The Sun.
London, England, 1829-12-03 00:00:00

us the privilegea anti die unprivilegti in a state
of uncompromising hostility towards each other.
In England we saw in the great Revolution—
called, on the restoration, the great Rebellion—
a few of the great proprktott, and nearly the
whole of the middle classes in towns, arrayed
agai'tst t'.‘ie King, the Nobility, the Church, and
the rabble. Fortunately for England,. the fury
of contending parties was net intreased by the
interference of at--;,!gliers. Had England, like
Franca; tun open to powerful neighbours, and
tlle Court and the Nobility lent to the designs
of foreigners, and appeared at the head of an
invading army, a fearful re-attiott would have
taken place on t,hr pat of the other. Our in-
sular situation protected us from the greateq of
ail calamities—the interference of foreigners
with our disturbances. But in France and Spain
it was otherwise. The privilegd clasats in both
had recourse to foreign aid. The Champions of
the Revolution in )'ranee found themselves at-
tackrat from without, and in constant danger
within from treachery and conspiracy. The\
saw that desperate measures alone could save
them, and they had recourse to desperate mea-
sures. An anecdote is related in a Note to the
Correapondence of George Forster, the President
of Mentz, when it was taken possession of by
Custine—an interesting work, just published in
Germany, which shows what the state of excite-
ment there was among the Republicans.—
" There \vas quartered, it is said, on Forster, a
grey-headed man, a carpenter by trade, from
Normandy. As the conversation, a day or two
after his entry to his quarters, was directed to
the necessity in which the trench were placed of '
sacrificing property and person for the cause,
he remained silent on his entering the room,
and listened some time ; and when the word
sacrifice was uttered, he approached die speakers,
took off his helmet, and bowing his grey
head low, he said, as if in confirmation and by
way of conclusion And therefore have 1
brought my grey hairs, and many with me, who
have nothing to give to their country but their
life.' He gave his life in one of the battles
before the first siege of Mentz." When men
are wrought up to a state like this, and have
made a sacrifice of their all to what they deemed
so holy a cause, who will say that those at the
head of affairs ought not to adopt measures ade-
quate to the emergency, that the sacrifices may
not have been made in vain ? The Revolution
in Spain was effected under less favourable cir-
cumstances than that of France ; but the mea-
sure having been effected, it was the duty of the
country to take (hie measures for the security of
the nes order of things. Instead of this, they
acted as if a revolution was an every-day matter
—as if armies could be wrested from a King and
privileged orders, without desperate attempts to
recover the lost power. They looked stupidly on
while foreign gold and domestic treasons were
destroying their work. They could have pre-
served the Government by the means the Revo-
lution placed at their disposal ; but they chose
rather to sacrifice those who trusted to them,
than their enemies. So much with respect to
the Letter of our Correspondent, and his mistake
with respect to Revolutions. As to the conse-
quences of the Revolution, this is another ques-
tion, and a wide one, but we cannot now enter on
it.---Morning Chronicle.
We are glad to perceive that the unceasing
efforts which have been made by ourselves and
others, to draw the attention of the public to
the real situation and prospects of the country,
and especially to the evils which have been pro-
duced by a return to a metallic currency, under a
system of undiminished taxation, and without
any additional vent for our products, have at
length attracted attention in almost all quarters,
and that even those who lately spoke of us, *1
of others who entertained the same opinions, as
" drivellers," " men of one idea," &c. have
themselves not only net considered the matter
wholly beneath their notice, but even made full
confession of the evils of which the change al-
luded to has been productive. This is some-
thing gained, and who knows that by and bye
those who were pleased to charactise us by the
above genteel epithets, may not themselves be-
come equally obnoxious to their application?
But to come to the subject in hand. The New
Monthly Magazine has an article " On the
State of the Country," in which a reduction of
taxes, and a more equal distribution and appor-
tioment of the public burthens is enforced as
necessary, both on account of the change in the
currency, and the enormous pressure of the na-
tional debt, in order to prevent a sanguinary
revolution—in Blackwood's Magazine, in an
able article " On our Domestic Polity," the
ruin which has been operated by the change in
the currency is depicted in glowing colours—Mr.
Western, who is well known by his able speeches
in Parliament, and some clever pamphlets, on
the subject, has put forth a letter enforcing the
same arguments—and last, though not least, our
cotemporary the limes has itself confessed the
injustice of continuing the present rate of pay in
our public establishments ; seeing that the cur-
rency has been advanced in value at least one-
third ! Lectures, our readers are aware, are also at
present in the course of delivery, by persons well
versed in the matter, and entertaining the same
sentiments, on one point at least, with our-
selves, and which lecture are numerously at-
tended and eagerly listened to by persons of
every rank. We take it for granted, therefore,
that the public attention has, at length, been
fairly roused to a sense of the importance of the
subject. and that the time is not far distant
when the knowledge of it will become so gene-
ral, and the outcry against the panic-measure of
1826 so universal, as to compel the Govern-
ment, either to retrace its steps by permitting
the circulation of small notes by country
bankers, under due regulations for securing the '
public against loss, or to such a reduction of
the public burthens as the increased value of
the currency, and the decaying trade of the
country, so imperatively demand. With regard to
the arguments of those who differ with us in opi-
nion, and advocate an adherence to a golden
standard, whatever may be the difficulties or
the ruin in which it may involve the country, we
are frank to own that we have never been able to
discover any thing which would bear a moment's
investigation. The country bankers, say they,
abused their privileges of using small notes,
and inundated the country with them, to the
great encouragement of ruinous speculation.—
Granted that this .accusation is true in its fullest
extent—tthough, as we have repeatedly shewn,
it is utterly destitute of any real foundation—
and what is the true inference? Assuredly not
that country 'bankers should be restrained from
issuing, small notes, but that their concerns should
be placed under such legislative regulations as to
prevent such an abuse of their privilege as is
complained of. If the argument of our opponents
on this head were to be held good, it might with
equal justice and reason be• contended that no
newspapers should be published, because news-

papers are sometimes guilty of libels. But will
the most strenuous supporters of thc arguments
attempt to defend such reasoning ? Again, it is
said that " a return to the small note system is
impossible?' But why is it impossible? Be-
cause, say its opponents, " small notes would
not be now as they were before, should they be
again called into existence." Why they should
not be so, we are not informed, except that Cob-
Ina would " hammer" at them—but to this we
reply, that if small notes would not be received
in the same manger, and to the same extent, as
before, it is an argument for their re-issue, inas-
much as it would furnish a check upon their
over-issue; and with regard to Cobbctt's " ham-
mering," why we say let him " hammer" away,
and the public will be better guarded against the
alleged unsoundness of the currency.— Vorning
Advertizer.

It is not a little extraordinary that there should
be any class of persons in this country whose
habitual calling should be that of reviling our
best institutions, maligning our general policy,
and underrating our commercial prosperity. Such
a class, however, does exist, and it has found an
echo in many of the French (soi-disant) Libe-
ral Papers. The gloomy pictures drawn by the
mendacious English Journals are copied into
the French, and English commerce and general
superiority are marked out as the enemies of
all Europe. We tyrannize, forsooth ! We
monopolize ! We have a power like that of
Aaron's rod ! Have we ? Take it that we have ;
what is it that gave us an'l continues to us the
monopoly ? The question is of easy solution.
The Continental Powers would not deal with
England if it were not to their advantage ;
and England could not introduce her articles
into the foreign markets, were it not for the
great extent of her capital, the superiority of her
machinery, and the extraordinary enterprise of
her manufactures. Since the peace several fac-
tories have been started in Germany, France,
and Holland : some of them have thriven—some
have failed; but in proportion to what they pro-
duce must our foreign exports be diminished.
During. the war our manufactures found their
way to the very camps of the enemy and the
farthest quarters of the globe. Since the peace
our commerce has become restricted, and par-
tial distress has almost necessarily followed.
Our war expenditure was more than seventy
millions a year—we had an unrestricted pa-
per currency credit knew no bounds—
trade, capital, wealth, all assumed a highly
fictitious character. The facility of obtaining
discounts and bankers' paper in mortgage en-
abled every man, who was willing, to embark in
agriculture or in some branch of commerce,
until at length landlords trebled their rental—
every inch of ground was brought into cultiva-
tion—market prices ascended in the same pro-
portion—the wages of labour did not lag be-
hind ;—and is it to be wondered it, that such an
artificial state of things should not continue for
ever ? The misfortune is that it continued so
long as to aggravate that pressure which we have
recently been compelled to witness. And still
we have a decided superiority in the demand for
our manufactures. Whence does this arise?
From our love or admiration of England, or
from the excellence and comparative cheap-
ness of her commodities ? The French
Journalists will perhaps inform us. We
could not keep the :command of the fo-
reign market, if, -as has been stated, we could
not afford to sell a better article, and at a
cheaper rate, than our competitors, be they
whom they may. The truth is, that France has
not sufficient commercial enterprize to risk her
capita) or her skill in competition with England,
nor are the habits of her people as yet fashioned
to mercantile pursuits. Such a country must
possess many of the elements of commercial
greatness, but hitherto they have not been suffi-
ciently blended together—they have not put on
that form and consistency which alone could
enable her to enter into successful rivalry with
the commerce of Great Britain. If France, and
Germany, and Russia deal with us, it arises
from their necessities as much as from our supe-
riority ; and in such a state of things we see no
reason why they should quarrel with us.—
Morning Pos'.

DESTRUCTION OF RAMSGATE

THEATRE.

RAMSGATE, Dec. I.—Last night, at a late hour,
this town was thrown into dismay by I he announce-
ment of a fire, which had broken out in the theatre
a short time after the performance had closed. In
an instant the bells on the pier were set ringing, and
the engines put in motion, and, in a short time, the
inhabitants had congregated near the scene to the
amount of many hundred,. Unfortunately, from
the confined situation of the premises, there was a
scanty supply of water, and it was feared that the
houses proximate would fall a prey to the devastat-
ing element. However, by a judicious application
of the quantity that could be obtained, the fire was
confined to the building, though it raged, from the
combustible nature of the interior, with appalling
and destructive force. The roof very soon gave
way, owing to the rafters having ignited through
the agency of the burning scenery, which consumed
like wild fire ; and now that a vent had been ob-
tained the flames mounted very high in the air,
illuminating the sky for miles round, and throwing
on the surface of the sea, contrasted with the dark-
ness of the night, sublime tints of gold, now vary•
ing into brighter colours, then changing to the sombre
shade of evening, as when the sun, having half
spent his course, falls on the bosom of the.. water.
Notwithstanding the exertions of the inhabitants,.
who seemed to vie with each other in activity, no
human aid could subdue the terrific influence of the
element, and long before day-light the whole of this
fine property, with all the scenery, dresses, decora-
tions, &c. were consumed.
The theatre ;is the property of Mr. Fawcett Sa-
vill, whose company of comedians have lately been
performing with great success.
The house, we understand, is insured, but not to
an amount sufficient to cover the loss.
The fire is supposed to have originated from a
candle having been incautiously left burning, and
a spark flying from it communicating to some of
he scenery. The poor comedians are left in a wo-
'IA plight.

The late Duke of BRIDGEWATER, at his
death, left most of his houses, his plate, his pictures, va-
lued at the time at one hundred and fifty thousand pounds,
to his nephew, the present Marquis of STAFFORD ; toge-
ther with the canal property in Lancashire, which brings
in from fifty to eighty thousand pounds per annum, with
remainder to his second son, Lord Fitatscis LEVESON
Gowsa ; consequently this young Nobleman, the pre-
sent Secretary for Ireland will, at the death of his
father, should he survive him, possess a larger income
in the county of Lancaster than any other person.--
To the last Earl of BRIDGEWATER but one the
Duke left A,hbridge, in Hertfordshire, with the
rest of the family estates in Bucks, Salop, and York-
shire, to the amount of thirty thousand pounds per annum,
and nearly six hundred thousand pounds in the funds.
The Duke of BRIDGEWATER had the great merit of origi-
nating inland navigation in this country, directed by the
celebrated Mr. BRINDLEV, of whose life Dr. Kings has
given an interesting account in the Biog. Brit. The
well-known Wittram GILBERT, Esq., many years an
active Member of the House of Commons, superintended
and improved the canals after BaiNatay's death.