The Sun.
London, England, 1818-01-03 00:00:00

COUNTRY.

We have inserted several grficiesinliradr"to
`dissuade oflr Countrymen' from 'engaging in the
cause of the Spanish Instirgento, add have stated
:the. evils and privation's ivliich Many of the Adven-
lurers'in'this romantic Expedition 'have 'suffered,
• .
and th which they mtrst inevitably be exposed.-
-The tAlokving, letter from The'Glasgoic Herold,
'of the -29th ult. contains such pertinent and just
Tdtpa:t ks ott the subject, that we 'submit it -to uur
'Readers.

"" SOUTH AMMIICAN PATRIOTS.

.4rg TO TUE BbITOR.

" 'Sir,Sonte of the Papers have been contend-
ing whether the late probibitiim of our Govern-
Inent against serving in the armies now at war in
South America, was or was nut a judicious or
constitutional measure. Withont entering on this
which does not appear to n►e of vet y
great importance, I would hint, tl►at the necessity
for the measure, as applying to the Gentlemen of
the Army, excites no very ple4sant kelings. if it
be the fact, that many British Officers either al-
ready serve, or were preparing to serve, in what
is called the Patriotic Army of South America,
there appears to me to he :!otnething in their con-
duct which is more suitable to the character of
Frenchmen than of Englishmen, and lover of
Ilk country would, I believe, wish that these cha-
racte:.s should assimilate.

" The great enemy to the peace of Europe for
the last 25 years has.not been the French Direc-
tory, nor the French Consul, nor the French Em-
peror, but the French Army, which considered
war as a trade, found it a profitable trade, and had
no more notion of ceasing trout that trade, with-
out maing a fortune, than a tradesman has of
shutting op his shop and retiring, noleSs he has
attained the same object. The French fought,
and fought equally well, under all .their revolu-
tionary forms of Government, and shetved to the
last, •even to the battle of Waterloo, that fighting,
add fighting only, no matter with whom, or for
what, was their employment. It is also now ae-
knowledged that the remaining security of Europe
depends on depriving them of this spirit ; and. that
ell-our fears of future mischief arise front the pro-
spect of trusting the French fighters with the tools
of their trade.

" It is, therefore, quite in nature, quite in con-
sistency, that they should visit any or every to-
reign country, where there is a probability that
they may get employment in the fighting hoe.
But it is not so With the British Officer. A few
romantic and turbulent spirits may traverse Eu-
rope, 0 America, in quest of bloodshed, no matter
who may be the sufferers or the gainers ; but
this is not the duty or the feeling of a Briton,
whose principle it has always been to enter into
no service but that of his country; and even that he
has been knowu to quit, when:he not been
cots inced that the war she was engaged in was a
!oar of self-defence, and therefore both just and ne-
cessary. 11Tar, we know, or ought to know, is a
calamity of the highest order. It is our duty to.
lessen its hurt ors, and to shorten its duration.
But this can never be done, if any class of meir
are to consider themselves enlisted into a profes-•,
siOn, the dirties of which are Dever to cease. The
wind of that Officer must be compounded of very.
odd materials, who, instead of lamenting the ne- ,
cessity of taking the lives of his fellow-creatures,
in defence of the laws and liberties of his country,
'no sooner has performed thiS painful task, than
be goes, in search of fresh opportunities to in-
crease the sum of human misery in countries
where he can have no interest ; and becomes the
basest of hirelings, where he can have no sym-
pathy with his employers.
" This, I repeat it, is not,'l hope, the genius
and spirit of Britons ; and must end in the de-
struction of the country in which it is encouraged.
IF the army is to be considered as affording per-
manent employment—if it be thought a hardship
that its duties should cease at the hour of peace—
and if officers csotsitler themselves as ill treated
where no more blood is to shed—then we exactly
assimilate with the worst features of
,the French
army ; and nowill be safe but that which
is perpetually at war, no matter upon what pre-
tence.
" Other evils will naturally arise from the same
source. it is sometimes had enough when Go-
vernmeut enter into treaties offensive and defen-
sive ; when, however, the error is discovered, it
may be remedied, and sometimes it will cure it-
self ; but the peacepf the world will be insecure
indeed; if mobs of unauthorised Soldiers are al-
lowed to engage in the contest between the Go-
rernments end the People of foreign nations,
Merely because the happier state of their own
country has returned the sword into its sheath.—
in vain (to we pray for that blisSful period when
wars shall cease throughout the world, it we le-
galize the travels of a set of Quixotes through
distant lands, to foment quarrels, redress injuries
which they do not feel, and engage in contests
which they cannot tinderstatid.
British Officers know their duties, and the
limits by which they are bound. They extend to
the utmost verge of their own country ; but they
extend no farther. It 'it he a disadvantage to re-
turn to civil life, with a diminished income, they,
entered upon their prole§sion on those tel
were not told that when dishanded at home,
they might join- the hordes of banditti and ma-
sanders in other countries ; -nor do 1 believe that,
there: are many who have been so far deluded as'
to tlliok otherwise. But that sorife haVe, can no
longer admit of a doubt. The late proclamations
Were tieCtssary'to'recsl them to 'the
of the true genius anal spirit of a British officer;
The ants f)f- crimpingo,have
.no doubt been ern-
phosie:4l,;- and if we at e"::riglirly, informed, have
bssiippi?rtutately too successful:' Butt it per-
liallys,i,Yetinore to Intlanreoted that'the'press has
been folibiye(l 'mars;nilvitiss the si.;ecesses and
of-flusSourb American Patriots,
althoogli :us iittherttiecan be obtained
Oita's= id their pi si;goesli Vsi their- principles. It is

liiii'species Of-mental crimping of which I coq:-
plain, as equally dishonourable with that which
respects the body of him who is to be trepanned ;
•hut, against which I hope it will be the mine easy
to guard, when our officers have more 'coolly 'com-
pared their character with that of the soldiers of
Buonaparte, and have comidered that there is nu
obstruction at this moment to the permaneik peace
Of Europe, hut what arises from the tipiTit Which
that tyrant encouraged.
I ant, Sir, your's)
Ye MILES."

Wrong The (Ipth(in) CorrealitiMent, Dec. 'A.U.)
The verdicts of acloittal, pronounced by
three successive Juries, on the trials of Mr. Ilene,
for blasphemous and seditious Libels,, appear to
have created swore surprise on this side of the
Channel. it is considered somewhat extraotdi-
nary, that blasphemous and seditious Libels, cal-
culated not only to degrade Religion and its
worship, but designed to bold nut his Majesty's
Ministers to hatred and contempt; should be so
favoured by Jurymen. It is natural that then
should be affected alter this manner at first ; hut
it would he more extraordinary than the verdicts
taken collectively, if there did not prevail a pas-
sion for publications of the nature for which Mr.
Hone was indicted, after the very great pains that
have been taken, for several years past, to bring
Religion into derision, and Government under pet-
pular hatred. The ptiblic mind has now been so
fausiliarised with seeing sacred things prophanedi
and serious things treated with levity—with see-
ing the great covered over with libel, and the
lowly excited to trample on them, as monsters—
that the wonder would be, to pick out Juries
that should hold the balance of JuNtice with an im-
partial hand, w here the conduct or. characters of
turn of eminent station was in the scale. All the
speeches, and all the writings, wbich have been
let loose upon the people, to deprave their prin-
ciples, and inflame their passions—to hoot Priests
from the Altar, and Kings from the Throne,
would be only so much sound and fury, and sig-
nifying nothing, if they did not produce certain
effects ; and what effct can be more obvious and
ordim;:y, than that Juries should turn inyon pro-
secutions at the suit of the Crown, for offences
against the welfare of Religion, or the security of
the State )

" Over and over again we have endeavoured
to impress upon the public mind a salutary sense
of the common danger to be appt eheuded from
the energy and perseverance of the Jacobin. prin-
ciple. We have laboured to show hOw it works.
by SYSTEM—how indefatigably it pursues its
ends—and how inevitably it must accomplish its
favourite purposes of anarchy and revolutionif it
be not opposed -by the sound part of society, with
a zeal and, a spirit equal to its own. At present
we do not mean to resume this subjf-et. Our.
readers, who have attended to our observations,
cannot but perceive how plainly the character of
passing events is justifyir.g, train day to day, what
we have been telling them so often, and for so
king a time ; and we rather believe that they can-
not reflect very seriously upon this subject, with-
out concluding, that the great foundations of
public tectnity require some great additional-sup-
port. Does any Marl imagine that the writings
which have issued so long from the Press were
'to produce no consequences ? Can the efforts of
years to eradicate every sentiment and notion of
loyalty be unavailing