The Sun.
London, England, 1824-06-22 00:00:00

[MORNING HERALD.]

Lord Holland's Bill for relieving the Earl
Marshal (the Duke of Norfolk) from the neces-
sity of taking the oath of supremacy, was last
night passed by the Lords and sent down to the
Commons. The Noble author of the Bill consi-
ders this a triumph. On Saturday it was op-
posed with some earnestness, his Royal highness
the Duke of York calling for a division. His
Royal Ilighness, the Lord Chancellor, and Lord
Gifford, divided against it in a minority of 11 to
'24. Last night there was no division and no
speech. In the Commons, Lord George Caven-
dish moved, and the House unanimously adopted
the Bill. Mr. Peel, not content with silent ac-
quiescence, said lie was desirous of seeing the
Catholics of England placed on the same level
with those of Ireland. The Bill was read a se-
cond time, and ordered to be committed this
day.

[THE TIMES.]
The news from Portugal, given in a part of our
impression of yesterday, and this day accompa-
nied by official documents from the Extraordi-
nary Gazette of Lisbon of the sth inst., must be
looked upon as of no slight importance. We do
not feel inclined to draw comparisons between
the old Portuguese Constitution, now proposed
to be re-established, and the more democratic
one recently overturned. It is indeed possible,
and perhaps not unlikely, that a system of Go-
vernment which fell to pieces shove 100 years
ago, may not present materials fitted, under any
circumstances, for vigorous action or for long
duration. But that is not the question now be-
fore us. A wicked attempt had just been made
to fix a despotism upon the necks of the Portu-
guese. Has it succeeded ? Has the tendency
of the Court of Lisbon been towards an aggra-
vation or a relaxation of the Kingly power ? Do
the late events furnish room for an increase of the
hopes, or of the fears, by which all friends of ra-
tional freedom have of late been agitated when
Portugal became the subject of their speculations ?
The answer is decidedly favourable. The conspi-
rators were overcome—the King triumphed—and
the first use of his triumph is, not to adopt, as
others have done, the maxims which were em-
ployed against himself, but to give up unequivo-
cally all pretension to the exercise of that
tyranny to which the occasion seemed even to
invite him—to revive those institutions which,
whatever an Englishman may think of them, the'
great body of the Portuguese look back to with
veneration—and to oppose, if not a perfect, at
least a sensible and improvable barrier, against
the abuses of his own Royal power. Instead,
therefore, of every thing being lost to liberty,
much has been gained by this determina-
tion of John the Sixth, in favour of the
ancient Cortes—the Representatives of the
Clergy, Lords, and Commons of the realm.—
Nor is it quite fair to assume that such an as-
sembly must now be as feeble in its contests with
the Crown as during the 17th century. The
spread of inquiry among the people—the quick
and eager sympathy between the nation and its
representatives, now that the press has every
where, and in spite of all precautions, an effect
in rousing and informing the public mind—must
be regarded as a weight unknown to preceding
ages, and helping the preponderancy of the
worst constituted legislature over the most am-
bitious and domineering Court. That the
British influence with the Cabinet of Lis-
bon should be at once proved and nou-
rished by every accession to the cause of mode-
rate and reasonable government, is surely no
disgrace to this free country. England can gain
nothing by any application of her influence at
Lisbon which shall not tend to the welfare and
prosperity of Portugal herself. The enemies of
both countries, and of the common cause, may
console themselves, if they think fit, by reading in
the French newspapers how civil a reception has
been given at the Court of Louis XVIII. to
Miguel, the ultra-Royalist conspirator, and un-
natural usurper of the rights of his indulgent so-
vereign and father.

DEATH OF MADAME RIEGO.

FOR THE SUN.

NAVIGATION TO INDIA.

MR. EDITOR—I sincerely wish every success
to the plan of the Steam Navigation to India,
via Malta, CairO, Suez, &c., as detailed in a
Paper of the 15th. There appear to be many dis-
advantages and obstacles attending the proposed
mode of journeying to India. The principal
objections are the difficulties of the passage of
the Nile, as no vessel above 100 tons can pasp the
Bogaz of that river; the lake Munzalet will only
admit of very small vessels, and the outlets of
the Nile are very shallow, as even small craft are
frequently lost by striking in passing over the
surf at the Delta of the Nile. It is evident that
the goods must be transhipped, and after that ex-
pensive and tedious labour is accomplished, they
will be at the mercy of the present Pacha of
Egypt, Mahommed Ali, to whose future custody
and safety they must be consigned. After the
Passage of the Nile is effected, much trouble
and management will be required in negociating
with the Chiefs of the Arab tribes. That goods
and merchandize may advantageously find their
way from Calcutta to Suez, I freely admit, but
it is the intermediate distance from Suez to Alex-
andria, where insuperable impediments will con-
stantly occur; nor can it for a moment be sup-
posed, that, without the Pacha has a direct
interest and participation in the profits, he
will permit the transit of goods or passen-
gers through his territories. Allowing a pro-
mise of co-operation were, exacted from him, his
faith at all times would be doubtful; nothing but
self-interest or fear, can bind a Turk to his en-
gagements. The merchants of India have pa-
tronized the plan, and well they may, as nothing
can he easier than for them to send and bring
away merchandize from Suez, but it is on our
side of the water to which our attention must
be directed, and here another great inconve-
nience and delay presents itself in the unavoid-
able quarantine performed by all vessels and
persons coming from Egypt. Did Egypt be-
long to a European Nation, no speculation
of the present day could possibly promise
more great and solid advantages than the
steam navigation to India, but the case is widely
different when we have to deal with an avaricious,
faithless, and powerful Paclur, who, however en-
lightened he may be, is still a Turk. Few Pas-
sengers to India will have the courage to risque
the dangers and difficulties attendant on the jour-
ney ; two persons of late years in pursuing
that route have been cut off, to say nothing
of the fever, plague, and opthalmia. In au un-
dertaking of this magnitude, and one so fraught
with novelty and objections, we cannot be too
cautious in our inquiries, and in ascertaining a
full and accurate knowledge of the country and
people. To attain this necessary information, a
reference should he made to the Earl of Mount
Norris (formerly Lord Valencia) whose ex-
tensive travels in these countries are well
known to the public—his local experience
and practical information would be the surest
data to go on, and those who have read his
admirable work will' join me in thinking that
such an authority is of first rate importance.
Colonel Fitzclarence should likewise be consult-
ed, as much useful information might be gained
from him. His journey in 1818, with public
dispatches from India to England by the route of
Suez and the Nile, is well known to the public.
All the objections here urged, and I am sorry to
say, many more exist, in the Canal which I pro-
posed to be excavated across the Isthmus of
Suez. (Vide Sus Newspaper of the Ist
June), but in that proposal I did not mean
to make the Pacha a party. After goods are
arrived at Cairo, they were to become his pro-
perty and business, and though I did not then
state my views fully, whether to restore the
Canal of the Ptolemies, or excavate only a part
of the Peninsula, I still intended to keep clear
of any engagement with the Pacha, as the mer-
chandize in its transit was to be bona fide, his
property ; purchased by him, and sold again to
others, who would frequent the country and use
the Canal for the purposes of trade. If the Canal
was completed and the Paella became refractory
or troublesome, the Red Sea being higher than
Egypt or the Mediterranean, it would be no dif-
ficult matter to drown him and his country to-
gether. However that may be, until Mahommed
Ali is acknowledged as an independent Prince,
and has a Minister at our Court, little will or can
be done, either with steam navigation, or in the
Canal of Suez.

I am, Sir, your obedient Servant,
JOHN B. SEELY, Captain Native Infantry.
NYyke, Dorset, June 18, 1824.

The writer of the foregoing letter, is the
author of the interesting and valuable work en-
titled The Wonders of Elora, which has been
mentioned in THE SUN, wider our head of LI-
TERARY NOTICE.

YOUTHFUL SOICIDE.-Yesterday morning an
unaccountable act of self-destruction was com-
mitted in Free-school-street, Horsleythawn, by
a lad of sixteen years of age, named Thomas
Siilenian, son of Mr. Stileman, baker. He had
risen before either of his parents, and per-
formed the usual avocations of the morning ;
afterwards breakfasting with them, without
betraying any
appearance foreign to his usual
manner. He shortly afterwards, at the request
of his mother,
Went up stairs for some shoes to
clean, and not returnin4, his father remarked the
circumstance, but which his mother endeavoured
to account for by the supposition, that being fa-
tigued he had fallen asleep ; this unhappily
proved not to be the case, for on going up to call
him he was dicovered suspended from the tester-
iron of his bed, with a considerable quantity of
blood issuing from his mouth and nostrils, occa-
sioned by the rupture of a blood-vessel by the
force used in throwing himself from the bed. Mr.
Whiskin, surgeon, Back-street, was sent for, but
the rash youth was beyond the reach of human
aid. No cause for the dreadful act can be as- I
signed-