The Sun.
London, England, 1828-07-18 00:00:00

cPIPIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS.

The discussion which took place in the tiouse of
Peers on the foreign relations of the country, on

_ .
Wednesday evening, though it led to no important
result, was vet of great interest. We-have been
often amused at the assertions, that an iinportant
3lifferenee existed between the Duke of Wellington's
Protocol, drawn up at St: Petetshurgh, and the
Treaty signed in July last under Mr. Canning's Ad-
ministration ; as if the latter were of a more war-

like tendency than the former. The declaration of
the Duke of Wellington hithself, it the Houie of
-Lords, in the debate of which we are speaking, may
Yt this matter to rest finally. nis Grace says, with
!'espeet to the Protocol), that " he was actually tor-
hidden to make any arrangements, if measure,; of
force or violence were the meatus by which the ob.
,:ct was to be carried into execution." This is al-

lowed with respect to the ProtoceL But the Turks,
his Grace adds, having lost army after army in the
Morea, and being considered inferior in naval force,
" our Government naturally thought there was
some chance of mediating successfully between the
two Powers, and it was thought above all, that the
originator of the negociation, Rustiiai curled by this
country, might have secured a peace between
Greece and Turkey. Peace was the aged
if:ace was the ol?ject qf 'the Treaty in Jul:_utzt—
pace was the object when he and his cent-agues eame
tub office in Jammu, and to restore peace was the
object of the present moment. We leave it to im-
partial men to judge, then, whether, upon this state-
ment, there has ever been any change in the po-
licy of Great Britain by the intervention of Mr.
Canning's Ministry, in the affairs of Greece and
Turkey: and we believe the real truth to be, that
peace would have been long ago established, had it
not been for the surreptitious interference of Austria,.
and the opinion which she instilled • into- the Turks,
that they had nothing to fear from the triple alliance;
—that the -three Powers were not in earnest, and
that the league itself would soon b burst asunder
by the passions which usually operate npOn such
canventions,—jealousy, and the pursuit of separate
interests. It is of great importance to observe, that
Russia even still disavows any principle of aggran-
dizement : and it is a most singular concession on
the part of the Emperor of Russia, that his Majesty,
a:.:statcd by Lord Aberdeen, " has at once' divested
himself of the character of a belligerent in the
diterranean;" and,• his Lordship added, '" no one.
would deny that the sincerity and generosity wlich
his Majesty had displayed in .doing this Were enti-
tled to the highest praise." This, then, is the
method in which the objects of the triple alliance
arc to be enforced in future ;—that Russia; in league
with France and England, is only to insist upon
peace between Greece • and Turkey in the Mediter-
' ranean, though the same power, Russia, is carrying
on war against Turkey in Moldavia. and Wallachia.
In her character as mediator, she may prevent
the Greeks from attacking the Turks in the
south, though ia her character as belligerent she
may happen to enter Constantinople from-the north.
But a difficulty may arise as to what. is meant by
the Mediterranean. Is the Morea in the-"Mediterr
lanean ? No doubt. Why, then, ThisSia may at the
same time capture a Turkish fleet ni the Black Sea,
and blockade a Greek one itt the ports of Nauplia,
Patras, Missolonghi, or Navarin, lest it should come
out to injure. the Turks. This,. to say the least of
it, is a complicated state of thing's, and may lead to.
50111 C new'rules' and dogmas' in the law of nations,.
and the next edition of Vattel. However, weSeri-
cusly wish that the present. troubles in the east. of•
Europe could be put an end to, and that' there -Were
no occasion either for belligerent or mediatery,ope-
lations. The affairs of Portugal are in a very per-
plexed state. Of the two platies, the one flies to
us for refuge; the other, probably, will be afraid of
offending us. Whatever may be the sins of the
Chief of the latter party, they are sins against gra-
titude, truth, 'and honoar—arrainst general prin-
k:inks, but nut against Great Britain. They May go
to war (and..ate wish they would) who are injured
by those eriMes ;_ not we,—we, who only are sorry
that they have been committed. Weeannot, how-
ever, help noticing, and at the same time reprehend-
ing most •strongly, a clause in Lord Aberdeen's
speech respecting the two parties. "He was very
much mistaken,' his Lordship said,'" if th6Se per-,
sons (the -Miguelians), though they might not, pert.
haps, be actuated by the purest or the most kolight-
etted views, yet he was much mistaken y* those per-
sons who supported Doh Miguel were not the friends
(f this country. He confessed; too, that he was
afraid that among the other party, there were
not a few who were not only not the frieeds of this
country, but who were also not friendly to good go-
vernment iii any country." -Thew, we 'apprehend,
are not English, but Austrian fears ! This is
Prince Metternich and the Holy Alliance. The
words do not become the Minister of a British So,

vcreign. If, by the person who, supported Don Miguel
his Lordship meant his friend Lord 8., perhaps he
may be right ; but would he have it I►eli4ved that
the old Queen is a friend of England, or that the
Duke of Cadaval, perhaps the first instigator of
Miguel to acts of perjury and usurpation, is the
friend of England Alas, how contrary to the facts
are both the above insinuations ! In truth, however,
`we have Tie right to interfere in civil discords, that
do not swell beyOnd the borders of the country in
which they rage, unless we are called on to mediate
by both patties ; and then the duty is not imperative
we may decline a thankless aim.. But we' have a
right to prevent other nations from interfering in the
affairs' 6f Portugal- in order to aggrandize themselves
at her expellee ; for we have a substantial and inde-
feasible interest that Portugal .should continue an
independent-and substantive state among the Euro-
pean PoWers. There was' an' error in -Lord Hol•
land's speech with respect to the' sums of money
given by the two other mediating Powers to support
the reek cause. The French Government first
gave 20,000/. sterling;' then the Russian Govern-
ment au equal sum. Afterwards the French Go-
vernment added other 20,000/., making 40,0061.,
not 4010004, from France. The British GoVern-
inept 'has given nothing, and we do not blame its
conduct in this respect—Tiews.
We must invite public attention to a legal job
quietly making its progress through the House of
7.ords, a singular instance of the mode in which,
while we are demanding reforms and inquiries, pri-
vate intrigue and management can be augmenting
the evils complained of. When a new Bankrupt
Act passed three or foz,r years ago, by which the
Legislature kindly, remitted to insolvent estates a
trifling stamp duty, a clause was, by way of counter-
poise, silently inserted by Lord Eldon, i4crea,ing the
expense of country. Commissioners two-thirds at
the least; in many eases doubling or even trailing
them, and-this while a Commis,ion was actually sit-
ting to inquire. into the expense and delays of such
proceedings. The Bill had circulated widely through
the country : but this clause was wisely kept in the.
pocket, and slipped in at the last. It was, no doubt
prudent thus to enlist a hUngry body. all over the
country, still more deeply in a rotten system tot-
tering to its fall. This clause required that (instead
of the old practice two attorneys sitting with a
barrister as an assessor at every Meeting) two bar-
risters should always be summoned, and (as this
would necessarily make work, as thestwo assessors
would be ii each other's way) the fees Were doubled
being made 21. at the lowest instead of 1/.,
with a further pound for every seven miles they
came. The consequence is, that every trum-
pery meeting now costs 5/. at the lowest, instead of
31.; but (as two barristers have to be found, and,
except in very large towns, are never to be met with
together) their additional fees often make the ex-
pence up to 71., 81., or even mere, for berristei,,
assistance, which before was had for 1/. ; with now.
rious avidity, too, on the part of those gentlemen to
keep the business, even at that rate. Another great
annoyance arose from -the difficulty of getting these
ventlemen, not only on account of their often living
b
at a distance, but also from their frequent absence at
Sessions; It continually also happens, that the only
second barrister to be found is either notoriously

tonvetent, or otherwise unfit. Ac, the law stood,
where two were wanted they could be taken, but it
became a grievous tax and annoyance to make it hn-
perative in all cases to have them. When we see
one barrister assessor sufficient in trials even of life
anti death, it seems most' wanton, and almost,
ludicrous, to see. two sitting as assessors to one
attorney, to receive proofs of 'debts. This job,
on the lowest calculation, has cost insolvent
estates throughout the country from 5,000/. to.
0,000/. a year! A Bill for amending this Act
having been brought into the House. of Commons,
the commercial towns took the opportunity of in.
structing their Representatives to redress this scan-
dalous impOsition, and Mr. J. Wood had the merit,
'in this instance also, of exposing and correcting the
abuse so quietly imposed on the public. The Bill,
accordingly went to the Lords,with a clause repealing
these provisions and the double fees: • Lord Eldbn,
however,' is at his post, and, without any public
discussion, the Bill is reported Ili passing through a
Committee " with Amendments"-the principal of
which, on inquiry, we find is the striking out of this
repeal clause. However, we trust public attention
is roused ; the traders in commercial towns, Who
suffer by turning dick hungry cormorants upon the
substances of their debtors, must stir themselves;
and take care that,•nt least in 'the House of Com-
mons, this wanton job is exposed, and that the
"• Amendment" is rejected in the way it deserves.—
illirrning Chronicle.
Mr. Hume presented last night the petition re-
specting the conduit of Sir John Nichol and the
Registrars of the Prerogative Court. It seemed to
be understood that the conduct of the Judge was
unimpeachable; but. whatever may be thought of
the Judge, there can be but one opinion of some of
the practices of the Court. The four Registrars
are at the same . time Proctors, in.the enjoyment of
great practice.. There is no table .of fees for Proc.
tors, so that. thecharges are ad libitum. A Regis-
trar does not tax his own bill of costs, but the Re-
gistrars do this good turn for each other. Mr.
D. W. Harvey describes..the,. process very happily.-
" The principle was tickle rue,,Toby, and I'll tickle
you. You tax my bill liberally, and I'll tax yours
so ; but, for God's sake, don't let in an atterney.to
see the mode in which we protect our interests, and
maintain the farce of our extravagant charges." If
we sanction the principle that the proceedings in
Courts of Justice ought always .to have in view the
interest of the lawyer exclusively,- nothing can be
better contrived for this end than. the plan of,allow-
ing four men, who have an interest in keeping. each
other in countenance, to be the only check on.each
other.—Mid.

A new line of conduct has lately been adopted in
our diplomatic relations,- of which- we cannot seethe
wisdom, the necessity, :or the policy. We mean
the. withdrawal of Ambassadors, or other accredited
agents, from the Courts of Powers with whom we
are not at war, merely on the ground of the •pro-
ceedings of those Power; becoming different to
thoSe whiCh may suit the views or inclinations of
our Government. There seemed to us, for instance,
na state of things sufficient to justify- Mr. Stratford
Canning's retirement from' Constantinople; still less
to justify what may be called Sir Frederick Lamb's
flight from Lisbon. An AmbaSsador in ordinary is
defined to be a person who constantly resides at the
Court of another Prince. or Power, 'to • maintain a
goodniiderstanding, and support the interests of his
master., :Yet, according to the practice pursued in
the two instances 'alhided 'to, 'it seems to be their
duty in modern times to leave their posts the very
'aliment When those objects most call for their pre-
sence,:their vigilance, and activity:' if the business of
an Atibbassador* b 6 that of 'a peace-maker, how is
that object likely to be brought about by his quit-
ting the scene of operation ? or if it be to con-
sult the interests of the State and its subjects,
of which he -is the representative, how is that
likely to by attained' by leaving them to their fate.
Formerly, the withdrawal of an Ambassador was
considered tantartiOunt of itself to a declaration of
war; arid can, at least,- be looked upon in no other
light -thaw' M. an faVert. set, - :tending to a-rupture of.
friendly ' engitgements.-,•The present •Sectetary of
State for Foreign Affairs, Lord Aberdeen, seems, in
his reply to Lord Holland's motion the other night
in the House of Lords, to have involved himself in
precisely the kind of dilemma to which .we are allu-
ding. -.His .Lordship; as well as the Duke 'of Wel-
lington, openly and truly Stated that this country' had
no earthly right to interfere "in the civil discords
and internal commotions of Portugal; but then, adds
the Noble Lord in the same breath, "have we not
now broken off all diplomatic agency with that
Power ?" It. is very true, we answer, that you
have ; but, in doing so, you have acted both unne-
cessarily and unwisely. The two positions are irre-
concileable. If this country has no right to interfere in
.the internal concerns of Portugal, why does she in-
- terfere'by withdrawing her Ambassador ? But, in-
. dependently.of general reasons, the case of Portugal
prssented peculiar ones Which called for a more pre-
dent and guarded conduct on the part of the British
Representative at that Court : we mean in being, as
it is in some degree, a British settlement, where
British capital and British subjects are embarked
and settled to a larger extent than in many of our
own colonies. We think the Miguelites are entitled
to some credit for the policy (we will not call it the
forbearance) with which they appear to have acted
towards-the British Factory at Oporto. They could
not, it is true, have acted otherwise without drawing
down upon themselves a vengeance, too certain and
too fearful to be lost sight of. Still, in the moment
of success and excitement, it is not always possible to
restrain excesses of the most frightful avid destructive
nature. What would have been so likely to restrain
those excesses as the presence -of the representative
of their own Sovereign upon the occasion ? But
where was he ?, In the hour of peril and necessity,
when his presence would have been of most use to
illairitain the relation's of peace between the two
countries, and protect the persons and property of
British subjects from
.dangerand spoliation, he had
been recalled, for no reason which we can disc Over,
but to show the. Government of Don Miguel that
his "British Allies did not approve of that which they
aVoW they have no right to interfere with. In these
observations, of coarse, we do net mean to impugn
the. conduct of
_our Ambassador at Lisbon, as fin as
'he is himself concerned. Sir F. Lamb, of courses
acted under, instructions which •it was his duty- to
obey. What we contend is, that the withdrawal of
an Ambassador is the last,. not-.the-:first act
which a • Government should resort to, which desires,.
as we' are sure that of the Duke. of Wellington does,
to maintain the.relations of peace and amity with
all
foreign States, as'well as.to protect the interests of
the Crown and subjects. of Great Britain, wherever
they exist.--Morning Herald.

A company is now forming for the purpose of
Opening a cotrmtmication between Liverpool and South
Wales, by the establishment of a steam-packet to ply be-
tween Liverpool and Cardigan, and to call at. Abetystwith
and Aberdovey on her passage to audfrom the latter town.
—.Hertford Journal.

A convent of extensive dimensions is about to
be erected in the county Waterford suburbs, opposite the
house of industry. The 'foundation-stone will be laid in a
few days by Dr. KELLY. —Dublin .Morning Register.
The -Chinese are strange people witness the
following extracts from their papers:—" The lady of his
Excellency the Iloppo of Canton, died a
few days
since. Her death was announced in the Tartar manner,
by saying she had gone to ramble amony the Genii.'
The Governor and all the great Officers of the Province
called and expressed their vexation,' " " Accounts front •
Aksu state, that a scarcity of money is felt. His Majesty
has therefore ordered a supply of copper, and adetaehment
of troops to coin it."
On Tuesday the workmen employed at the
improvements making near the water-side, Lambeth, found
the entire skeleton of a man, about two feet below the
surface of the earth. It is conjectured that it was the re-
mains of some unfortunate person who was drowned, and
the body getting under the timber, it was prevented from
rising, and ultimately got completely embedded in the mad
and sand.