but it is probable that Admiral Rosamcl, now at Naples
with the Ocean, is going to receive considerable reinforce-
ments.

" The news from Italy is alarming. Letters from Na-
ples and Leghorn, of the 16th, 17th, and 18th of May,
received to-day by different merchants, say that the ques-
tion of the sulphur monopoly has not advanced a step.
All the negotiations have only served to show more clearly
the enmity that exists between England and Naples. Eng-
land, it is said, is very peremptory in its demands, and
his Sicilian Majesty, on his part, is little inclined to make
concess!ons. It is supposed that he is supported by Aus-
tria, which desires nothing better than to find a pretext for
interfering.
" The King of Naples has set out precipitately for Si-
cily, where measures of defence are prosecuting with great
activity. He had arrived at Messina. It was reported in
all the towns of the sea coast that a corps of 15,000 or
20,000 Austrians had already quitted Milan to approach
the dominions of the King of Naples.

(From the- horning Chronicle.)
The object of the Corn-laws is to keep the price of food
permanently higher in this country than abroad. But
then this object can only be attained by the demand of our
prosperous manufacturers out-running the supply of food.
Of all evil.; to agriculture, the greatest would be the reali-
sation of tlr,;t which the agriculturists profess 'to wish,
namely, that this covntry should be independent of foreign-
ers for is supply of food. The price of food would be low
if we ceased to require food from abroaelor that state of
things could only result from a cheek to our manufacturing
prosperity liMiting the increase in the numbers of our ma-
nufacturing population, and their ability to purchase.
Agriculture must always be prosperous in a country which
imports food ; for the very fact of importation proves the
existence of a prosperous and growing population, having
the means of paying a higher price for food than their
neighbours. . . .

(From the Morning Advertiser.)

We will tot attribute evil motives to those who are en-
gaged in waning the generous and just. Policy of her
Majesty's Ministers; but we should fail in our duty as
public journalists if we did not openly express our opinion
that the proceedings of the Tories could not be more per-
nicious, even if they were expressly intended to promote
bloodshed and rebellion. Their chief organ, the Times,
has, however, no reason to claim exemptionfrom the charge
of attempting to sacrifice the peace of the country
to the triumph of a, faction. By propagating the vilest
slanders against every individuil whose claims to national
gratitude have been recognised by the Irish People—by
loading its daily columns with falsehoods of the most
atrocious description, and maliciously selecting as the ob-
jects of incessant and unmitigated vituperation both the
persons and the principles most loved and cherished in
the sister isle—this journal has proved itself a willing in-
strument of destruction, and a fit example for any traitor
who would sell his creed or his country for a "mess of
pottage."

_
(From the Morning Herald.)
Mr. Villiers denied that Sir Robert Peel defends the
Corn.laws. No. Sir Robert, according to Mr. Vil-
liers, only fences with the antagonists of these laws. Sir
Robert only says that the camel's back' is not yet broken
by its load ; anu it may be that the load is the cause of the
buoyancy of the camel's motion. We are exceedingly
glad that Mr. Villiers made t hest observations. The rea-
sonin-'s of Sir Robert Peel on the subject of the Corn.
laws have, undoubtedly, been of a very equivocal and
double-edged kind. On this point of his case Mr. Vil-
liers exhibited more talent than in any other portipn of his
speech. Most richly did Sir 'Robert Peel deserve the
sneers and sarcasms of Mr. Vitlicts. The Right Hon.
Baronet will, in future, we dare venture to say, be more
sparing in his compliments to the Corn-law repeaters, and
to the cotton trade. Or if Sir Robert will he to civil at
the expense of the agricultural interests, let him, at once.
join the rr anufacturing conspiracy against native indwitry.

(From the ifforn;ng Post.)
It is the common tendency of weak, stealthy, and trea-
cherous natures to treat cruelly those victims of their
vengeance who are fully in their power. Cats are
prom bially cruel, and if Whigs had their due their repu-
tatien in this respect would be far worse than that of the
feline race. But Whigs are better impostors than casts,
and they keep shouting fur freedom in public, while in the
gloomy recesses of gaols they indulge their ferocity against
those they late. W have not for a long time read any-
thing which affected us with a stronger sentiment of in-
dignation than the letter of Feargus O'Connor, giving an
account of the circumstances of his imprisonment iu York
Castle. It is a most brutal and unmanly vengeance which
is wreaked upon this man, and we desire it may not be
thought that we, or the party with which we act, can
have any other feeling than that of disgust and abhorrence
at such severity.

FARIS AND HAVRE RAILROAD.

---.<l ~..----- -

The following arc the preamble and the law read by
Count Saubert in the Chamber of Deputies, on Saturday,
the 23d, relative to the Rouen and I'aris Railroad:—
" The railroad from Paris to Havre is that which has
most occupied the Legislature. It is known by what cir-
cumstances the law authorising a railroad by the high-
grounds, and voted in 183 S, failed in its accomilishment.
It is no use going over this question except merely to
draw the conclusion that without some assistance from the
State these great enterprises cannot expect to succeed.
The new Company which now undertakes the road to
Rouen, not to Havre, demands the assistance of the State.
It proposes to run the road through the valley of the
Seine. The road by the heights is no doubt preferable
for the public interest ; it is that which the Government
would follow, were it to execute the road. But it con.
sents that the road should go by the valley ; for through
the valley it also leads to the sea ; and an inclinaticn of
five millimetres not being prohibited, the difficulty in the
way of running a road from the level of the Seine to the
heights leading to Havre becomes less serious. The Go-
vernment wished the line to be continued to Havre, but is
forced to adm t that the enterprise is to colossal for pri.
vate speculation. It will run, therefore, only to Rouen,
but the company undertakes to bear half the expense of
continuing it towards Havre across Rouen.
The preamble her.; recapitulates the conditions to be
found in the articles of the law, and proceeds to some ex-
planations respecting the collier.
" The clauses of the coiner arc the same as those applied
to the Paris and Orleans railroad. There it, however, a
slight difference in the tarif of passengers. This is
fixed at 12._} centimes (2. sous) for the first class car-
riages, in lieu of ten centimes ; the rule being to
fix the maximum of railroad prices at the minimum
of present diligence prices, and the prices on the
Rouen road being higher than on the Orleans road.
The Rouen railroad will embranch from the St. Germain
railroad; but a clause will be inserted compelling the
Company, if public security requires it, to make a special
entrance into Paris. The Company is not permitted to
issue shares till it be constituted a societe anonym. We
would have preferred not bringing forward the project till
it had been so constituted ; but to avoid loss of time, we
have waived this. A portion of the capital ought also to
have been lodged before the presentation of the law; but
for the same reasons we have also waived this, it being
understood that 3,600,000 francs will be paid before the
commission can have prepared its report."