The Sun.
London, England, 1826-12-08 00:00:00

SPIRIT OF TIM PUBLIC JOURNALS.

It is quite disgusting to read in the French Papers
Pe, accounts of the "- professions of neutrality" towards
Portugal, put forth by Ferdinand and his Camarilla, not
merely while they were preparing an expedition of Portu-
guese rebels against the Citivernment and Constitution of
that comitty, burnow, after the invasion has actually been
executed, and has, by the progress of, the rebel troops
upon their native territory, to a certain point succeeded.
Now, we repeat, Ferdinand issues a decree for removing
the Portuguese deserters 60 leagues from the frontier.
,What deserters ? There are none left to be removed;
thcy hevoUll, with the help of
.the Spanish Government,
moved off already in the opposite direction to that which
the decree of Ferdinand marks out for them—they have
completed the act of hostility—they have crossed the line
•in military array, end are again in Portugal. • No deserters
need henceforth be looked for in -Spain,-. since they have
only'to join their own rebel ranks within the Portuguese
irnfitier, and with tongue • in cheek, follow the example of.
the Court of Madrid in, mocking
,the credulous weakness
of us English simpletons. Who ever doubted the rea-
Ainestiof the Spanish Court to sign and publish declare-
tit* 'of neutrality, without end? Of course they, would
invade Portugal, as they have done, first, and next swear
that they would not do so. That is •to say, they
would commit the offence, and then take every pos-
sible means of sheltering themselves front punishment.—
If • -our Ministers permit Ferdinand thus to make
idiots of them, all we • can say is, that they utterly dis-
grace their Sovereign and the country. The Spanish
Government, directed by France,' esteem formal assuran-
ces but as cheap' and easy means of duping all who listen
to them. Is it not provoking, therefore, to hear certain
journals allege it for a certainty, that " the Spanish Go-
vernment is alarmed at what has been done—viz : its
own attack on Portugal--"and anxious to repair it ?"-
- There never was a . more treacherous misrepresentation
uttered. The Spanish Government is anxious for nothing
--• but for the overthrow of freedom in Portugal, and the
permanence of monkish tyranny in Spain ; but the pur-
'pose of throe falsehoods is clear enough. There is a party
who would fain persuade thepeople of England that Spain
and Frence are clear` of this outrage upon Portugal, and
that (as the next step of the imposture) England is not
bound:to interfere by arms for her defence.. But this will
not. hoodwink the nation, nor even the more believing
Parliament. The attack has been made; Spain has made
War upon our ally ; and let not the English Ministers de-
ceive themselves by imagining that remonstrances, or me-
naces, or any form of words, will now deter the two
Houses of Bourbon from persisting' in it. The French
and Spanish Governments know better than most others
the real value of professions as contrasted with actions.—
They can swear and forswear,---avow and disavow—
beseech and cajole—and bully, ter), upon occasion ;
and they are ever ready to laugh. at those who attach
• importance to any thing but their deeds. When the
• English Government imitates them by remonstrating,
threatening, and other 'modes of speech, the merest settl
lion in a Foreign Minister's establishment treats it as so
much empty sound, and considers it a matter of course
that the English negociators, when they talk most, are
least deserving of attention. If, then, Mr. Canning (anti
we are not disposed to doubt his word) wishes really for
eventual peace, let him strike, not threaten. As we have
long since told the Right Hon. Gentleman the nation is
with him, asd will not leave him iu the lurch, let him
send four or five battalions of Englishmen, and a dozen guns,
to Lisbon; then width whether the whole of the Peninsula
will not eeho'the beat of the British drum—" to arms." Mr.
Canning has ftir a day or two past been labouring under a
, severe cold; but if the Right Hon. Gentleman be well'
enough 'to go aowit this evening to the House 'of Com.'
mons, it is expected that he will explain distinctly to the
House, the position in which Great Britain hos been
placed by the commencement of hostilities on the part of
Ferdinand against Portugal, and the measures, no
doubt already prepared, for repelling by force this um-
, gime' attack upon our ally. Mr. Cunning had better look
well to his expressions, that there be no tripping, no eva-
sion, no unmanly pulling backwards out of solemn engage.
matte to a friend in the•hour of need.--Times.

Our friend, the worth.), Alderman is more brilliant and
profound eveii time he rises to address the House. Last
night he assumed all the dignity of a Statesman. " I have
endeavoured," said he, " to make myself acquainted with
the Constitution of the country, and, in particular, of the
Howie of Commons." Is it even so ? Then, the Right
Hon. the Speaker may retire when, he pleases. The wor-
thy Aldermen has been qualifying himself for the Chair, in
his intervals of learned leisure, from the fatigues of the
eounter. But it is not the precedents and practice of the
House of Commons alone that have occupied his stupen-
dons mind. His researches have embraced the theory and
principles of the Constitution itself; and, if we are not
me-informed, he is now preparing a new edition of De
Lolmers work, with notes and illustrations. We dwell
upon these 'circumstances, because we think they tend
to raise him 'tithe opinion of the House, and check that dis-
position tolaugh when speaking which manifested itselflast
night. Why, too, should he be treated so cavalierly, that
when he moved an amendment, not one could be found to
second it? Where, was Mr. Alderman Wood ? Where
the Other Representatives of the City ? The worthy. Al-
dermen should lose no time in providing himself with a
seeitider ; for, as we doubt not, he will have various mo-
tions of otinite importance to submit in the course of the
Session* finw lamentable it would be if they sliould all
prove still-born. Mr. Martin, also, whose humanity we
thought was indispntable, had the cruelty 'to attack the
worthy Alderman's cacophony, and ridicule his redicule.
"these things must not be. A patriot, a statesman, an
embryo Speaker, and an alderman to boot, must not be
assailed like an ordinary man.—Yeau

*Judging from the tune of acrimonius contempt which
the' ministerial papers have indulged in towaids Mr.
Waithinan, we might be justified in inferring that, taking
their cue from.their employers, the Alderman is likely to
meet, not only with little or no support, bnt every possi-
ble degree of hindrance anti opposition, in the prosecution
of the praiseworthy but troublesome and invidious task
which he has undertaken. We rather suspect, however,
that the papers in question have been somewhat prema-
ture.in the line which they have thus taken; and that they
will be told to he a Hale more moderate in, the avowal of
their sentinteuts, however sincere we have no doubt they ,
are. The greater part of the present Ministers, at least,
know the value of public opinion too welt to risk it in the
defence of the nefarious bubbles which Mr. Waithman

has so successfully exPos ---
the one bend, aa great love towards the iirorthy'A;l-
- and are amm!, if they could, to screen their
adherents from the attacks of such an assailant, they are,
on the other, too well aware of what the general feeling
throughout the country is upon the subject, to hazard the
chance of being themselves in any degree identified with
a system ',which has excited such just and wenend indigna-
tion. If ,we have any fault to find with Mr. waithman,s
statement, upon the occasion, it is that they of
eirse
somewhat too general and sweeping a nature. not
trueicertainly, that the whole of the schemes to which
the bubble era gave birth, were bottomed in fraud and de.
caption, or that Joint Stock Companies must of necessity
be vicious ; but, we believe that the proportion of them
- which were so, was so great as almost to justify the
sweeping censure of the Alderman ; and that there is,
in fart, very little pure ore which can be picked out of the
hapa of dross with which it lies blended. We are not
sorry that the inquiry is, in the first instance, confined to
one only of these precious schemes. A specific object
afford, a chance of a specific and early exposure; while, in
the wide range at first intended, one bubble would pro-
bably have been made to mistily another, till the Commit-
, tee, tired tint with this endless Investigation, would, in the
tad, have e,ollie to no practical result ; but, though the first
inquiry:is thus circumscribed, we are confident that the
matter cannot rest there;, and, liareute,„ as the task may
be which Mr. Waithman has undertaken, we feel a well-

grounded confidence that he will not shrink -from its com-
plete and entire developement. We think, however, that
Ins labours, and those of Parliament, would be much sim-
plified and curtailed, if, instead of going into one or more
Committees, without data to proceed upon, these schemers
were called upon themselves to furnish the chief beads and
particulars of each. We would strongly recommend,
therefore, Mr. Waithman to move, that a return, within a
given time, be made to the House, by the Secretary, So-
licitor, Directors, or other officers of such Joint-stock
Scheme or, Company, established since the Ist of Janitary,
1824, of the plan mid nature of such Company, the sums
intended to be raised, and the sums actually raised; the
number of shares, how distributed or disposed of, the
names of the Directors and all other officers, and what has
become of the money so raised, with such other necessary
particularS, as may occur to the Worthy Alderman in
framing such a motion. The returns to this motion,
coloured and distorted as probably the greater part of them
would be, would furnish the most valuable materials for
further inquiry; and even the very deception which they
would some of them contain, would furnish no small• share
of evidence towards the discovery of the truth.---Morning
Herald.