The Sun.
London, England, 1846-03-26 00:00:00

THE LIBERTY OF THE PRESS.

MINISTRY OF THE INTERIOR.
" Madam,—The Ministry which your Majesty his ho-
noured with your august confidence could not but turn their
attention, at their first meeting, to the lamentable abuses
of which, the press is guilty, and which cause a universal
scandal. To avoid them in future, and to repress them, the
Ministers have unanimously resolved that it is necessary to
put in force anew the severe provisions of your decrees of the
10th April, 1844, and 6th July, 1845. To this end they
have the honour of submitting to your approbation the an-
nexed decree.
(Signed) "DUKE OF VALENCIA.
" FRANCISCO ORLANDO.
"PEDRO DE EGANA.
" XAVIER DE BURGOS.
"JUAN DE LA PEZUELA.

" Madrid, March 18, 1846."
" ROYAL DECREE.
" Until a project of law, drawn up after mature considera-
tion, shall properly settle the exercise of the liberty of the
press, I have deemed it necessary, under the advice of my
council of Ministers, that without derogating from the pro-
visions in my decrees of the 10th of April, 1844, and the 6th
of July, 1845, the following provisions shall be observed for
the effectual repression of the abuses of which the press is
guilty.
"Article I—Attacks and offensive expressions printed in
a journal against my royal person, or against my. family, or
against foreign sovereigns, or the princes of their families,
or against the constitution and the laws of the country, or
against the free exercise of my constitutional prerogative,
or against the present decree, before it is decided on by the
Cortes, shall be punished by the immediate and final sup-
pression of the journal. "
Article 2—Attacks against public functionaries, as well
in respect to their actions in private life, as such !is shall
consist in wickedly attributing to them bad intention in their
official acts, shall be punished by the temporary suspension
of the journal.
" Article 3—Writings having for their object to excite to
disobedience of the laws or to contempt of tilt QWernment
and its measures, shall be liable to the same penalty.
" Article 4—The responsible editor, Whose journal shall be
suppressed or suspended, shall not bo able to sign any other
publication before the Cortes shall have decided on the fact
incriminated.
" Article s—The final suppression or suspension referred
to in the above articles shall be adopted by the Ministers in
Council, under the joint and several responsibility of each of
them, under the obligation of giving an account to the Cortes
of the use made by them of their power.
" Article 6—The suppression or suspension of the journal
shall take place without in any way derogating from the
penalties which the authors of the incriminated articles
shall incur, by virtue of my two decrees of April 1844, and of
July 1845.
" Article 7—lf the offences specified in articles 1,2, and 3
are committed by hand-bills, fly-sheets, or other writings,
the Council of Ministers shall administratively take under
its responsibility the necessary measures for repressing the
abuse.
" Given at the Palace, the 18th of March, 1846.
" Signed with the hand of the Queen,
" XAVIER DE BURGOS,
" The Minister of the Interior."

The great influx of visitors to the metropolis, occa-
sioned by the numenus railroad schemes now before the Houses of Par-
liament, has caused the various places of amusement to be on the
qui vice, and none more so than the Royal Surrey Zoological Gerdes',
where a most extraordinary metamorphosis i 3 taking place, the pre-
parations being on the grandest scale. Bridges are building, extra
statues being placed, and, if report speaks true, the exhibition itself
for this season will far exceed any of its predecessors.
AMATEUR PORTRAIT PAINTING. —PE EL, BY WELLING-
TON.—Perhaps the truest and most graphic sketch of the Premier
extant, is that which was lately dashed off impromptu by the Duke
of Wellington. " But can your Grace explain to me what Sir Robert
means by these commercial measures ?" a " high personage" is said
to have asked not long ago. "Oh! an amiable enthusiast, your Ma-
i pay." An amiable enthusiast 1 It is Peel to the life.