The Sun.
London, England, 1826-12-13 00:00:00

• SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS.

It will be seen by the Parliamentary Report, that the
King'i Message hal, been answered by what we may call
the unanimous assent of both Lords and Commons. In
the Upper House the propriety and necessity of affording
aid to Portugal were admitted and enforced with equal
earnestness by Ministers, and by those Lords who usually
Oppose them. In the House of Commons; Mr. Mule
moved ati amendment, which met with very little en-
couragement : the Ministerial motion was carried by about
300 members, and not above four voices were heard to
express any-dissent. We have not room toAay for an
examination of the debate, but if we may judge by the
-speeches of Earl Bathurst, the Duke of Wellington, end
Mr. Canning, there has been a remarkable agreement" of
opinion among all the members of the Cabinet as to the
necessity of the decisive step which Parliament has now
so completely sanctioned and adopted. It appeals to
us to be idle to calculate,
,as some do, on the possible
extent, duration, or direction of a contest once be-
gun ; but it is enough for every moral and essential
purpose to knoW when it cannot be avoided. That
such is the necessity for that quarrel in which Great Bri-
tain has just embarked, we .have already declared our so-
lemn and conscientious persuasion. That she will, effect
the great end for which she hits appealed to arms, we have
no more doubt titan of the justice of
her cause
Go-
vernment and p " if the
eople of England be true an honest to-
wards each other. But it is fair to sonlovhat
further,
by subjoining, that if a :substantial and predominant, Tough
'go
not universal peace, be looked for, this frank and dessuled
step on the part of England is the very wisest that could
be thought of to secure it. A presentiment appears to
exist throughout London that the contest will be brought
to a speedy ending, by the submission of Ferdinand and
his Camarillo, to whatever terms may have been proposed
to him by England, France, and. Portugal, united,. What
can the terms be of such a nature as would satisfy these
Allied Powers? None, indisputably, but those through
which the independence of Portugal might be secured
from insult. None, therefore, we are bound to add,
short of an 'absolute and fioidamental change in the
spirit and form of the present priestly despotism ; and
how that can be 'accomplished must become a grave
question with the Allies. Ferdinand stands pledged
against any institutions deviating fiom the actual model
while, in the absence of institutions, and the supremacy of
one unfettered will, there can exist no possible guarantee
for the repaie of a neighbour who possesses than. It gave
us, uevertheless, muningled gratification to read tn.7.trtras
graph in his Majesty's message which contains so elsZar
and honourable a tribute to the sense entertained by his
Majesty of the wisdom and liberality of the French Go-
vernment in this instance. We acknowledged ourselves,
some days ago, perplexed for a motive by which Chitties X.
and his Ministers could be induced to embarrass themselves
with a lengthened occupation of Spain ; and the difficulty
of suggesting .any fair or reasonable object for a line of
policy notoriously so troublesome to those who pursued it,
had implanted in our minds a suspicion of purposes less di.'
rect and generous than we would willingly ascribe to his
Most Christian Majesty. We have, however, strung
grounds for believing that sentiments of extreme disgust
towards the wretched hypocrites who rule the Court of
Madrid have long prevailed in the Councils and Salons of
the Tuileries. It is even said, in letters from Paris, that some
weeks ago, before the decision of the British Cabinet could
have been so much as dreamed of at Paris, a formal and pe-
remptory communication proceeded from the hand of
Charles X. himself, to Ferdinand, fixing a very early day in the
approaching spring for the unconditional evacuation of the
Spanish territory by the French ferceS. This we believe
to be the fact; and a more satisfactory proof of the perfect
sincerity of the French Sovereign and his Government, in
their co-operation with England for the independence of
Portugal, and for the relief of. Spain herself from bondage,
can hardly, we think, be adduced. The Court of .France
could not adopt a measure more graceful in itself, or more
tranquillising to Europe, than the publication of that letter
of King Charles, with the date of it. Nothing could
more thoroughly demonstrate to the French people,
paitil'ia,nasthitsviln7a;:dr with the thhie, dateP
that their Sovereign was it spootaneaus and determined
friend to., the harmony of councils which be pigiessod
tivith t
mise to3reeavtaelluatitt:ing
of the English message, and with the arrival of the
intelligence which produced it. Assuming this ides'.
tity of feeling between the two great powers of France and
England, there is indeed a prospect of a speedy denouement to
this unpleasant drama. A strict adherence to his Majesty the
King of France's resolution, to Withdraw his troops about the
end of March, would provide a fair field on which Portu-
gal might defend herself, without any risk that legitimate
measures of self-defence could bring her into a delicate or
embarrassing position with regard to the forces. of. Hie
Most Christian Majesty; and such we are apt to think
would he as much the desire of the French Cabinet as of
the English—indeed we are assured there is but one opi-
nion, and that a kindly one,--entertained by Prance, Eng-
land, Austria, and Prussia, and even, Russia, towards the
Royal charter bestowed upon the Portuguese nation. It
appears, upon the whole, mote than prothible, that ere long
Charles X. will join His Britannic Majesty in overt mea-
sures for the political good of the Peulnsule ; fuel in that
,respect he will hut enforce the general desire of his people,
Who are manifestly and unfeignedly of one accord with
England on this question, so dear to the freedom and se-
curity of unoffending tuitions. We rejoice to see that or-
ders are already given for the march and embarkation. of
seven battalions of British infantry, including two of the
Guards, which latter departed at file this 4Ronfrig for
Lisbon—now.

The discussion last night, in both Houses, was of the
most interesting character. Ministers hid but too rood
a ease. We are bound by treaty to aid Portugal against
foreign aggression; the Portuguese Government has
claimed that aid ; and the proof has been Afforded of such
an aggression on the part of Spain', as justified the claim.
The Portuguese rebels have been maintained and armed
at the expense of 'the Spanish Government, Which sup-
plied them also with arms, to distribute to such of the
disaffected as might join them, "I cannot," said the
!Duke of Wellington--the highest authority onstich a sub-
ject_,4 I cannot see an armed force marching on both sides
of the Douro, and another on the south of the Tagus, and
the Guadiana at the same time armed by Spanish Audio-
rides, and not see, that such a proceeding must have had
the concurrence 'of the Spanish Government." So far,
then, all is clear. But if Spain were alone concerned, the
problem would be of easy solution. The difficulty is the
part which France has hitherto taken, and which she may
hereafter take. It is this which gives ao
serious O a w
ratter to the steps which the English Government
have
now 'resolved on. Mr. Canning, in the spirit of the
mileage,
obsessed on this very delicate
point—', .lohould do an 'et
of injustice to France if I were not to add, that the re"
presentations of the Government Of that. country, on this
point, have been as urgent, and, alas I
as fruitless as thoseof the British Ministry, Upon the rst irruption into
the Portuguese territory, the krerich- Government, to *-
tify its displeasure,fi
recalled its Ambusaador, and directed
that Spain was to look for no support from Trainee, against.
its Charge d'Affaires to signify to Ili Catholic lkNatity
the consequences of this aggression, and again to room-
tmheant hediorthca:isob)
am boinal in justice to the hem!' Government to xtate,
should retrace the steps already taken. I
yet .it exerted itself to the utmost. I hlive,

no right whatever to impute any want of sincei ity or good
1 faith to the exertions made by Ranee to force Spain to the
oremition of her engagements." God know how this
may he, but we think the account of the proveedinge in
the Chambers at Lisbon, in the extracts from Lisbon Pa-
pers, furnish strong ground,' for presuming, at all events,
that in what has hitherto been done, the French have
concurred with the Spanish Govetnment. Nlr. Canning
knows more than we can know, but we expect be is too
kolitic to charge the French Government With all that he
nows. it to have done. Mr. Canning was deceived al-
ready, by his own account, by the French Ministers, and
though; as was observed by a Physician of celebrity, then