The Sun.
London, England, 1858-09-04 00:00:00

SPAIN.

The Madrid journals of the 30th ult. contain
details of the confirmation of the Prince of the
Asturias at Covadonga, a fact already mentioned
by telegraph. The Bishop of the diocese and the
Duchess de Alba, acted as godfather and godmother.

The Duchess de Montpensier had been indisposed,
but was better. A letter says :

" It appears that M. Pidal, brother-in-law of M.
Mon and ambassador to the court of Rome, has
declined the post of councillor of State, which was
offered him a short time ago, Of course, the oppo-
sition journals have not failed to hail this refusal
as a good omen for the enemies of the " situation."
It appears, however, that politics have nothing to
do with the subject. M. Pidal, though he likes to
wield power as a minister, is little disposed to exer-
cise the fatiguing functions of the Council of State,
which has to deal with litigious affairs, railroads,
&c. The new ambassador to the court of Rome,
M. Rios Rosas, will not set out for the eternal city
until all the measures relative to church property
have been thoroughly discussed and examined, in
order to be able to transact business with the Car-
dinal Secretary of Foreign Affairs upon a good
basis."

A letter from Damascus of the 12th ult., in a
Trieste journal, says that the flag of the Russian
Consulate had been insulted by fanatics, because
the Consul had formed an intimate connexion with
a Kurd woman, also that the Consul had retired to
Beyrout in consequence of the said fanatics having
vowed to be avenged on him for insulting their
race.

St. Petersburg journals announce that General
M ouravieff, governor of Eastern Siberia, has re-
ceived the title of Count of Amur," as a recompense
for his services in concluding the treaty with
China, which extends the Russian frontier to the
river of that name, and grants Russia the free navi-
gation of that river.

The Emperor Alexander left Moscow on the 22d
ult. to visit Nijni Novgorod, where the celebrated
fair is being held, and he was to return on the 26th,
the anniversary of his coronation. The Emperor
was to be joined by the Empress, and on the 2d
inst. their Majesties were to set out for Poland.

The Emperor of Austria has ordered the estab-
lishment of scholarships at the expense of the Go-
vernment in the Theresian Academy for Croatia,
Sclavonia, the Servian Woiwodia, the Banat of
Temeswar, and the principality of Transylvania ;
also free scholarships in the Hullerian Institution
for the daughters of civil and military functionaries
of the same countries.

A letter from Altona, of the 31st ulf., states that
it was rumoured in that town that the troops of
Holstein in the camp of Rendsburg had made anti-
Danish demonstrations by singing the song
Schleswick Holstein, and that in consequence some
arrests had been effected.

General de Mansback, Swedish Minister at the
Court of Prussia, has returned from his leave of
adsence, and resumed the duties of his post.

AUSTRALIA,

(From the-Melbourne Herald of July 15.)

Political affairs are, almost of necessity, destitute
of general interest during a parliamentary recess.
The past month has been one of that character.
There being no legislative business, no ministerial
projects, and no political grievances, to occupy
public attention, everything beyond purely domestic
events is quite stagnant. Ministers are quietly
attending to their administrative duties. The
voice of the agitator is no more heard in the land.
The Eastern Market is occupied solely by petty
traffickers and market gardeners. The Convention,
whilom so outspoken, it dissolved and dumb. The
secret society of " United Australians" cannot ob-
tain a sufficiency of twopenny subscribers to keep
its machinery in action. " Keeley's" is deserted,
except by its ordinary guests and. bar-customers.
Even the eternal land question has dropped into
temporary oblivion. The journals are, as is their
wont during a recess, occupying themselves with
domestic incidents, points in legal reform, and im-
possible political theories. Every way, therefore,
we are in the middle of " the dull time."

The members of the Government seem to be suc-
cessfully occupied in carrying out schemes of re-
form, more or less general, to the various depart-
ments of 'the civil service. Thus, in the depart-
ment of Land and Works, Mr. Duffy has promul-
gated an excellent code of regulations, by means of
which not alone will the business of that branch be
materially facilitated, but a higher standard of
qualifications in the employees will be secured.
Under this new system no candidate will be eligible
for employment unless he has first undergone the
test of a competitive examination. This is so ex-
cellent a plan, that we have no doubt it will be
speedily introduced into all the other branches of
the service. We are glad to be able to record that
Mr Duffy has entirely recovered from his late dan-
gerous illness, but he is not yet sufficiently strong
to give personal attention to his duties. Meantime,
his place is well supplied by Mr. G. S. W. Horne,
M.L.A., the gentleman on whom has been con-
ferred the Vice-Presidency of the Board of Land
and Works, and who, it will be remembered, was a
member of the first O'Shanassy Administration.
Into the Post-office department, also, .Dr. Evans,
the Postmaster-General, is successfully introducing
several needful reforms, such as the more frequent
delivery of letters, better postal inter-communica-
tion throughout the interior, and greater general
efficiency in the entire service. But the most
valuable reform of all is the introduction here of the
Post-office money-order system, on the same plan
as in' England. This has already come into ope-
ration, and, of course, gives universal satisfaction.
In spite of their careful attention to business,
and the total and necessary absence of all
political subjects for agitation or controversy,
,
—or rather, perhaps, we should say, in
consequence of that absence—the Ministry have
been most fiercely assailed in certain quarters, and
the strongest efforts have been made to get up a
popular " cry" against them, on the alleged grounds
that they arc evidently bent on giving away the
greater number of appointments in their gift to
persons who-are at once Irish and Roman Catholic.
The basis for this assumption is Sought to be found
in the fact that Mr. O'Shanassy, the Chief Secre-
tary, and Mr. Duffy, arc of that country and reli-
gious persuasion. It would, indeed, have augured
ill for the future of this country if, on the one hand,
a Cabinet consisting of five Protestant members,
and only two Roman . Catholics could have
really entertained such a design ; or if, on
the other, a feeling of combined national
and religious bigotry could' have been evoked
in this community, on the mere assumption
that the Ministry had entertained that' design.
We are happy to say that, in the first place, we
believe the allegation to be frivolous and unfounded;
and that, in the second place, the baleful attempts
made to light the fires of fanaticism have been .
signally unsuccessful. Some posts have, un-
doubtedly, been given to persons of the creed and
country' named ; but it has not yet been shown
that the number of those appointments bears an
undue proportion, to the whole number of the
vacancies which have fallen in. As it would be
evidently unjust, in the highest degree, to exclude
men from office on account of their creed or coun-
try, so it is obviously unfair to tax the Ministry
with favouritism when they do not exceed due and
equable proportions in bestowing their offices.
Without being either the advocates or apologists
of the present Ministry, we may just say that the
charge brought against them is antecedently im-
probable to the last degree ; and that it has not
been sustained by facts.
In any case, however, this community has had the
manliness and good sense to repudiate the
anti-national and anti-religious feeling which
has been sought to be excited in this mat-
ter. No right-hearted man in the colony
thinks the worse of the Chief Secretary for
being an Irishman and a Catholic. What concerns
the country most is the fact, that he has been for many
years one of its leading public men, and an able
and consistent politician. Had he not been so he
would never have reached his present position. To
represent, moreover, that his elevation is due,
mainly or exclusively, to the support of his co-
religionists is notoriously untrue. He has been the
leader of the Liberal, not of the Roman Catholic
party, and hence his rise. Is it conceivable that
he would always have found Protestant colleagues
in the Cabinet, and Protestant supporters in the
Assembly, had the case been otherwise ?
We only mention these circumstances to correct
any false inferences that readers at a distance might
probably draw from distorted statements of our in-
ternal political condition. It would, indeed, be a
monstrous misconception to suppose this country
to be under the influence of any one party of re-
ligionists. Never was there a freer country, both
politically and religiously, on the face of the earth.
In reply
to the attacks on the Ministry the So-
licitor-General lately delived an elaborate address
at Ballarat, and alsoin explanation of the general
policy of the Government. That address seems
to have given satisfaction to the public, and to
have closed the mouths of the adverse party, as
far as the Cabinet's policy and conduct are con-
cerned. But a quarrel has been sought to be
fastened on the Solicitor-General, apropos of some
cage of alleged, " unveracity" in which his foo taY

he has been detected. The whole matter is so un-
speakably trivial, and wears altogether so fiercely
personal an aspect, that the more respectable por-
tion of the press has carefully excluded it from
their columns. If it have so little interest even for
us, we suppose it would not be very interesting to
our English readers. But such are the subjects
some people love to occupy themselves with during
the dull time of a Parliamentary recess.