The Sun.
London, England, 1820-10-02 00:00:00

WEEKLY RETROSPECT.

REVOLUTION, or Regenerationfor we know
not what to call it; but the Tree must be known
by its fruits—seems still to be the order of the day,
or rather of the week. POLAND, it is now said, is
.tabe restored by the Emperor ALEXANDER to its
Original integrity and independellfe. If such is
really 'to be the case—if RUSSIA, AUSTRIA, and
PRUSSIA will each give up their portion of that
dissevered Country; permitting it to resume its
Ricci/ye illimarehy, with a solemn promise, and
fulfilment of that promise, not to interfere either
--directly or indirectly in the choice.of the People,
We should certainly give those Powers great cre-
dit for political liberality, though we as certainly
should; at the present moment, both for general
and special reasons, doubt the propriety or fea-
sibility of the arrangetnent. _ _

That any State could start forth with a Mo-
narchical I..lection, without foreign interference,
it is impossible to believe ; for, even if the great
Powers were to promise with the truest faith to
look on in silence and
.inactivity, is it to be for a
moment supposed that the Great Politicians of the
COMMON COUNCIL of LONDON would be quiet?
No ! notoven if the new Loan MAYOa were to
Become a member of the " Holy Alliance," and
to send the two patriotic Aldermen as his Re-
presentatives to the Great European Congress !
We real & jest not in this observation,; for though
it is not likely that Alderman WooD'shall be:
elected King of Poland, even provided Baron
BERG -iv(' declines that dignity, to compensate
him for losing the Election for Lord Mayor ; nor
that Alderman WAITIIMAN shall exchange his
yard wand, for a sceptre, and-his gold chain for
a crown, to makeup for his fall from M. P., yet '
the non-interference of the,British Government
would not prevent the busy Criftsmen of the Bri-
tish Capital from playing for Crowns, in hopes of
kicking up a dust somewhere ! In short, WAR-
SAW Mould still become the -Theatre for all the
ambitious, intermeddliiig Politicians of Europe ;
and we should doubtless have J OHN CAM writing
a Constitution for the Poles, just as he (lid for
Flt.tNcE, until the noise of the Allie&Drums and
Trumpets, sounding through the Cul de- Sac up
to his political. pigeon-hole, put a noli prosequi'
'on his " juvenile essay."
The Whigs indeed talk and write with rap-
ture about this restoration of Poland, as they call ,
it ; when the truth of the matter is, that Po-
LANDS under her Elective Monarchy, had neither
Liberty nor Independence! She was then a feu-
dal country, with a few great Lords, who in a
great measure exercised Sovereign power upon
their own Estates, having a few Nobles or pri-
vate Gentlemen as their retainers,
,and holding
•the great mass of the People in the most slavish
bondage—as serfs'—or slaves of the soil, at the
nncontrolled diSposal of their Lords,. as to life,
liberty, property, and, in short, in every thing
which a free man can call his !
The Barons indeed were free—as free as our
Barons, whoiclaimed MAGNA CHAKTA for them-
selves, but not for their vassals—that is, they
were free to fight and cut one another's throats,
whenever a new. Monarch was to be elected,
lihenever a question came to a division in the
;Net, or whenever any neighbouring power
chose to bribe them to sedition and rebellion, for
political purposes.
, But the PAnTrrioN; so loudly condemned,
w'iat did it do ? It divided the Elective Mo-
n.trchy,"tis true—but it put a stop to civil anar-
chy, and it gave personal freedom and.security
of property and of person to the people, who
'were no longer the slaves• of feudal Lords, but
the independent subjects of free Governments—
aye, of free Governments—for whatever the
Whigs may say about Annual Parliaments and•
Common Halls, it is not' the less a fact that the
.Governments fef Austria and of Prussia, with
Russia rapidly advancing to the same state, are
as much, or dearly as much, founded upon public
'opinion, and upon public confidence, as our own
"happy Constitution is, but still making allowance
for their deficiency in general' information, and
such other specific points as the mind of the can-
• did Politician will at once advert to.

But the question is, would Poland, if restored
to territorial integrity, and permitted to adopt her
old Elective Monarchy, with a Diet, or Parlia-
ment, consisting of only one Chamber as before,
be likely to increase the happiness of the existing
population, or to secure the happiness of posterity
even by present suffering ?—WE FEAIi NOT !-
We love and admire political independence—
but unless it is more than a name, it must be a

I !
curse !

FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE.

SPANIsti PAPEIt.S'.

MADRID, SEPT. B.—We have before-us a great
number of documents relative to occurrences in
the provinces, which appear to coincide with those
which took place last week at Madrid. Among
others is a Proclamation issued by General O'Do-
noju, dated the Sth, in which he speaks of the
events at Madrid, and of the law proposed to the
Cortes to regulate the patriotic societies. He
says he publishes this information that the evil-
disposed may not .give partial and exaggerated
accounts of what has taken place.
We learn by other channels that Gen. O'Do-
noju has thought it necessary to remove from their
command several officers (Gefes) ; and we ob-
serve, with regret, some who had previously ac-
quired a high character.
The accounts from Guipuscoa, Navarre, Arra-
goo, Valencia, Murcia, Estremadura, and Gra-
nada, are satisfactory : but in some places there
have been symptoms of alarm and mistrust, and,
from the manner in which they are spoken of,
they seem to bear some analogy to the events at
Madrid. The information, which is sent to the
provinces with the utmost rapidity, and the ce-
lerity with which the Captains-General have com-
municated it, has stifled every germ of discord,
and tranquillized the good, who are no friends to
convulsions and disturbances. Those who have
a sincere and disinterested love for the constitu-

lion desire nothing more than that it may be con-
solidated, as they know that so importantauob-
ject cannot be attained without first rep`ressing
the disaffected, whatever be the disguises which
they assume.
Tut YELLOW FEVER.--By the accounts pub-
lished by the. Board of Health at Cadiz, it ap-
pears that from, the 29th of August till the 2d of
September in the' morning, there had died five
persons, five had recovered, and five still re-
mained ill. _

In the island of Majorca, from the 16th to the
31st of August, there had died three Persons, 17
bad been cured, and the number remaining in the
hospitals was 22. The whole number of deaths
till the 31st of August bad been 1,914.

The last de'spatch received from the Governor
of the Balearic Islands, dated the 2d, states that
he had commenced the purification with the corn-
mime of San Lorenzo, valuing many instruments
and effects, with the greatest diligence, to con-
flpne It in
.the three other infected communes ;
that the mere rough estimate of this loss amounts'
to.a million of dollars, and as the resources of
the island are by no means sufficient to meet the
other indispensable obligations,he hopes that the
Government and the Provinces will afford some
assistance, otherwise it will not be possible to
complete an operation which must be suspended
for want of means, and the destructive seeds of
the contagion may spring up again next season.
EXTRIGTS FROM THE SITTI,NGS OF TIIE CORTES.

Svpt. I 4 —The debate on the maj.rats was cunt!nned. Thr
first article,of the proposed law, which decrees the abolition
of mnjorars, was carried by 123 votes to 24. Stne' modifica-
tions were preciously proposed, but, they were not ati-
ceded to. • .

Sept. 14.—Evening Sitting.—This sitting was chiefly held
for the purpose of discossiog the proposed law for the•regu-
lation of seafaring persons.
The Committee of Commerce spoke of the .causes which
ruin our Comm: rce and oor • Mercantile Marine, and the re-
medies to he applied : and mentioned five-principal points as
necessary to he attended to. These points related to the ap-
pointment of Consuls, their duties, the 'instructions given
them, the custom-house duties, levied on vessels and their
cargoes, an account. of the consular offices, &c.; and this
Committee propose—
t. That the Government be asked for all poSsible
inforrrta-
lion on these points.
.2. That a copy of this exposition be given to the Govern-
ment, that, when the Spanish consulates in foreign eountries
are regulated. officers of the marine may he preferred.
This was rejected, as interfering with the funttions of Go-
vernment. _

Sept. 15.—The Committee on the liberty of the press pre-
sented a project of law on the use of this liberty, diVided into
9 heads and 78 articles; read the first time, and ordered to
he printed : a great part of the sitting was occupied in debat-
ing on the 2d article of the law on nanjorats (or entailed
estate), in which some modifications were made.
Sept. lB. Mr. Poigblane proposed that a Committee should
he appointed to correct the acts and Journals of the Cortes,'
that they might be published with dire accuracy, anti in the
best language: approved, and a Committee appointed, con-
sisting of M. Puigblane and fear other mentheis.
The Committee of Finance proposed the following miunte
of a Decree : lst, Every foreigner settled on the Spanish ter-
ritory, and with property in it, shall be considered as a citi-
zen :Along as he supports and obeys the Corislitution. 2,1,
The persons and property mentioned in the Ist ailicle shall
enjoy the same protection as Spaniards, acid their property.
3d. The property cannot be sequestrated, either by way of
reprisal or on any other ground, unless they belintigoto the
Government. Ordered to,he consideredon 'the 18th.
M. Garen read the Report of the Committee appointed to
propose measures on the liberty (which all citizens should
posses's) of political discussion, without abusing Read the
first time.
Debate on the on,jorrits continued. ArtS. '3 to In were
approved. modibmtion and 'additions being misde to some.
Art. 7 and 8 were however withdrawn.
SECT. 16.—The Committees of Finance and Commune
united presented a report on a law relative to the Customs.
Art. 1. There shall be a general' Tariff of Customs for the
whole Spanish Monarchy, which shall' he in force from the Ist
of January, 1821, in Europe, and front. the Ist of March. 1821,
in the Colonies. After a considerable debate. the Article was
approved as far as the word •• Europe inclusive, and it was
reserved to a Committee to ftx the time fur the commencement
of the operation of the law in America
Art. 4. The Cortes shall ratify or correct Tariff every
year, as' may be necessary.—Approred.
A project of the law presented relative to an entire amnesty
and perpetual oblivion of all 'political offences( in the Trans-
marine possessions of the Monarcha, which was acceded to.