The Sun.
London, England, 1824-06-08 00:00:00

LONDON JOURNALS.

DAILY

Extracts fronz the Morning Papers, June 8.

[THE TIMES.]

Ple accounts from Paris describe the agitation
-,hich was created by the failure in the Chamber
if Peers of the Minister's project of reducing the
interest upon the public debt. With us a mea-
sure of fi:tance could hardly be arrested in the
upper House, and still less by a Bishop or an
Archbishop ; vet is the oppmdtion of the Arch-
i)ishop of Paris to the proposed law described
as having greatly tended to its rejection. The
clergy in the remotest part of France will feel
this influence of one of the chiefs of their body.
—The old doctrine, that a Minister once defeat-
ed was a Minister no more, has met with so many
heterodoxical exceptions, that we suspect it will
not in this case he allowed to prevail ; but that
M. de Vlllele will still, in homely phrase, endea-
your to " rub on." Were we to speak of the mea-
sure abstractedly, we should say that it would
have been an useful one; for we do not think the de-
cision of a majority, "übisententhe numerantur non
ponderantur," binding upon the understanding,
though it constrains the obedience of the will. It

must be observed also, that where a Government
can raise funds sufficient to pay off its small cre-
ditorc, and is still obliged to retain them at an
high interest, those creditors are converted into
mere stipendiaries of the State; they are receiv-
ing as alms from the public, whatever portion of
interest they derive beyond that at which Go-
vernment could have raised a loan for their dis-
charge. It is an obvious violation of the first
principles of justice, for a creditor to say to his
debtor, you shall neither pay me off my debt,
nor reduce the interest upon it, but shall go on,
ctrl infinitum, continuing to owe me a sum of
money, and continuing to pay me the interest
upon it which I prescribe. NVe have alluded
above to the art which produced the rejection of
the plan of the Minister, and the expression of
feeling with which that rejection was accom-
panied. Probably no measure ever excited
more general hostility—probably no defeat was
ever followed with more popular satisfaction.—
The Parisians even forgot their usual business and
amusements to celebrate the preservation of their
undiminished rentes, the disgrace of M. de Villele,

and the disappointed speculation of the great
capitalists. Groups were on Thursday afternoon
formed about the Gaffe Tortoni, on the Boule-
vard, the head-quarters of jobbers and specu-
lators, to learn the news; and their eKultations
at the conduct of the Chamber of Peers were ge-
neral and enthusiastic. Amid the cries of joy,
the name of Vißele was of course mentioned
without much reverence. At all the theatres
the pleasurable agitation was visible : the battle
of Marengo did not more completely withdraw
the attention of the Parisians from the business
of the stage. In the quarters of Paris inhabited
ley numbers of the small annuitants, illumina-
tions took place in the evening ; squibs and
crackers ‘rere fired off, and M. de Villele, but
for the presence of the police, would have been
hunt in effigy. The Chamber of Peers and the
Archbishop of Paris were declared immortal in
the popular esteem, and their conduct was ex-
tolled with grateful veneration.

[BR ITISII PRESS.]
We regret to state that the last accounts from
Calcutta bring the melancholy details of a most
alarming scarcity at Madras. The crops, from
long drought, or some other cause, had unfor-
tunately failed along the coast, and Madras and
the surrounding country was in a state of fright-
ful famine. Parents were abandoning their chil-
dren from want, and several had expired of,
absolute starvation. Such a calamity reminds
us but too strongly of the dreadful famine
which desolated Ilindostan in the latter adminis-
tration of Lord Clive, and which was pregnant
with so many horrors. The simple natives of
India live almost wholly on rice; animal food
they will not touch, from religious antipathy ;
and any failure of the rice crops, amid an
immense population such as swarms over the
greater part of India, must be attended with in-
describable misery. Plentiful supplies, however,
were expected at Madras from the northern pro-
vinces and Bengal, no scarcity existing there.—
We therefore trust that the dreadful pressure was
but temporary, and that it has long since passed
away. The blessings of British government and
humanity would be deeply felt by the hapless
natives ender such a visitation ; no exertion or
remedy would be spared to give them immediate
relief.

[MORNING POST.]
French Papers to the 7th instant reached us
last night by Express. They are full of rumours
and speculations respecting the probable effect of
M. de Villele's defeat. According to some, he
had offered his resignation, which had not been
accepted. " According to others," says the
" the retreat of another Minister,
(Viscount Chateaubriand) appeared probable,
although that Minister, in the memorable dis-
cussion which will re-echo throughout Europe,
took the precaution of preserving an apparent
neu Erat y." This confirms what we stated
the schism existing be_
-yesterday respecting
tvveen Messrs. de Villole and Chateauhriand
on the subject of the rejected law and chews
that the latter, whilst he abstained from speak-
ing on tie Project, used his influence
with
his friends to induce them to vote against it.
Which of ,the two leaves tine Ministry (should
things be carried to an extremity) must, we re-
peat, entirely depend on the degree of personal
favour which he enjoys with the King ; and if
it be true that Villele offered to resign, and that
his offer was not accepted, it would appear that
the Royal feeling was hostile to his rival and
conqueror, whose ministerial existence would
consequentlysbe brief. One thing is certain, that
N. dVire-appeared in the Chamber of
Deputies since his defeat, and has spoken in the
capacity of President of the Ministers in support
of the septennial law. This does not indicate a
disposition to retire from orrice, and the marked
which his transact:Lug
manner in business with