The Sun.
London, England, 1826-03-11 00:00:00

decrease. Some time since we stated that the
reason why the bankruptcies had increased, was
that the law had been altered, insomuch that a
man by merely declaring himself insolvent, in the
Gazelle, committed an act of bankruptcy, on
which a commission would issue. We stated
also our opinion that the alteration would
prove beneficial, but that for some time
to come it would cause a great increase
of the number of bankrupts. Formerly a
great proportion of cases of insolvency were
hushed up, and the parties returned to
trade again without its being ever known that
any thing ever happened to them. We added
that the reason of this was, that it was deemed
a crime in law for a man to become a bankrupt.
Therefore, when a man went to an attorney
stating his unfortunate situation, and asking what
he should do to get relief, the attorney (provided
he was a respectable one) would tell him on no
account to commit an act of bankruptcy inten-
tionally or by contrivance, for that it was consi-
dered by the law to be a crime, and to a certain
extent punishable, and even should he commit it,
his relief was as far off as ever, inasmuch as if the
contrivance were discovered, the commission
would be declared invalid. The honest trader to
whom this explanation would be made, would
naturally turn to his creditors and make an ar-
rangement with them for paying so many shillings
in the pound. Hence it was that so few bank-
ruptcies took place formerly in proportion to the
number of insolvencies. But according to the
amended state of the law which prevails now, it
is easy for a person owing money to exonerate
himself from his creditors by means of the law of
bankruptcy, and in this way we have no doubt
that most of the cases of insolvency will in future
be settled.

[THE PUBLIC
,LEntiEn.-1
By the Hamburg!' Mail, which arrived yester-
day, we have received intelligence from St.
Petersburg!' to the 212 d ult. it mentions no new
movement, either political or military ; and
this omission will undeceive such of our readers
as may have been misled by the para-
graph we published yesterday from 1 Brus-
sels Paper. Not a single vestige of the late
troubles appear to remain, and the clue, which
the Russian Government has obtained to
all the ramifications of the conspiracy, will
enable it to put it down effectually. What-
ever discontent may pervade the army generally,
will now evaporate in a manner perfectly harm-
less, the officers who fomented it, having been
removed, and others, of tried loyalty, substi-
tuted. Whilst things are getting into the old
train at home, the-foreign relations of the empire
present an aspect the most tranquillizing ; and
amongst many other proofs of the good understand-
ing, which it assiduously tries to cultivate with
Foreign Powers, we may notice the command of
a regiment which has been conferred upon the
Archduke Ferdinand of Este, the AMbassa-
dor sent by Austria to congratulate the Em-
peror Nicholas. A circumstance like this,
trilling as it may appear, is• generally a better
index of the feelings of one Court towards an-
other, than a more ostentatious proceeding ; and
as the Austrian Cabinet is the great supporter of
the European system, the distinguished manner,
in which its representative has been received, is
a clear proof of the determination of the Empe-
ror Nicolas to co-operate zealously with that Ca-
binet in support of its favourite system. All
speculations therefore of an immediate war be-
tween itussia.and the Porte are of no value but
at . the Stock Exchange, and even there they
seem to have lost their virtue.