The Sun.
London, England, 1803-02-15 00:00:00

r undergo a legal investigation._ Much commenda-
- don is due to Ministers for their vigilance and ex-
ertions upon this occasion. We have contended,
from the commeticemenf of the French Revolution
to the present time, that there were Traitors in the
Country—That they were numerous we never sup-
posed, but when we consider how much mischief a
few dariug and wicked Men may do, we have
thought extraordinary powers at different times ne-
cessary for our preservation ; and we have earnestly
recommended the exercise of those powers, in op-
position to those who have never failed to repre-
sent such measures of preeaution as aas of useless
severity. We do not state the dangers that exist
now, as of the same alarming nature with those
which have existed within the course of the last
twelve years;--the dreadful atom which threatened
us is past, and wise precautions have prevented its
bursting over our heads. Circumspeetion, however,
is still necessary, and His Majesty's Ministers have
given proof to the Country, that they will not be
found sleeping on -their posts. But when we say,
that the dangers are less now, than, they have Leen,
let us not be supposed to join in the cry of
,repre-
senting the late Treasons as contemptible--There
have been,those who, (for no good purpose), have
represented all Treason as unworthy of notice for
the last twelve years, Let any Man read the late
Trials, and, if he value 'the life of our belove'ci
Sovereign as he ought, he will not look upon the
Treasons which have been lately discovered, as
matters of little moment. The Plan, it has been
said, was foolish, and certain of deteCtion—as is
the folly of a Traitor was to be his proteetion, and
as if no Treason was worth notice,. except that
which was so cautiously planned as to give it a
probability of soccess, Against such reasoning we
enter .our protest, even if it shoeld be still sup.
.ported by the whole weight of the Old Opposition.
We hope, however, that even those who, during
the ferment of the French RevOlution, were in-
duced, by the Spirit of Party, to deny the exist..
once of any treasonable designs in this Country,
will hardly now be foolish enough to. hold the same
language. Have we not seen enough, abendantiy
to lustily all the measures of Precaution which the
late Ministry, in spite of the clamours of the
Opposition, thought it necessary to take, for
the proteaion of the icing and Constitution ?--
Have we tot reason to believe that' to those mea.
sures, and to the vigilance of those men, we owe
tire very existence of our Constitution / And does

any man now think that they had not.the strongest
grounds for proposing the suspension of the Habeas

Corgis 441, and for conning suspeaed persons,
without disclosit* the sources of Evidence against
them ? People may well doubt vihether some of
the persons confined were not liberated too soon,
but no lover of the British Constitution will con-
tend that the Ministers of the day a4ed unwisely,
or arbiopily, in exercising a power to which the
people havo the strongest reason to feel they are
_ _

indebted for the suppression of the blackest Trea.
.sons, and the preservation of His Majesty's Go-
vernment. If in the best, times of our Constitu.

don, in the reign of King Wlt.t.;Am, there were
grounds for the sttspenson of the Ht4ea; Cotno
Ad, thce certainly have been in the reign of Hi;
present Majesty, when the principles of the French
Revolution, and the wild notions of Government
inculcated in that Country had spread themselves
to this, and had paved the way for the overthrow
of every existing Establishment. We do not.en'Yy
the feelings of those who have at any period stood
forward as the Champions of Arthur O'Connor,
or Colonel Despot's). We hope they will derive a
useful lesson from experience—Alas the confession
of the one, and the convidion of the other, will
checls the violence and the intetpperance of I?aity,
and that we shall, in future, see Opposition, (for
we do not wish to discourage it upon fair grounds)
dire4ing its attention to the jealOus examination of

the proceeoiogo of Government; not to the pro._
tenion of persons, harbouting traitorous designs, or
to a resistance to those measures which, in times
of danger, are best calculated to save us.

yesterday nprning His Royal Highness the. Do,: E
of CUMBERLAND breakfasted with THEIR MA.
JESTI ES and his Royal Sisters.

In the evening THEIR MAIESTIES had a concert
and card party. •
To:rnotroW evening THEIR MAJESTIES and the
PRINCESSES will. honour the Concert of Ancient
whike With their presence, for the 'third time this
seaion.; . ,;

The Countess of SUtIiEaLANIP gives a grand
route to.morrow evening, at "lier'house in Ariing-
tbn.streer,

.
Tills morning arrived a. ,Mail from Lisbon,
brought _ .
to Falmouth- by the ffreihiNibtim Packet,
in fifteen days. . . .