The Sun.
London, England, 1826-12-22 00:00:00

pOLIC,'E INTF:LLIGENCE.

If ATTON. Day,)
Au nneetumon meagre looking man, named Stout, was charged
bye hittaktt twined Fowler, with stealing a piece 01111.10 in of
beef, horn a hook at the side of his blinp.door, weighing JO pounds.
.—Cortnnitteit.

(CIII^,EINT-SQVARE.—TtIii DAY.)
.Teremiah Pauninp was brought up, charged with stealing a
quantity of 1ea41.--14,,nanded.

The rumour of the murder of Mr. Bottoms, the
Smithfield 6lieer and beak,t salesman, that aeared inns Thous
diesterdaY ,hi ficttuiliei left Lon4on on Monday even-
ing,
• fig No !Mr, At width hi was seen on Tuesday,
g, lot ' • .1-, were in ' 4."' • 11 ti
by several gawsrnen it I, qaztete, wit is

LONDON,
FIUDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 22, 1826.

The French Papers of Wednesday, and the Etoile,
dated yesterday, have reached town this morning, by
express, together with the speech of M. DAmit.s, the
Minister for Foreign Affairs, which, as had been an-
ticipated, is generally of a pacific character, as far as
refers to the relations between France and Great
Britain. The Minister declares that he and his
colleagues are firmly, determined to advise his MA-
JESTY to refuse his support to the Spanish Government,
if by its own fault, it puts Portugal under the necessity
of assuming a hostile attitude towards it. " France,"
he adds, " cannot then be reduced to renounce
" the advantages of peace, except,by circumstances which
"he is far from fbreseeing. Her good faith and her dig-
nity would not permit her to support unjust and pas-
" sionate acts which have only taken place in contempt
"of Councils which have been given, and promises
" which have been made." All this is very satis-
factory as far as it goes, but it is no more than Mr.
CANNING told us of the disposition of France, in his
speech a fortnight ago. And the only matter of sur-
prise is how a question could ever have been raised,
(which by, certain observations in this speech, we are
led to suspect has been the ease) that the fulfilment
by Great Britain of certain conditions of her Treaty
with Portugal should be followed by a declaration of
war by France. The two last paragraphs, of this ver-
sion of the speech of M. DAMAS also strike us as
being capable of a construction very much at variance
with that pacific spirit which it is supposed generally to
breathe. After referring to the measures taken to pre-
vent a rupture between Spain and Portugal, this
subtle Minister finishes by saying :----
" It is by thus following the rules of justice, by re-
" specting the faith of 1 reaties, and the rights of
" other Powers, that France preserves all her advan-
" to es for sustaining her own rights, and even those
" of Spain should she be unjustly attacked.
" It was by defending the principles of ORDER
" AND LEGITIMACY, that England came out view-
" rions from the long and sanguinary contest which
" she sustained against the trench Revolution.—
" The same success will attend us, if ever we should
" in our time be called upon to defend the same
" principles."
How, we would ask, could Spain, under the pre-
sent circumstances, when M. DAssAs admits that
her acts have been unjust and pas.sionate, in violation
of promises, be attacked unjustly ? Anti what does
the final flourish respecting the defence'of qie princi-
ples of Order and Legitimacy mean, but the defence
of the absolute Government of Spain against the prin-
ciples of liberal Government ?
On the whole, we must consider this speech as a
very meagre production, not containing any manly or
distinct declaration of the policy of France, but, on
the other hand, full of reservation and trick, to enable
her to pursue her own selfish objects, according to cir-
cumstances as they'arise.
We subjoin the speech, and some extracts from
the Papers :--