The Sun.
London, England, 1858-01-05 00:00:00

THE CONDITION OF MEXICO.

From Mexico the following mercantile letter fur-
nishes the latest particulars of the financial and
general condition of that Republic "Nothing of great importance has taken place
here since my last. The country remains in the
deplorable condition previously described. The
oldest residents in Mexico declare that they
never knew such a complete sta2nation, nor
such an absolute want of safety on the high
roads, which are now literally in the possession
of the numerous bands of robbers which
infest them in every direction. The Pronunci-
ados have adopted, a new way of raising money,
calculated to interfere very materially with the
course of agriculture, and which consists in carry-
ing off the managers of t he'large farms (or haciendas)
peculiar to the country, and keeping them in
durance till a handsome ransom is paid for them.
The Government forces had lately an encounter
with the rebels near Puebla, and remained masters
of the field, the latter having suffered, moreover,
a very severe loss in killed and wounded.
" The Congress continues its sessions, exclusively
taken up with the most frivolous questions.
" Great complaints are to be heard among the
mercantile classes, in consequence of the awful di.
menstons the smuggling system has lately reached,
thus destroying the equilibrium of trade, and caus-
ing serious losses to the fair-dealing merchant. Far
from seeking to check this evil, the Government
connive at it, and allow their officials to indulge in
the most disgraceful fraud and dishonesty with per-
fect impunity.
" The second instalment due to Mr. Barron by
way of damages fell a few days since, and was
paid over to him as punctually as the first, thus
showing practically that a
where there is will
there is a way.' Other British claims are treated
with the usual neglect ; for long experience has
proved that no Mexican Government will ever
pay its debts unless it is actually forced to do
so. While they all plead their inability to meet
their pecuniary engagements, the old system of
extravagance and peculation is kept up in great
style. As a trifling instance I may allude to large
sums of money just laid out to provide fer the
printing of voluminous reports (cr memoirs) in
each of the Ministerial Departments, made up of
trashaud imposture, and the real object of which is
a jobbing transaction with the printers thus
patronized.
" Conionfort was installed on the Ist inst. as
constitutional President of the Republic, with all
the usual pomp and caremony."

--
In the sitting of December 30, during a protracted
debate on the " verification of p avers :"
Count CAMBUZANO maintained that the clergy
had exercised no pressure upon the elections. Every
party naturally did its utmost to exclude its adver-
saries. Thus it had been said, if you vote for the
clergy you will have civil wars, if for the Left, you
are in danger of the republic ' • if for ministers, be-
ware of schism. Complaints had been made of an
intorut i
To
eoyf pwreirees t
es
lien:too
rtsh. e electoral
acsollsaeradesfurltVhlelyr
the priests had written bulletins for electors who
could not write.
yb e
had would
threatened ask, m w t harm
was there in that
A?gaTinh'e
excom-
munication—but had not the monarchy threatened
electors with dismissal ? The deputies of the Right,
he would assert, were there by virtue of the national
will. Their lives, after all, were devoted to God,
their King, and the law, and the blame of their
adversaries was praise. (Cheers.) Those who de-
sired to see the country flourish by its institutions
were certainly not partisans of the repeal of the
Constitution. In defending the cause of religion
he and his friends felt that with that cause was
bound up the practice of equity, respect for the laws
—that that cause was the pasladium of Piedmont.
" The nation," he said in couc!usion, " is at our
back, and supports us." (Cheers.)
On Count Cambuzano, who had spoken with con-
siderable warmth, resuming his seat, M. Costa de
Beauregard pressed his hand.
Count MAMIANI said he was convinced that no-
body desired to violate the Constitution. But to
come to facts :—A priest bad threatened an elector
with excommunic .tion.
A VOICE—Name
Count Masereser—lf a protest were to be held
not woe thy of attention whenever proper names
could not be given, nine out of ten must he passed
over with eit n Mice. (Oh, oh.) it was necessary
to do justice when the country believed that one.
half of the clergy had been guilty of a breach of
duty. (Oh, oh.)
MM. Besseo and CAMBUZANO gave notice that they
would ask leave to speak.
Count MAMIANI asked for justice, because he
hoped that an inquiry would prove that the church
had not transformed itself into a p Athos]. cam.
He trusted that the clergy would remember toe
beautiful language of a holy bishop of Montpelier
to his parishioners, " For the love of God renounce
all party spitit ; your place is at the foot of the
cross." (Cheers.)
Count CAVOUR rose and said—This question has
taken such a serious turn, that it is indispensably
necessary for me, as the organ of the ministry, to
state our opinions upon it. It is a fact beyond
dispute, that the clergy took a most active part in
the late elections. I will not, before inquiry, go
into the question of the means they employed. It
was not an isolated, individual interference, but it
was one hierarchically organised, perfect'y disci-
plined, and one that demonstrated a thorough know•
ledge of electioneering tawics. This fact is doubly
important when we consider what is now going on
in other states of Europe, where also the clergy is
making great efforts to obtain political influence.
In Switzerland au attempt is making to raise the
ghost of the Sonderbund. In France the clergy is
trying to abridge Galilean liberties, and to brineb
that country back to the sixteenth century. In
Belgium the clergy is working to re-establish wort-
main tenure for the benefit of the church, and
does its utmost in the electoral committees to
impede the regular development of civilisation. 1
world nut hold the clergy as a body responsible
for the vieleuce of the catholic press, but I cannot
' avoid noticing the fact that no sooner
were the
electoral colleges convoked than the bishops pub-
lished pastoral letters. In some of these
letters a
Christian spirit of impartiality prevails, but others
are redolent of party spirit. One prelate oven de
scended so low as to write like aparty journalist.
p
His virulent pen made the
ost r_ee'kle
attacks
upon his adversaries, and he branded the govern-
ment and the parliamentary majority as enemies of
the church and children of Sago. (Laughter.)
The parsonage houses were converted into election-
eering rendezvous. The priests left their flocks
to canvas, and of er having marshalled their own
tpietroupele
:r nto
.agents
thep t
01l remained on the spot as elec-
o influence others. All this
would not constitute moral pressure ; but it it
as•erted that they went so far as to abuse the con-
fessional to this same end. „ride not affirm that
they really did this, but they are accused of having
done it, and it concerns the dignity o: Parliament,
and the members whose elections are t tinted with
this suspicion, that the fact should be cleated up.
I hope, with all my heart, that the clergy may come
clean out of the inquiry. The interventie it of the
clergy in politics has good as well as evil cense-
quences. In all free countries the clergy always
plays a part in political struggles—it does so in
England, in America, and in Switzerland. lam
far from wishing to exclude them from all political
influence. Living, as they do here, in a medium ee
liberty, its members imbibe a nine for liberty.
That fact is a compensation for many iaconvenieuces.
Many who cuter parliamen t with clerical passious be-
come constitutional conservatives. There have been
circumstances in which I have warmly applauded
the efforts of the clergy—particularly in regard to
the revolution iu Belgium—to the emancipation of
the Irish Roman Catholics—and to the abolition of
the penalty which once existed in Switzerland
against anybody converted to Catholicism. But
when the clergy attempts to reconquer its old pri-
vilege., and when it becomes an obstacle to the
progress of civilisation I deplore its interference
and I oppose it with all the energy that I can com-
mand. (Cheers.) So long as it uses legal means I
acknowledge its right and do not fear its retro-
grade influence, because I have faith in progress.
I would say to the liberals, if you would triumph
over your adversaries you have only one thing to
do, oppose organisation to organisation, discipline
to discipline, and there can be no doubt of the result
of the struggle. (Cheers.) But if the clergy makes
use of spiritual weapons the struggle is no longer
equal, and a physical conflict is to be apprehended.
When the defenders of liberty are represented from
the pulpit as enemies of the Church, and when they
are threatened with Divine wrath, then the clergy
gives the Government and tho majority a right to
combat its manoeuvres. The employment of The following is not a bad illustration of "How
spiritual arms may lead to civil war. Since the to do it," as practised by the Upper Ten :
opinion of the immense majority of this nation is The Marquis of Normanby—Our Minister at
that the clergy has resorted to illegal means, an Florence, and high in Austrian favour.
inquiry is indispensable. Should that inquiry The E irl of Mulgrave (son of the above peer)_.
prove that the clergy is not liable to reproach the Just appointed Governor of Nova Scotia. (?)
result will be immense ; but if; on the contrary, it Tee Hon. Charles Phipps, C. B. Colonel in the
should appear that it has abused its influence, then army (brother of the marquis)—Keeper of her ma_
the Ministry will be bound to consider whether or jesty's Privy Purse, and Treasurer of the Household
not existing legislation is sufficiently strong for the to the Prince Consort, His son, Charles—Page of
repression of such abuses, and, if it should ie found Honour to the Queen (which will soon procure the that it is not, it will then be the duty of Ministers to boy a commission in the Guards, worth 1,2001.) ask Parliament for additional powersto enable them His sou-in-law. Captain Sayer, Deputy-Assistant
to prevent the repetition of such conduct as is now Quarto; master-General at the Horse Guards.
complained of: (Chests.) But the facts niut-t be The Hon. Edmund Phipps (second brother of the
ascertained beyond doubt, in the fees of the nation tnarquis)—Commissioner of Encumbered Est . tea in
and of the Conservative party, and in the interest the West Indies (usually resident in Italy).
of liberty as well as in that of the clergy. (Cheers.) The Hon. Augu-tus Phipps (third brother of the
M. SOLARO DELLA MARGARITA read a speec,. marquis)—Rector Eu-t, e-cum Bar nhaneSaffolk,
He said that the clergy had deserved well of their and Chaplain in Ordinary to the Queen. •
country in sending Conservatives to Parliament, Hre we have an mire family excerently pro-
and that it had used only honest exhortations and tided for at the public expense. It is indeed time
advice to obtain this result. If any pressure had for a new Reform Bill.

PRECAUTIONS TAKEN IN PRANCE AGAINST
THE INTRODUCTION OP Y ALLOW FEVER
PROM LISBON.

Information has been received from Brest that,
as a precaution against the importation of yellow
fever, all ships arriving there from Lisbon are put
into quarantine, and the particular circumstances of
each ship reported to the Minister, in order that he
may determine the number of days she shall be
detained before being admitted to libre pratique.
The first ship coming under this regulation was
La Meuse, great screw transport, which sailed from
St. Limis, Senegal, with 186 invalids, most of whom
were ill of dysentery, anceulia, marsh fever, and
pulmonary complaints. On the 6th of November
La Meuse put into the Tagus and anchored under
Belem Castle, where sae remained until the 9th,
and then sailed for Brest without having commu-
nicated with the shore. During her passage from
Senegal to the Tagus four men had died on board ;
between Belem and Brest she lost four more, and
on the 15th inst. one man died in Brest roads ; but
no case of yellow fever had occurred on board this
ship. The Minister, under these circumstances,
directed that she should be released from quaran-
tine on the 19tb, when ten days would have ex-
pired from the day of her departure from the
Tagus. This decision is conformable to the inter-
national sanitary convention (now carried out in
Fiance), which stipulates that when no case of yel-
low fever occurs during the last ten days of passage
on board of a ship coming from a country where
yellow fever prevails no quarantine is inflicted.
The late presence of yellow fever at Lisbon has
caused great precautions to be taken in all the
ports of France, not only against the present
danger, but for future contingencies, it being now-
considered as certain that yellow fever may be im-
ported and become epidemic in latitudes which
hitherto were supposed to be exempt from this risk.,
The great and increasing extension of this dreadful
malady is taking along the coasts of America, and
in places where it was totally unknown 15 or 20
years ago (the Brazils and the River Plate), are
thought fully to jus:ify the precautions.
All the lazarettoes in France, which have been
lying in a state of comparative neglect for several
years, are now preparing for the reception ofin-
valids. Dr. Melier, the inspector-general of sani-
tary services in France, is going round the ports
where quarantine may be performed. A few weeks
ago he arrived at Blest, and visited the lazaretto
in company with the local authorities. This build-
ing is on the island of Treberon, in Brest Bay,
seven wiles from the town. A year ago it was in
a s ate of ruin, but has now been entirely rebuilt.
Teere are four wards, fitted up with 120 iron bed-
steads, and capable of holding more than double
that number ; also more than a proportionable
number of officers' and passengers' rooms and
lodgings, and offices for the medical and com-
missariat departments ; all the bedding and other
furniture b-Ang kept ready in dry stores at Brest,
whence they can be sent to Treberon at an hours'
notice.

THEARICALS IN HONOUR OF TITS
PRIACESS ROYAL'S MARRIAGE.

TO TiIE EDITOR OF THE SUN.
SIR, —Tn most of the journals of to-day appear
the particulars of the theatrical performances to
take place at Her Majesty's Theatre on the occasion
of the marriage of the Princess Royal. It is there
stat,Al that Mr. Mitchell has received the co-opera-
tion of Mr. Webster, Mr. Buckstone, Mr. Phelps,
Mr. Robson, &c., in forwarding, his views. I think
it due to myself to state, that I believe I was the
first London manager who, by letter and in person,
offered that gentleman every co-operation and
assistance in my power, placing unreservedly at his
disposal my dramatic company and the resources of
my tstablishmi nt.
As au obvious act of discourtesy is done to my-
self by the announcement in question, and as it
might lead my numerous fritnds—the public—to
believe that I had not been equally willing with
my brother managers to assLt in the general object
and f stivities on the occasion in question—that I
lose not a moment in making this statement, which
I shall feel obliged if you will find room for in your
journal.—l am, &c.,
Jan. 4.

E.' T. SMITS.

A LEAF FROM THE "PEERAGE."