The Sun.
London, England, 1820-12-18 00:00:00

WEEKLY RETROSPECT.

4t Vl:tidy, with Unefornzity," is said, by the
iphilosophic IluTcniNsoN, to be the " soul of
beauty." If that axiom be turrect, then certainly
thei-CoßkonAmoli DF LONDON must be the most

1-05aptiful corporation in the. world, and must

--cpptain prettier WHIGS than any other part of
the empire ; -for sorely nothing, or rather no two
things, can form a finer contrast than the two re-
tent Corporate Addresses.
The one from the Mayor and Aldermen, or
more.
_properly from some of the Aldermen, ac-

icompanied.by the Mayor, loyal, just.,.liberal, yet
decided ; the other from the Mayor, some Alder-
men, and some Common Councilmen—what shall
we say ?—yes ! we shall call it deserving—highly
deserving of the rebuke. which it drew forth from
-the SOVEREIGN on the THRONE of the BRITISH
EMPIRE !! I

64 Nec Deus intersit, nisi dignzts 'indite nodus,"
is indeed Ae rule of the Roman Poet, but JUN.-
TER TONANS himself, though his thunderbolts
-were intended for great purposes, Must yet have
darted them, hart he been annoyed by wasps and
tarantulas on Mount Olympus, the Pall-mall of
the. ancient Deities !

At what academy the framers of that Address
may have•ktudied we shall not pretend to say;
but most certainly it was not at the 64 Academy

of Compliments."—ln short, it reminded us of a
• scavenger's cart ; • not rumbling over a jolting
. pavement, and • merely spattering the passengers
•e' passant, but fkiirly upset in the Court-yard of
• -Carlton Palace to the annoyance of MAJESTY
• itself, and of all his liege subjects good and

true ! But to treat the matter in more mea-
sured phrase, We shall say in the words of the
sentimental STERNE—" Tile accus►ng CITS flew
to the Levee with •the Address—the Recorder
blushed as he gave it in—whilst the Sovereign,
with a frown, blotted it out for ever !"
It has been often said that the following
secrets would be found out by fools:—The
Longitude, the Philosopher's Stone, and the
'FULCRUM which ARCHIMEDES required in order

to move the world ! The last of these, the wise
it-..en of London think they have discovered in

attaining the Corporate power of becoming
. .
" Black Guards in Ordinary" to the Sovereign,
and of presenting to him a jobation in. Regal

state.

It was long a contest between, the CitN and the
Court, whether the Livery should or should not
have the privilege of presenting their Addresses
to the Throne, or only through the Home Setre-
- tarp. At that period, the Radicals of the day
had possession of the Common Hall, hut not of
the Common Council, nor the Court of Aldermen ;
-svi:ilst his late Majesty firmly determined not to
admit of any new privilege, and to receive no
Addresses, except frorri the Corporation of Lon-
- 'don, upon the Throne; owing to which, the
Wilksites, • and others since that, could only spit
• their venom in Guildhall, or through the medium
of the press.

Now, however, an opportunity has been gain-
ed, and they have certainly availed themselves
qt it—on which we can only observe, that if
_ Ver..oon's drug pounders
or WAITHMAN'S Shop-
men had dared to utter such a Round Robin to
their Sovereigns, they would have been kicked
out from the presence without ceremony !; or, as
more elegantly expressed by the Hop-substitute-
Alderman's compeer at • Brandyburgh House,
" sans etiquette!"
We certainly feel disposed to censure the great
bodF of the Corninon Council for permittin a
• factious few thus to rule the roast; yet if there
were a safe time, and perhaps none safer than
the present, it Might be well to try the experi-
• latent of allowing- them to settle the affairs of the
world by themselves, in presence of Goa and
ArAc-on, whom the worthy wooden Alderman,
in his .rage for improvement, has brought nearly
on a level with them, instead of frowning from
on high in -silent majesty. Those two Gentle-
men, with a fellow feeling for their brother
blocks, will certainly ne.v2; oppose any thing
that may be moved ; and perhaps it is as well
that nobody else should. Debates, without op-
position, like that of Friday last, will soon lose
all their relish out of. doors ; and our great Re-
formers in tile East, like their brethren in the
West, having nobody else to quarrel with, will
speedily fall out amongst themselves. •
In the mean time, Loyal Addresses go on well.
We take not our authority from the Glzette, but
, from the Times, Chronicle, and Press, who e vi-
tuperation always rises in proportion to the fair
expression of public opinion.
The Brandyftrgh defencc now brought forward
—that all, which was said, was really done, but
all as a hoar—seems to mean more than either
party imagine. It
.has already been hinted, in
answer to a London Address, that oven iii health
. shall not tear a certain person away from her be-
loved subjects, but then thoSe loving subjects
cannot do less, by and, by, than give leave for a
Continental trip in search• of health ; and then
what was once done as a hoax, may again be done
as a joke, without fear of Public Clamour, or even
of Pains and Penalties !-

1. G. N.

We can confidently state that Parliament will
certainly meet on the 23d of January for the dis-
patch of public business.---We have received pri-
vate letters and papers from Naples to the 26th
ult. Until the 2:lth, while an Invasion on the
part of Austria, though probable, was yet an un-
certaiwevent, it appears there was every demon-
stration denoting that a most vigorous resistance
was preparing to repel any intruder. But on the
26th, when, hostilities were announced to the
Parliament as actually inevitable, the scene was
completely changed, and the leders of the new
Government are represented to, have been as
much at a loss, on this intelligence, as if they
had never contemplated even the possibility of
an attack. Desertions, not simply of a few men
getting away by stealth, but to the number of
upwards of 330 from one Regi:nent alone, had
taken place-;- the deserters marching off with
their arms, baggage, and ammunition, and firing
upon whoever endeavoured to oppose them.—
Frequent assassinations were likewise daily dis-
gracing that unfortunate capital ; yet any gene-
ral system of reprehension or • police was of
course considered as totally incompatible with
the liberty of the subject ! Under this dilemma,
it is said that the lit w had been requested to re-
assume the reins
.qf (;overurnent, to put himself
at .the head of the Army, and to enter into Ne-
gociations. ‘vith. 'the, Austrians, but that his MA-
JESTY had refused. Among the numerous and
extraordinary subjects upon -which 'the Neapoli

tan Parliament think proper, at this critical mo-
ment, to debate, one was, Whether the
" Supreme Being was, or was not) to be Consi-
" tiered as the Ruler of the Universe !"—We
are, however, happy to inform our Readers that
tire-question was, • at length, carried in favour of
tie Deity. Thus it unfortunately happens that
schemes of Reform and attempts at Revolution are
but too often and too fatally tainted with Infidelity.
We, however, hope and trust that this unfavour-
able state of affairs may soon wear a less gloomy
aspect. The firm stand made on the part of the
British Government at the late Conferences, and
the little expectation of support to be derived
froni France, cannot, we should consider, but in-
fluence the Members of the Holy Alliance to
temper their pretensions of interfering in the in-
ternal ,Government of Independent States; and
the imminent dangers, coupled with the difficulties
on all sides, which now menace the Neapolitan
Metropolis, will, we trust, induce their present
leaders to adopt, before it be too late, a more mo-
derate form of Government, by which the Rights
of the People 'may fairly and effectively be assi-
milated with the just Prerogatives of the Crown.

The Message of the AMERICAN PRESIDENT,
which we had the pleasure of inserting on Satur-
day, calls for no particular comments, but must
be gratifying to all friends of social order, on ac-
count of its pacific character. It is likewise gratify-
ing, as it concurs with all that has be-en said by
sound, Politicians in this Country, in ascribing
our Comniercial distresses in a great measure to
the sudden transition from a state of war to a
state of peace. The''friends of humanity in ge-
neral will also derive satisfaction from the apparent
determination of the American Government, to
exert itself resolutely in attempting to suppress
the Slave Trade, a traffic so peculiarly degrading
to mankind, in the present enlightened period.

We received yesterday the Paris Papers of
Thursday last. Those of Friday, which were
due this morning, have not arrived.
Wednesday the. KING held a Council of Mi-
nisters, who afterwards held another meeting, at
the residence of the Duke de Richelieu. To-
morrow is the day appointed for the assembling
of the Chambers.

The accounts from Troppau to the 30th ult.
inclusive, state, that it appeared to be decided
upon that the Allied Sovereigns, as well as the
Ministers, should proceed to -Vienna, where
they were to remain till the 20th instant, and
then to continue their negotiations in a more
southern town, supposed to be Laybach; but their
meeting at all at the latter place probably de-
pends upon the answer received from the Neapo-
litan Government.

The intelligence from Naples contains a letter
from the PRINCE 'VICAR-GENERAL to the Parlia-
ment, in which his Royal Highness pledges him-
self, in case of an attack upon the Neapolitan
territory, to place himself immediately at the
head of the army. This letter, which is dated
the 18th ult. is silent as to any communications
received from the Allied Sovereigns. A person-
age of considerable importance from Russia, was
expected at Naples the latter end of last month.

FIVE PER CENTS.

Wctine.day 7B f. 45 c.
DEFERRED STOCK

Of the 22d March, 1317 lOB f. 50 c.
lid Sept. 1840 94 f. 6u 6.
EXCHANG.E ON LONDON.

One Month
Three Months

35 f. 50 c.
25 t. 25 c.

We► are authorised to state that the Gaelic
Address presented to the QUEEN this day, and
purporting to be from the Highland Society or
Assembly in London, is not from " the Corpora-
tion of the Highland Society of London."

Downside, or St. Benedict's College, is near
Shipton Mallet, in Somersetshire, not Shropshire,
as stated. The 'Architect was Mr. GOODRTDGE,
of Bath. We have no objection to a liberal
toleration of the Roman Catholics, but we trust
that they will, in turn, refrain from attempting
to make converts, and also check their hopeless
ambition of being admitted to a share in political
authority.
The whole of the Cabinet Ministers are said to
be summoned to attend a Cabinet Council at the
Foreign Office on Wednesday next.

Letters have been received from Batavia down
•to the beginning of August. The- expedition
against. Palembang had been given up, and tl►e
troops were to embark for Macassar, to reduce
to obedience the SULTAN of BoNI, the most
powerful Prince of Celebes, who had proved re-,
fractory. Their giving up the expedition against
Palembang may be considered as conclusive of
the weakness of the Dutch Government in the
Archipelago. " Sincapore," says one letter,
" thrives most wonderfully, and all the English
here are in raptures with it. The situation is in
every respect admirable ; and if your negociators
give it up"they will deserve impeachment. The
Dutch settlement of Malacca declines as Sinca-
pore advances."--(Morning Chronicle.)
The answer given on Saturday to several of
the Nobility who called at Carlton House, was,
" His MAJESTY is quite well."