The Sun.
London, England, 1827-01-13 00:00:00

SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS.

IThe public documents which have recently issued frois
the bureaux of Washington, are distinguished even bt-
yond any previous productions of the official tease of Nat I
Ainerica, by the irksome characteristics of prolongation;
and inflation. But for the certainty that some matter--
and matter of great importance too—must inevitably bs
lodged below the extended surface of these papers,
would be a work of extreme rashness to undertake as.;
perusal of them—and one beyond human patience to ex:-_ -
mine, with any seriousness, their contents. Here is
composition of four columns, calling itself a Treasury Re-
port, the whole substance of which, we will venture to
say, might be confined within an eighth part of the space
allotted to it. If republican functionaries were paid for
Writing by the mile, we might be able to tinderstand this
fondness for running after infinitudes As trieily as pos-
sible we shall explain, that the tordessied object of the finance
report is to detail the receipts and expellees of the _Ameri-
can Treasury for the years 1825, 1826, and the estimates
of income and .expenditure for 1827. An account of the
public debt, and its progressive liquidations, as likewise of
the interest-with its reductions past and desired, is given
as a matter of (7.-stirse amongst the other financial state-
ments. lii ;825, the total receipts of the Treasury of the
Union were, in round numbers, 28,800;000 dollars; of
Iwhich, however, there had remained surplus from 1821,
1,900,000, and was raised by loan, 5,000,000; leaving
of income from taxation (chiefly Customs) within the
year, 21,100,000. The expenditure for that year was
about 23,600,000, of which there went towards the
liquidation of the public debt, the large sum of more
than 12,000,000 dollars, above one-eighth of the then
existing debt. The military budget for 1823 including
ordnance, fortifications, pensions; militia, &e. fell short of
5,700,000 dollars ; the navy,
.inehiding the sums appro-
priated to its gradual incresst 3,050,000; and there re-
mained in the Treasurs, at the close of the year, a sum ra-
ther greater than the fun which has been raised in the
course of it, viz. 5,200,000; income for 1826, derived
from taxes, public,,-ands, &c. within the year little short of
25,000,000; -making the whole receipts of the Treasury,
,et, the e,`,-.4 of 1826, of- which the last quarter has been
"e`/./sy estimate only, something more than 31,000,000;
expenses of 1826, 24,660,000; of which, for the payment
of debt, about 10,100,000; army, &c. 6,400,000; navy,
4,200,000; exhibiting a tendency in the naval department
to increase the proportion of its expenditure to that of the
army as compared with the preceding year; and an aug-
mentation in the charge for both military and marine—
the former of 700,000 dollars, the latter of 1,150,000 dol-
-1 lars. The balance estimated to be in the Treasury at the
end of 1826 was upwards of 6,400,000 ; of which
1.100,000 was an excess above the loan of 1625; and,
With the 10,100)000 employed as a sinking fund, left a
surplus revenue for the year, over and above the current
expenses of the Government, amounting to 11,500,000
doll(trs, or one half the public revenue. The revenue from
taxes, public lands, &c., as estimated for 1827, stands at
rather more than '23,1)00,000 dollars; the expenditure at
20,000,000; of which, for sinking fund, 10,000,000;
army, 5,650,000; navy, 3,230,000; and civil list, consi-
derably reduced, 1,830,000 dollars. The annual grant ap-
propriated for the gradual increase of the navy, expiring
-with 1826, the renewal of it is strongly, though indirectly
recommended to the consideration of Congress.—Tines.

It nosy appears certain, that on the very day the bridge
Amarante was attacked by the Marquess de Chaves, an
,attenipt• was also made to force the bridge of Caves, built
Over the Tamer, and about midway between Mirandella
ak Braga, and twenty miles above Amarante. This is
the other entrance into the province of Minho. This
'at-
tack of the rebels on the bridge of Caves was commanded
by General Vahia, the best officer they have among them,
he having served during the greatest part of the campaigns
the Peninsula. The defence was commanded by Gen.
Mello, the Military Governor of Tras-os-Montes, who,
with the soldiers faithful to the Constitutional cause, had
retreated to the lines of the province of Minho, acting in
concert with General Claudino. After this double defeat,
the leader of the Aposolicals changed his plans, and, in-
stead of losing more time in attempting to force the line of
the Tatnega, he crossed the Douro, in front of Lamego,
afterwards proceeding towards Pinhel and Almeida.—
Mornin,g Chronicle.

We have seen a long political letter, dated Madrid,
"t6th ult.,- which adverts, at some length, to the ease
with which Mr. Lamb appeared satisfied with the rein-
statement of the Count de Casa Flores, who, it now
turns out, has never quitted Lisbon, although the Go-
vernment emanating from Don Pedro is not thereby
considered as being more acknowledged than it was
before. • The march of Spanish troops towards the Por-
tuguese frontiers is hastened. The reason given for this
new measure, for the assembling of 16,000 men on the
frontiers, is, that the orders of the Madrid Government
are not obeyed in the provinces, and this army is re-
quisite to enforce them; as if such a force was required
to disarm 2 or 3,000 Portuguese deserters. For this
equipment no money is wanting, at the same time that
no public revenue can be collected. The taxes and con-
tributions of the State produce nothing. The navy, also,
is entirely ruined. Scarcely are there four ships of war
in the whole of the Naval Departments, and these could
not go to sea without a considerable expellee. The naval
arsenals are, in fact, empty. Even- the construction and
armament of small vessels, for the protection of the coast-
ing trade, is entirely neglected, although so frequently in-
terrupted by the South American crttizers, and some
ports being even blockaded by them. The disorder and
dilapidation so general in every branch of the Administra-
tion, continue. The slender means derived from the esta-
blishment of the public credit, formerly appropriated for
the payment of the interest on the National Debt, are all
spent for the support of the Royal Family. Yet, in the
midst of all this penury, the letter says, an army of 16,000
men is organized and put in motion in Spain, with as
much rapidity as if the scene were in England or France,
nor is any thing wanting either for the equipment or
pay. Tenders for supplies, on the most moderate terms,
have been sent in to Government. The houses of
Riera, Gaviria, and Remise, are said to be the con-
tractors for the greatest part of the supplies destined
for the Spanish Array of Observation. More than 20
millions of rials had already been paid into the General
Treasury up to the 25th, on this new account, and
every one was astonished whence such a sudden abun-
dance of money could be derived. Every one in Madrid
expressed- his surprise, and all concluded that the advances
.were made by France. The letter alluded to concludes
thus Lhave given you an idea of the state of our Re-
vel*, in the face of such art armament as that just or-
dered b 7 the Government; but if you were to look at the
interior situation of Spain, you would find that the ruined
agriculture, the destruction of every kind of manufactur-
ing industry, and the stoppage of trade, still present a more
melancholy- picture than that of the Government. It is
impossible that a state so forced and unnatural can last.
A spontaneous revolution, in fact, seems inevitable, for
the effects extend
to 'U.' Every man of reflection, who
can realize any thing for the support of his family, escapes
to a foreign land, in search of an asylum, where he will no
longer be obliged to live in terror.-
Frequently Colonels,
bearing upon their bodies the visible and honourable
wounds they received during the war .of Independence,
are seen begging alms from door to door, accepting with
thanks the smallest pittance, even a cuarto (about ba
far-
thing). They bear about them the stigma of having been
Liberals; on this • acceount they are not paid, and their
families are left without bread to eat ; whilst, at the
same time, the Archbishop of Toledo has eight millions
of rials (80,0001.), and the Archbishop of Seville six
millions (60,0001.) per annum, to enable them to live in

France has not known the Liberty of the Press for any
great length of time—but the men who rule her destinies
at present thiok she has known it too long, and are re-
solved to bring back the country to its state of original
darkuoia-- Whew' Vigour than wind° iu
'lsßwtal y more