The Sun.
London, England, 1829-12-08 00:00:00

RUSSIA AND BRITISH INDIA.

(From the Mornbag Herald City Article.)

There are a good many persons in the City who
continue to l'eel,or profess to feel, great anxiety least
the illness of the Emperor of Russia should termi
nate fatally. Such an event would doubtlessly have !
an adverse effect upon Russian Bonds, and, in the.]
present feverish state of the Money Market, would
probably cause a temporary decline in our Funds.
We are sill, however, of opinion, that as the death
of the Emperor might lead to a dispute for the suc-
cession, and as such dispute must inevitably paralyse
the power of the Russian empire, it would, there-
fore, be highly favourable, in a political point of
. view, to England. Whatever time-serving writers
may say to the contrary, nee have much to dread
from the power of Russia. Her proximity to our
East India possessions: ought to make England look
with a jealous eye 'upon every thing calculated to
increase her resources, and to give her still greater
preponderance in the councils of Europe. In taking.
this view of the subject we only follow the opinions
of some of ,the greatest political writers and politi-
cians this country. has produced, to say nothing of
Napoleon, whose. authority upon such matters is a
hc;st iii itself._ Colonel-Evans, however, in his late
Work, has demonstrated; ' in our opinion, beyond all
dispute, the practicability of the invasion of India.
The line of country through which he thinks a
Russian army might proceed, passes through the
states of Khiva, Bokhara, and Guilin!, the climates
of which are spoken of in terms of admiration, as
" delightful, salubrious, and 'invigorating," by the
Russian and English Envoys and Officers who have
lately visited them. Col. Evans obseues—
" That those who ridicule the idea of danger from
Russia, are persons who have long been accustomed to
look to France in all their speculations ; and having made up
their minds that France cannot attack our Indian empire,
they save themselves the trouble of thinking, and apply the
same reasoning to this new Power, merely substituting in
their minds the word ' Russia' for France.' For my part,
I cannot see why we shou!d have made such exertions to
get the French out of Egypt, if we are to be indifferent
respecting the movements of Russia."
With respect to the practicability of the invasion
of India by Russia, the Colonel brings forward a
host of authorities, and shows, from Russian writers
themselves, what may be readily believed without
their acknowledging it, that the conquest of India
has frequently occupied the attention of the Cabinet
of St. Pctersburgh, and that persons have been em-
ployed to collect every information on the subject.
For our part we are convinced that, if the power of
Russia goes on increasing for a few years in the
same proportion as it has done latterly, our East
India possessions will be placed in jeopardy. We
do not, however, think that the internal tranquillity
of this vast empire will be long preserved, and we
have little doubt but the death of the present Em-
peror will greatly accelerate a civil war. But, sup-
posing his infant son should be allowed quietly to
succeed him, the empire must be placed under a
Regency ; and a Regency in a despotic State sel-
dom constitutes a strong or lasting Government.
Under these circumstances, we do not perceive any
thing in the demise of Nicholas, supposing that
event should take place, alarming to England. It is
true that there may be, and probably is, a powerful
party in Russia opposed to the peace with Turkey ;
but we do riot see how that party, should it come
into power, could undo the engagements of Nicho-
Ls. At any rate, such a proceeuing would be op-
posed by all the principal Powers of Europe.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.

MANSION-HOUSE.

A Savoyard boy was brought, together with his
monkey, before the LORD MAYOR, on a charge of
vagrancy.
An officer stated that the boy had, during several
days, stationed himself in Cheapside with his mo:►kry.
He was half naked, and dirty; and the monkey,
whose natural jacket appeared to be in very woful
plight, stuck close to him, and looked upon all the
passers by in the most melancholy way imaginable.
The grouping, in fact, was such, that few could
pass without throwing something to the " two
poor creeturs." They were routed from thcir pe:t
several times by the officer, who at last became so
well known to the monkey, that as soon as he
appeared in the neighbourhood, Jacko gave hi 4
master, who usually sat with his head between his
legs, a twinge by the ear, and a shake, and off they
moved for a time. The place was, however, too
profitable to be resigned for any length of time,
and the police, although of the old stock, proved
too clever for the two vagrants.

It was stated that numbers of these boys pra-
vided with monkeys had lately arrived at Ports-
mouth, and were now settled in Field-lane, from
whence they are sent out by fellows, upon various
beats in the metropolis, where they picked up as
much as paid their employers well for maintaining
them. One man had brought them over as a specu-
lation; but he found a variety of bidders for the article.
The LORD MAYOR wished the reciprocity system
was adopted with respect to this commodity ; but
our beggars were not enterprising, or, perhaps, were
too well fed to try the experiment.—(A laugh.)
The boy was interrogated ini French and English,
' but he attended to no questions put to him. lie
seemed to rely upon the monkey to get him out of
the scrape.
A beadle, who had seen the two delinquents be-
fore, seriously assured the Lord Mayor that both
could answer for themselves. It was nonsense to
think the boy left every thing to the monkey.—
(Laughter.)
Tke LORD MAYOR—The monkey has made him-
self intelligible to me certainly. I 'can see that he
has had no breakfast, and that he fears he will get
none while his fciend is in prison ; but, though it
may be a hard thing upon the monkey, he must keep
out of the streets.

The monkey gave the boy a twitch, and the lat-
ter, as if he 'Tally was taking a hint, said that he
belonged to the colony in Field-lane.
The LORD MAYOR ordered that the companions
should be detained in the Compter, and that intel-
ligence of the state of that colony should be brought
to him.

The Vagrant Act gives full power to pw!inh per-
F+?id forth_ others to collect alms; and it
is by no means creditable to the police that those
who pocket the profits escape with impunity.