The Sun.
London, England, 1829-04-23 00:00:00

SOUTH AMERICAN TRADE.

The following Memorial has been submitted, we
understand, to his Majesty's Government, after
having been signed by the most respectable parties
connected with the South American trade. Other
Memorials of a similar nature are, as we are in-
formed, in progress of signature at Liverpool, Glas-
gow, and every other commercial port and city.
Similar representations are making in France,' in
Holland, and in all the European commercial com-
munities, to their respective Governments:—

"TO THE RIGHT HON. THE EARL OF ABERDEEN, ONE OF
HIS MAJESTY'S PRINCIPAL SECRETARIES OF STATE
&C. &C. &C.

" London, March 18.

" My Lord,—We take the liberty, as Merchants,
Ship-owners. and others connected with the Re-
publics of Mexico, Colombia, Buenos Ayres, Chili,
and Peru, respectfully to draw your Lordship's at-
tention to a subject which humbly appears to us to
deserve the consideration of his Majesty's Govern-
ment.

" For the last 20 years a state of warfare has been
unceasingly maintained between the King of Spain
and the countries just mentioned, formerly subject
to the dominion of the Spanish Crown.
" During a large portion of the latter part of this
period the authority of the King of Spain through-
out those countries has been wholly extinct, both in
form and substance. No portion of territory, how-
ever small, remains in his possession—not a single
soldier in his service, nor any person whatever, own-
ing or sustaining his dominion in any one of those
States.

" Notwithstanding the notoriously long continu-
ance of this state of things, a state of hostility con-
tinues to prevail on both sides, most injurious in its
consequences to all commercial pursuits.
" Since the establishment of the independence of
these several States, and the recognition of three of
them by his Majesty's Government, British subjects
have entered into large transactions with them in the
export of British manufactures, in the forming of
extensive commercial and milling establishments
there, and in financial operations.
" These undertakings do not, at the present mo-
ment, involve a capital of l'ess than 20,000,0001.
sterling. They were entered into in the reasonable
expectation that the entire extinction of Spanish au-
thority in those countries would be followed by a
recognition of their independence on the part of the
Crown of Spain, and in the cessation of hostilities.
" No such event, however, has taken place, and
the consequence is, that the intercourse with that
part of the. world is exposed to all the inconve-
niences invariably attendant upon the continuance
of a state of warfare. These evils consist in the
continuance of privateering, and all the irregulari-
ties to which that system of warfare gives rise, ►rot
the least of which has been the frequent practice of
the crime of piracy—the keeping up throughout
those countries a large military force, pressing hea-
vily upon the revenues of the several states—de-
priving them of the advantage of manual labour in
countries where population is but thinly scattered—

sustaining the importance of military chiefs, and rens
derrag the army the constant object ,of intrigue for
factious purposes; and,.. in short, pre-Serving all tire
elements of. 'an unsettled and unimproving state of
society. Rumours are continually pi opag.eetl wrong
their coasts of Spanish invasion, which, although
groundless, greatlyinterriipt the peaceful pursui't's of
industry and commerce, and,, tinder the nrsesure.of
t, mporary alarm, lead to an arbitrary and unavoidably
oppressive eirercise of authority.
" If there had been the slightest symptom of a
disposition on the part of these countries.to return
to their allegiance to the Spanish Crown, it would
be presumpttiotts in us to offer any observations to
his Majesty's Government upon the subject; but
so far from this being the case, it is notorious that
the recent commotion in one of the most powerful
of these States was mainly produced by the cir-
cumstance of the law which had been passed for
the entire expulsion of the Spaniards not baiting'
been carried into complete effect by the Government.
" If, when the Crown of Spain held possession of
every fortress throughout those several countries,
sustained by the presence there of a powerful body
of troops, it was unable to maintain its dominion, it
does not seerti unreasonable to infer the utter- im-
possibility of its ever regaining it. •
" We are aware of the diffidence with which i-
becomes merchants, in the furtherance of their coot
mercial undertakings, to presume to offer any sug-
gestions to his Majesty's Government ori a question
of foreign policy ; but we trust we shall be. found
warranted by the circumstances we have thus Liter'
the liberty to state, in submitting to his Majesty's
Government the expediency' of interposing its
friendly offices and counsel with the Court of Spain
to induce that Court to lint an end to the ;miseries
of this long-protracted and fruitless warfare, which
can now have no other object, as regards the coun-
tries against withnri it is directed, than to retard
their internal advancement ond improvement ; and,
as regards Spain, to deprive it-of a portion of that
commercial intercourse with them, which is now
open to the other nations of Europe.
We have the honour to be, my Lord,
" Your Lordship's faithful servants."