The Sun.
London, England, 1844-08-19 00:00:00

SPIRIT of the PUBLIC JOURNALS.
IRON THE EVENING PAPERS OF SATURDAY.
GLOBE.—The bombardment of ,Tangiers by the
Prince de Joinville's squadron, intelligence of which
reached the British metropolis yesterday, and was
:announced in the Globe, seems to have taken all par-
ties by surprise. Hostilities between France and
Morocco—which it was hoped and believed had
teen averted by the interference of Mr. Drum-
3nond Hay—have actually commenced. " The dogs
of war" have been let loose ; and the capital of
Morocco is laid in ruins by the cannon of France.
.Another difficulty is thus created in the pending
negotiations between the Cabinets of England and
Trance ; from which we sincerely hope the two
countries will, by the wise policy of their Ministers,
be extricated, without being involved in war with each
other. Such an event cannot be too strongly depre-
cated. The discharge of the first hostile cannon in a
dispute between France and England, from whatever
cause it might arise, would be felt as the shock of an
%earthquake, by every civilised nation in the world.
The interests of every Power would be effected in a
greater or less degree, in proportion to their local posi-
tion upon the map ; nor could the most far-seeing
statesman set limits to the extent of the hostile
operations, nor predict the duration and effects of
the conflict. Such are our deliberate and deeply-
felt opinions respecting the consequences of war
Vetween France and this country. It may fairly
be asked, why the hostile position in which France
and Morocco are placed toward each other, should
create fears that England will become involved
in the contest ? Are not the two former coun-
tries completely independent Powers ? May. they not
carrel and fight, if they please, without involving
England in the strife ? The question, in this abstract
form, seems capable of an easy and satisfactory reply.
There is nothing in a war between France
and Morocco which, necessarily, involves this
country. History and experience, however, prove
that events far less likely to produce war, of a com-
prehensive range, and of protracted duration, than the
present quarrel between France and Morocco, have
caused the sword to be drawn by almost every
Tower, on one side or the other, until the whole
continent of Europe became converted into the scene
of its calamitous operations. Nor is this the only
source of our apprehensions. The war party in
Trance possesses considerable and growing influence.
M. Guizot, it is evident, is disposed—probably more
from compulsion than inclination—to a seeming com-
pliance with its incessant clamours for military
demonstrations. The Prince de Joinville's pam-
phlet—though a mere feather in the scale was
caught at with avidity. As a feather, it was
thrown up to ascertain the popular feeling in
'Trance. The experiment was successful. Its senseless
esa.sconades were largely quoted as indisputable autho-
rity by the mischievous party with which this hair-
brained youth had joined himself. His vanity was
Yea by applause ; and his warlike doctrines were quoted
by the French press, as though they had proceeded from
.n oracle. If prudence had actuated the French Minis-
try, and peace had really been its cherished and deter-
mimed purpose, would a youth like De Joinville have
been appointed to the difficult mission with which he
was entrusted—a mission in which the alternative ofhos-
'tile attack was to be preceded by negotiation ? To
our mind the selection of the Prince de Joinville for
this service seems pregnant with suspicion as to M.
Guizot's desire for peace. It indicate a pre-determined
purpose, on the part of the French Ministry, that
:negotiation should be the precursor of hostilities ; and
not that it should prevent them. We will assign one
or two of the reasons which induce this opinion. The
first is the language held by the Paris Globe—M.
Guizot's own organ—on this very subject. The fol-
lowing extract from an article on the Morocco war—
though written some days before the French expedi-
tion appeared before Tangiers, anticipated the result ;
and avows the real purpose for which it was under-
taken. It will be seen that England's power in the
Mediterranean is to be reduced by the subjugation of
Tangiers :—" Morocco is evidently the dependent
of England, who maintains and protects it. Eng-
land can only hold Gibraltar, as long as no
great Power has possession of the coast of
Morocco and Tangier. Place French cannon on
the African coast of the Straits, and the import-
mace of Gibraltar will diminish one-half. England
is, therefore, obliged to maintain the Islamism
• of Tangiers in order not to have France there, as she
Is obliged to maintain Constantinople, in order to pre-
.vent Russia from taking it." Another reason is, the
ananifest importance which the French attach to the
possession of Tangiers, as the means of securing their
-Algerian territory. That Abd-el-Kader had greatly
annoyed the French in their military progress,
is unquestionable ; and that he was able
thus to impede their operations, and, to a consi-
derable extent, frustrate their quiet settlement in
Algeria, cannot be denied. But Abd-el-Kader's
irruptions into Algeria supply no justifiable reason
why the Emperor of Morocco should be attacked,
raid his capital bombarded. To implicate the Emperor
. of Morocco, it was necessary to show that he connived
sat, and assisted, that formidable chieftain in his
:sallies, and in his other annoying proceedings. Whe-
ther implicated or not in the hostile irruptions of
Abd-el-Kader—the alleged provocation given to
France by the Emperor of Morocco—nothing can be
snore certain than that England cannot permit France
to possess herself of Tangiers. An attempt to appro-
priate to herself a single foot of land in the Empe-
. Tor of Morocco's dominions, would—at least, if the
Cabinet of England be not criminally imbecile, and
' t raitorously indifferent to what pertains to the honour
and interests of their country—be followed by a de-
,..risive protest against the act. This, if not imme-
dliately successful, an armament, on a scale sufficiently,
large to give effect to that remonstrance must in-
e,tantly be dispatched, to enforce upon France the
:necessity of keeping within those limits which the
reservation of the balance of power manifestly pre-
-I,cribes. England has no disposition to acquire fur-
Cler territory. She neither seeks to add to, nor to
snake a boast of, the strength she wields. A tran-
quillity of spirit—the result of a conscioutness of
power to resent insult, and to protect herself against
siggression—pervades the nation. A force is con-
s antly at the disposal of our rulers, which, if pro-
erly prepared and employed, enables this country to
st quiet, devoid of fear, and as little disposed to
I). ast.
STANDARD.—The affair of Otaheite is, we trust,
in a course of satisfactory accommodation by the only
p sties who can properly or safely meddle with it, the
✓ sponsible executive Governments of Great Britain
:IA France. Certain it is that the facts which
• me to light day by day are not of a character to
ake the accommodation more difficult on the side
of this country. Already Great Britain seems to
I e scarcely a party in the dispute, which in substance
lies not between France and this nation, but between
France and an anomalous sort of government in
itaheite, in which power is divided between the native
Queen and a society of missionaries, as jealous of
the influence of Great Britain at least as of the
influence of any other European power. Were it
not that by an unlucky chance the missionary
rime minister of the Queen has obtained the cha-
racter of a British Consul, which, however, he
Solemnly renounced four months before the acts now
'complained of occurred, Great Britain would really
I ave no concern in the affair. A writer in this day's
Times, whose statements are entitled to the considera-
tion due to those of every man who verifies what he
says by his name, Fives an unpleasant view of the
rooral state of the higher authorities in Otaheite, and
even charges the missionaries with connivance at
vs hat they ought certainly to condemn, if they can-
t) st prevent it. This writer, who signs his name
44 Walter Brodie, the Gore, Eastbourne," charges
Queen Pomare with bigamy and habitual drunken-
loess, intimating that a considerable portion of the
tnissionaries themselves are the reverse of teetotallers,
• mentioning the imprisonment "in the stocks"
of Mr. Pritchard's representative, the British Vice-
Consul, whose habits are, it appears, rather too
Jovial. This outrage upon British rights was, it
appears, offered by the Otaheitan Government;
but we have not heard that any reparation was de-
manded for the restraint imposed on the Vice-Con-
sul's legs. Mr. Brodie alleges against the Otahetian
Government and its missionary adviser the graver
charge of having accompanied, by unneces-
sary harshness and indignity,the
of
e
fi Fret org
French missionaries two years ago
the dispute with France.
row, these considerations are of great importance,
riot merely in relation totheFquestion dispute
between Great Britain and lance, but to the
continued progress of true religion and its conse-
quences--the civilisation and happiness of the human
race. As regards the present diplomaticsociet ques-
tionwh'h there is much in the
state of
eve have been contemplating in Otaheite to colme -
rand a great relaxation on the part of diplo-
vatists on both sides. Our free-acting ancestors of
e eighteenth century used to hold, that whatever
tight be the state of political relations in Europe
g‘ there was no peace beyond the line." Now it
may be wise to adopt the same discriminating
• undary, for a somewhat more pacific purpose, and to
• kl that rigid rule of public law ought not to extend
zr uch beyond the northern hemisphere, more especially
In the imperfectly civilised islands of the Pacific ; in-
cl. 4 Public law being, like all other law, ex instituto
• d of a reciprocal obligation, in order to be just,,
eannot well be applied in dealing with uncivilised na-
tions anywhere. The second, and immeasurably the
r ore important consideration is, the light thrown by
. hat
e• eats at Otaheite upon the missionary system. T
41 p-missionaries have wrought an immense amount
ofsoocl iLthe South Seas cannot be disputed; even
As fent satisfactOry picture of Otaheite that has
eLiebed us !shwas a glorious contrast to the state of
Ike &land My years ago; but here comes the me-
as -,tefleel i lon, s this good likely to be
ht~, Is it_ not even apparent, that
oreqy government the course of