Star.
London, England, 1830-04-19 00:00:00

SPIRIT OF THE SUNDAY PRESS

Collected, combined, arranged, compared, dissected, amended,
s.nd circulated." - As; ASTAS I ES.
THE CHANCELLOR'S REFORMS.--In the existing state
the Court, and ef the office of Chancellor, it is agreed by per.
sans whose opinions are of the highest authority, that another Judge
is required ; but if the Chancellor was not occupied in a political ca.
pacity, in which no Judge should be occupied, he would probably
be competent to the performance of labours which now require the
additional exertions of another functionary ;—or, if lie would
consent to part whit the jurisdiction in Bankruptcy, he might
ha equal to the business of Equity, with the aid h, should al.
ready possess—we s y, should already possess, because lie does
not possess that aid, through a Vice in the lower Courts. But
we know sufficiently well that neither the Bankruptcy, nor the
part in intrigue which passes under the name of politics, will be
relinquished ; nevertheless as the administration of justice is
an object paramount to all others, the appointment of another
Judge should not be resisted, though it be only rendered neces-
s..ry by the obstinate continuance of a faulty system. Yet when
!he addition is called for, if the question should be asked, a Are
sA your Judges now efficient, and is there not one whose inea-
pat i;r just amounts to the alleged deficiency ?` we know not
wl'at answer could be made consistent with truth, without show.
how shamefully the public interests arc sacrified to mere
ii:rsonal considerations. If another person is asserted to be
necessary to the performance of a given task, and it turns out
that one at present employed is generally inefficient, according to all
the rules of reason, the proper demand is not for an additional officer,
but for another man. This suspicions circumstance undoubtedly
marks all the Chancellor's reforms, that increase of patronage is the
uniform accompaniment of them, and it were difficult indeed to sup-
pose that no material improvements could be made at variance with
his official interests.—Exansiner. 1

[We should like to know of which of the Legal Reforms, hitherto
perfected, or as yet in contemplation, an abandonment of pa-
tronage has been, or is likely to be " the uniform accompaniment" ?
1:D. ST AB.]

O.CONNEL'S REVIVED ASSOCIATION.—A Society of United
lrilanen—the name promises well—has been formed, which adds to
all the insolence and turbulence of the old Associatioh, objects more
avowedly dangerous. We say more avowedly dangerous, because
in fact they are only the same as before--the separation of the islands,
and the establishment of Popery as predominant in Ireland, "with-
out toleration of any other religion," as is laid down as a funds-
.nental article in the charters of the new free and easy South
American States. The old Association, however, did not avow
this—they only fought for the preliminary step ; but that being
pined, they throw off the mask, and advance further pretensions.—
As if the name of United Irishmen were not enough, they admit
as one of their earliest members, with much pomp and panegyric, a
fellow of the name of CLUNEY, a rebel General, as they call him ;
that is, a man who headed one of the gangs of cowardly, blood-
thirsty murderers, stimulated by the priests to the massacre of the
Irish protestants, in the year 1798. The mere presence of this
fellow, who escaped the gallows by a misplaced lenity, is enough to
show what is the spirit of the association, and what is to be expected
from it. What will Mr. PEEL gay on this subject? He made it
a matter of glowing invective against the late Association,
that they had praised Mr. ARCHIBALD HAMILTON ROWAN.
If the whole six millions (said he) of Catholics were to come to
the Bar of this House, they would never convince the Irish or Eng-
-Ixli Protestants, that there wa, no ground for alarm and suspicion
at this body. They might depend upon it they could never get
over this united and concurrent testimony as a ground of suspicion
against sr body who rssuivtd rouse the energies of the nation, and
talked of the respected :lad honoured name of an ATTAINTED
TRAITOR. Could there ac r. stronger ground of alarm and appre-
hension ?"—NI-hat w3l :re say now, when they have admitted into
their body, a man who teas actually in arms against the State : who
led gangs of tuflians, stained with every crime and every cruelty,
and whose life a as forfeit to the laws. Why, though Rowan was
a traitor, no doubt, he had .ICOCI dabbled in the blood of Wexford, or
howled with joyat the bathing of men,women,and children in Sculls.
bogue. Of the dangers wlach at least the Protestants of Ireland may
expect from the state of things it that country, there can be no ques-
tion. We copy soma observations upon the Cluney Club, from that
excellent paper the Dab: ion Evening Mail.--" That this new society
a more mischievous in its construction, because more general in its
nature, than the late Associetlon, we have no hesitation in pro.
-uuncing. It contains all the bad and angry elements of the latter,
.1121 is calculated from its universality to entrap the unwary, and
those who held aloof from the Burgh-quay Parliament, scared by its
exclusiveness. Of the shouters, professional and amateur, it is cer-
:ain. Their vanity will not suffer them to remain absent. Upon the
t.reNs, with very few exception, it can reckon. The priests for mere
arbulence will join the society; and an audience of "rank,
: umbees, and respectability" (at least in print) can always be had in
Dublin " on the shortest notice and most reasonable terms." Thus,
•ien, we have a society at once construcced--nay more, while we are
Nriting the sentence, at " full work," within a few yards of the
Crude, more decidedly hostile to Government, and more subversive
et ;be Constitution, than that for the nominal putting down of which
t :e Constitution itself was saerificed."— The Age.
[IVc would fain consider this picture overcharged; fain would we
look upon the appalling atrociousness of some of its most prominent
of :es as: the fearful exaggeration of a political opponent :—but
a vet hound coascientiously to admit, that there is not one trait
..s-'gctd to el:: revived A rsociatiou which we do not recognise as
the true and indelible attribute of a society which, as we have already
repeatedly declared, menaces more danger to the peace and safety of
the Luipire, than any organized faction has dared to contemplate,
or been able to effect, since the ever memorable 1798.—ED. STAR.]
Tim PORTUGUESE REGENCY.--A thing called a Decree of
Emperor of BRAZIL, who has as much to do with Portugal as
General JACKSON has, has been published, in which that Monarch
,eta forth that having, in consequence of breaking his faith with his
t.osliess become Emperor of BRAZIL, and having abdicated (his own
cords) the throne of Portugal ; and having, Li we know, tried many
expedients for inaking.that ancient and noble kingdom a colony of
South America, he at length hit upon the expedient of devoting four
days and a morning to the formation of a Constitution for the Por-
tuguese people, whom he had quitted to reign in a distant country;
a Constitution, the respectability of which he hoped to enhance by
making an English Minister the bearer of it to his late but Ms-
.:aided subjects; but which they would not conent to, unless under
the influence of a foreign force, brought into the capital under ono.
ther pretence, and the merits and virtues of which honourable and
liberal alteration of the form of government were to be guaranteed and
• emented by the incestuous marriage of his Imperial Majesty's own
brother, with his Imperial Majesty's own daughter, a Brazilian
Princess, ;utterly disqualified, by the laws of Portugal itself, from
sitting on the throne:; even if the liberal cause, of which she was the
s•slkingloney, had so far prevailed as to make her election to the
crown passible. That, finding the people of Portugal resolved to
have none of the newfangled Constitution, and equally resolved not
be reduced to the state of colonists and dependants upon the
l:emetor of Brasil, His Imperial Majesty has resolved that the re.
Iscurd and respectable Marquis de PALMELLA, and two friends,
be made Regents to govern that ancient and honourable king-
dor —and that, ar from the hatred of usurpation and the horror
the whok Portuguese nation have for such a course of proceeding, it
is icifloostible for this Regency to chew their faces in the mother
,ountry they are constituted and appointed to rule, govern, and
legillate for Portugal, in a little island, the ninth part of the
A"re", whence the sixth part of the Portuguese people—the
autount of the liberal party.—are to be rukd, and directed
how to overthrow the c:her live.aixtbs, who are true to their
Xmo and their country, and who will not be enslaved by the
man who first abisnd..i.s all pretensions to the throne, and
then attempts to exercise a sovereign authority over them..
The Regency-firm is therefore opened at Angie, in the some, of
)Icsirs. PALMELLA, VILLA non, and Ovzinsisto, who are to

j..?ay Regents in Terceira, while the Princess of GRAN PAEA plays
QIIVI:11 at her father's court in BRAZIL. And now for the sequel.
The Emperor of Bnazit (who, by the way, was dangerously ill
when the last news arrived from his empire) is to furnish the means
of supporting this Regency, which has hitherto been done out of the
pockets of the English bondholders--a circumstance which may,
perhaps, interest our Government in its discontinuance. lie is
then to send reinforcements of vessels and troops to Terceira,
to aid the cause of invading Portugal, (indeed, Madeira is al-
ready threatened) ; and here, we suppose, the affair will stop.
Not only is England bound to assist PonTrnat —no matter
who reigns--against her enemies (in consideration of which ob-
ligations, her subjects enjoy privileges in Portugal, granted to
no other foreigners)—and not only is she obliged to protect Pot.
tugal, upon long acknowledged principles and treaties, when the
enemy approach her, but we have the Duke of Watt, stoTozes
determination, expressed in Parliament, to prevent the Emperor of
BRAZIL from interfering at all with the old colonies of Portugal.
Hence it will be seen, even if there be any body affected by the ab-
surd blustering of this foreign Emperor and his graceful regency, that
the things proposed are impossible. The force at Terceira itself con.
silts of about 5900 men, a brig or two, and a few guns. If they are
not reinforced, they can do nothing; and if they are, care will be
taken to check their activity, it being always recollected that the
Emperor of BRAZIL has neither men, money, nor ships, adequate
to the enterprise—that the Brazilian people are decidedly opposed
to his interference with Portugal—and that the funds appro-
priated to carry on the farce, are voted by the Chambers
there, for the payment of the dividends of the European bond..
holders, and the maintenance of the Brazilian character and criclit.
It should seem, by the curious speeches which our Ministers
have made in Parliament on this subject, that the right of
Don MIGUEL to the Throne of Portugal, forms no part of
their difficulties in the affair of the recognition ; and that the
delay is in fact attributable to the apprehension of being involved
in hostilities for Portugal, which we might shuffle out of,
if the invasion took place before we acknowledged him.
The Government need not fear this result.—John 111411.
[The lltilreas are again at work : but of the rhodomontade which
they have here purchased what shall we say ?—what can we say but as
" the true Prince" said to his " fat friend"—another" clay-brained
guts" "a knotty-pared fool," an i• obscene greasy tallow-keech," like
the Fleet-street roarer:—" These lies arc like the father that begets
them, gross as a mountain, open, palpable." Don PEDRO did not
" break faith with his father to become Emperor of Brazil." He
"abdicated the Portuguese throne" only conditionally—and the condi-
tions have not been fulfilled. He never " tried any expedient for
making that ancient and noble kingdom a colony of South America."
The constitutional charter was promi=ed to the Portuguese by his
father, Don JOHN VI. long before his death, and was granted by
Don Pienno, in compliance with what he held to be a sacred duty
in ratifying and fulfilling the royal promise of his predecessor. The
" incestuous marriage" was declared by Don MIGUEL himself to
be a " most fortunate event," until he found the treasonable project
which he had long secretly cherished, of usurping the throne, likely
to be accomplished by the aid of some of those very Peers who had
but a short time before congratulated him upon the completion of
that nuptial contract, as a circumstance which " Tout ee royatone
compte au nombre des evenemens les plus henreux dont ilest re.
devabte a Providence." But it were vain to follow this hireling ad-
vocate of treason and usurpation through the long string of fallacies
which he has unblushing uttered. We shall only observe that a
hint is here given of what 31 form. expects at the hands of the Bri.
tish Government ; and it fully confirms the suspicion we some days
since avowed, that England will be called upon to assist in the bloc-
kade of Terceira : and we already know to what lengths she is pre.
pared to go in the cause of absolutism, Ha plausible pretext be
given to her Ministers.—ED. STAR.]

PENSIONS AND THE NATIONAL DEBT.