Star.
London, England, 1826-12-26 00:00:00

FRENCH PAPERS.

FROM Tilt COURIER FRANSAIS OF SATURDAY, DEC. 23.
PARIS, Mc. 22.
113111411111ASSID COUNTEIANCI or Tilt linuirray.

Our Ministry is not gay, notwithstanding the efforts
which they make to appear united and firm. They are
agitated by melancholy forebodings, and conceal the
symptnms of some internal malady ; they do not suffer
their Journals any longer to speak, as if apprehensive
of some indiscretion on their part. They hardly speak
themselves—or if they do, they take the laconical M.
de Damas for their mouth-piece, who, forgetting that
he is no longer in the service of Ruisia, congratulates
England in his speech, for having gloriously fought
against us during twenty-five years. He has even the
goodness to promise to us similar success, if ever we should
be called upon to defend the same principles in our Sum.
A compliment more or less, is of no consequence,
when our new allies are to be caressed, who, however,
evince no great anxiety to mum the compliment to
out Ministers.

But what can M. de Damas mean ? Have enigmas'
come into fashion ? Are they to supersede diplomatic
secrets, which Mr. Canning let out a little by his severe
exhortations to misgoverning Kings ?
Against whom are we to wage so tedious a war as
that which England carried on• against ourselves?—,
Where is Legitimacy endangered, if not in Portugal,'
where Chaves attacks them sword in hand, or in Spain,
where the Apostolic: sometimes exclaim, for the sake
of passing time, " Long live Charles V. I" instead of
Long live Ferdinand VII. !"
The defence of Portugal has been left to the English ;
nothing is required of us but to cause the Charter to be
recognised, and the frontiers of that country to be re-
spected by King Ferdinand, who is to remain for some
time under our guidance, if he succeed in appeasing
'the vengeance of England, and our just resentment.
According to M. de Damas's speech, we have but one
chance of an enemy—of a declared enemy, since we
have already recal:ed our Ambassador—namely, Spain,
should she persist in refusing to give satisfaction to
England, to Portugal, and to ourselves—all three make
common cause together to prevent the consequences of
her hostility against Portugal, and of her scorn of our
counci:s.

But bhculd such a struggle break out, and should we
remain linked with England and Poi tugal as we now
are, and form a triple alliance against Spain, we have
already the advantage of occup) ing the principal for-
tresses, as England dors Gibraltar. Thus it is not pm
bubl.: that this struggle against Spanish Absolutism and

Apostolicism should last as many years as that of the
Cabinet of London against the French Revolution did.
So much the better. For England finds already that
Pitt and Castlereagh made her pay somewhat dearly
for that glory to which M. de Dames permits es
to aspire. During all that glory we too had our
share of it, which most of those who now calum-
nice us thought but too brilliant, and which M. de
Damns must have surely beard them talk of in
the Russian camps. But really we have no occa-
sion to envy or t,) reproduce the glory of any one.
Every body has his own in his tui n, Ise, haps even M. de
Dames, when he hastened to a campaign in Catalonia,
which, together with the protection of M. de Chateau-
briand, whom he succeede.i, procured him the office
which seems to embarrass him so much under M. de
Villele's supremacy.
Our Ministry, which does not seem a young one
either to France, upon whom it pressed already so long
and so heavily, resembles much those young girls who
marry against their inclinations, but who resign them.
selves for fear of being deprived of their portion : they
grow melancholy and silent after their wedding, ss hich
they scarce dare to acknowledge. We might almost
say, that M. de Villele had married Mr. Canning, and
that be felt himself ill calculated for the match, which
produced already such high words.
The colleagues of M. de Villele, who do not appeal'
to have been initiated into the secret, have some little
difficulty to pronounce the word alliance with England.
But why should they feel so awkward if the conditions
of the contract are useful and honourable? Why not
submit them to the Chamber for examination, and to
France, who would judge them in the last instance?