The Sun.
London, England, 1829-10-26 00:00:00

SPIRIT OF TILE PULIC JOURNALS.

A curious case was tried at the Cambridge
Quarter Sessions on Friday last, being the first
instance, so far as we recollect, of an appeal being
brought before the county sessions under the
9th of George IV., for admitting appeals against
the decisions of Magistrates for local districts of
counties. An individual had, on the present
occasion, been refused a licence for a new public
house in the parish of Chatteris, by the justices
acting for the divison of North Witchford, in
the Isle of Ely. It was in fact an appeal, or pro-
fessed to be so, against the brewers' mono-
poly in that part of the world ; the ground
taken by the appellant being, that the town of
Chatteris had doubled its. population during
the last twenty years, without any increase
in the number of public-houses having been
permitted thro*Nut that whole period. After
a good deal otlencing by the counsel for the re,
-spondent magistrate, in the shape of argument
;vaunt the jurisdiction of the quarter sessions,
the case was gone into, and evidence examined ;
bui, unluckily for the appellant, and perhaps for
the public, his personal demerits-were of a nature
which the Court was unable to overlook, and
which tarried its judgment against his application
fot a litence. We should have preferred a case,
the merits of which would have rested on facts
like those stated by the appellant's counsel,—
viz, that there were no free public-houses in the
neighbourhood, though there was a fair demand
for new licences, and that it was through the
brewers' interest the justices had withheld the
licence from a man of character. One or two
examples of successful appeal might go far to-
wards breaking up this monopoly, and giving
the country some chance of other than poison
for their daily beverage. An appeal will, how-
ever, be made ere long to Parliament on the sub-
lt,et, of the Malt Tax, and to it, if successful,
will, we trust, be appended a new code of regu-
lations for enabling " every man to become his
own brewer."— ?lutes.

So many reports have been put into circula-
tion on the subject of the approaching meeting
of Parliament, and the various and contradic-
tory statements have found so many channels of
tommunication, and occasionally so much cre-
dulity in receiving them as entitled to considera-
tion, that it may be as well to say something as to
what is not the fact, as well as what is. A very
superficial acquaintance with the established
usage in notifying the renewals of Parliamentary
prorogations would be sufficient to account for
those notices in the Gazette, which have been
interpreted (as the objects of the diurnal com-
mentators.might require) either into explicit in-
dications of an intention to call together the
Great Council of the nation at an unusual pe-
riod of the year, or as proofs (risurn teneatis)
and precursors of an impending dissolution.—
Had there been any intention of assembling
Parliament for the dispatch of business before
the close of the current year, the prorogation
would not have been extended to a day in De-
cember, so late as to make it impracticable to
enter upon any subject, with the prospect of a
satisfactory result, previous to the Christmas
holidays, during -which the Session would of
necessity be interrupted ; to such of our con-
temporaries as may be puzzled to know the use
of those repeated announcements of proroga-
tions, which are to be found in the Gazette dur-
ing the Parliamentary Interregna, we would ven-
ture to whisper, that they answer the laudable pur-
pose of preserving inviolate certain convenient
privileges, which are maliciouslysupposed to hold
out temptations to the embarrassed aspirant for
the honour of a seat at St. Stephen's Chapel. As
to the int ended dissolution of Parliament, it will
be sufficient to say that no such intention exists,
and that it never has existed—it is, from first to
last, pure fiction. As to the re-assembling of
Parliament before Christmas, the report is en-
titled to precisely the same credit as that with
which we have ventured to deal so uncourteously
in the preceding paragraph. Having expressed
ourselves a little unceremoniously in thus dispos-
ing of the reports which have been industriously
circulated, and in sonic quarters received with
an indolent acquiescence in their authenticity, we
shall be expected to afford something more than
negative information on a topic of general inte-
rest. Parliament will meet for the dispatch of
business in the
.first week of February. The
day of meeting will be either the Tuesday or
Thursday of that week—most probably Thurs-
day.—Morning Chronicle.
We insert a letter on the.subject of Mexican
affairs, from a Mexican, in answer to one which
appeared in the Chronicle of Friday last. There
are, we believe, few; persons in this country who
do not wish that Mexico should be able to main-
tain its independence. Whatever may be the
defects of the Mexicans, it is not very likely that
their subjugation by the Spaniards, or rather the
success of the Spaniards in recovering their ascen-
dency through the divisions of the Mexicans them-
selves, would tend to remove them. Improvement
and civilization may at present make but a slow
progress ; but if a domestic government do not
instantly purify society from the evils that are
now felt, foreign influence would only lay the
foundation for endless irritation. If the Mexi-
cans have not the most enlightened views of Go-
vernment, the Spaniards, even if we were to
allow them a little superiority, are the last people
whom we vf ould think of trusting with a political
guardianship over other nations. But the wishes
for the success of the Mexicans, and information
as to the real state of their affairs, are distinct
questions. Now unfortunately, the political pu-
pilage under which the Mexicans were so long
kept by Spain, and the life of savage indolence
to which they were condemned, with a variety of
other causes, have, according to most authori-
ties, had an influence on the Mexican character,
which is not calculated to remove all apprehen-
sion for the future. It is difficult too to believe
that the Spaniards would think of invading
Mexico with a handful of men, without having
had some understanding with parties in the coun-
try. It is true that assurances of support in such
cases are not always to be depended on. The
Tory nobility and gentry of England, almost to
a man, gave assurances to the Pretender that
they would support him ; and yet when it came
to the push, they took care to confine their exer-
tions to drinking his health. Let us in the case
of the Mexicans hope for the best. We alluded
above to the accounts given of the Mexicans by
recent travellers. We know that such accounts
are to be received with some grains of allowance ;
but with the ex,:zption of the account of Mr.
Ward, who generally receives credit for a larger
share of good intention than of discernment,
there is a wonderful unanimity in the others.
The latest, that of Lieutenant Hardy of the Navy,
just published, thus sums up the character of the
Mexicans :

" The white inhabitants of Mexico are by no
means deficient in understanding. Indeed they
possess a great degree of what may be termed
natural quic ness; but unhappily they are too prone

to apply their abilities to the meanest purposes, and
the most disgraceful practices. There is so much
crime, and so many opportunities are afforded to the
vicious to triumph over those who are fair and up-
right in their conduct, that honesty is considered a
disadvantageous qtialityt and even a proof of weak-
ness; whereas a person who by an ingenious artifice
can tuteeed in selling a horse, a mule, or indeed any
-other thing for treble its value, far from being
thought a rogue, is considered a very sharp fellow,
and his society is rather sought after than shunned;
at so low an ebb is public opinion in Mexico.
" Not only do offences of almost every kind, ex-
cept those connected with politics, go unpunished;
but the Legislature appears to take no part in pub-
lic transactions) ekeept that of supporting a party
‘‘'ith which they are identified, and which has been
the most scandalous that ever existed. The politi-
cal morality of Turkey is infinitely superior to that
of Mexico, where examples abound of bad faith,
disregard of public good, and of every other snch
patriotic and virtuous principle. Congress, Judges,
Magistrates, Ecclesiastics, and Military, sold them-
selves for their own individual advantage, and to
effect the ruin of their country, by making the Exe-
cutive absolute, with a view to their encouraging
mischief, and promoting faction.
" The contents of the Treasury have been squan-
dered by many of those who have had the manage.
ment of the national funds, and pillaged by others.
Public situations have been disposed of, not to men
of talent and integrity, but in many cases to men
whose abandoned characters satisfied their employ-
ers that they would stick at nothing. And, lastly,
a system of brutal espionage, patronised by both
parties, has demoralised the country, even more than
all the other vices, by destroying every species of
individual confidence, and thus obliging every man
to consider his parents, relations, friends, servants,
and every per Son with whom he might be connected
or held conversation with, as being villains ! Such
was the state of Mexico in February, 1828."

We heartily wish the Mexicans success. But
it can benefit neither the people of England,
nor the Mexicans themselves, to dissemble the
great demoralization of the latter. It is obvious
that the general corruption adds very much to
the difficulty of judging as to the result of the
struggle.—Bid.
MEXICO.