By the last arrival of Fr...
The Times, 1824-06-29T00:00:00

By the last arrival of Frencht papers, the Etoile publishes ain article which at once betrays the soreniess of the Ultra Royal party at the mere possibility of a recognition of the South American States by this country, anl aims the bit- terest sarcasms at MIr. CANNING for the shuffling and sus- picious conluct whichl he has exhibited from the first pro- spect of an invasioni of Spain by the BoURBONs, to the very last debate on the subject of America in the Hlouse of Conw- monis, when the Right Hon. Gentleman and Sir JAMES MA.ECINTOSR are openly charged by the editor of the Etoile with having played into each other's hands. Iniceed, the complaisanice of these two rhetoricians towards eacb other, though on the side of the Opposition Mlember somewhat overloaded, was less remarkable than the wondrous liar- moony of their sentimenits in what aoncerned the subject matter of the debate. The learned civilian so qualified, and clipped, and trimmed away his propositionis with regard to the law of the case, that it seemed as if lhis intent had been to let down his " right honourable friend" as easily as possible; while the Foreign Secretary, by an amiable but dexterous acquiescence in the general doctrines of his " learned" friend, contrived to blink the only questioni re- specting which the people of England cared one farthing, viz.-whem he would redeem his word, and acknowledge the broad fact that South America had achieved her indepen- dence? This sham battle between two schoolmen fencing about abstractions, might serve for a moment to amuse the public, or to smooth over the face of things in Parliament; I but a consequence arose from it which one at least of the performers had not foreseen, since it has been counted in as an important link in the chain of moral evidence, to prove that the English Cabinet has been practising from the outset, a scheme of unmanly artifice-first, in regard to the invasion of Spain ; next, as to the liberation of her colonies; and that if Mr. CANNING has not volunteered this tamperitng and time-serving system, he has suf- fered himself to be bullied into it by some of his more determined colleagues. The 'Eoile states boldlly that our Foreign Secretary wvill sneak eut of his " assurances" touching the recognition of America, as he did out of those early promises on wvhich tlle Constitutional Spaniards had leaned for support; and that as he wrote to Sir Wus. A'CouIT, not long before the catastrophe at Cadiz, that " he ]himself was wrong, and his colleagues righV' (or words to that effect), in their several calculations as to the strength of the Constitutional party ; so now, that he will write a similar avowal to Colonel HAMSILTON, in defeazance of every hope whlich he set out witli encouraging in the breasts of thefiree people of South America. To the dis- grace of such a course of action it seems hardly conceivable that any English gentleman can smtbmit. It is no small disgrace to be ptiblitly accusedl of the dapability of such humiliation. One short and honest effort of free agency will render Mr. CANNING invulnerable to such offensive suspicions; and we trust that-not alone for the common interests of liberty, to whichl no brave enlightenied mind can be insensible-but for thlose mote especial British inter- ests to whiel iMr. CANNING lias so pointedly expressed hiis devotion, he will not delay one unnecessary hour this great and memorable homage to both.