The Sun.
London, England, 1821-01-31 00:00:00

[Buiish Press.]

The Vienna and Roma►► Papers occasionally
intimate that a largo party in Naples is actively
e►nployed in endea%ouri;►g to elreet a counter-
revolution, " in unison," of course, " with the
feelings and sentiments of the majority of the

nation." Their designs, however, have hitherto
been frustrated by the superior activity of the
Radicals, meaning thereby the existing GoVern-
meat. If one were .to) repose any faith in the
'assertions of certain writers respecting the opi-
nions and desires of the greater part of mankind,
slavery must be amost delightful mode of exist-
ence, and liberty the thing most to be avoided
in the pursuit of happiness. According to these
persons, the sense of the majority of every ;4a-
Um' beneath the, canopy of heaven is decidedly
hostile to freedom; and it is really quite pro-
voking to see the attempts occasionally made

by " a few desperate nr.ltclies," always
bankrupts in character and fortune," to
disturb , the enjovnients of " ,the wise, and
the good," .by dissolving the spell of des-
potism, It is, however, some consolation
to think that,. in many instances, even the
" wise and good" are willing to Sacrifice their
peronal enjoyments for the attainment of public
advantages, and that universally the societies
where freedom is established are more prosper-
ous, and share a far greater mass of general and
individual good than any of those, no matter how
highly favoured by nature, in which liberty is
not the principle of its political institutions. We'
have on some former occasions expressed our fur
that in Naples the treachery of persons in power
would neutralise the exertions of- the Independ-
ents for the establishment of a free constitution.
It must prove a great. encouragement to any at-
tempts at a Counter-revoltition tlu the King is
in the hands of the Allies, and that an Austrian
army is so far advanced in Italy as Ravenna.
Under such circumstances, aided by the constant
dread of a hoStile invasion, what should prevent
the great body of the people of Naples, if they
were really ill-disposed towards the existing
state of affairs, to demand, with every assurance
of success, the restoration of the ancient system ?
Is not their acquiescence a strong presumptive
proof that the present system accords with their
wishes ; and is not the continued disappointment,
under such circumstances, of the 'Austrian fac-
tion in attempting to effect a counter-revolution,
an equally satisfactory assurance that the faction
is miserably weak in point of. numbers and re-
spectability ? Were the Neapolitans left to them-
selves, we entertain. not the shadow of a doubt
that the present system would soon acquire con-
sistency and stability ; it is not as yet, we fear.
sufficiently consolidated to enable them to resist
their enemies with any prospect of success.

[Morning Herald.]
There are accounts to the 14th from Laybach.
The two Emperors are stated to be on the most
friendly and familiar terms with the King of
Naples.. The King of Prussia was expected, but
indisposition still prevents his attendance. No
proceedings appear to have been hitherto entered
upon. It is stated, that Lord Stewart waits at
Vienna an answer to the' importcnt note de-
livered by him on the part of his Court to the
Austrian and Russian Ministers—and that upon
the nature of this answer depends wtrether he
should, proceed to Laybach. But. the most inte-
resting intelligence is, that the Austrian army
has crossed the Po—a movement decisive of
hostility. It is also stated, that the Neapoli-
tan Minister, Duke de Gallo, who was on his
way to Lay bach,bad been prohibited from entering
the Austrian - territory. on his arrival at Udine.
These are indications of a result which it is quite
clear the moderate and 'enlightened part of Eu-
rope regard with pain. Austria can have only
one of two designs upon Naples—either the re-.
duction of their constitutional liberty to a nomi-
nal and illusive shadow—or the establishing really
free institutions upon a different basis from the
present. If the actuating motive be an intole-
rance of freedom and a determination to extinguish
it in a neighbouring and independent nation, the
attack is most unjust and odious. If the question
in dispute, on the other hand, is to establish a
constitution flowing from the free will and good-
ness of the Sovereign, in- contradiction to lights
and claimed sovereignty of the people, the war
would be a war of metaphysics—for-if both par-
ties are agreed that the •.Neapolitans shall have
freedoM,- and the only question be respecting
its pedigree—whether it be the offspring of
the sovereign Lord or sovereign. People, the
thing reduces itself to a mere abstract disputa-
tion, more becoming idle, visionary publicist,
than Princes and Statesmen. As little are the
interests of Austria consulted, if that power be
acting fairly in this transaction. Will not the
example and general influence of Neapolitan
liberty " freely granted" by the King, .be as
dangerous. to the .stability.of AuStro-Lornbardy,
as if it were conceded to -the demands and claims
of the 'nation. Ilowthe prolessions and doctrines
of tire powerful change with their design's 'and in-
terests ! The " Sovereignty of the People" ma-
nifested 'itself in all its glory, in. the elective
Monarchy of Poland. Yet was this germinating
principle Jaf Revolution cheriShed and defended
by the vultures of that day, when they Made
discord and anarchy their auxiliary in the ever-
infamous dismemberment. of Poland.

[N m P.S.

The fate of poor Lord Archibald Hamilton's
motion has converted 40good pages of the Edin-
burgh Review into waste. paper. * The Admi
nistration " friendly to Reform" is happily ex-
cused from the, labour of attempting to reconcile
the irreconcileable conditions of -the Reviewer's
plan, or uniting, in one harmonious system, the
discordant elements of Moderate Reform. But;
while we rejoice at their delivery from so Her-
culean a labour, we cannot but admire the com-
prehensive ideas of the writer in question. his
scheme of conciliation, he tells us, comprehends
al/ claSses of Moderate Reformers, " from those
who would throw the votes of the delinquent
Borough into the neighbouring Hundred, to'those
who would newly divide the kingdom into elec-
tive districts, and substitute the single. qualifi-
cation of a householder for all the present
rights of suffrage." With .a simplicity never
enough to be praised, he adds, that it is " pecu
liarly difficult" to make these various classes act
,as one body; " fOr frOrn the very nature of their
opinions, they are subject to great divisions ! !"
Seriously, could one expect such arrant non-
sense to be gravely
,put forth in the nineteenth
cen.tury to the consideration of British Politi-
cians. Moderate Reform indeed ! To anni-

hi late all tht, present manifold ;•ights of suffrage
—those which come from inheritance and those
which corpe from service—those which are zilatach-
ed to the soil, and those which depend on',ol-11cp,
on feudal superiority, or on. prescription. To
tear up the old local boundaries, to put an end
to the distinction -of counties and .boroughs, and
to tercel out the land anew, on some French re-
volutionaz7 scheme of division, according to the
population,. or the. area, or the revenue, or an

average of all three. This stark staring 'Midsum-
mer madness of political experiment is placed
the sagacious critic under the category of Moderate
Reform ! And he is very much surprised that the
Bedlamites who embrace it should be shunned by
men who think it quite enough to act upon sta-
tutory precedent in case# of disfranchisement.

[The Public Ledger.]
A Mail arrived yesterday from the Leeward
Islands, brought to Falmouth in 28 days by the
Marquis of Salisbury packet. It brings accounts
of the conclusion of an armistice between the
contending armies on the Spanish Main, for the
space of six months. It iVas.signed at Truxillo
on the 25th of November, at ten at night, and
approved next day by Generals Morino and 13o-
livar. The respective armies were to remain in
the positions which they occupied* the period
of signing the Treaty. This arrangement has
professedly been entered into, from a desire of
affording time for a definite pacific adjustment of
the differences between the Governments of Spain
and Columbia. The Caraccas Gzzette of the 6th
of December, thus announces the event :—" Yes-
terday, at three in the afternoon,- the artillery
and bells of all the Churches in this capital an-
nounced to the public one of the most memorable
events which have happened in Venezuela. An
Officer of fluzzars is just arrived from Carache,
(having come in five days
.and a-half this enor-
mous distance) with dispatches from his Excel-
lency the General in Chief; and the terms of an
armistice and regulations concerning the troops
concluded between our Commissioners and those
of Gen. Bolivar, and ratified by both Generals."