The Sun.
London, England, 1856-10-15 00:00:00

Spirit of the Public Journals.

(From the Times.)
Another wrinkle on the face of old Europe.
After mutations and combinations as many as in a
kaleidoscope, Spain has taken one more step to
pure absolutism. She has gone ba'ek with a re-
bound, and in a day finds herseri little else than
the inheritance of Isabella wad the dowry of Chris-
tina.e. The junction of the. two Queens was omi-
nous, and O'Donnell must have felt the reins day
by day slipping from hi.s hands. As it was easy to
see, he was only
a pro visional arrangement, a posi-
tion tolerable to those, whose aims are neither dis-
tant nor high, and who are content with one har-
vest if they are not allowed two. Narvaez has now
stepped into the place prepared for him. Spain
has returned to him again and again, one cannot
say how often without being sensible of lost time in
coming round and round to the same man at last.
To say that he is precisely the man for Spain would
be -too much praise, not only to him, but to Spain
herself; for it would argue some unity and con-
sistency in that country. But, no doubt, he is the
man for the present mood and the existing situa-
tion ; and pet:haps nobody else would represent
Spain nearly e 0 long and so fully. Taught by ex-
perience, We are happily not engaged for or against
any Minister that may happen to carry the day at
Madrid. If the Spanish are satisfied, so are we.
We fear it is not quite so with our Imperial neigh-
bour. He has invested his affections—some say
even more—id O'Donnell, and the investment is a
failure. The British public is altogether blunted
and reckless about Spain. Owing to soma unfortu-
nate incidents in our history, we had not much
affection for the people till about 50 years ago,
though we admired their pride and overrated
their power. They now scarcely occupy any
measurable space in our minds. We know
something of the Spain of 400 years ago, but
nothing of Spain present ; we read stories of the
Cid ; we model the Moorish palaces ; we amuse
ourselves with "Don Quixote ;" thanks to Mr.
Ford, we have now taken up the Gipsies of Spain,
and we read with just pride the exploits of our
armies in that peninsula ; but the people them-
selves have worn out our interest. There is so
great an interval of character between them and
us that sympathy only exerts itself to be baffled in
the end. It may be said of them, as of many indivi-
duals, that they seem born to excite hope and then
to disappoint it • but even this must now be said
in the past tense, for we can hope no more of
The " antecedents" of the new Ministry con-
trast oddly with those of a British Cabinet. The
difference may not be wholly and absolutely in our
favour—indeed, it certainly is not—but there is
on the Spanish side an utter want of some elements
that we here deem essential to stability. A British
Cabinet must contain men known as the authors of
-useful and successful laws; tho well tried chiefs of
party, or holders of a definite policy ; men of terri-
torial consequence, the heads of great and still
powerful families. In order to be strong it must
be made of strong materials ; and the strength
must be something more than that of personal
character, or ability, or eloquence. Of the Duke-
of Valencia's eight colleagues four are lawyers and
four soldiers, the former being men who have really
made their fortunes at the bar, and the latter in
the civil wars of their own country. In our pre-
sent Cabinet there is one soldier who has never
seen a gun fired, except at a review, and who early
gave up his profession for civilians work ; a law-
yer who, after a most unpolitical and unobtrusive
career, is now at the head of his profession ; and
one more lawyer, also remarkable for avoiding
politics when he, can. All the rest are simply noble-
men and gentlemen of fortune. Of the legal moiety
of the Spaniskcabinet one is described as an ardent
partisan of .1144.,Claristina and an avowed hater
of Lord Palmerston,,,-.He was Made a Marquis, we
are told, for his support to the " Spanish mar-
riages." Of the four soldiers, the first. was once
a general officer in the Carlist army, and deserted;
he was implicated in the O'Donnell plot in 1841,
mad shortly afterwards was more successfully en-
gaged in getting up the insurrection that over-
threw Espartero. The second is to be a- gallant
soldier, and nothing more ; but, among other in-
cidents, he assisted in preparing a coup d'etat, and
was implicated in an insurrection, the object of
which was to carry off the Queen to France or the
Basque provinces. In this country nine such men
would hardly carry the day at a meeting of county
magistrates, or in the vestry of a metropolitan
parish. In Parliament they might just gain the
ear of the house for any measure on which they
might choose to concentrate their strength, but
they would scarcely venture on a divisions It must
be said, however, that even in Spain these men
are not snpposed to make a strong Cabinet. They
are to serve their purpose, and at the proper mo-
ment Narvaez is to make way for a still purer Ab-
solutist. As for O'Donnell, it is suggested that be
may have foreseen his fate and made terms. For
the quiet surrender of a Government once the
proudest in Europe he may possibly find some com-
pensation in the mysterious riches of Cuba.
We have compared the new Cabinet with our
own, or any that would be possible in this coun-
try. But there is probably not one country in
Europe where such a Cabinet would stand for a
day.' There is not one where the Sovereign is so
absolute, and at the same time so wanton in his
-absohatism, as to govern by means of men with so
'alighta stake and standing. For aught we know
these nine men may be personally as powerful as
any other nine in Spain ; but it must only be in
the same sense that the individuals composing the
Cabinet of the United States might be powerful—
viz., for their- reputation and talents as success-
' ful soldiers or lawyers, or simply as the repre-
sentatives of certain strong opinions. So far a
Spanish Cabinet might find a parallel in an
American. How such a thing is possible:in Spain
is an interesting problem not very difficult of
Solution. With a diffused, poverty-struck, and
degenerate aristocracy, with an impoverished clergy,
with little trade, with a backward agriculture, and
all its natural resources more or less neglected,
Spain has no powerful class, no basis for the public
institutions, no natural stay against the violence of
factions, the tyranny of the Crown, or the ascen-
dancy of, anybody who may usurp the helm of
affairs. In this country the men to govern us
must command the respect of numerous classes of
noblemen, country gentlemen, and wealthy mer-
chants, as well as soldiers and la syers, who are
the mere hands and tongues of society. The Mini-
ster here represents not only an opinion or a
party ; he-directly represents a vast solid embodi-
mont of men, traditions; property, and power, be-
sides the acquiescence and respect of the reit, Who
may not agree with him, hut accept him in the
spirit of generosity and fair play. But the most
powerful statesman that ever governed this coun-
try never omitted to associate with himself the
strongest men that agreement or toleration placed
at his disposal. Whatever the natural genius of a
politician or the merits of his cause, even if he have
the talent of the house on his side, still he must
also have colleagues that represent the great inte-
rests of the country, otherwise he must take his
place in the common rank of senators. Whether
this is right, and whether we are likely to improve
very rapidly when the very motive power of the
State machine is so heavily encumbered, is another
question. The fact is as we describe. It is evi-
dently otherwise in Spain. There it is sufficient,
at least for the turn, that the Minister should be
• a bold, skilful, and unscrupelous soldier, a man for
a coup d'etat, an insurrection, a Royal abduction,
or some such achievement, and that his colleagues
should be either of the same sort or popular law-
yers equally ready for a bold game. That may the present purpose, but it affords no secu-
rity, either in Spain or anywhere else, against
insurgents or conspirators, or any of the enemies
that a weak Government is sure to provoke.

(From the darning Advertiser.)

In what we yesterday said respecting the con-
•'.templated alliance between this country and Aus-
tria more was meant than met the eye. We.didnot say all we knew, nor will we now, because,
though we speak advisedly when we say that the,
idea has been entertained in quarters in which we
lhould have supposed it would have been scouted
t nune—we cannot, and will not, believe that Lord
..Palmerston could bring himself to listen seriously
to' any
such proposition. Diplomatic ingenuity
could not hit upon an idea more calculated to stir
the souls of
Englishmen to their lowest depths.
If it were believed that an alliance between this
country and the Hf ouse of Hapsburg were aprobable
contingency, a
evoked in die eeling of indignation would be
away,
as
chaff national bosom, which would sweep
that could be a consenting before the wind, any Government
Much as the
No
is
g party to such a scheme.
their hatred of people of England hate Russia,
prebend Russia. greater still. We com-
prehend herself is hardly at one mistakes her character.
a bold,
authcions,
haughty
to conceal it. She is
altyorPt3wer'
versal 'dominion, and aiming at trill
shegether unscrupulous as
to, the ":reeans by which
she can achieve
out her views,
perfidious provided only
ell, But Austria
is a despicable, hollow
an _ Power, with the
impress of cunning, selfishness
a a rwh
biy iwpressed on her visage. selfishness, and
treachery
I ei4cil;
what we
. she bears is traditional. It has
since the days of our have described it
,J649ablio? gad 0
reit
rl i isoyl;
d! hwa khsepne rile
ehamairerfsQr7ibulyKainntgl
makes one
of his