The Sun.
London, England, 1826-12-19 00:00:00

SPIRIT OP THE PUBT.IC JOURNALS.

The >information which we have this day to commu-
nicate on the subject of Peninsular affairs is import-
ant, .and though not absolutely official, we have no
doubt will be found substantially correct. His Ma-
jesty, in the Message which was most unexpectedly
delivered to Parliament yesterday se'imight, said that
he " had exerted himself, in conjunction with his all
the King of France, to prevent such an aggression
as had, in fact, taken place on the independence of
Portugal. Such was the language of the King of
England, through his Ministers, on the day above-
cited. On Thursday last the Speech also of theßing
of France arrived, on the opening of the Legislative
Session ; and herein; we find the folloWing passage :
" Troubles have recently broken out in a part of the
Peninsula. I shall unite my efforts to those of my
allies to put an end to them, and to prevent their con-
sequences." It will be found, therefore, that these two
documents are strictly in unison with each other. It is
to-day our pleasing duty to communicate, that the
same good understanding, the same identity of inten-
tions And operations, with respect to the Peninsula,
tontinue between the Governments of France and
En;and. The King of England's Speech, together
with the account probably of our armament for Par-
tngal, had been received at Paris, when the Ministers
of his most Christian Majesty nor only expressed their
approbation of the course we have adopted, but pro-
fessed their readiness to support it, by the plainest de-
clarations to Ferdinand, that he must look for the im-
mediate removal of that portion of the foreign army
which, is stationed at .Madrid, and the recall of the
Freneh troops generally from the Peninsula, if he did
not totally alter his system, and make (at least as we
hope) the most plenary reparation for the wrong he
has done. Thus, therefore, are the clouds blown from
the political horizon at present. We hope, also, that
they will he banished altogether. Our allies, the
French, will observe that Ferdinand is in their hands,
nut ours : they ought, therefore, to tutor and to
mould him to the principles of justice anti reason. All
the mischief has sprung from his part of the Penin-
sula; he must be restrained from committing more
evil, or front hazarding the good understanding and
peace of Governments much better than his own. We
learn, indeed, from Madrid, that he has been fright-
ened ; and that Mr. Lamb's remonstrances, co-ope-
rathig with those of the French anthorities,.have for a
moment at least inspired him, not with penitence for
his offence, but with fear of its consequences. -Un-
der his present impression, be it what it may, lie must
he forced to make patriotic concessions which he can-
not recall.— Times.

The lovers of alarm would have it yesterday, that
*there was a rebellion in Ireland, as well as a war with
France. Upon the French intelligence, a short time
,
will enable us to pronounce as a matter of tact, not of
opinion ; and with regard to the Irish, we can, with-
out further preparation, affirm it to be a piece of un-
adulterated fudge. The county of Westmeath has
been fixed upon by a mischievous Orange Paper as
the :,cene of this pretended insurrection ; the only
foundation for the statement being, that there are
hardly any resident gentlemen in that quarter ; and
that, of course, the idle and reckless among the pea-
santry con unit a greater umber of petty acts of tur-
bulence, than, in those districts of Ireland where they
are more easily watched. On ittfurniation that we
have been able from time to time to procure respect-
ing fri,lt affairs, we venture to say, that the peasantry
of that country never dreamed less of polities than
they do at this moment. The disposition to resort to
violence has shifted its place. The multitude are
,generally tranquil; it is only the party leaders who ex-
. press any willingness to grapple with the laws. Our
silence for some time past concerning these men and
their various quackeries, has not arisen from ignorance
of what was going forward in Ireland, or from indifl'e-
rence to it, but from a good-natured wish that their
folly should be suffered to exhaust itself, and that after
foundering on ,until they were tired, and getting
deeper ,into the mud, they might bury themselves at
-last 4 g'ln peace and gide tit ess,' anti be forgotten. If
these advocates, as they choose to be termed, of
emancipation, will now let circumstances take their
course, and not spoil a fine hand by forgetting " what
are trumps," vve look upon it that an admission of
Catholic gentlemen to Parliament will follow as na-
turally, in ease of another war upon the Continent, as
the admission of the poorer sort to the elective fran-
chise arose ottt of the occurrences of 1793.—Mid;

Nitwit as we admire elocinenee, it is a moot point
whether it has not been, generally speaking, rather a
enise'than a blessing to the world. That command-

mg talents
do and ought to lend the judgment of others
no one can deny ; but that showy and seducing topics
should rie used to a4ead the judgment is a perver-
sion of talent which is by no means a blessing to man-
kind. We know how many tongues we shall for a
time raiiie sctainst US when we declare this to be our
opinion'of Ma; Canning's late speech irr the House
, of Commons—a speech which the greater part of the
Press has lauded to the fikieo, ill praises which the
public voice has re-echoed with a f`ervour bordering
on insanity ; but which, we confidently predfct, the
future historian will place not quite so high on the
scale of Statesman-like qualities. 'We admire Mr.
Canning's abilities quite as high au his warmest ad-
mirers can do; but sound judgment has not been Mr.
Canning':; characteristic through life, and we much
doubt whether this oration, splendid as it may be in
,avords, poogessee any greater portion of discretion than
fervid imaginations are too apt not to lioness. It is
the native of audden impulses to produce as sudden
reactions.; znd we are much mistaken if the calm good
4ense of the country is note already in some degree
abashed at the eagernees with which it caught at this
shadowy, eloquence, which,
Weipon examination, con-
tains JO little of sithatance. know that the feeling
produced by this splendid oration has not yet subsided ;
btu we believe it is fast subsiding ; and the result we
anticipate, will be, that the country will, ere long, be
convinced, that to embark in a war for objects in
which it possesses no kind of interest is vecies
of
/inmate little adapted to its present situation, or the
general benefit of mankind. Should the mornentary
excitement end, as it probably will do, 43 a mere flash
in the pan, even the consequence of this • inoment ary
impute will cause John Bull a fit of grumbling,
of heart-burning, and of remorse ; but should it
lead to a general and protracted warfare, Mr.
Canning'a eloquence will be as much condenmed and
deplored by posterity as that of his great prototype,
Mr. Pitt, lute been upon occasions of infinitely greater
moment. To put the matter in .a tangible shape, let
us soppiest, that the feelings of the country had been
left to take their tone from the plain, unadorned state-
ment of Lord Bathurst, unaccompanied by the glow-
ing, animating, colouring, of Mr. Canning, and we
will ask any'man whether he thinks that the same ,n-

thusiasm would have: been the result ; raid whether a
More sober statement would-not-have produced a more
staid and sober judgment - in the public mind ? C's
speech possesses much more of the Advocate than the
Statesinan. It may be, and doubtless is, very true
that we are bound by treaty to assist Portugai when
an emergenCy arises ; and nothing probably can show
the utter folly and absurdity of- such treaties more,
than the occasion which has now arisen. But, be-
Cause we are bound by treaty to assist an ally, it does
not follow that we are to make its cause our own be-
, iond the extent which such treaty requires ; still less
is it necessary to labour to inflame.the public mind
upon topics in which; if rightly viewed, we, have little
or no interest beyond the faith of treaties. Were
Portugal to become a part of Spain to-morrow (a cir-
cumstance which we by no means wish to see), we
know not of what earthly consequence it could be to
this country. It is 'to these treaties and Continental
connections that we 'owe the foreign wars in which we
have,been engaged ; and it is to these wars that we
owe the null-stone of debt which!now weighs down and
impoverishes us. Impressed with these opinions, and
firmly perauadeil that peace is both the interest of the
nation, and ha-preservation .the paramount chit) of the
Government., we should ill discharge our duty to the
publie if we joined in the wild and senseless clamour'
for war, to which Mr. Canning's eloquence ha% for the
,moment, unfortunately given the tone. To resist that
chimoitr—to bring back the judgment of the public to
a Calm and rational state, is our object ; and, however
unpalatable our efforts may at first be, we doubt not,
but that, in the end, our motives will he appreciated,'
and their results suceessful.—Morning Herald.
We have been exceedingly gratified by the " Report
by the COmmissioners for the Herring Fishery, of
their proceedings, year ended sth April, 1825, being
Fishery, 1825," lately:distributed. It appears from this
document, that since April, 1810, therehas been an asto-
nishing increase in this, branch of national industry. in
the year ended sth April, 1810, the total quantity of
herrings cured was 90,185.4 barrels—the total quan-
tity of herrings exported that year was 35,848 barrels.
In the year ended sth April, 1826, the total quantity
of herrings cured was 379,2334 barrels-4be total
quantify exported, 217,0731. The importance of our
fisheries will be appreciated from the account given
of the number of boats, whether decked or undecl6
ed, that have been employed in the year ended sth of
April, 1826; in the shore-curing herring and cod and
ling fisheries, distinguishing each station ; showing also
the number of fishermen and
.boys by whom the boats
were manned, the number of coopers employed ; the
number of persons employed in gutting, packing, re-
packing, cleaning; or drying the fish ; the number
of labourers, and the total number of all such
persons; together with the number of -fish-Curers
in each district." It appears, from this account,'
that the number of boats was 10,365 ; the number of
fishermen and boys manning the boats, -44,598; the,
number of coopers 2,106 ; the number of gutters,
packers, Fer. 390 ; the number of labourers employed
'7,947; and the total number of persons employed'
76,041. But the 76,041 are the persons employed.,
The number of persons . depending for' subsistence on,
them must be very great. ,Again, of the 76,041 per
sons employed, 14,691 belong to England and the:
Isle of 1-lan, 'and '61,850 to Scotland. Thus, then,
it: would appear that the fishing of Scotland alone em-
ploys More persons than ere employed in the. far-'famed herring-fisheries of Holland, supposed to be
the main pillar of her strength during the days of her
greatest prosperity. We may see from this the vast
'importance of .scuttanti to OU navy, as a nursery of
seamen ; for we believe, the smaller the Vessel in
which a seaman is brought up, the greater is his
value, from the 'activity and power of general
adaptation which : he, requires. he reflections with
which the Commissioners conclude their report are
exceedingly just.—"; The account now given," they
say, cc wl be found useful in showing the importance
of the herring, cod, and ling fisheries, as a nursery of
seamen for the navy, and as a source of employment
for the poor ; while the other accounts exhibited will
show its 'utility, as providing a cheap and. wholesome
article of food for a numerous' portion of the commu-
nity, both at home and in the British settlements
abroad." We regret, however, to find, that the dis-
tresses of the times have also affected the fisheries.—
" Till towards the end of the year," say the Commis-
sioners, " the price of cured herrings was encouraging,
anti the demand hrisk,bi it about that time,in Consequence
of the distress among the manufacturing and labouring
classes, the price began to decline and the demand to.
subside ; and perhaps in no year since the appoint-
ment of the Commissioners has there been sucli a va-
riation in the price at the beginning and end .01 the
season as took place within the period of this Report."
We cannot conclude these few observations without
lamenting that the misgovernment of Ireland should
deprive the Empire of the advantages which a hardy
population might easily derive from the rich seas of
that fine island.. Ireland can hardly be said to have
either a commercial navy or fisheries, and as 'a nursery
for the navy is,therefbre of 'little consequence. When
shall our rulers become so far :sensible of their folly as
to remove the causes 'of the ,distractions which make
Ireland a heavy burden instead of a benefit to the Em-
pire ?---Morning Chronicle.

" Our ultimate object," said Mr. Canning, three
years ago, to the people of Plymouth, " is the peace
of the world ; but let it not be said, that we cultivate
peace either because we fear, or because we are un-
prepared for, war : on the contrary, if, eight months
ago, the Govermnent did not hesitate to proclaim that
the country was prepared for war, if war should un-
fortunately be necessary, every month of peace that
has since passed has hut made us so much the more
capable of exertion. The resources created by peace
are the means of war. In cherishing those resources,
we but aecumulate those means. Our present repose
is no more a. proof of inability to act, than the state
of inertness and inactivity in which I have seen those
mighty, masses that float iu the waters above your
town, Is a proof they are devoid of strength, and in-
capable of being fitted for action. You well know
how soon one of those stupendous masses, now repos-
ing on their shadows in perfect stillness—how soon,
upon any call of patriotism, or of necessity, it would
mime the likeness of an animated thing, instinct with
life and motion—how Soon it would ruffle, as it were,
its
all swelling plumage—how quickly it would put forth
beauty and its bravery, collect its scattered ele-
ments of strength, and awaken its dormant thun-
Idseizn ssupitBrigis one of these magnificent machines,
from inaction into a display of its
might, 4"th is England herself, while, apparently,
passive and motionless, she silently concentrates
atini.ese.l7efra taoc:ertaPitui"t:exlt'oetritti, on
an
adequate occa-
sion. But (.3rod forbid that that OCC&SIOn should
unfortunately, the occa-
sion has ariseq. The' folly and madness of Ferdinand

have made it necessary, in spiteJiAll .theprudenee of
our own Ninisters, to put forth a port on_of that
strength, has sometimes hid defiance, and some-
times brought sakatiott, to the whole' of Europe. ,The
promptitude With which we have inet :the, call of our
ancient ally shows that Mr. Caning's words were not
the mere emanation of. fancy, hut were the eloquent
expression of feelingS and principles which are the
practical rule of, his conduct. The rulers of Britain
have. never
.yet over-rated, her might ; and when we
place ourselves in the front of a,threatened contest,
into which we'are summoned, not by a regard to our
own safety, but by the duties we owe, and the obliga-
tions which bind us to an ally, the world may be as-
sured that we will display a-strength equal to the occa-
sion. The conduct of our Government has been no
less dignified, than prompt and firm. there has been
none of that blustering, which is so delightful to the
ears of some. We have not threatened uI pompons
words ; we have stated. calmly, that we would not per-
mit certain things to be done, and we have used every
means of repreikentation -and persuasion to prevent a
despot, who owes his very exrstence, as a Monarch,
to British arms, from pursurng a mad career. Those
gentle means have proved inefl'ectual ; the prescribed
limit is transgressed ; anti the instant that that step
is taken, our troops embark, to protect friim
the puny assault of Ferdinand that country, from
which they expelled, at the point of the bayonet,
the mighty armaments of Napoleon. But, while
we see dearly how far the last kw days have
removed us from a state of undisturbed peace, let
us not exaggerate
,those circumstances in our foreign
relations Which are of a warlike complexion.—
Spain has unquestionably been guilty of an act of
aggression against Portugal; ibr to permit rebels to
maintain themselves in a state of military organiza-
tion, and to supply them With the means of entering
Portugal in hostile array, is an act of positive war-
fare, which makes hour duty to stretch forth our pro-
tecting arm, and will even justify any measures of reta-
liation and ponishment which we may deem it pru-
dent to adopt against the assailant. Still it does not
place us:in direct and inevitable war with Spain. It
is extremely possible that both Ferdinand and his ad-
visers have been hitherto 'blind to the true nature of
their own proceedings. With.the casuistry of monks,
they might flatter themselves, that. it was enough for
them to abstain from declared and formal hostility ;
that they could not be held answerable for the march
of Portuguese rebels, who were not avowedly sup-
ported by the Spanish Authorities; that it Was not
their fhult if those rebels diffused throughout Portugal
a belief that the insurrection was backed by Spain ;
and that they might thus avail themselves of every
chance of subverting the Portuguese Constitution,
without, giving England a dear and palpable subject
of complaint, and still more, without Imposing upon
her the necessity of buckling on her armour, and
hastening into the front of the battle. Such dreams
of flimsy deceit, are stated to the minds of the class of
men who now govern Spain ; but when. they see, that
the event is very unlike their anticipation,—when. the
"word of England, unsheathed in defence of Portugal,
glitters before their eyes, and their own conduct is to
determine, whether it Oa return into its scabbard, or
descend upon their heads—they will tremble at, the
danger which they have thoughtlessly encountered,
and sullenly endeavour to propitiate the Power whom
they have Offended.— Nezy