The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser. — Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1832-12-25 00:00:00

TX-1E LONDON PIES. THE REFORM BILL-7IRELAND. An evening ministerial paper is in a distres&ng state of despondency about the Irish elections. It confesses, that the great majority of members from that part of the United Kingdom will he the opponents of ministers. Seventy of them, at the least, will cones into the British, Pai-liament pledged to a Repeal of the Union. Twenty, it is also admitted by our contemporary, will be Conser vatives, equally hostile to the measures of his Majesty's ministers. The remaining fifteen will form the Irish,for lorn hope of the Grey administration. Our evening friend, after enumerating this catalogue of disasters, finishes its lamentation with th e f o ll owing conso l a ti on: "'Whatever be the result," says he, "this is not a con sequence of the reform bill !" What !—seventy , repealers—seventv members for Ire land sworn to dismember the kingdom —seventy men elected,by the priests and the reformers; who are pledged to vote against the institutions of England—who are bound to. destroy the Protestant church of that country— if these be not the consequences of the re f orm bill, we should like to know what other cause can be assigned for this extraordinary opposition to the Government. Let us take Dublin for instance, for which Mr. O'Connell and Mr: Ruthven are returned,—would these persons, we ask,.have had the slightest chance if the great portion of poor Protestant electors had not been disfranchised by the reform bill ? Twelve months ago Dublin returned two Conservatives with a triumphant majority ; now, it re: turns two ultra-Radicals and revolutionists—men who are the avowed and leading advocates of- a measure, the object of which is to separate Ireland from the British Crown. We contend that,we owe this, singular anomaly_ in_our. affairs to that bill, which is filling the House.of Commons. with empirics and charlatans—with a host of adventurers utterly destitute of principle—with men who are willing to ride upon the wings of revolution, and who, provided they can preserve their popularity, are ready. t o sacr ifi ce the best interests of their country at the shrine of theory and speculation. There will, we concede, be many Con servatives in the new parliament; but it would befool ish to deny that they will be outnumbered by their oppo nents. The revolution has, therefore, fairly commenced. We have begun a series of changes, of which, perhaps, no man now living will see the termination. The stone has begun to roll down the mountain, and as it is impossible to stop its increasing force, or retard its progress, to the bottom it must go, demolishing every thing it encoun ters; and shattering to 'pieces every national monument which stands between its original summit and its ulteribr level. It is quite clear, that the aristocracy haVe no voice whatever in the elections. Property has now lost. its once potent influence in the state. Every law, every settlement, every charter, every annuity, every office un der the Crown are at the mercy of this movement party. Be the change for good or evil—and it can hardly be for good—the very change pct. se will be productive of feat ful calamities. Every change in the law —every modi fication of our rules of commercial policy—must less or more derange the mercantile transactionss-of the day, pede the eltbrts of industry, and expose to greater priva tion the labouring poor.. The Irish demand the Repeal of the Union, and, of course, the demand will, in the first instance, be resisted. Rut . it is not difficult to conceive a possible and even a probable state of things in which the ministers would he compelled to yield to expediency, and grant that' at the eleventh hour which they withheld at the outset. We most assuredly do not contemplate any coalition. between the conservatives and the. repeaters; hut in the-vast- va- . riety of subjects which will be brought before the new parliament it is not unlikely-that some one will be mooted on which these opposite parties may he united: But be' this as. it may, the repeal quesfion has gained such ground, that the ministers will be forced to concede it or encoun ter civil war in 'lreland. In war, either foreign or do mestic, the present noodles of the administration are not likely•tii distinguish them Selves, and perhaps they would, .when driven' to an enriergeneV, esteem, it. the safer policy, to surrender rather than fight—to swallow theirantipa tides rather than resort to coercive measures against Ireland: • The repeal, then, we shall suppose, is carried. The union is dissolved, and the terrible contentions. of 1798 are recommenced. What then ? Are_ we to have a re- newal of the venal, the turbulent, the corropt, and the utterly useless bear-garden scenes which were enacted in what were called de - parliaments of Ireland ? Is Ireland to'have a legislature without having the power ,to give effect to . ' its onn measures ? Are we to-. have, long speeches and eloquent harangues, but no acts or deeds wifich are not sanctioned by the liritish ministers.? These complicated qUestions spring up at the -bare' mention •of the word repeal. The repeal is practicable, but the after agonies of settlement are beset by insurmountable difa:i collies. •It 'is easy to e.xpel, the Irish members, especially at their own deSire, from their seats in the imperial par liament but it is quite possible, after, theyare . thus ex pelled, that they might be denied the honour of sitting in any parliament of their own. We threw out thefie hints, for the -benefit of those who sustain their national Character by talking without thinking.-- Guardian Publi Ledaer.' DUTY OF THE CONSERVATIVES. There is no use in deceiving ourselves, or deceiving our readers; the county elections, as far as they,- have proceeded, are, on the .average, even lesssatisfactory than the borough elections. Some Conservatives, no doubt, have been returned for counties, and there seems reason to expect, that even a small majority of the county mein bers may be Conservative. This, however, .is, we own, a less proportion than we anticipated, and a far less pro portion than would be necessary to save the monarchy. The city and borough elections have been generally-worse • than our worst' fears—the county elections fail fare short' of our humblest hopes. As to the general result,, if - all tlm county returns had been COnservative,.` ;would not have been enough to. balance. the preporlerance, of "Destructive" 'sent in by these ten-pound householders, to whom the bill has given the nomination of three. fourths of the H'dtise of Commons. The madness - of the, reforin paroxysn-1,,W is plain,,continues ; end:4ll that sober 'men can do, bes' ides _studying to Avoid a participation in it,.is to use the opportunity of this Helot revel to adapt.thern ‘ selves to their newToSition. The objects of a sober Con- servative at present tnust be sufficiently humble; vii., to save tie nionareby ,and the aristocracy s if pos§ible.; but, at all events, tosave the country. How these objects.are t o b e effected in the struggle before us, it is not our imr pose 'to consider; the task of the day is . to preo.re those mean s which it may beneeessary to lase ,hereafter; arid . to suggest tile few, advaritaxes that even the evil times upon., upon.. which we ha e_ fallen. present.. The .only means within our reach to mitigate or evade. the threatened,ca- JarUities - iS the return of Conservatives of - talent;zeal, - and character;:for the eourifiesstill open. The Conservatives . will be a - minority. ; uponthat point there cani.be ,no question, lint they will be a minority respectable in.nurrt- - her, - and infinitely formidable „kV- lalent.land character.. Already the foundations. of an opposition are securely laid, which, in comparison to theministers,'whe Confront. it, most - be regarded a's more pow.erful'ilian any that - has a ppeared in A. British, House of Commons for forty years.:. Sir Richard Vyvyan, Sirlioert - IngliS, Sir Robert Peel, Mr. • 'AttNVOOd, and Others already returned, with Lord Fchvar(l,l:Cnat(*iit,..6,l tiripilwb Si'. return, 1 . 11 we hope,. we iv count ,with certainty, P r P - SC nt the nuc l eus of a n oprw-ition, to - whiCh none can denY the. praise of; ptie,ernineS. talent and unspotted integrity.. _4ll will, howtiver, depend upon. the numerical support which these leaders shall, receive—as to union and devo-. tien now, there can be n 0,,, question about. them. The impossibility of a Conservative„ administration for years to come, has removed all those elements of discord which ambition, or what is as bad, the suspicion of am bitio us views, scatters in a party,-if any. such ever distracted-the policy of the Conservativ6 - . The ConserYatives, not only releived from all possible motives to, dissension, but also pressed by the instant, unequivocal presence of that danger which they have too long doubted, will assuredly act with union and energy ; but then the power with which they will act must depend upon their number. The Conservative leaders whom we have named, backed by 150 Conservatives, would prevent the perpetration of mach evil. Supported by two hundred, they would,pro bably obviate the commission of any. If, however, the number be inconsiderable, we must prepare for a formal as well as a virtual change in our system of government. The conduct of the,House of Lords, upon more than one recent occasion, must teach.us. to place but little reliance upon the firmness of that body in maintaining a cause triumphantly, defeated in, the House of Commons ; and even though the Howe of Lords should be firm, the last ! year has taught that mean: might be resorted to--though it were treasonable to employ such means, and it is almost seditious to surmise them—by which the. opposition of the Rouse of Lords could be. overcome. After this last consideration, we need say nothing of above the House. of Lords for an amxiliary- to Conservat i ve princi ples. What:then is,to be done ? We answer. at. once to Conservatives, whether once Whigs or once. Tories—do not despair, exert yourselves to the uttermost to render the opposition formidable. You may.. not at.present be able to restore.the patient, but at least,you can check the progress of the disease,. by. curbing the madneSs of the moment in parliament, and . perhaps.ensure a final' .reco very; by restoring the peopTe„abroad to reason with the , , aid of industry and /fuze. We would tell the less frantic and dishonest, of , the . Reformers .too,--those, who would proceed with some• deliberation in "the' movement"— ihat they, also are interested_ in having a respectable servative ininprity. The bugbear of a Conservative ad ministration. is.at An. end—that is .now impossible : minis ters have already a sufficient reinforcement of black and white voters .li-ice - Mr. Hum . p ;, they. have shown that in their rivalry, with the more candid "Destructives," now their only competitors for place, they. are ready to bid to any extent of violence or crime. Must it not be necessa ry,-then,-in the judgement--of all. opposed-to the most pre cipitate plungo into revolution, that a powerful Conserva tive party should exist, as a drag, if nothing better, upon the violent emulation of the two classes of Destructives ? Finally, is it not essential to the theory of a representative constitution, that...an opposition of sensible 'weiglip ind in fluence should alwayi serve as a counterpoif_eto:. the go verning power ?—Standard. THE LIVERPOOL STANDAIW. THE ELECTIONS. . The returns from Ireland are thcrse, which we can - look to with the least pleasure. There.appears- no doubt that a considerable.number of .the members. for that ,country will consist of persons "pledged" to obtain a- repeal of the Union ; in other words' to - sever the connexion be tween the ttvo countries. Qf thoSe Irish members who do not belong to the repeal party,_a considerable number will belong to the equally violent party'd the Orange men. Reformers, who are not -repealers,..there will be many,..but..certainly _very inferior to the two others. What the effect' Of thii state. of the Irish, representation will be it is not easy, to foiesee. If any considerable bo dy of revolutionists had been elected in' this island,- the Irish members would have cordially- united with theni, and the alliance might have - been formidable. In the English and Scotch members they. will .how, find very few allies, and the conviction ,mus(soon be fOrced on them . . that they .cannot attain their object_by legislative means. But whatever be the result; this is not 4 consequence of the Reform Bill: The same--project; and nearly the same means` of accomplishing the ,return to. Parliament of a nunaber,pf.persons, pledged to the .repeal,,e4stecl before the:Reform Act passed. ' The repealers. are ; ciiiefly. re turned for counties. in which-the -balance oVparties has : not materially -changed, and -from a few places-That were always accessible to the influence - which the''agitators have exercised in them.—.Gla FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE: • • HOLLAND AND-BELGIUM. We continue our extracts- from the private correspondence l of -the Times, r e l a tingt o SIEGE OF ~THE CITADEL OF ANTWERP. :EIpriTEEDITIL:DAY..OI? THE..SIEQE. ANTWERP, DEC. 17, MONDAY, 10 O'CLOCK, A. Air—The night passed away without any thing remarkable.- The Cannonade was kept up and still continued this morning, while the work for the batteries for the breach - are :carried on as rapidly as the nature of the weather. will permit. Two. Pieces of 24, which were brought along the road from- -Broom, have. stuck in the mire,...and the utmost exertions are. made with.men a,nd horses to get them on. The appearance- of the men as they come from the trenches is .quite-distressing. INIOoN.-The gun-boats , in- the polders, which usually kept their full complement of 35 to 40 men, have now only two men each... The_others :have been sent. to • the citadel. The gun boats which are still in the river retain their full number of nien.—On the night between Sunday and Monday, the French workmen-had approached so near the citadel, that the Dutch, 'who hithertO used to throw the 'grenades with a gunner'S ladle, threw them with their hands. Fortunately . most of them were extinguished by the Wet,--'--not one in • ten, that, I saw thrown. answered its: purpose.—We are going on, as•rapidly,as we can with the batteries in breach. , The demi-bastions are finished, and are 18 feet thick. The batteries will-not be .more than 150 metres ,(about 187 yards, ) from the Toledo Bastion. It .is against the left face of .t his bastion ,that they will commence for the breach.—All - preparations for the .descent into the fosse are now nearly CoMplete.There are hourly arrivals.of convoys from. ten- to- fifteen. waggon loads, with immense fascines, tended to fill up the fosse.. We have -made 800 ladders-for the. assault. The reginients of infantry in the vicinity of - Antwerp `are approaching4o4he scene of action.. On, ..Saturday,, there arrived at 13erebem, from Mechlin, .the: grenadier CompanieS of three_or faur regiments., They, went on immediately.to the. trenChes, where they had a turn of twelve hours' work, which the yl . - )erformed; with an . activity and gaiety truly adinirable. But fi r the bad weather, we sh mild have had the batteries in breach,, ready to begin. to-day, but beyond a doubt they will open their &eon Ttiestlay.Nothing can' equal the liatience, the firmness,, and the<good bumour.ofthe French Soldiers. In pasking throngh the ranks, yo u . every moment hear lively sal lies of mirth, rwhich.attest their unalterable Olety.—Yesterday there was a inovenient in the 'Belan Staff.' It appears that intelligence had arrived that the Dut ch army was. concentrating itself on Breda, :that another corpS Was. marching towards Bergen-op-Zoom; and a third to Eindoren.. THREE O'CLOCK, P. M.—The. beieiged have- replied to the Ft - mach fire but feebly to-day: They have, however, annoyed - the workmen •bytheir fuiladel—l - rnentioned - yesterday a move= meat of the Dutch troops aleng.the.frontier. - It is-. said that its ob,ject is to throw back the division -of Achard on Antwerp, that they might carry . the forts .which • are armed on the light bank of the 'Scheldt, adVance of Lilltr.• -I do not mean , to giVe a direct contradiction to this report; . hilt I have conversed with a person on whose statement I can place impplicit reliance: Ile arrived this morning cram' West Wczel, andlie•assures me that he noticed no 'such - movement, and• that no - report of the kind was current-when he left.Bonibs -and- cannoxi;ballS still continue to fall occasionally in 'the city.. One fell yesterday on tie Hospice St. Elizabeth, and,another in -Rue de-flanmers, without doing anymischief: FIVE o'cLocx..-=-Thehatteries- for the breach are 'at length finished. They are eairtiing,,a.M l ,"will continue during the night to carry , thither the necessary Imilets and bombs: •The,battei. ing wi ll commence to4norrow. Every - thing - appears duet; cfri the Flanders side.' 'We can perceive •no- movement at either side of the river. A loud explosiOn has just been heard,' I learn . that they have blown up. thlilokhaus, whirb is situated between . St. Laurent anti the citadel. The order, has again bi e h i,l,sued .6) the Generals whp,are stationed near the•frontier, to remain at the head of their respective corps, and, the Duke •of Orleans, whose turn it was to have been in the trenches.to-day, has been replaced, as that Prince is. on, his return to- his•bead-quarters, which are on the extreme frontier. Lieutenant Boutellier of 'the gendarmerie, commanding the civil power at the head-quar ters, is established at Berchem to keep a strict surveillance over those strangers who, without any authority, endeavour to intrude themselves into head-quarters to pick up information. Already, by his care, several persons have been arrested and sent to pri son. There is reason to believe that this surveillance will di minish the number of the curious, amongst whom, it is to be feared, there are some spies. The firing was but feeble during this night and this morning. We had only 20 wounded and 7 killed. MONDAY NIGHT.—The. siege of the citadel of Antwerp is drawin fast to its term, fo r wi thi n a f ew d a y s , p er h aps seven more, General Chasse will cease to have any power in the citadel.—The French have caused the four Belgian brigs of war, being their only navy,—for the D u t c h G overnmen t h as c l a i me d and holds all the ships of war, even those left on the stocks in 1814 by the French,—to descend the Scheldt from above the citadel, and two are stationed in the river between Forts St. Marie and St. Philip, in order to stop all communication with the citadel, and to prevent the escape of Baron Chasse. The Dutch frigate Eurydice, and 2 corvettes, and 17 gun-boats, still remain off Lillo and Batz, without having lately attempted any attack on the slight forts and batteries erected by the French troops on the two sides of the river. Perhaps the death of the Admiral has struck them with dismay. The citadel now defends itself feebly ,• it is preparing to yield. The F renc h are no t on l y making ready the breaching batteries, which will be armed and in play, as they hope, to-morrow evening, but they are further stated to have already opened a mine, which they expect will do them as great service as in the ease of Fort St. Laurent. In addition, it was asserted that during this night they intended to take by storm, or otherwise, the demi-lune which is situated at the rear of the Lunette St. Laure n t; b u t this intention has been postponed until the breaching begins. The firing has been va riable as the weather during this afternoon. The French en gineerslOok upon the whole affair as a matter of amusement, and a there trial of their skill. Yet one cannot suppose that the garrison will not make use of their excellent position in order even still to give a striking proof of their valour. DEC; 18, TUESDAY MORNING.—It blew a hurricane during the.night, and - the weather is now clearer than it h as b een f or some days. The French soldiers, and in particular the Artil lery, have reason to rejoice at it; the dragging of the heavy guns through the trenches where the mud isknee deep, has been a work of great labour, and has contributed considerably to de lay the progress of the siege. Some foreign officers who have visited the trenches describe them as others would—a beautiful machine, in which every part is perfect. - The great' art, as they state, in such approaches, is to protect them from being enfilad ed by the fire of the citadel; and in this, thus far, the French engineers - have succeeded with a very trifling loss—a loss which, considering the advantageous position and the occasionally heavy fire of the garrison, seems to strike all with wonder. The hiking' of tlie demi-lune has - been delayed, by orders of the Marshal, although, as some say, it has been abandoned by the Dutch, who wish to concentrate all their strength in the citadel. Sure of taking it when necessary, the Marshal prefers not doing so at this , moment l in order to spare his soldiers the necessity of being placed under the fire of the bastion Pacietto, until the breaching batteries are in play. ELEVEN O'CLOCK.—The battery to breach the left face of the bastion Toledo is ready; it consists of 6 guns, (24-pounders,) and is situate on the cr es t o f th e glacis. 'There is some delay as-to the time when the breaching begins, as the counter bat tery to enfilade the face of the bastion is not fully in order. This battery is to consist of 4 guns of the same calibre. They will, it is now said; be fully ready and in play on the 20th, the day after td-morrow. The garrison has this morning fired more than usual; - it is, therefore, supposed that the Commandant and his Council are about to adopt the line of defence laid down by Carnot, and at this period -" to make the forcible resistance at the last," on which that able engineer so much relied. TWELVR O'CLOCK .--The -trenches are now allowed-to be-tra versed by those officers who produce proper certificates of their. rank, &c., to the head of the French staff. The signature of Colonel Caradoc, as British commissioner, hasprocured such permission for several of his - brother officers. There were va, nous attempts made to prepare draughts and plans of -the trenches, whit!' the French were bound to prevent. Hence, hitherto, there'was great difficulty to enter them, for even some reriegade'Frenehmen, in order to gain money, have published plans which; luckily for their 'countrymen, have been very de feCtive. ONE c?ctocK.—The Mitch army is stated to be tranquil, in its-winter quartirs. The movement of some battalions to the garrison at Bergen-op-Zoom was the ground of the late rumour. Two o'cLocx..--4 have been to see the' river, where the Dutch ships'reMain ciniet; between Liefkenshoek and - Lillo. Some of the gun-boats near the citadel have been placed in a line across the Scheldt, with the - Tete de Flandres. : TnaEc o'ciocK.-:-On the Exchange to-day_there.were no, ru mours current respecting the Dut c h arm y. The fire has been slack dnring . some hcfurS. Some musketry has been heard. The weather ks clear , with a strong drying, wind. THE FRENCH ARMY. 13uocutm, DEC. 18, TUESDAY.—The battery destined to bat ter the left face of the bastion'Toledo in breach is finished. It consists, of six pieces' f 24, and, is situated on the crest of the glacis, that is', it, is separated from the bastion. only by the co vered way and the fosse. That will make the distance about3o metres (about 3.7 yards.) . They are actively employed in erect ing a counter-battery, not intended, as the other, to batter in breach, but to silence the guns'of "the besieged. This counter bAtery_ will be armed with.four.pieces of .24.. They are erect ing a battery of swivel guns alongside the battery in breach. The mortar battery D will this night: be moved to its intended position, in.frout. Noo N.--A:tiew battery has been erected and armed between the Lunette St. Laitrent and the demi-lune- of the bastions 2 and 3. The lodgment in the lunette. is complete, and its cora.: rounications with the 3d parallel are all finished. The battery established on the counterscarp is armed and ready to open its fire. The trials of the large mortar, which took place in the plains of Brasscha,et, have been most satisfactory. This mor tar will be immediately brought to hear upon the citadel. Five o'cLoca.—A fire of musketry, much more sharp than that of yesierday, ha 4 been kept up during the day. The de scent to the fosse from the' demi-lune is complete. The, bad weather, 'however, has so much retarded the works, that it is probable they will not begin to batter in breach before to-mor row night. The Dutch fired constantly during yesterday and to-day on the. Berchem .road. Having learnt, no doubt, that the King was expected at Antwerp, they fired at every carriage that. passed the road. Last 'night the bombs thrown -from the. French batteries were directed against the bastion before the entrance to the- citadel on the city side... At iniddight a fire broke out at the Corps de., Garde at the entrance, but it was soon got under. Thq : King, aecompanied. by . his .staff, has ar rived in the city. ANTWI4BP 2 , DEC. 19, WEDNESDAY.RtIitipIir speaks of some cannon-shots having been heard front belOw Lillo, at the, old fort of Frederick , Hendrick where the French are establishing a.battery._. . , _ . ELEvurt o'cLocx.—l have made inquiries at the-port, and from welr-informed perions, respecting the aforesaid firing, but can learn pothing. All appears tranquil, at-this hour, on, the Scheldt. - .. . .. ;TWELVE o'cLocit.—The French' during -last night made an attempt to throw a bridge across the ditch of the demi-lune ' .be tween the bastions Toledo and Paeietto, i n w hi c h th e y did not succeed, from having taken a wrong direction •in the dark. They lost so many men in placing- the bridge, that General 14'axo ordered them to desist. The number lost is estimated at 46 killed and wounded. - , There are three-fourths-of the bridge formed, andit is thought-that-to-night. there -will be a success-. ful attempt made. The bridge _between the demi-lune and - the citadel is stated to be-so injured by shut as to stop the passage by it into the latter. General ,St: Cyr .Nu es -was shot by a wall-piece, which cut his epaulets and bruised his shoulder. ONE o'cx.oex.—There is not one of- the breaching batteries yet armed, but it is expected that-they will be so to-night. The French are preparing a small battery to the left of the counter battery, destined for cohorns. The weather is frosty and dry. Nothing is said of any movement of the Dutch army. The fir ing, which during the night was heavy, is now rather slack. HALF-PAST L—Two persons 'living •at Doel were arrested yesterday, for holding .correspondence with the Dinch. , Th e division Sebastiani has been in possession for some time past of this village, the last- Belgian' one on the left bank. One of those persons threw a bottle having a letter into the Scheldt: the other malle'signals. There was, a brisk cannonade at three o'clock yesterday between the 'Dutch frigates and-some French batteries on the •banks of the river. THURSDAY, Dec. 20.—The fusilatle during the night,was very sharp, and at 4 o'clock,this morning some sleepers were alarmed by What they conjectured to be the springing of a mine. Yet persons acquainted with thee-proceedings_ of the -besieger s d eny that any mine was sprung. General ,Haxo is stated to have declared that he does not think the p osse ssion of the deini-lune worth the lives which it might Cost at, this period. Th e b e li e f r that this experiencad engineer is proceeding with. a mine to „renderthe -entrance as easy and cheap the 'citadel as into the Lunette St. Laurent, still prevails, The 'number df soldiers placed this night hors de combat, that is, killed and wounded, '- described as amounting to 28 on the Trench side. The rioT : her of killed and wounded from the commen cemen t i s not plw licly, avowed. The King, Leopold, who has been here during thilast - M f h re re c days, is indefatigable in his movements to procu re tiiewe" 3 " of his subjects. There is danger now in passing from Antwerp to Bercheo the Mechlin gate ; a countryman, yesterday, had his leg shot there. The diligences p a s s th e re at a gallop, as th e cane° shots and shells have fallen near them. The best informed persons now describe the breach baded as to be fully armed to-night, and to begin the play to-morrn There is an admission now on the part of some officers, til e the number of soldiers altogether wounded or killed since to beginning- amounts to somewhat more than 600. The ships 5 maid in the Scheldt as they were yesterday. I saw them their'sails loose to dry. N HALF-PAST ONE.-The firing still continues without int e : mission; the weather clo u dy. Th e b reac h-b a tt er y will,.it„ thought, require 48 hours, and perhaps mo r e, b e f ore the oPe' , ing be made. It will be strange to find the French soldiers sault the citadel on Christmas morning. It appears to be e' pected earlier—on the 23d. HOLLAND. THE HAGUE, Dec. 18.—In the Second Chamber of the Stat e !, General the Minister for Foreign Affairs communicated t u ar continuation of the negociations at London and Paris. , Government had declared itself r ea dy t o acce pt th e t re aty P r at posed by Prussia with the modifications indicated, but di Lord Grey said the consideration of the treaty would only col delay, and the citadel of Antwerp must be evacuated before al% further negociations could take place. A similar answer I s given at Paris. The Minister declared that the Netherla 9 g desired peace as m u c h as th e o th er P owers , b ut suc h a Pea c .i as was consistent with it s honour and interests. If we cane u rs obtain it, we must follow the glorious example of our ancest% by defending our rights, freedom, and independence, and tit e to the aid of Providence in the defence of our just cause. 1 1 Minister concluded by declaring, that the Government was:, ways ready to resume th e ne g ocia ti ons i n suc h a manne r as 11 - , came an independent state. The President repli e d, that r e, Chamber received the communication with respect, and the quested him to assure his Majesty of the sentiments of Chamber. MAURITIUS. By a proclamation of the Gov ernor o f th e Mauritius, o f tbe 3rd of September, it is decreed, in consequence of the death John Justin Cooper, judge of the Supreme Court of App eal ' that until his Majesty's pleasure be known, Edward Renton , Esq., shall continue to exercise the office of procureur-geocrl e and Nicholas Gustave Bestel, that of assistant jud ge of Supreme Court. The Governor, in honour of his Majesty birth-day, had remitted to eleven prisoners, impri son ed !° various periods, the remainder of the term of their respect ive imprisonments. GREECE. " MUNICH, DEC. 7.—King Otho left us yesterday morni%, He was accompanied as far as Peir (a village about two 'cart from this) by the King and Queen, who are much affecte parting with hi m , as fie is their favourite child. His broth el (the Prince Royal) a nd one o f hi s maternal uncles go l a ci h e him as far as Naples. F rom th a t p l ace h e proceeds to Otr a'l from thence to Brindisi, where he will embark for Corfu, t h d, place where he is to find hi s littl e. arm y, w hi c h , i t i s expect he will be there awaiting his arrival. We do not expect that will arrive at Nauplia bef ore th e en d-Of J anuary, even if e` ho thing goes on as it should. Th ere i s scarce l y a person here lc, does not anticipate that the throne of Gr eece wi ll p rov e to O a t i j a a anything but a bed of roses. Facti o n s i n th a t unhappY lta increase from day t o d a y' i n num b er an d strengt h , a nd party which is disposed towards the Bavarian Monarch is pr' cipally so in the hope of participating in the official arranq meat of the new Government. In this they will be disappoill t - e h y as almost every n ew po s t will b e , i n d ee d - i s a l rea d y, f i lled the Germans. The impossibility of thus providing for half,: f o, po_pulatfon of G reece wa s the source of C a p ° d'lstfias's "i clinics; it will also be the stumbling-block to Otho's govec, ment. He will also be exposed to all entraves of Russian 2„, trigue, whose interest it is 'clearly to keep the country water so 'long as 'they cannot possess it themselves. C cu— e o• troth no longer denies his connexion with that court, as ara°," e hii Papers, which fell into the hands of the Government t time ago,- were -certain letters from Admiral Ricord, whiel' A pr e ti p all doubt at an end that the cabinet of St. Petersburgb j 5 in all the intrigues and differences which distract the connt r o ii and that it likewise feeds the malcontents with the means of carrying on their opposition t o th e se ttl emen t o f an y sPec" - bas government that may not be completely their own. • Ilus&ia,„,_ not limited the sphere of her exertions to Greece alone, through her minister at this court, has delayed the final a rran n, ments, from month to month, until the season is so advanc d and so much time has been-lost, that the troops will he expose d a to all the hardships ofrough voyage, and the party 0 11 ° , 0 to Otho will be ahead 'active and formidable. Pozzo di P' oe 77y assisted the scheme of his Government during his stay her e ' in persuading the King to send his own troops with his son , the stead of procuring volunteers. The consequence is, dislike, officers and men are thus forced on a serv i ce which they te. and matey desertions have taken place between this and Tr les None of these troops have seen the sea in their lives, and ve mode of living will be ne cessar ily so diff eren t t o w h a t they ha. — been accust ome d t o , th a t I l oo k f orwar d to a great mo rtahl taking place among them ere they get to Nauplia. Sever n ,T persons who have lately been i n G reece express an unfavoura ble opinion regarding the result o f thi s expedition, as the men wh o direct it are, one and all, ridiculously ignorant of the coun tr y they, are proceeding to govern. Th e regency follows the to-morrow." CAPE OF GOOD HOPE. Papers.fmm the Cape-of-Good Hope to the 18th of October were received in London. on Thursday last. That the colon] was going on essentially in a prosperous manner may be in ferred from the o ffi cial return of its exports during the month! of July, August, and September, which were by full one-thir d of greater value-than in the corresponding period of 1831. Tn ° , increase is chiefly in the articles exported to the mother collo try, the principal of which were hides and skins, oil and win' The exports in wool have nearly quadrupled in amount. 1t2 5 stated from Graham's-town, that the French missionaries witl had establi s h e d themselves among one of the tribeS to W. northward had been driven aw a y by th e p eop l e , an d had gall to Latakoo. - CALCUTTA. The. Hooghly, at Boston, .brought Calcutta papers to the € 4.1) . of August. The Boston T ranscr ipt g i ves the following extracts: " A dreadful. fire_occurred 011 the 25th of -July in.the-fert• commenced in the arsenal, and destroyed two sides of the str r iare, paeli used as godonns for all descriptions .of stores, such as o canvas, tar, turpentine, pitch, milit ar y accoutremen ts, 8 :e.9,- rhe of which, with the'buildings, were completely destioyed• loss is calculated atseverallacs of rupees. The fortunate ye'' ing and unexpected su b s id ence o f th e w i n d save d t h e armeur r , , which, with its splendid and im mense s t an d o f arms, wa s a le time in imminent danger. T o save the armou r y, recourse e i w v al: had to battering. down. with shot fr om .18 pounders. 1 . e : were lost. In the papers of the 4th and Bth we fi n d some s p a ' culations on the prospect of th e i n di go crop. A BungaP° oo indigo planter. (in the H ur k aru o f th e B t h) states t h at the cl in his district will be 24 per cent. less-.than that of last Ye. a o , Letters from Ghrzeepo re , o f th e 26th J u l y, represent a port' f of. the plant as in a dead and dying state, from a total want rain. In the pap er o f th e 4th th ere are di vers accoun t s fro r , Jessore, Kishnagur .Tishoot, &c.,. all which re p resen t the er Q r as backward . and .short: in some distri c t s there. had beet! 1 : rain, and in others too much: The f a lli ng o ff i n t h e cr op I r ° the last year's produce is variously estimated." POACHING OUTRAGE.-011' Friday night last, about twels:er o'clock, as the Earl of Chesterfield's keepers were going tile r . rounds,' they heard sever a l shots' fired in one - o f th e cove , t They immediately proceed e d t o th e cover, and-discovered eigii, or ten poachers with guns; the poachers saw them, and thr e ein ened to shoot them if th e y s ti rre d f rom t h e spot. part o f L ,stood guard over the keepers, while the others shot what gam they liked, and then decamped with it. It is supposed they Ca ried away a large number of pheasants.—Derbyshire Courier. A PENDANT.—We cannot forego the opportunity . of in-' l „b, ing the gentle reader with a companion to the "touch at the 6- 1 ,, lime, which we preserited him in a late No.' There is obviously an idiom in the imagination, as well as the dialect, of our "re i ,u, tonic brethren, which is un-englishable. "The bindiny",;(7 o a parent's announcement'of the decease of his son in a -D er , paper of the Bth inst.) of that beautiful and romising Oscar Maeder, student of theology ) was return ed to its nwthteiris earth, after he had returned, a few weeks b e f ore , f rom the ba t h of Salzbrunnen to his parent's"roof. The work, nett bf re 14 :0: and improved by its G reat A ut h or, will re-appear -in a spiel'' day. This is the 'only tomfort of -his raournmrparents , ori only brother." —Atheneum.