The Sun.
London, England, 1857-12-17 00:00:00

SPAIN.

The Madrid journals of the 12th make many
speculations as to whether the Government will or
will not dissolve the Cortes ; but the Hoja' a semi-
official authority, states that no dissolution will
take place, except in the event of the cabinet not
meeting with a fair measure of support. A disso-
lution in the opinion of that journal would enable
the Ministry to obtain a large majority. The
Queen, it was said, had definitively resolved on
opening the Cortes in person ; and, in conse-
quence, it was likely that the opening would take
place a few days later than originally intended.
M. Mayans, M. Pidal, and M. Martinez de la ROM
were spoken of for the presidency of the Cortes,
but the Government had not made its choice. Gen.
San Miguel had manifested a desire to retire from
the command of the Halberdiers, one of the highest
posts of the court, and Count de Lugena (O'Don-
nell) was named as likely to succEed him. Other
changes at court were also considered probable.
General San Miguel is stated to be writing a His-
tory of the Revolution of 1854. A convention be-
tween France and Spain relative to the right of
fishing in the Bidassoi was about to be signed.
The Valencia papers say that the export of oranges
is this year extraordinary large.

AMERICA.

ARRIVAL OF THE ATLANTIC.

LIVERPOOL, WEDNESDAY.
The United States mail steam-ship Atlantic,
Captain Eldridge, arrived in the Mersey this after-
noon, bringing 61 passengers, and 1,700,000 doll.
in specie.
She left New York on the sth inst. ; her advices

are consequently three days later than those re-
ceived by the Niagara.
The Royal mail steam-ship America, hence, had
arrived at Boston.
There is little political news by this arrival ; at-
tention was fixed on the approaching meeting of
Congress. The city of Washington was becoming
crowded with members and strangers. It is gene-
rally conceded that Governor Fitzpatrick, of Ala-
bama, will be chosen president pro tern. of the
Senate.
The President had received an authentic copy of
the Kansas constitution. He is said to consider it
not only unexceptionable in its features, but one of
the most perfect instruments of the kind he had
ever read. There is a general feeling to stand by
the President on the Kansas question.
The Message recommends the construction of a
Pacific railroad, and the immediate organisation of
the territory of Arizonia. The Secretary of War
recommends an increase of the army by the addition
of five regiments.

It wasexpeoted that the house would effect an
organisation on Monday, the 7th, when the Message
would be delivered.
The New York papers print in extenso the copy
of the Kansas constitution. It is a very lengthy
document. The following are the principal sections
relating to slavery :
" Section 1. Tbe right of property is before and
higher than any constitutional sanction, and the
right of the owner of a slave to such slave and its
increase is the same and as inviolable as the right
of the owner of ; a r property whatever.
"Section 2. The legislature shall have no
power to pass laws for the emancipation of slaves
without the consent of the owners, or without pay-

ing the owners previous to their emancipation
full equivalent in money for the slaves so eman-
cipated._

The New York Herald makes tho following
comments on the constitution :

"We publish, to-day, in full, the famous Le-
compton Kansas State Constitution, and, after
perusing it, we suspect that most of our readers
will be puzzled to comprehend how it is that this
thing has created this new and prodigious Kansas
sensation throughout the country, and this fearful
mutiny which has so suddenly developed itself in
the democratic camp. In its general provisions,
and in most of its details, this constitution, with
au exception or two, is the very essence of 4 popular
sovereignty.' But there was one little omission
on the part of the convention which, according to
Governor Walker and Mr. Douglas, is a fatal
omission : and there are some little hitches and
catches in this constitution and schedule on
slavery, which make the whole thing a bill of
abominations to the Free-state party.
"The omission referred to was the failure of the
convention to submit their constitution bodily, and
every part of it, to the vote of the people. As we
have shown, however, that upon this point the only
really important practical question is submitted to
the popular vote, we adhere to our opinion that
the objections of Governor Walker and Senator
Douglas in the premises are only those nice ab-
stractions and technicalities which amount to
nothing compared with the desirable object of
getting this Kansas squabble out of Congress.
"Next with regard to the alleged thimble-
rigging upon the slavery question, let us see what
it amounts to. The constitution recognises the
inviolable right of the slaveholder to his slaves
and their increase, and the right of the slaveholders
of other states to settle in Kansas with their slave
property so long as slavery shall be fully recog-
nised in Kansas. If this part of the constitu-
tion shall remain as it is, Kansas, thus
admitted to all intents and purposes will be a
slave state. But the appended schedule provides
that on the 21st D,camber the people, in a general
election, shall vote by ballot for the ',Constitution
with slavery,' or the 'Constitution with no slavery,'
and that if a majority of the legal votes cast at said
election are in favour of The Constitution with no
slavery,' then the article providing for slavery
shall be stricken from the constitution by the pre-
sident of the convention, and slavery shall no longer
exist in Kansas.'
"Thus far the case is perfectly clear; but although
the schedule thus declares that ' slavery shall no
longer exist in Kansas,' this exception immediately
fol ows—' except that the right of property to slaves
now in this territory shall in no manner bo inter-
fered with.' The schedule further provides that
after the year 1864 there may be a reconstruction
of the constitution, and prescribes the forms to be
pursued, but re itera.es the exception that no alte-
r thou shall be made to affect the rights of property
in the ownership of slaves.'

" Here, we are told, lies "the cat in the meal-
tub ;' and if these assumptions of this convention
could be made binding upon the people of Kansas,
we should be compelled to admit that popular
soverignty' is a great humbug. The fact is, how-
ever, thtt all these pro-slavery reservations, and
this withholding from the people the right to
amend their constitution till 1864, are all sheer
clap-trap and nonsense. According to an honest
and common-sense interpretation of the election
between the constitution with slavery' and the
-cons itution with no slavery,' should the result be
no slavery,' there will be no slavery in the now
stat,.

" But if a no-slavery' constitution should be
officially construed to mean a constitution recog-
nising the perpetuity of slavery, the 'sovereign'
right of the people to change it forthwith will still
remain. Who c-in doubt it ? Where did these
Lecompton philosophers derive the power to super-
se le the sovereignty of the people ? And if this
convention could assume and stretch its power as
an absolute despotism for seven years into the
future, why not for seventy or a hundred years to
cense ? They might ju,t as welt have said that the
people of Kinsas shall have no authority to alter
their constitution till the year 1964 as the year
1864.

" The Free-state patty in Kansas are overwhelm-
ingly in the ascendency, and from the latest reports
from that quarter we should not be surprised if,
before Christmas, by a decisive coup d'etat of some
sort, they were to give an entirely new Shape
the cull); olio."
Tha Baltic, which left Liverpool on the 25th ult.,
had not arrived at .Ntfw York.
The aspcot of commercial affairs at Now York
was much the same as at the last advice% sterling