The Sun.
London, England, 1829-04-28 00:00:00

Islands, but till we do, we are bound to protect
them against foreign attack and civil broils. But in
t lurcaae.of Portugal, we. are culpable in having, by
our former conduct, led the people to entertain ex-
pectations-of 'future interference, but not bound to
continue our interference. Under the circumstances
of the case, we might stand excused, perhaps, with
fOreign Governments, for departing from a strict
neutrality. But Ministers were bound to consider
how far their duty to the people of this country
would justify them in taking part in dissensions,
which might involve- materially the resources of the
nation. In private life, we sometimes hear of one
man making advances to another, who speculates
on the faith of a continuance of the same
kindness. But though the abrupt termination of
the favours may have the effect of involving the
speculator in ruin, and yet it would be hard to say
that a regard to his own circumstances should not
authorise a man to withdraw his assistance when no
longer convenient to give it. We apprehend that
something like this is the case with Portugal. We
have mixed ourselves up a good deal with the affairs
of that country ; and after the departure of the
Court to Brazil, may be said to have carried on the
Government for a time, and directed the employ-
ment of its resources. Bet we were in this case
bound by our Treaty of Alliance, offensive and de-
fensive, to act as we did. The same Treaty does
not bind us to take part in a civil war ; and our for-
mer interference cannot surely amount to an obliga-
tion to that extent. But the Portuguese exile
charges our Ministry with something different from
neutrality. We have already alluded to Terceira,
on which we wait to hear the defence of Ministers,
" But how much more galling (he adds) to the
feelings of an independent nation was the act of
sending an obnoxious diplomatist, the sworn enemy
of our Charter, to insult the head of the House of
Braganca, by openly advocating the cause of the
Ueurper, and threatening the wrath of England, if
compliance was withheld ! Had the British Ministry
even wished to preserve the appearance of neutrality
why did they not, at the same time, send an agent
to Lisbon to prevent the persecution of the patriots
and the confiscation of their property ?" Let us
hope that this allegation is, at least, partly untrue.—
..Morning Chronicle.
Some of the French papers have stated that the
French Five per Cents. are to be turned into Four
per Cents.; but, in order to accomplish this, must
not the latter be paid off? and that would be no easy
matter, considering that there are two hundred mil-
lions of French Five per Cents. Certainly the
French Government might threaten to pay them off,
and the threat might induce a great many of the
holders to accept the proposal of the Frencti Go-
vernment, whatever it might be—upon the same
principle that the threat to pay off our Five per
Cents. by Mr. Vansittart—though they amounted
to 120 millions—had the effect of inducing our Five
per Cent. Fundholders to accept his proposal of the
reduction of one per cent. from the interest. If,
however, the holders of our Five per Cents. had
said to Mr. Vansittart " We will take you at your
word, and be paid off—we will not accept your pro-
posal of a reduction of interest"—he would have
bad some difficulty in paying off the one hundred
and twenty millions. So, also, in the case of our
Four per Cents., amounting to 80 millions, Mr.Van-
sittart would have found it not a little difficult, had
the holders said "We will be paid off, and not accede
to your proposal of a half per cent. reduction from the
interest." The French Funds amount to 200 millions.
Where would the French Government be able to get
200 millions to pay them off, suppose the French
holders were stubborn, and said, " Well, pay us
off ?" And, according to the Budget of last year, a
loan will be wanted to make good the deficiency.
This does not augur well for the paying off a 200-
million debt. Besides, the French Five per Cents.
are only seven to eight per cent. above par. If the
French Ministers were to propose paying them off,
they would soon sink to par. In the latter case,
therefore, what would be gained by paying them
off, if such a thing were possible ? But if the
French people were to take it into their heads to
Heil, rather than to submit to a reduction of inte-
rest, they would receive gold, which if they did
not again immediately re-invest in something, the
gold of France would disappear. This would not
suit the French Government. So long as our Three
per Cents. remain at a price Flom 88 to 87, %re can-
not see how France can get rid of her Five per
Cents., except they were to rise to 120, and then
the Government of France could only get rid of
them by degrees—a portion at a time, by lottery—
which might be effected by means of new Three or
Four per Cent. Stocks—the result of further loans
—though the latter would cause both Three and
Four per Cents. to fall in price much below par, for
a time at least.—Morning Herald.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.

MANSION-HOUSE.

It was represented to the LORD MAYOR that a
most atrocious system of robbery was practised very
frequently against seamen, by several fellows who
carry about a respectable appearance, and call them-
selves agents. It is well known that seamen come
home, after a long voyage, with large arrears of pay
due to them, and that they are, the moment they
reach the shore, made to spend some of it in the
boisterous and convivial way which a long abstemi-
ousness from all pleasures to a certain degree sanc-
tions. No persons are more aware of this than the
crimps or agents who infest the public house to
which sailors are in the habit of resorting; and some
plot is generally laid against any jovial tar whose
claims for pay happen to amount to a considerable
sum. It is but very lately the plan has been de-
tected : and now that it has been discovered, the
owners of the vessels to which the plundered sea-
men belong are determined to prosecute those who
have been concerned in the conspiracy.
It has often happened, according to the represen-
tation made, that a sailor, upon landing and apply-
ing to an agent for a little money, after the state-
ment of his case, has been tapped on the shoulder,
to his astonishment, for a debt which he never con-
tracted, and of the existence of which he was wholly
ignorant. He is then hurried by what they call a
bum-trap to a sponging-house, and told that he must
pay the amount of debt and costs (often amounting
so 401. or 501.) before he can obtain his liberty.
The natural 'expatience of restraint upon the part of
the seaman favours this conspiracy. An agent is at
hand, and offers to settle the whole sum, rid Jack of
the horrors of law, and put into his hand :301. or CO/.
if he will consent to transfer his pay.
It is, unfortunately for the unthinking seamen, the
practice of owners to withhold the pay of the crews
of their vessels until the vessels shall have been cleared
and the accounts have been made up. It was stated
that even a small portion of the wages is denied
before the accounts have been regulated, so that a
seaman who must have " his fling" necessarily com-
mences dealing with the agents, and thug, gives an
opportunity of plunder, which is always snatched at.
In consequence of this, the seamen have been al-
ways subject to be pilfered ; but the " bum-trap "
plan has only of late made its appearance.
A seaman, who landed a few days ago, it was re-
ported to the Lord Mayor, became the victim of a
conspiracy of this nature. He was arrested for 401.,
for a debt of which he knew nothing, and locked
up. An agent made his appearance, offered his as-
sistance, and for a cheque of little more than 301., and
a promise to pay the expenses of the action, and to
liberate Jack, prevailed upon him to deliver up the
power to receive his wages, which amounted to up-
wards of 801.

The owners, however, we believe, received some
intimation of what had occurred, and refused to pay
the order.

The LORD MAYOR expressed the greatest indig-
nation at so base a conspiracy, and gave immediate
instructions to the officers upon the subject.

We understand that some. exertions -will be soon

made to prevent the enormous impositions to which
seamen have been liable. Their carelessness about
money is well_known, and this vice has drawn down