London, Friday, March 26,...
The Times, 1824-03-26T00:00:00

We waited with some anxiety on 'Wednesday night, for the Speech of the King of FRANCE on the opening of the legislative session, and were at last enabled to present it to the public exclusively. It will, perhaps, hardly repay the interest which we felt on the subject, though it is not wholly destitute of curious matter. It begins by inferring the approbation of Providence upon. the invasion of Spain, from the success of the enterprise. This is the old method practised by the knavish in ordler to catch the superstitious. CROSIWELL boasted of the Divine co-operation, as indisputably evinced aud proved in his be- half by his triumph over his enemies. *" You sought the " LOaD in prayer," says he to the Scotch Commissioners, after he had defeated their army, "and I sought him. " You say be assured you of the victory; and I say he "prQmised it to me: whose cause does it now appear that he espoused ?" The Jew says' that "T Thrift is blessing, if " men steal it not." Heismoresagaciousshe inserts a condition -that at leastthehuman means employed shouldbe honest -before success can be alleged as a proof of the favour of Heaven. lYe will Bot here speak of the means employed by the French to detach the Spanish Generals from their duty, but we will deny that the success itself, of which Louis and his Ministers boast, is either such as to permit the most superstitious minds to infer the Divine approbation of the enterprise, or even such as this speech describes it. "S Spain," it is said, " is restored to its KING !" Is it so in- deed, we ask? Then let the KING hold and keep it. Let the French army withdraw, and the happy FERDINAND enjoy his acquisition. OR the contrary we say, and all the world sees, that Spain is NOT restored to its KING. it is conquered, and held by the French army ; and the King of ?,rPiN has no power whatever in the state, beyond what his foreign guests allow him. " Ten years of experience," the Speech says, " liave "taught all Frenchmen to look for true liberty only in the "Charter which the KiNG has granted." But how many times in those ten years has the Charter been violated ? We shouldargue,supposingFrancetopossess "true liberty"at the present moment, that it has only been found in the viola- tion of the Charter. And it is remarkable, that couplg. with this eulogy on the merits of the Charter, is the im- portant offical information that its provisions are to be yet farther trainsgressed, by altering the constitution of the Chamber of Deputies, and rendering the election of the whole body septennial. The manuer in which the States of South America are spoken of, is curious. One short sentence comprises them with the Greekrs of. Europe. " I hope," says his Majesty, "that the afflairs of the East and ef Spanish and Portuguese "America will be regulated to the greatest possible ad- "vantage of the States aud people whom they interest, and "to the patest exteunion of the commesce of theaworld" This is a mOst heier6geneous mixture. What have -the Spaniards of South America to do with the Greelis ? Is it meanit to be insinuated that the success of the former is in no more complete or assured .state than that of the latter? Be it observed, however, that the com- parison which places the two nations and their causes in the same condition, does also necessarily assimilate the twoyokes-that of the Turk, and of FERDINAND- wvhich thosebations are endeavouring to shake off; and ex- hibits the Greeks, and the Spaniards of South America, as equaly endeavouring to extricate themselves from a bar- barous, superstitious, savage tyranny. Bat the King of FRAN cE hopes that the result of the contest in South America "c will be favourable to the extension of the com- "smerce of the world." And who does not hope the same? But we presume, that as Great Britain would not allow of the transfer by the parent state of any of the Spanish trans-Atlantic provinces to a third power; so neither would she acquiesce in any exclusive commereial privileges granted by, or extorted from, the sameobsolete authority, in favour' of that third power. Mr. CANNING'S speech and state papers declare, that we seek no preference in the open- ing commerce of the new States of South America; and that which we do not claim for ourselves should not be be- stowed on others by an incompetent jurisdiction, to our prejudice. This part of the Speeeh is remarkable for its intentional obscurity; and is, therefore, the more calculated to excite presentsuspicion, and sharpen future watchfulness. The national debt of France, smaU and comparatively inoppressive as it is, will at once be diminished one-fifth, by reducing, as we learn, the interest from five to three per cent., a bonus being allowed to the creditors, which may absorb the intermediateone per cent.; and this the French economists justly describe as a: measure favourable to agri- culture as well as commerce. What reproaches does this (lecisive act hurl at our tardy, temporizing Legislators and Ministers ! If we possessed the virtue and energy appro- priate for our situation, we should diminish our national debt by retrenchments bearing the same proportion to the whole, as this reduction of interest in France bears to the whole debt of that country. Here they have the advan- tage over us. Their present ease will be greater; their total freedom from pressure will arrive sooner; and they will be the more inclined to treat a burdened people with injustice or insolenice. LONDON, FRIDAY, MAR CII 2, 1824.