The Sun.
London, England, 1826-01-14 00:00:00

I'll P. LONDON JOURNA LS.

DAILY
Ti.74raets frone the Morning' Papers, Jan. 14, 1826,

[MORNING CIIRONICLX.]

The Documents from Russia, in another column,
prove how dangerous it is to speculate respecting
the conduct of individuals. It now appears that
Constantine, so far from being dissatisfied with
din-bounds of the Russian Empire, and wishing
to' add the best part of European Turkey to it,
bad not even a desire to ascend the Throne.
His letters place the subject beyond all doubt.
Whatever faults he may have, he has never been
accused of duplicity, and, after writing such let-,
tars, we must suppose him one of the most finished
dissemblers that ever lived, if we believebitn to en-
tertain a wish for empire. It is .a remark of the
historian, Robertson, that there are several in-'
stances of Kings resigning their Thrones from
disgust, from desife of ease, or other motives, and
retiring to private life; but that there is no in-
stance of any body of men consenting voluntarily
t 9 yield any portion of the power, of which they
use), happen to be in possession. Most men are
fond of power, and ln anticipating the conduct
of a body, we may safely build on the inclination
of the majority, which becomes that of the body.
iVben we take a hundred thousand men, we can
till to within a little how many of them will be
alive in thirty years ; but when we fix on a single
individual, we know not whether he may live one
slay or a hundred years. The publication of
these Documents, and the general belief they
are calculated to produce of Constantine's un-
Willingness to reign, will, we should suppose,
prevent any attempts on the part of the military
la. make a party in his favour.
.•

Eeercrsu elms.]
We this -dey publish the important documents
relative to the accession of the Emperor Nicholai.
'.be reasons which induced Constantine to re-
novice Ids birth-right yet remains Unexplained.
The Manifesto of the new Emperor simply states,
1.14 utter having taken the oath of fidelity to his
alder brother, the Grand Duke Constantine, he.
was apprised by the Senate that the late Em.
parer had deposited with them a series of docu-
ments, which, on being examined, was found to
contain a renunciation of the throne by Constan-
tine.— These documents are appended to the
Aisnifeito numbered in suCcession,.but they com-
municate no information whatever as the motives
that have ted to this extraordinary abdication,—
never de. we 'recolleCt to' have read so unmeaning
and unlatisfactery a letter as that. whiCh Con.
Stamtine, in the first instance, is represented
to Nara addressed AO the Emperor Alex-
811dPi% No reason whatever is assigned for
Ms abdication, which can rationally be supposed
to have, influenced him. The act. must therefore
be regarded as the immediate result of some
lose
influence which at, the moment he was
lueetinble of resisting. Whether he,will, wider
all cjrcatostances at the present lime, be disposed
to acquiesce in the arrangement by which, with.
out equivalent or cornpensation, he is to give up
the largest territorial dominion in the world, we.
shall'shortly know. We confess that these do.
cinrents, so far froth inducing us to regard the
Etoisian succession as settled, rather lead us to
consider it precarious and uncertain inthe highest
degree. IV e are yet anxious to. ascertain which
Emperor the army of the Prutb are disposed to
support. If, indeed, they should" chooSe the
;mettle Nicholas, the question will be decided ;
but five doubt that such will be their choice. No
wish oppeurs to have been thanifeited by Constan-
tine for the possession of the kingdom of Poland, or
any other power or distinction independent of the
Rill of his brother Nicholas. As the new Emperor
hes dechired his intention to adhere to the policy
of Alexander,' there can be no doubt that the
peace of Europe will remain "undisturbed. We
,Congratulate our readers cordially on this happy
and Almost unexpected_reselt: Considering the

Piked disposition of Constantine, :much vras to
have'been apprehended from his reign.--The re.
signation of his sceptre to the mild and vacille
Nicholas has dissipated all the alarms which

otherwise the death of Alexander was' too- well
'estienlated to inspire.

Cmgw Ttmc4.3
At length the official documents relating to the
abdication of the Gra'nd Duke Constantine hove
-reached this country, and belie fully cleared up
atime important points which were -hitherto hid-
den in mystery. It is known that Constantine,
*fin. was married to a Princess of Saxe Coburg,
in and, when he was not quite seventeen years
at tw, did not live happily with her and was
divorced in April, 1820. In May, 18'20, he

. .
married his present Princess t anti it seems that
to Act relative to the succession to the throne
wag then passed by the Emperor Alexander,
which ,Act however has never been made public.
In January 1822, this matter (for what rea-
son we do not know) was again agitated.—
On the 14th of that month Constantine ad-
dressed a letter to his brother Alexander
Whom he snpplicates to transfer the right of
stmpire to the succe-sor next to him (Coniston-
expressly declaring that
tine) order of birth,
his wish is to remain 44 in the circle of private
life." On the 211 of February, 1822, Alexander
answered this application by a letter agreeing to
Constantine's request. It is to be observed that
'this step was professedly taken with the eppro-
natian 'of the Empress-Mother,. whose sanction
Constantine thought it necessary to obtain.—On
rite lOth of Augnst,lB23, the Emperor Alexander
signed a Manifesto stating the wishes of Constan-
tine, and appointing Nicholas to the throne of the
ilossiati empire, as well as the inseparable thrones
of the Kingdoth of Poland, and of the Grand
Duchy of Finland. This latter point is most
'worthy of notice it occurs several times in these
'official documents, and it at once puts an end to
all the reports that were so abundantly circu-
'fated, concerning the re-establishment of .the
,IChigdom of Poland. This question, which might
ftkion given rise to so'many difficult discussions,
is completely avoided. Constantine expressly
sap, in his last letter (that of the the 26th