The Sun.
London, England, 1867-08-26 00:00:00

sas, the grain crops were favourable. In all these

would-be marshals and dukes. His opponent
has to seek his partisans among sergeants and
corporals, and to dazzle them with the promise of a
sub-lieutenant's epaulettes. Marshals and dukes
have possession on their side ; corporals, and
sergeants have numbers. Sometimes it is the Ins,
sometimes the Outs that have it; it is a game of
endless vicissitude,- but, whoever may be the
winner, it is on the nation that the costs invariably
fall. There are bold innovators, indeed, who are
supposed to harbour in their hearts anti-dynastic
tendencies ; and every one feels that little good can
come of a Duke of Tetuan, of a Duke of Valencia,
or even of a Marquis de los Castillejos, so long as
the Court is a prey to the intrigues of nuns and
confessors, under whose influence the sturdiest
Minister must bend or break. Choose any three
honest and intelligent Spaniards, no matter of
what party, and they will be unanimous in their
assertion that there can be no chance for their
country so long as the present Sovereign or any of
her family is allowed to occupy the throne. " Long
live the Queen !" however, is the motto hitherto
invariably borne aloft on every insurgent banner;
whether sincerely or hypocritically, every party
leader takes his start upon a great flourish of
loyalty. Nor can we wonder at this, for among the
lower classes, whatever opinion they may entertain,
and also openly express, as to the public and private
virtues of the Queen, the mere fact that she is
as they believe, " very Spanish and very Catholic"
overrules all other considerations. Anxious as all
feeling men must be to see the end of the misrule
which has. so long • weighed upon Spain, it is very
difficult to point out the means by which the nation
may be made aware of the evil, and almost impos-
sible to name the men at all able or willing to work
out the remedy.
TIIE " WESTMINSTER GAZETTE" ON NEWDEGATE
REDIVIVUS. On Friday evening Mr. Newdegate
made a long speech without motion, by way of
" calling the attention of the House to ertain cir-
cumstances connected with" the Committee on
the EcclesiastiCal Titles and Roman Catholic
Relief Acts. It was the first appearance for two
years of the hon. gentleman on any subject con-
nected with Catholic affairs, and he spoke with
modest pride of the self-restraint he had practised
in order to achieve so long an abstinence from
what has been the main pursuit of his life. We
could give him more credit for his moderation if
we did not retain quite so lively a recollection of
his past favours towards us, and especially of his
last performances, which, it will be remembered,
were in the character of an assailant of convents
and monasteries. We cannot quite forget his blind
fury against the harmless nuns of Colwich, nor his
persistence in attributingto them practices of secret
cruelty and wickedness, charges in support of which
hie was unable to adduce even the faintest scintilla
os proof ; nor lastly, his dogged refusal to accept
the invitation of the Bishop of Birmingham and
other gentlemen to inspect for himself the secret
dungeons and torture chambers. After that crucial
test of his fidelity to the delusions which he pro-
fessed to hold as the sacred dogma of his No-
Popery persuasion, we should have thought that,
satis sibi, satis glorie, might thenceforward have
been his motto ; and that, having reaped so little
credit on the field he had claimed as his own, he
might have quitted for ever the arena, and allowed
the mantle of his Protestant zealotry to descend
gently on the shoulders of his Liberal colleague
and successor, the member for Peterborough. As
he has reappeared, however, though at the eleventh
hour of the session, we will pay a tribute of such
respect as we can render to an old and indomitable
(we wish we could say a fair and honourable)
opponent. We will give- some account of his
speech. Mr: Newdegate is, it seems, dissatisfied
both with the report of the committee and with the
conduct of the Government in relation to it. He
thinks that the Government pressed the matter on
unduly, in spite of the lateness of the session, and
in spite of the indifference of the House. He
says it was not without repeated efforts and sundry
" counts out," that a committee could be appointed
at all. "It was only owing to the perseverance of
the hon. member for Meath (Mr M'Evoy), and one
or two other Roman Catholic members, supported
by the hon. member for Louth (Mr. Fortescue),
and countenanced by the Government, that the motion
was agreed to." Now, if the Government did
countenance the measure, it must have been be-
TIMES.—Even in the dulness of the present season, i cause they were so profoundly convinced of its
a Spanish insurrection excites only a very languid urgent necessity that the extreme inconvenience
interest. However sorely the world may be suffer- lof the time, and the opposition of their own party
ing from the dearth of stirring news, it is impossible were outweighed by a sense of their duty to the
to dignify any disturbance in the Peninsula into an I country. It is, then, with a very ill grace that Mr.
event. A great general convulsion, or, as they call Newdegate, who is a Conservative himself, attacks
it, a " cataclysm," is one of those contingencies to his own party on this score. He was, however,
which people in Madrid, or people attaching import- contradicted by Mr. Whalley, who asserted, in op-
ance to Madrid politics, have been looking forward position to his leader, that the Government did not
to for years. It has been so long a time " inevitably countenance the Bill, as, indeed, was self-evident ;
coming" that we may almost begin to doubt for had it done so the Attorney-General for Ireland,
whether it will ever come. An inroad, we are told, who was onthe committee, would not have absented
has been made by old rebel chiefs into Spain. i himself from the division, and so have allowed the
Pierrard, Pajol, Contreras, and other Progresista finding of the committee to be partially neutralized
Generals are reported to be at the head of armed by an equality of votes on either side. 11.. New-
bands. Catalonia is said to be on fire; and the degate endeavoured to disprove the statement of
conflagration is described as spreading all over the Mr. Hope Scott and the other witnesses, that the
mountainous districts of Aragon, Navarre, and the jurisdiction claimed and exercised by the Catholic
Basque Provinces. In sympathy with the North, I bishops is purely spiritual ; but his reasoning on the
Valencia and Andalusia are said to be heaving con- point was so circuitous (not to say unintelligible)
vulsively, and the thrill of revolutionary excitement that we despair of following it. He read volu-
to have reached the borders of Extremadura. Some- eninous extracts from the evidence before the Com-
how we fancy there is nothing in all this we have mittee ; statements which we can quite believe may
not often heard before. It strikes us as the old have been irritating to his own prejudices, but
story told over and over again. Such are the which had no perceptible bearing on the point he
usual " things of Spain," and, together with the undertook to prove. The replies of Bishop Mo-
intelligence of the revolt, we are prepared to hear of riarty, cited by Mr. Newdegate, went to show that
rails torn up, wires cut down, mails not arriving, in countries where the Catholic Church is the
and the Government at Madrid proclaiming the State religion the authorities thereof are seconded
state of siege in the same breath as it assures us by the secular arm, and that where the Church
that " the whole kingdom is in the enjoyment of possesses no secular power, there (as in England
the most profound tranquillity." As we know, too, or Ireland), her power is purely spiritual. The
beforehand the whole plot and denouement of the ipropositions are identical or convertible, and in-
sorry drama, we know the contrast between the disputable ; but their bearing on the proposed re-
broad farce and the deep tragedy of its various peal of the Titles Act is not apparent. What is but
episodes. We can, for instance, appreciate the too apparent is, the animus of Mr. Newdegate. He
humour of Don Antonio Maria Garrigo, lets everybody see, through the gaps or chinks in
Governor of Vitoria, who brags of his " energetic his logic, that his real grievance is that the Catholics
strength of will" to put down riots, of which, as cannot e forced penally into a recognition. of, and
we learn from himself, " his loyal Basques submission to, the Church as bylaw Established."
are incapable," or that of Don Pedro Estevan, Go- He is indignant that we will not bow the knee
vernor of Gerona, who describes his province as before the golden image of Anglican supremacy.
" overrun by two bands ten men strong, and the ' Well, no more do the Dissenters, and he is not an
army in eager pursuit." We cannot, however, help i assailant of theirs. True, but the Dissenters are
looking upon these broad jokes as the prelude to that stationary ; they do not grow; they have within
wholesale shooting and transportation of prisoners their body the seeds of weakness end of dissolution
amid which the curtain generally falls on the Spanish by their endless and self-reproducing divisions.
political stage. We can hardly say whether we But Catholicism is progressive, whenever it is not
should hope or fear the SucCeEs of such attempts as ' persecuted, and even wen it is. It shows signs of
the one which has just now apparently failed. ' life. It gets on. It is united. It is consistent and
We do not know of any change at all likely to unalterable. So Mr. Newdegate read to the
benefit such a country as Spain. That the Govern- House of Commons an address by their predeces-
ment of Queen Isabella could not be worse is uni- sors of 1621, to the " British Solomon," in which
versally admitted, but this does not imply that any those characteristics of " Popery" are stated as
other possible Government would be better. Prim, an enemy would state them, and evidently point
with his faithful and gallant Milans del Bosch, is at the adoption of fresh penal measures, in addition
said to be hovering on the frontier, ready to head to those already in action, which deluged the mu-
the movement on the first turn of luck. O'Donnell, tury with the blood of English and Irish Catholics.
Serrano, Zabala, and Echague are at Biarritz, But Mr. Newdegate reminds us of the sleepers who
watching events—i.e., waiting to see if others will slept into another generation. He has lost his
get the chestnuts for them out of the fire. But, reckoning. He needs to be awakened and reminded
with the exception of Prim, there is no candidate for that the times are altered. When that address
power in Spain who has not been tried—long and I was presented to James 1., all non-conformity
repeatedly tried—and he must be a very sanguin e with, or non-recognition of, the established
Spaniard indeed who would risk life or limb, or pro- hierarchy and the royal supremacy was a crime at
perty or perional freedom, for the mere chance of law, partaking both of heresy and of treason, and
substituting the men of O'Donnell's Union Liberal was actually visited with the severest penalties of
for Narvaez's Moderadoes or Nocedal's Neo-Cato- both offences. Now, liberty of conscience is firmly
licos. Fifty years' unavailing and disastrous expe- established. Now, milder principles prevail ; con-
riment must wear out even a Spaniard's proverbial formity is no longer a loyal duty, and Catholic
constancy, and shake his faith in the use of revolu- I liberty is as firmly established by law as is Anglican
tions. The trade of getting up and pulling down supremacy. It is, then, futile to quote the obsolete
Governments ends by being left to the few adven- ravinas of effete bigotry. They have no bearing
turers who know how to turn it to good purpose for on tlie question now asked—" shall Catholics, or
themselves ; and it is now impossible, if, indeed, it shall they not, be allowed to have their bishops
was not so at all times, to get the mass of the Spanish legally, after it has been preyed by sixteen years
people to take half as much interest in a pronuncia- of ineffective but irritating legislation in the op-
miento as they would in a bull fight or in the lottery. posite sense that, anyhow, they must have them?
There are two maximsevhichthevicissitudes of the last In the latter part of his discursive remarks, Mr.
half century have deeply rivitediu the hearts of Sancho Newdegate quoted largely from a recent article in
Panza's shrewd and prudent countrymen ; the one the Dublin Review, upon the Spanish Inquisition.
that they must not hope for good government; the The writer appears to argue that -the Holy See is
other, that any Government is good enough for not answerable for the severities of the Spanish
those who do not meddle with it. It is this con- Inquisition, which he seems to admit to have been
viction on the part of the multitude of the danger, excessive. He says (as quoted b y Mr. Newdegate)
no less than of the inutility, of interference in —" The only check upon its cruelty was the de-
public affairs, which makes political change iu Spain terniined perseverance with which the Sovereign
so frequent, and yet deprives it of all results. The Pontiffs interfered on behalf of mercy, and by
community is a mere theatre, with millions of pas- remonstrances, mandates of grace, and even
sive, silent, and, on the whole, unsympathising excommunication, moderated its excessive rigour."
spectators in the pit, and scores of more or less The quotation made by Mr. Newdegate goes so far
unprincipled actors and mountebanks on the stage. as to say that " the despotism of! the Inquisition,
But ho sever wretched the condition of Spain from the time of its foundation :anti' its existence
may appear to us, no consciousness of its misery or ended, aimed at crushing the influence of Rome in
degradation afflicts the Spaniards. Great content- Spain." All this Mr. Newdegate calls " a mere
merit may be found compatible with very little well- quibble arising from the differeices between the
being.; and a long spill of peace and even such Papacy and the Dominican Order." The differences
order as those truculent Captains-General and their were rather with the Spanish Illonarchy and Go-
Civil G needs are able to enforce is not without its vernment, which were at open war with the Pope.
influence on the material prosperity of the nation. But what is all this to the purpose? Mr. N ewde-
'Good. bad, or indifferent as the condition of the gate's notion seems to be that the, atrocities alleged
masses may be, its improvement has hitherto never to have been committed by the Inquisition have,
been the object, we will not say of the endeavours, in some way, a connection with the report to which
but, even of . the professions of any man in Spain. he was calling the attention of -the House. He
Party names and party leaders there are, but did not exhibit very clearly that connection; he
hardly a party measure. The insurgent bands now only said (as reported) that "The Roman Catholic
in the field shout " Viva Prim !" but we have not Church, while aiming at spiritual jiurisdiction,would
forgotten how Prim himself eighteen months ago bear no limit with patience to its temporal exten-
crossed the country from end to end without gain- sion, and he thought there was a spirit in those
ing a single recruit. It was only " Prim instead of men which it would be unsafe to loose." This.
O'Donnell," as it was before O'Donnell instead however, is an .argument not age di Ist the repeal of
of Narvaez, or O'Donnell instead of Esparteru.- the Titles Act, but against the repeal of the Penal
"'The good things of the State for self and friends" Laws and the .Catholic Disabilitios. Mr. Newdegate
is the flag round which Spanish politicians, civil, seemed sensible of the weakness of his arguents,
or military, are ready to rally. The man in power and of the anachronism,a, ndillib eiality of his posi-
has batons and grand. crosses and titles to bestow, tion. He said that lie_ most deeply lamented the
and he has onhis side generals and colonels--the existence of religions dluerenCes,,placl sometimes he

States an unusually large breadth of land had been
devoted to the culture of corn, and the South

which, before the war, was dependant upon the
West for food, will this year not only have enough
for home consumption, but, for the first time, may

even enter the world's grain market to dispose of
its superfluous products.
With respect to the Southern cotton crop the
reports are less conclusive. It is, of course,
however, too soon to predicate anything respecting

the probable yield. The unusually large quantity
of corn planted, and the unfavourable condition of

the cotton iu some localities may prevent the in-
crease that might otherwise have been expected.
From South Carolina we hear that the Sea Island
cotton has been seriously injured by the rain. Rains
and floods have also seriously injured the prospects
in North Carolina, Georgia, Texas, Louisiana, and
Mississippi. Bat even now, with fair weather, a
crop may be secured.
Turning to the Great West, we find that we arc
fully warranted in anticipating a corn and wheat
crop largely in excess of the most prosperous year
that has ever been known. The season has now so

far advanced that no unfavourable contingencies
of weather or crop diseases are likely to diminish
the estimated supply to any considerable extent.
In the great wheat growing region, comprising
Illinois, Indiana, lowa, Wisconsin, Ohio, and
Minnesota, the average sown is largely in ex-
cess of former years, and in quantity and
quality the products are all that could be de-

sired. It is estimated that the supply will be 40 per
cent. in excess of the prosperous season of 1360.
The hot weather that followed the rainy season,

upon which so many injuries were apprehended.
stimulated the growth to an extraordinary degree
From the same causes corn will be most exuberan

.n all the States named.

In this and the New England States the corn and
wheat crops promise remarkably well. California
has secured a magnificent harvest, that will enable
that State to sustain her newly acquired reputation
as a grain exporting country. Indeed the grain
crops in the golden State are so largely in excess of
the wants for home consumption that the only
ditficu'ty seems to be to obtain remunerative markets
for the superfluous stock.
. In certain localities in the various States the re-
sults may vary. But we feel fully warranted in
the assurance that the corn, wheat, and cotton
crops in the whole country will not vary to
any considerable extent from the conclusions
now presented. The harvest is bountiful beyond
all reasonable expectations. Anxiety upon the
subject may be dismissed. We have been
spared the painful consequences of indifferent
crops, at a time when a full harvest is of
the most vital importance, owing to the exceeding
short supply on hand. It is estimated that when
the new harvest came in there was not in the whole
country two weeks supply of food. What might
have been a terrible calamity (for who can estimate
the painful consequences to the nation and to in-
dividuals of a short harvest?) is turned into
Heaven's choicest blessing. Owing to the short
supply in the hands of farmers, millers will for
some time to come be chiefly employed in work for
home or local consumption and the actual supplies
of breadstuffs at the great commercial centres may
be deferred to an unusually late period of the sea-
son. But the certainty of a bounteous harvest is
telling rapidly upon prices, and the market is
downward, with a demand limited to the supply of
the immediate wants. In due time, however, the
mass of consumers will realise the advantages of a
probably large and permanent reduction of the cost
of the chief staples of life.
SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIO JOURNALS.