The Sun.
London, England, 1835-06-13 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON-, SATVIMAY, JUNE 13, 1835.

i

country. The public opinion of the QUEEN'S character
is entirely changed, and the Portuguese nation begins,
to grow apprehensive of the future freaks of a Sow-
reis2,n. who has already manifested stiange indications
of a wayward disposition. The late. Cabinet was
composed of men who had rendered the most impor-
tant services to their country previous to their accep-
tance of office ; and who had since distinguished
themselves by a zeal and ability in the tranquilization
of an excited people; in the arrangement of the most
complicated questions of civil and ecclesiastical polity ;
in the repairing and renovating of decayed and decay-
ing institutions ; and in the promoting of agricultural
and commercial industry, under circumstances .so
unfavourable that few men would be found
with moral courage sufficient to undertake the
discharge of their official functions for a single week,
were such services rewarded by the highest honours
which the QUEEN has the power of conferring. And
yet, amid so many and such overwhelming difficulties
as beset the late Lisbon Administration, the affairs of
the State were conducted so entirely in accordance
with the wishes of the Cortes, and so uniformly in
the spirit of the Portuguese Constitution, that the
Legislative Chambers united in voting unbounded con-
fidence in MM. FREIRE and CARVALHO, and their
colleagues in the Cabinet. In fact to the great abi-
lity of CARVALIIO alone, may be attributed the pre-
sent flourishing state of the commercial interests of
Portugal. Through his means English capital was
poured into Lisbon ; the exhausted coffers of the
State were replenished ; a spirit of life and energy was
infused into the great mass of the people ; Tiublic con-
fidence was restored ; and industry in every shape was
fostered and encouraged. Yet, at the very moment when
this Statesman was engaged in carrying into operation
some of the wisest measures adopted by his colleagues
—lauded by the national voice out of doors, and sup-
ported within by an immense majority of the Cortes of
the kingdom—a royal girl, just escaped out of the
leading-strings of baby surveillance, flings him aside
as she might a doll, because, to use her own words,
she is not allowed " to do her absolute will," without
which she cannot consider herself a QUEEN ! We
wonder what the Portuguese nation will think of her
MAJESTY'S definition of sovereignty.
The QUEEN dismissed the late Cabinet on the 25th
ult., and on the evening of the 26th the new Cabinet
was appointed. It is supposed that Marshal SAL-
DANHA, to whom her MAJESTY entrusted the nomi-
nation of a Government, was previously acquainted
with her determination to get rid of her late advisers,
and had prepared himself to execute her commands.
The following is a list of the new Cabinet, as it ap-
peared in the Guarda Arancada of the 27th :-
1. Saldanha—President of the Council (Premier) and Mi-
nister of War.
2. Francisco Antonio de Campos—Minister of Finance.
3. The Marquis de Loule—Minister of Marine.
4. Isao de Souza Pinto Magalhaes_Minister of the Interior.
5. Manuel Antonio Carvalho—Minister of Ecclesiastical
Affairs and Justice.
6. The Duke of Palmella—Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Were it not for the abrupt dismissal of the late Go.
vernment, and the motives which influenced the QUEEN
on that occasion, the country might rely with confidence
on the integrity of the leaders of the present Govern-
ment. SALDANHA and PALMELLA are both popular
with the army, and are both greatly esteemed by the
whole body of the Cortes, for the services they have
made in the cause of constitutional liberty. The Mar-
quis DE LoULE is not unacquatited with public affairs,
having filled the office of Minister of Marine at Oporto
during the Regency ; the Minister of Fiefene was in
early life a laWyer, and under the first Constitution was
appointed President of the Second Chamber •6f the
Cortes ; and the present Minister of Justice was Mi-
nister of Finance in 1826. All that is known of the
Finance Minister is that he is reported to be.extremely
rich, and well acquainted with the financial affairs of
the country.
Various causes are assigned for the conduct of the
QUEEN on this occasion ; and we regret to say that
none of them are creditable to her MAJESTY'S feel-
ings as a woman, or her understanding as a Sovereign.
The following extract from the letter of the Lisbon
correspondent of the Herald, details the prevailing
rumour among the highest circles in the Portuguese

capital :
" The immediate cause of this change of Administration is
ascribed to the Queen's predilection for the Duke of Nemours,
whom she knew, and, it is said, liked at Paris, which match
was opposed by the Empress and Messrs. Freire and Carvalho,
but advocated and supported by the Duke of Palmella,
and all
the aristocracy and Camarilha, who, falling in with the Queen's
private inclinations, intrigued against her late Ministers, and
mother and sister-in-law, and at a Council of State, when the
Queen's second marriage was debated, and the 'former objected
that the King of the French himself had not yet given his con-
sent to his second son marrying the Queen of Portugal, as he
might be wanted for the French succession, Palmella answered
that if this was the whole extent of their grounds of opposition,
he would soon remove it, and so saying, pulled out of his
pocket King Louis Philip's written consent to the Queen of
Portugal's marriage with the Duke of Nemours, all ready cut
and dry, a plain proof of his having intrigued before hand to
obtain this document, which of course made the Queen's
wishes triumph, who, amidst her tender recollections of her
first husband, and just grief for the only object of her affec-
tions, was supposed to entertain no partiality, much less a
preference, for any man living, as was inferred from her ad-
monition to the Chambers, not to hurt her dignity by the
premature mention of another choice, whereas it now appears,
that even this early stage of her widowhood did not pass with-
out her Majesty giving this delicate subject a good deal of her
Royal attention."
It is unnecessary to offer any comment on the facts
here stated. They are their own interpreters. We
feel, however, bound to observe, that a 'Sovereign who
can thus early divest herself of those feelings which
are the brightest ornament of womanhood, cannot be
too closely watched, both by her subjects and her al-
lies. The intrigues which the QUEEN has been car-
rying on since the death of Prince. AuGitsTus of
Portugal, proed the folly of all appeals to her heart or
her feelings ; while her MAJESTY'S unceremonious
dismissal of the late Cabinet must convince every per-
son, that the gratification of her own passions are of
more importance with her than the welfare of her
people.

German papers have been received, bringing advices
from Athens to the Ist of May. The public press of
Greece complains loudly of the conduct of the police.
These functionaries are so inattentive, that in Athens
every kind of provision is adulterated capable of adul-
teration. The KING enjoys excellent health, and is
personally popular throughout Greece.

The whole of the Paris Papers of Thursday have
been received. The Impartial states that a French
Duke is atout to set out for Stutgard to demand in
marriage, for the Duke of ORLEANS, a daughter of the
King of WIRTEMBERO. The Princess is niece to
the Emperor of RUSSIA, so that by this alliance
the House of ORLEANS will become connected
with most of the Great Northern Powers. Lows
PHILIPPE is certainly providing handsomely for his
family in the way of alliances by marriage. We pre-
sume the next thing we shall hear of will be the depar-
ture of another Duke to demand the hand of DONNA
MARIA of Portugal, for the Duke of Ngmouhs.
There are several other reports of the same kind cur-
rent, but it would be premature to refer to them.
The Chamber of Peers and Deputies sat on Wed-
nesday. In the former the Bill for the indemnification
of America was introduced, and in the latter several
motions were lost for the reduction of the duty on
iron, sugar, &c. The reports of the debates are quite
uninteresting.
The accounts from the Basque provinces re-
present the belligerents as inactive. The troops

'Tinder VALDEZ last courage as they lost ground ; '
but from some cause which we cannot con-
ceive to be other than a dispute between Don
CARLOS and ZUMALACARREGUI, the Commander-
in-Chief of the insurgents has not followed up his late
success as the Carlists expected. This is the more
extraordinary, as he knows that the QUEEN'S Go-
vernment is preparing to bring large reinforcements
against him, and must already be acquainted with the
system of volunteering now in active operation in

England.
On Wednesday the lid ormateur was again seized
for an article commenting upon its seizure on the day
before. The Government is resolved to crush it
before the termination of the trials.

FRENCH FUNDS.—PARIS, JUNE 10
Five per Cents., Itr7f. 55c _Boc. 75c.
Four per Cents., 9Sf. 20c.
Three per Cents., 77f. 50c 60c. 80c.
Rente de Naples, 95f. 55c. 96f. 10c.
Roman rive per Cents., 99%%!3.
•
Bente d'Espagne, Five per Cents., 96
Heide d'Espagne, Three per Cents., 2N.
Royal Spanish Loan, 4714 47.
Rente Perpet. d'Espagne, live per Cents., 40,;,Z''
Belgian Loan, Five per Cents, 140.
Portugue.e Luau, Five per Cent., SS.
llaytian Loan, 400 f.
EXCHANUE ON LONDON.
One month, paper, —f. —c. ; money, 25t. 45c.
Three months, paper, —f. —c. ; money, 25f. 32,4 c.
—Cours Authentigue.

BOURSE, THREE o'CLocx.—The 3 per Cents. continue
rising, and the market is firm, notwithstanding the articles in
some of the English newspapers respecting the intervention.
The matter seems to be entirely forgotten by the speculators,
at least for the present. Spanish stock has also improved
more in firmness than in price. It would be difficult to pro-
cure a large quantity of any of the Spanish securities without
effecting a considerable rise. The Three per Cents. ( French)
opened at 77f. 55c.
QUARTER TO FOUR.—Five per Cents., 107 f. 85c. ; Three
per Cents., 77f. 90c. ; Five per Cents. Spanish, 401 ; Three
per, Cent., Spanish, ; Cortes, 36 ; Coupons, 16 ; Gueb-
hards, 47 ; Differ6s, 14; New Loan, 464 ; Definitives, 41 ;
Passives, 12 ; Ducats, 96 20 ; Roman 29 • Belgian, 100 ;
Pedros, 88 ; Miguels, 25 ; Haytian, 400 f. ; irabant Bank, 15.

The gloss injustice of our Criminal Code often
imposes upon Judges a necessity of appearing in no
enviable light in the eyes of the country. Of this
Code, the most objectionable section is that which
goes under the name of the Law of Libel. An in-
stance of the baneful operation of this iniquitous law
occurred in the Court of King's Bench on Monday
last, in the case of " the King v. Franks," which, as
it both exposes the working of the system, and also in
what way that system may be employed for the ruin of
every honest advocate of our liberties, we beg to sub-
mit it to the attention of his Majesty's Government.

The particulars of this case of peculiar hardship,
may be summed up in a few words. It appeared from
the affidavits of several Members of Parliament, and

gentlemen of the highest respectability, which were
read in Court, that the defendant, Mr. FRANKS, is a

most respectable tradesman, a freeman of the City of
London, and a liveryman of the Merchant Tailors'
Company. It was furLher proved, that for a period of
ten years, he had devoted his time and attention
to the exposure of abuses in the Corporation—that
he expended 1,2001. in promoting this object—and
that he might, with great propriety, be styled a
pioneer of the Municipal Corporation Commission.
This conduct rendered him by no means an object of

veneration in the eyes of the worshipful venerators of
the parchment-wisdom of our ancestors. He was
known to prefer the rights of his fellow-citizens to the
sheep-skin idols of Master-and-Warden worship, and

this, be it known, was a heresy not to be forgiven in
one of the fraternity of Incorporated Tailors. He had
even been guilty of a more henious offence than that of
a wish to extend the franchise, and appropriate the
Charities of the Company to the use of the poor free-
men ; for he had dared to demand the publication of
the bye-laws of the Company, alleging, forsooth, that
having sworn to observe the rules of the fraternity, he
was, therefore, justified in insisting upon being made
acquainted with them. Failing in this demand, he
had applied several times to the Court of King's Bench,
and there meeting with no better success, he betook
himself to writing, the object of which was to promote
a Reform in all our Municipal Institutions. For this
purpose, it appeared, from a mass of bungling and
conflicting evidence, that he had published a series of
articles in a Sunday newspaper, in some of which he
reflected with illegal severity on the conduct of the
Clerk of the Merchant Tailors' Company. This af-

forded an opportunity to the Company of avenging
itself, which was not lost. Mr. DE MOLE, the Clerk
in question, filed a criminal information against Mr.
FRANKS ; and though it was proved that the articles
were not written by the defendant, he was found
guilty, and on Monday last was sentenced to pay a fine
of two hundred pounds, and suffer imprisonment for
one month I

Far he it from us to attribute any blame to the
Judges who pronounced this sentence ; and we have
no reason to believe that the victim of the law,
in this case, does not hold them equally immaculate.
However strongly we may feel disposed to ques-
tion the wisdom of any branch of the British Legis-
lature, we very rarely allow ourselves to cavil at the
conduct of the higher branches of the executive Go-
vernment. We consider it of the utmost importance
to the community at large, that the greatest possible
respect should be shown to the decisions of those
who are appointed the interpreters of the laws : and
for this reason we often prefer the silent endu-
rance of a trifling wrong rather than assist in en-
gendering suspicions of the weakness, misconcep-
tions, and possibly, partialities, of those who are ap-
pointed to exercise high judicial functions. But
it may, and sometimes does happen, that the
ministers of the law are visited with blame,
which ought only to be directed against radical
defects in the code which they have Undertaken to
adniinister. It is very possible that individuals suf-
fering from laws which operate unjustly, may attribute
the whole blame to the executive ; and yet, were the
truth known, it would be found that the Judges had
acted with praiseworthy lenity towards the objects of
legislative oppression. We are firmly persuaded that
there is not in the whole world a body of men, which,
taken all in all, can rival in legal knowledge, in impar-
in upright independence, both of the Crown
tiality,
and the people, and in inaccessibility to all corrupting
or biassing influence—the Judges of England. Taken
as a body, they are above all reproach, and are both
an ornament to judicature, and an honour to human
nature. But unless we assured the public that the law
imposed upon the Judges an absolute necessity of de-
ciding as they did, what really honest person could
withhold his indignation at hearing that for such an
offence a most respectable citizen was sentenced to un-
dergo such a punishment ?
We have cited this case, because we think it offers
the strongest evidence of the mischievous nature of our
present system of Libel Law. The sole crime of the
defendant was clearly that of exposing the abuses of
the Corporation. The allusion to the conduct of the
actual prosecutor, was incidental to the whole proceed-
ing; for his character formed neither the subject nor
the illustration of a single article. As clerk of the
Company of Merchant Tailors, Mr. DE MOLE, in the
opinion of Mr. FRANKS, had laid himself open to the
charge of screening and advocating the abuses of that
fraternity, and as such Mr. FRANKS had denounced
his conduct as a violation of the principles of justice.
Such libels are published every day ; but then
are not Tory ccrporatlora to prosecute the authors of
them.

The case of Mr. FRANKS certainly calls for the
active interference of the Government, as well as for
the sympathy of the Reformers of the City of London.