ANCONA. WHEN a man will not fight, he must be content to be kicked. Our Minister has announced to the world that nothing will induce him to resent an insult, or defend an interest; and the Lord Chancellor has made a Doctrinaire speech upon Peace, full of sound and fury. Russia has destroyed Poland, Austria has invaded Italy, France sends her flying expeditions, or plants her permanent colonies at her will, but principally against our old allies, or in the neighbourhood of our old possessions; and England, or Lord Grey, is quiet, and compensated and consoled for all these agreeable adventures by the proud recollection that the Prince of Saxe Coburg is the King of the Belgians. The affair of Ancona requires a slight notice. A short time back, Sir Richard Vyvyan, merely from curiosity, and other causes, enquired of our noble Secretary for Foreign Affairs, whether there were any truth in the announcement of that morning in the Times newspaper, that an expedition "In the mean time at Vienna, the rejecters of 1814 being themselves now rejected, those who were then deprived of their rights will begin to believe that they may yet be re-established. Here therefore are two prospects alike ill-promising of repose. The second is doubtless less alarming at the present moment. It can only be classed at present among possible events; there requires time only to place it in the probable, and then it will be nearer reality. In politics those affairs of which they speak the least are often those with which they occupy themselves the most.” ANCONA. WHEN a man will not fight, he must be content to be kicked. Our Minister has announced to the world that nothing will induce him to resent an insult, or defend an interest; and the Lord Chancellor has made a Doctrinaire speech upon Peace, full of sound and fury. Russia has destroyed Poland, Austria has invaded Italy, France sends her flying expeditions, or plants her permanent colonies at her will, but principally against our old allies, or in the neighbourhood of our old possessions; and England, or Lord Grey, is quiet, and compensated and consoled for all these agreeable adventures by the proud recollection that the Prince of Saxe Coburg is the King of the Belgians. The affair of Ancona requires a slight notice. A short time back, Sir Richard Vyvyan, merely from curiosity, and other causes, enquired of our noble Secretary for Foreign Affairs, whether there were any truth in the announcement of that morning in the Times newspaper, that an expedition was about to sail from Toulon, and, as it was supposed, for Italy. Lord Palmerston apparently quite shared the curiosity of Sir Richard; but proud in his great political combinations, he felt that the affair must be impossible, and so he boldly declared, that, until official intimation was received, he should consider it untrue. however, curious to remember, that when his Lordship talked of this impossibility, the squadron already was not only out of sight of Toulon, but in sight of Ancona. It is, Two days afterwards, there was great rejoicing among the profound politicians of the present Cabinet, because they had read in the newspaper, (again the paper!) that the squadron had returned. But, very unfortunately, this joy was short-lived; for it appeared, on enquiry, that only a single vessel had returned to refit. I myself cannot suspect Lord Palmerston, in this case, of any diplomatic affectation of ignorance, because he has himself lately assured us, that, in these times, when honesty and candour and non-intervention are the fashion, the old manner of mystification is quite passé. In order, however, just to ascertain whether there might not be something in the business; and perceiving that he might be in an awkward situation, were Sir Richard to chance to ask him for further information, the noble Secretary thought he might as well send an express to Paris and enquire if any thing were really going on. "Oh, yes!" answered the Ambassador; "it is all very true. I was left in the same ignorance as your Lordship, and really I think I am rather ill used by my old friend, Sebastiani; but you know that affairs do not go on here as regularly as in England. They are not such practised men of business here, as in Downing Street; and, in short, Sebastiani forgot to announce it to me. They speak of it here only as an expedition pour rire. I suspect that it is rather to get through the Budget." Lord Palmerston, however, and the other Gallomaniacs, on the whole, considered this despatch rather serious, whatever the expedition might be. But M. de Talleyrand, who had not even breathed a single word about this affair, and had been, all this time, foreseeing a storm, was in the most awkward predicament of any. The storm surely burst, and the Gallomaniacs for a moment thinking themselves, to use our national phrase, “humbugged," attacked M. de Talleyrand with some anger. So his Highness, in that peculiarly soft voice which lends such a charm even to Truth, |