The Sun.
London, England, 1859-01-05 00:00:00

SPAIN.

The Madrid journals of the 31st ult. contain re-
ports of what took place in the Chamber of Depu-
ties on the preceding day with regard to the bill
of the Government authorising the levy of the pub-
lic taxes from the Ist of January next. A report
from the committee recommended the adoption of
the bill. The amendment which, as stated by
telegraph, was brought forward to this bill was
presented by M. Gonzalez de la Vega, and was re-
jected by 162 votes to 13. In the Senate, Count
de Velle brought forward a bill rendering it illegal
for the Queen to grant pardons or remissions
of pains or penalties without having previously
consulted the council of ministers and the
court which bad passed sentence, and without
explaining the cause of the pardon or, remis-
sion. The Minister of Justice opposed the bill,
alleging that the faculty of mercy was' one of the
most precious that a monarch could hold, and that
even its occasional abuse would be better than any
restriction placed upon it. The Count de Paris,
says the Espana, is to visit the Queen at Madrid.
The Peninsular Correspondence says :—.

" The Message of the President of the United
States does not appear to have occasioned any
kind of alarm in the Spanish public, the news-
paper guides of which persist in considering it as-an
issue of political capital in paper. The only jour-
nals which have expressed their indignation in
good set terms are the Monarquia and the Fenix.
The latter, which has already made it the subject
of two or three articles, has the following observa.
tions on the Isle of Cuba :--`• When the greedy
hands of the North American Union are ready to
be stretched out towards our precious Antilles,
which is nearly all that remains to us of the Spa-

nish empire in the New World; when the United
States are openly seeking to add, at our expense,
one more star io those with which their flag is
studded, it will not be inexpedient to look back
upon the Spain of our forefathers, when it occu-
pied the eighth part of the known world, when its
inhabitantg were seventy millions, and its domi-
nions comprised a space of 800,000 square miles.
Of these vast territories more than two-thirds
have been lost. Can we permit another jewel to
be snatched from the splendid crown of two worlds ?
In 1565 we gave up the Isle of Malta to the
Order of,St, John ; in 1620, the Lower Navarre and
Beanie, and in 1649 the Rousselon, were yielded
to France ; in 1649, we lost Portugal and her colo-
nies ; in 1648, we recognised the sovereignty of the
Netherlands; in 1626, the English wrested the
Barbadoes from us, in 1655 Jamaica, in 1704, Gib-
raltar, in 1718 the Luccas, in 1759, Dominica, and
in 1797, Trinidad. In the 17th century France
took possession of Martinico, New Granada, Gua-
deloupe, and the half of the Isle of San Domingo,
and in 1800, Louisiana. In the 18th century we
yielded up Sardinia to the Duke of Savoy, and to
Morocco, our rights in Mazalquiver and Oran. We
ceded Parma, Placentia, and Lucca, with other
dominions in the north of Italy, to princes of the
house of Bourbon, and in 1759, Naples and Sicily
were emancipated from Spanish government. In
1819, we sold Florida to the United States, in
1821, we lost our half of the Isle of San Domingo,
and before 1525, all the vast continent which our
glorious ancestors had acquired was lost to us
for ever. Of all this immense power, we have a
remembrance of the past in the isles of Cuba and
Puerto Rico, the distant Philippines, and our
African possessions, but the Spain of the 19th
century is not that of the 17th and 18th centuries,
and will never consent under any pretext that
these jewels shall be snatched from her crown, and
will, in case of force, defend them with the blood
of her united sons. Time has not passed in vain
for us, and neither caresses nor threats will prevail
upon any. SpaniSh Government, whatever be its
opinions upon home affairs, to give up for gold
that which touches to the quick the honour and
the decorum of the country; nor in the midst of
the agitation of political pavions will the Spanish
flag ;which waved over the throne pf Isabel the
First lose any of its splendour under the reign of
her worthy successor, Isabel the Second."

THE MEETING OF THE 3rd INSTANT.

(From the Friend of India, Nov. 11.)

The State paper in which. Lord Stanley an-
nounces her Majesty's assumption of direct sove-
reignty in India must be pronounced a great suc-
cess. From all parts of India and from every class
comes up one unvarying approval. Civilians and
colonists, the men who would gladly have kept on
the old regime, and the men who are impatient be-
cause the change is not yet a revolution, are agreed
upon this one point. Even the wide amnesty con-
ceded has as yet created little discussion, and no
symptoms of hostility. The few who doubt its
policy recognise the gracefulness of such a com-
mencement of a new reign. So general a cordiality
was perhaps to be expected among the Europeans,
but unless we are misled by appearances; the change
of Government is even more satisfactory to the
natives. The illumination in Calcutta extended
far beyond the European houses. In the smaller
stations every man able to afford a " chirag" seems
to have lighted it. In Hydrabad the ceremony of
reading was attended by tens of thousands who at
all events seemed to display an enthusiasm wholly
unexpected. In Allahabad, Lahore, and Umritsur,
the illumination was expected to be universal.

Perhaps the best illustration of the feeling was
the meeting of the 3d inst. in the Town Hall of
Calcutta. The meeting, assembled to consider a
loyal address to her Majesty, was addressed, by
speakers singularly diverse in character. The
drift of their speeches, most of them almost im-
promptu, was in every case the same. They re-
ceived with pleasure the announcement of the dis-
appearance of the Company, and hoped that with
the new Executive, and wider principles which
must accompany the change, India would enter on
that career of prosperity so often promised, but
still so distant for the mass. All repudiated the
idea of yielding to a race hatred, and denounced
the calumniators who have endeavoured for party
purposes to blacken the character of Anglo-Indians.
Even the " religious difference," the one permanent
point of discord between the races, was for the
moment laid aside. Mr. Wylie, amidst loud cheer-
ing, pointed to the fact that the word amnesty was
heard for the first time in India, that it was Chris-
tianity which alone taught men to forgive ; and
Baboo Ramgoopal Ghose, speaking from the Hindoo
side, said, "If I had power and influence, I would
proclaim through the length and breadth of this
land—from the HimalaYas to Cape Comorin, from
Bermapootra to the Bay of Cambay—that never
were the natives more grievously mistaken than
they have been in adopting the notion foisted upon
them by designing and ambitious men that their
religion was at stake—'for-that notion I belibve to
be at the root of the late rebellion. (Cheers.) They
do not understand the. English character—(hear,
hear)—they do not understand the generosity, the
benevolence of the governing power,—the even-
handed justice with which that power is willing
and anxious always to do that which is right be-
tween man and man, without any reference what-
ever to the fact whether the men belonged to the
governing or to the governed class."
We do not wish to give to these expressions an
importance they do not deserve. The strife of
parties, the incessant conflict between two sets of
opinions described in another column, must and will
continue. The old torpidity of Indian life has
passed away, and men to whom an " opinion" may
make the difference of safety or slaughter, security
or insult, will not reason with philanthropic calm-
ness. But it is something that the proclamation
should even for an hour sooth feuds which must
be better because they spring from the graveyards
of the slain, and convince all classes, if only for the
duration *of a • Meeting, that they are the subjects
of a common sovereign, bound to sheathe all swords
in the presence of a Queen. Could Englishmen
but be sure that the loyalty is earnest, the union
might last for years, and produce results in the
presefice of which even the past history of British
India should seem an ordinary tale.

CHRISTMAS AT MALTA.

MALTA, Dec. 30.

On Christmas-day an order from Admiral Fan-
shawe, commander-in-chief, released all prisoners
in the fleet, in compliment to his Royal Highness
Prince Alfred. There were none on board her
Majesty's ship Tartarus, so there were none to
release.

The sailors of her Majesty's ship. Marlborough,
and most of the other men-of-war in port, had a
double allowance of grog.
The seamen of all the ships made grand prepara-
tions for Christmas, and splendid feeds they had.
Every one of the seamen of her Majesty's fleet at
Malta had not only a good but a sumptuous dinner
on Christmas-day ; they were allowed great license,
and, I am delighted to say, they did not abuse it.
At twelve, his Royal Highness Prince Alfred
went round the seamen's deck to see their dinners ;
he was loudly cheered by the men, who carried the
first lieutenant round the deck.
The Prince gave his messmates a boar's head for
their dinner, and partook of it with them. In the
evening, Admiral Fanshawe, probably with a view
to keep the Prince from the scenes of a man-of.war
on Christmas Eve, invited: him to a quiet family
dinner at his house.

On Monday, the authorities went to very great
trouble and expense in illuminating every govern-
ment building on the Prince honouring the mtr-
chanth with his companY'at a-ball; which has been
the gayest affair of any during- his visit, The chief
feature of the illumination was the Custom-house,
at. which the Prince landed. It was one blaze of
light from that building to the Calcara•gate.
Guards of Honour received him there; and on his
landing Bengal lights were arranged to form the
word " Welcome, and in front was a very bril-
liant Eagle. The landing-place was lined with
carpets and flowers, and decorated overhead with
banners and flags. The whole ',was arranged by
the Hon. Capt. Hoseason, and him great credit.
The Queen herself could not have received
greater honours than Prince Alfred has received
during his visit to Malta; He has occasionally had
to do duty, such as taking command of a boat, or
going to the flag-ship to copy orders, to show that
he is a naval cadet, which uniform he always wears.
He has, in company with Major Cowell or some other
officer, paraded the town and made some purchases
in the shops. He is very observant, and at one of
the balls he caused some amusement. A young
English beauty, a visitor at Malta, who is accused
of being a sad flirt, dropped her card of dances,
which the Prince picked up, and smiled on seeing
that dance No. 1 was filled with the name of a gay
military gallant, and the six following dances with
the same name. _ _

Her Majesty's ship Caradoc was sent with the
last telegram to Cagliari and returned on the 27th.
She leaves again to-day for the same place. The
cable, it is now feared, is damaged by some convul-
sion near Graham's Island, close to which it passes.
It is quite useless at present.
The Coquette leaves to-day for four months, sup-
posed to be for Candia.
The Wanderer is ordered from Athens to Con-
stantinople, her Majesty's ship Osprey having lost
some of her rigging.
The Recruit is to go to Tripoli on the 2d with
Consul - Gen eral Herman.

The Lapwing is ordered to prepare for sea,