London, Tuesday, October ...
The Times, 1824-10-12T00:00:00

The French1 papers of Saturday, vhich arrivedl last night, coutain, in a letter from Cotfu datedl the 6th ult., a threat- ening proclamation, issued by .the Lord High Coommis- sioner of the lonian Isles agaiist the Provisionial Governi ment ot tercece. That Governmnent, inlignant at the selfish baseness which led the tradlers of Christian Powers to leatte with the Infidel, by hiring their vessels to become Turkish transports, had issuedl a manifesto, declarinig that ee as diferent European slhips had been treighted to con- < vey troops and munitionis of' war for the Tulks, in despite of the representations of their Consuls, and in violation of the principles of neutrality piofessed by their Sovereigns, ships so employed should no loisger be considered as ntutral, but hostile; and should be attackod, burnt, or run down by Greek men of war vhereveir met with. Thre Lordl Hligh Commissioner was ordered by the British Govei ntncnit to represtcnt to the Govrrnment of Greece the necessity of recalling thlis pre. clamation, and m-,et with a dlecidled negative. His Excel- lency trherefore, afttr (teclating the conduct of the Greek Governmellt to be contrary to the lawv of nations, orders reprisals to be taken onl the arme(d vessels of the Greeks till the obnoxious proclamation is withdrawn, andl its repeal be allthentically notifiel. I1 pursuance of this publication of his Excrheetley, we are told that two English frigates hadl sailed fromn Corfu to the coast of the Motes, where they iYouldbejoined bya ship of the line. If the terins of the Greek proclamation be accurately given, it is difficult to see in what respect it trsnsgresses the lawvs of tnations. WVhatever may be thought of the right of nieutral ships to protect thc mer- chandise or preper ty of an enemy, a ueutral cannot surely cl:aim the plivilege of conveying enemy's troops or muni- tions of war, without exposilng itself to capture by the bel- ligerent against whomX it thus acts. The most extravagant pretensions of neutrality never extended the lenigthi of de- mnanding permission for a nie-utral to carry, utlller the pro- tection of his fiag, troops, nmilitary stores, or munitions of war, for one of the belligesetits for the destruction of an- other. During the late contest witll Franice, we lial an almost continued discussien with thie Americans on their neutral riglits; hut we never lheard that they laid a claim to carry, with'out inolestatidi, an ar my from Boulogne or Dunkirk, to l)over cr Harwich. Didl the British Go- verninent, at that time at war, exercise a right, under the general law of nations, which it vill not permit the Greeks to exercise in similar circumstances? and if so, does not the strength or the weakness of the parties ducide their claims, and not right or law ? M. de VtLLCI.E and his Nlinistry seem to have recover- 'Al none of their lost popularity, either with the Ultra or the Liberal politicians of Parit. CorsiEnE, whose influence in the Cabinet is next to that of the President of the Coun- .il, has committed a very imprudent anti unpopular act, in hdepriving Al. LaGENDRaI, the eminent mathematician, of his pension of 3,000 francs (1201.), for voting against a Ministerial candlidlate for admission into the Institute, of which he is a meinber. This despotic Miinister, it would seem, must not ouly exercise his authority over Mayoys and Sclioolmasters, bit inust dictate in the sciences, and decide the claitns of literary and scientific merit. Against bis raore powerful colleague, the Conm-ittetiolt,tel brings the charge, that on the return of the KING, in 18l4,he publicly expressed lIis opposition to the principles of the Charter. Al. de VILLELE, then Member of the Council, General of the department of the Upper Garonne, addressed to the (leputias of that department some "observations on thc Xe projectofa Constitution,' announced in the KiNG's decla- ration from St. Otten. Unifortunately for the Minister of a Constitutional King, these observations have been preserved, and evince a decided contempt for the institutions which lie has row sworn to maintain, and under which he proh fesses to administer the Govcrnment. His pamphlet ridi- Cut].S the idea, and opposes theestablishment of a House of Peers and Dep13ties-speaks with gfeat iireverence of thb article for maintaining inviolate the, sale of national proe perty-and even proceeds to the dating boldness of calling the RINSG'S dec1aration the work of " vanity and improvi- " denee." FRaNdH FUNDS.-PAimS, Oct. 9.-Five per Cents. opened at 102. 40.: closed at 302.45.; Rentes d'Espagne, 1I8.; Royal Spanish Loan, 1823, 58.. Exchange on London, one month, 25. 15.; thfiee months, 25.-Comrs Autletique. IAJA'DUX).V TITJS'D-*V. COCTOBRRI 12, IP.14.