The Sun. — 1829-05-11 (London, England)

LONDON, MONDAY EVENING, MAY 11, 1329.  The Gazette de France, in an article dated Constantinople, April 1?, states that the distress and want of provisions have greatly increased for some time past. It adds (dating from Odessa) that the Turks are making every exertion to begin the campaign early, and that the Paella of EGYPT is getting ready a large corps of regular troops. The same Journal mentions that the " news received from Teheran of the murder of the Russsian Ambassador and his suite has convinced the Turks that war between Russia and Persia will certainly break  out again."  By an advertisement, inserted in the Times of this morning, we perceive that a subscription is announced for the benefit of those who have suffered by the late destructive earthquake in Mercia and other districts of Spain. The motives that originated this subscription are laudable, and such as do honour to the prompt and active charity of the public; but at the present crisis when so many thousands of our own operatives are either starving, or in  a state bordering upon starvation, we can scarcely help thinking it ill-advised. If subscriptions for the unfortunate and the destitute—and when was England ever backward in listening to the appeal of of fliction ?—are to be raised, those surely have the first and strongest claim on our compassion, who are linked to us by the common ties of country, interest, and brotherhood, who speak the same language, are bound by the same laws, are subjects of the same Sovereign, hold the same faith, and are now— with heart-felt sympathy we record the fact--withering under want, sickness, and every species of suffering, arising from extreme destitution. If benevolence is to be shown, if subscriptions are to be raised, let these be the first objects of our bounty, and let 118 not curiously seek out in other lands those wretched and desponding paupers who mw be found in such abundance throughout England. For ourselves we cannot but grudge every shilling expended in charity abroad, when we see so much distress at home. We seem to feel that the principles of charity, of justice, of common sense, are reversed ; that those are the first, who should he the last, relieved ; that our own countrymen should be first assisted, and that then— but not till then—the surplus of benevolence should be appropriated to the benefit of foreigners. To succour Spaniards, when Englishmen are starving, strikes us as being somewhat akin to that universal and Quixotic philanthropy, once so  popular among the modern philosophers of the Revolution, and so happily ridiculed at the time by the piercing and judicious sarcasm of Mr. CANNING, which taught its disciples to overlook the claims of consanguinity, friendship, and connection, in a boundless and extravagant -ympathy for the Universe in general and Europe in particular. We offer these remarks in no ungenerous spirit, but simply that our own distressed operatives may have justice done to their claims.  Oporto Papers have been received, their contents are unimportant. Don 311c.t:EL, it seems—that paragon of meekness, continence, and sobriety—the affectionate brother, the dutiful son, the steady friend, the accomplished gentleman, the enlightened Sovereign—this amiable and variously gifted  young man, has, it seems, lately held a drawingroom at the Palace of Queluz, in honour of the birth-day of her Majesty the EMPRESS QUEEN, on which joyful occasion Lisbon " was splendidly and spontaneously illuminated." Letters from Oporto state that " very strict regulations have been published at Coimbra respecting the admission of students to the University, in conformity with his MAJESTY'S decree of 22d April, for the purpose of preventing youths who have unhappily abandoned the good path from going to the University and corrupting others of whom there are no suspicions."