As we anticipated, the rejoicings over the Commercial Treaty with
Spain prove to have been premature. The Council of State at Madrid, by a vote of 14 to 13, has advised the rejection of the Draft Treaty, and though it will be submitted to Cortes, its passing is imperilled. Ostensibly the resistance comes from the sherry-growers, who say that the extension of the standard which admits wine at a low duty up to 30° will not admit their most profitable brands, but they are assisted by much stronger forces. The Catalonians cannot endure the admission of English piece goods, which would, they think, drive them out of the home market ; while the French wine-growers, who are organised and vigilant, dread the revival in England of the taste for Spanish wine. The nation at large is passive, as, indeed, on such subjects the people are all over the Continent. They do not see that their interest lies in cheap imports, and leave the contest to be fought out by the leading " interests." With the example of the Americans and our own Colonists before us, it is unjust to blame the Spaniards, who probably think, with Mr. Lowther, that whatever England gains they must lose.
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