The Sun.
London, England, 1842-12-24 00:00:00

*erontilZitittion

SUN OFFICE Three o'Cloch.

We see with much regret that two extensive
failures, one of a bank, with numerous branches,
have taken place in Yorkshire, which will neces-
sarily involve other failures, and add to the want
of confidence, and to the distress in the commer-
cial world, which already prevail. The particu-
lars of these Occurrences, as tar as they are
known, will be found in another part of The Sun.
In the absence of all information concerning- the
cause of the bank failure, it would be folly to
make any remarks on the lamentable event; but
there can be no doubt that the unexpected and
large foil in the price of corn is the cause of the
failure of the Messrs. DUNN. The mischief ot.
such a fall, for which no person was or could be
prepared, as the law which is supposed to
regulate price and is'. passed to keep it high re-
mains in existence almost unaltered, is much
greater, we believe, than any mischief which
could be produced by abolishing the law, which
would at once put persons on their guard, and
prevent any great fall, by the stimulus it would
give to enterprise. Another lesson is taught by the
several important failures of the corn importers.
If the fall of ws. a quarter has ruinedthem out
and out, it is quite clear that all apprehension of
prices being beaten down here by a vast foreign
importation must be wholly unfounded. Such
a fall ruins the importers, and would stop im-
portation. It remains now with th 3 public to
decide how long the fortunes of the middle
classes—the lives of the lower classes are, unfor-
tunately, considered by our lawmakers to be of
no importance whatever—are to be the sport of
laws, which, being most ignorantly designed to
secure stability of price, cause in reality the
most dreadful fluctuations.

The monuments about to be erected to the
memory °tithe Scottish Reformers of 1793, and
the very general tribute paid to them for the
principles they advocated, form a noble contrast
to the bigotry and persecution which distin-
guished the agein which they lived. They were
charged with exciting, by means of seditious
speeches and harangues, a spirit of disloyalty and
disaffection to the KING and the established Go-
vernment, and also of publishing seditious and
inflammatory writings for the same purpose.
That was the sum of their offences, even
according to their accusers; and for this
they were reviled in Government prints,
tried for sedition, brow-beaten by the
Judges, and finally condemned to exile, :from
which only one returned to his native country.
But the real offence was for attempting to de-
stroy the overgrown power of the aristocracy, and
to obtain a more equal representation of the
people in Parliament. The Tories of that day,
and especially the. Tories of Scotland, which was
one great rotten borough, saw that such a result
would be the downfal of their party, that. the
right of returning Members of Parliament, and
the privilege of granting and obtaining places
andpensions would be taken away, and, like men
fighting for their existence, they stopped at no-
thing to crush the daring intruders. The same
attempt was made in England, but, thanks to
the independent and upright spirit of English
Juries, to the sympathy of the English public,
and to the skill of the Counsel employed, the
English Bench escaped that disgrace which now,
almost by general consent, attaches to the High
Court of Justiciary. Theiepersecutors, not con-
tent with reviling their political opinions, stirred
up religious prejudices by describing them as
Deists or Atheists, whose object was not ,
only to overturn the Constitution, but to
deprive mankind of the consolations of reli-
gion and the hopes of immortality. The beau-
tiful and affecting letter of Muma, which we
published yesterday showed how cruelly he and
his party had been maligned. No man perhaps
was ever more thoroughly imbued with the
purest feelings, of Christianity than the unfortu-
nate writer ; and he was not the man, therefore,
who, for a temporary blessing, however great,
would associate himself with infidels and rebels.
The truths of Christianity formed at last his only
relief in the midst of such unmerited sufferings
Let his revilers of the present day, few as they
are, read this sentence, and blush for persecuting
this excellent Christian even beyond the grave.
"In solitary exile," said he, " there is
a dignity, there is a conscious pride, ,
which, even independent of philosophy, may
support the mind; but I question much if any
of the illustrious of ancient ages could have sup-
ported an exile equal to mine, surrounded by the
very outcasts of society, without the aid of reli-
gion and the example of JESUS." Yet a man
entertaining such sentiments, and striving, like
every good patriot, for the freedom of his country,
wascondemned asa malefactor. Time, however, has
done justice to his memory. The Town Council
of that city in which the tragic scene occurred,
have voted a public site for a monument to these
Reformers, and one of the largest parishes in
London has performed the same sacred duty.
This tribute has come too late for the unfortunate
victims; but it marks the spirit of the age, and
may serve as a warning to persecutors of the
present day.

Accounts have been received from Madrid to
the 15th, and from Barcelona to the 16th inst.
The Patriota of Madrid states that the nego-
tiation relative to the quicksilver contract had
been broken off, and adds—" We are sure that
they will be disposed of to the greatest possible
advantage, and we are happy to have it in our
power to assure that the Minister of Finance, as
well as the Cabinet, has resolved to adjudicate
them by public auction, and to demand for that
purpose the approbation of the Cortes, without
which no decision shall be come to." The same
journal announces that the Spanish Consul at
Perpignan has been dismissed by the Govern-
ment for having granted passports which he
ought to have refused. It is stated in another
Madrid journal, that M. OLIVERAS has been
arrested for having given to Colonel PRIM, one
of the deputies of Catalonia, a passport, which
he obtained by saying that he was going abroad.
The Constitucional of Barcelona complains in
strong terms of the decrees of the forced con-
tributions of twelve millions of reals and for the
rebuilding of the citadel, and mentions a report
that the -Ayuntamiento had presented to the
Captain-General a protest against the forced
contribution, as being contrary to the Constitution.
VAN HALEN is said to have replied, that Bar-
celona being in a state of siege, the order could
not be set aside by any representation of this
description.
According to advices from Girona of the 12th,
a band of fifty or sixty armed men arrived on
the previous night at Osor, and marched off in
the morning towards the mountains. It was not
known by whom they were commanded. Gene-
ral ZURBANO entered Girona on the 12th, with
four battalions of the regiments of Africa and
America.

The Three per Cents. wore done at 211 15-16,
at 60 days; the Five per Cents. at 26, for cash,
and 261 5-16 at 60 days ; and the titles of the
Foreign Converted Debt, at 181, on the 14th and
15th of January next, with four coupons.

The accounts from Paris respecting the mis-
understanding between France and Spain are
more favourable, and lead to the belief that
affairs will be settled without any serious quarrel.
The Funds, however, still continued depressed.
Rumours prevailed both at Madrid and Paris
that M. GUTTIEREZ, the political chief at Bar-
celona', was to be dismissed; a result, says a
Ministerial paper, whiclyaill put an end to all
differences. This is giEvtfying, coming from
such a quarter. The totln6f the Constitutionnel
is equally pacific. " We do not wish (says that
journal) to dissemble from our readers the real

character of late events, but notwithstanding
what is said in The Sun, we do not consider war
to be inevitable, or even probable. For there
are in Europe so many interests which are in-
volved in the preservation of peace, there is so
little inclination on the part of the Governments
for having recourse to war, that a hostile colli-
sion can be desired by no one, and would be
equally fatal to all. The difficulties which have
arisen between France and Spain are doubtless
grave, but when reason resumes its sovereignty,
when the passions become calmer, when the
truth shall be clearly developed, it will be easy
to discover that there exist not any reasonable
grounds for rupture between the two countries,
and that in corning to a quarrel we should only
be serving the interests of England."
The Presse, in reference to the misunderstand-
ing between the Court of Russia and the Porte,
respecting the affairs of Servia, makes the tbl-
lowing remarks :

The question of the principalities of the Danube
takes every clay new importance. We mentioned
that an autograph letter from the Emperor Nicholas
had been addressed to the Sultan, protesting against
the revolution in Servia and against the deposition of
' Prince Michael, sanctioned by the Porte. To-day
the Gazette cl'Augsburg confirms this news, and adds
some curious details. According to this journal the
Czar's protest has thrown the Divan into consterna-
tion. Nevertheless, after a stormy discussion, the
Divan decided that the order of things newly esta-
blished in Servia shall be maintained in spite of the
demands of Russia. Thereupon M. de Boutenieff,
Envoy Extraordinary of the Emperor, declared that
if the Porte persisted, he had received orders to
demand his passport, and quit Constantinople.
This time it is decided that an appeal shall be
made to all the Powers against the exactions of
the Russian Cabinet. But the Ambassadors of France
and England seem to have been taken by surprise by
this incident. They replied to the Turkish Ministers
that they would write for instructions from their re-
spective Governments. Meanwhile, M. de Boutenieff
proudly maintains his ultimatum. Such are the facts.
They indicate, apparently, a tendency of the Turkish
Government to shake off the Russian yoke, and a wish
to associate the European powers in a resistance
which it seems to aim at. In this respect the facts
would be important; they would show the symptoms
of a new line of policy in the East. But we cannot
easily accept this signification. We suspect that,
under these noisy demonstrations, there lies a snare
in which the diplomatists of France, England, and
Austria will be again caught, if they do not keep a
sharp look out. In spite of ourselves, we cannot be-
lieve that the events which have taken place in Servia
can have seriously caused a quarrel between 'the cabi-
nets of Constantinople and St. Petersburgh.
It appears certain in our eyes that Russia was in
the confidence of Turkey, when the latter sent emissa-
ries to Belgrade to provoke the movement. Nego-
tiations were going on at the same time for the dis-
missal of Prince Ghika. Both were movements of
the same policy. Russia affects anger at Constan-
tinople, in order to deceive the Powers, while a secret
arrangement is made with. Turkey to sanction the
sacrifice of Prince Michael. And Turkey, requests
the envoys of the other Powers for support against
Russian anger, and for the protection of an arrange-
ment which Russia, though she openly attacks all the
time, covertly desires. The comedy is well acted.
" Private letters have been received," says
the Jlfoniteur Parisien, " from the Marquesas,
of a later date than the dispatches of Admiral
DUPETIT THOUARS. The occupation was pro-
ceeding rapidly, and to the entire satisfaction of
the natives. The establishments mentioned in
the Admiral's Report are actively developing
themselves ; 3,000 bricks were made daily, and
a kiln was constructed for baking 5,000 at once,
and lime also was made. The live stock brought
by the Admiral had been considerably aug-
mented by imports from Chili."
The Commerce in reference to the orders of
ESPARTERO to repair the citadel of Barcelona,
takes an opportunity of attacking the KING and
NI. TRIERS for planning the fortifications of
Paris :—" We recommend," says that journal,
" to the attention of our readers the order given
by the REGENT of Spain for the immediate re-
construction of the citadel of Barcelona. If the
bombarding of the city was not a sufficient notice
to the Parisians and those men fatally credulous
who have voted for the fortifications of Paris, the
language of ESPARTERO ought to deprive them
of their last illusion: At Barcelona and at Paris
the two Governments proceed in the same man-
lier, as if one copied the example of the other.
If M. TRIERS' dictatorial ordinance was uncon-
stitutional, ESPARTERO9S decree is still more so.
What right had the Executive Power in Spain
to raise taxes without the sanction of the Cham-
bers ? Does the REGENT comprise in his own
person all powers, legislative, executive, and
judicial ? This is dictatorship substituted for the
Constitution. The idea is monstrous. In fine,
the evil is great, but it would not be without a
remedy if all the well-intentioned men who were
led away by M. TRIERS would acknowledge
their errors arid unite with public opinion in ar-
resting the progress of the most formidable enter-
prise ever undertaken against the liberty and
power of a nation."
BOURSE-I'Am, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 22.
First Highest '..owest Last
Price. Price Price. Price.
French Five per Cents. 118 65... 118 90... 118 65... 118 90
414 per Cents. 106 50... 106 50.. 106 50... 106 50
Threes .. 78 40... 78 60... 78 40.. 78 60
Bank of France 3302 50...3302 50...3302 50...3302 50
Laffitte Bank I,ooof 1050 ..1050 ...1050 ...1050

5,000f...5080 ...5080 ...5080 ..5080
Belgian Bank
Belgian Fives .... .

1840.... 104 ... 104 ... 104 104
Threes ... 72 75... 72 75... 72 75... 72 75
Spanish Active. . 231 ... 23 ... 23 231
Passive ...... 4 ... 4 ... 4 ... 4
Dutch 2i per Cents... 54 ... 54 ... 54 ... 54
Portuguese Fives 32 ... 324 ... 324 ... 32i
Neapolitan ..... 106 25... 106 40... 106 25... 106 40
Roman ..... 104 i ... 104 i ... 104 j(gi