The National Register.
London, England, 1815-11-12 00:00:00

SUNDAY, *NOVEMBER 12, 1815.

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VISIT OP THE DUKE OF ORLEANS TO ENGLAND.--
DISCONTENTS IN THE NETHERLANDS.
• Notwithstanding the appearance of tranquillity, which
the silence of the French Press gives to that country, its
real state of disquietude and dissatisfaction is occa-
sionally revealed by the Intelligence derived from cor.
respondents. It is thus that the true motive of the
Doke of Orleans' sudden return to England has tram.
spired. It has been the subject of much speculation,
which, however, appears to hare been unfounded. One
paper had stated that the approaching aceouchement of the
Duchess was the cause. This, however, was contradicted
by authority of the Duke himself. A new paper, how-
ever, must not only know every thing that passes, but the
most secret motives of what happens. Consequently the
next day an account appeared, of violent debates in the
French House of Peers, and of the refusal of the Paris
journals to publish the speech of the Duke of Orleans,
when sent to them by kim for insertion; and this was as-,
signed as his motive for his journey to this -country..
a motive so inadequate as to. make one smile at the
conceit. The. Duke. of Orleans, by his formal contra-
diction of the first .paragraph, shows hir. soxiety that
his journey may not be imputed to. a -common cause,
and in fact.bk wish that it might be questioned, and shepld
be seen that he does not approve of what is going on.-.it
should seem, therefore, that he is by no, mead the sop.
porter of the general measures of the Duke of Richelieu*
administration, although he did vote in the minority with.,
him upon the Address. The secret of that minority, in.
deed, remains to be explained. Leaving, however, the-
tangled threads of French politics, we beg to lay before
our readers an extract from the ministerial paper, the
Courier, representing the inhabitants of the Southeii Ne-
therlands as.. very discontented with their new Govern.
latent. Had this. article appeared in the. Chroniclei we
should not hve seriously attended to it, .but should have:
regarded it as a specimen of the creaking manufactures in
which that paper deals. Appearing, however, in that
quarter it,doest where in general the sunny side of things
is alone shewn, we pay attention to it from an opposite
motive. The discontents in the Netherlands,'
states, may be arranged under the following
No. CCCCA7.

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C 4 Mr. Feick, one of the ablest men in Holland, and
who has ever been diametrically opposed to the system of
Buonaparte, was deservedly distinguished by the King,
and made Minister of State. His Majesty had the nomi-
nation of the twelve Deputies of Belgium, and those of
the United Provinces, who were to-discuss and settle the
weighty interests of the two countries. Intimately ac-
quainted with the individuals of his own country, the
Dittch Legislators were composed of all the talents, na,
tural and acquired, of the kingdom ; while the Belgians
were selected from the Nobility, men unaccustomed to ad.
mieistrafive functions; and in every way inferior to the
Statesmen they had to cope with. The interests of the
former, therefore, were not understood, or were aban.
Boned. To this cause is to be attributed the preference
given to the Dutch, who fill all the high offices of the
State, with the exception of two Belgic Ministers, one
charged with the Catholic Department, and the other ap-
pointed to the Inspection of the Canals and Rivers. They'
declaim loudly against the number of Representatives
of the Etats Generaux' being equal for the two coun-
tries, since Belgium possesses a population more name.
rous by fourteen kindred thousand souls than Holland,
and iniist thit the Council of State and Ittnisters of
his Majesty should be nominated, one had from the
Southern and the other half from the Northern De.
partments. This, and thin alone, say they, will be a
sufficient' guarentee against an undue penchant to an-
cient peepossessions or prejudices. The King will,
then be surrounded with an equeLl force of light and
iutelligence: • His decision will always be a right one,'
because the right one will always be laid before his eyeS,
Relative to the ancient national debt of Holland, it is Con-
fidently asterted tltbp^considering the United Provinces
' and Belgium as trio genial bodies, which, by cons ra,:ting
new engagements,. conatktute themselves in one and the
same state, it by no meal' follows we are to lose sight of
the• ietive and•passive condition of these societies. Iu
''conStilting justice alone, it is evident that the act of asso.
ciatibn does not necessarily establish either the common.

alty of goods or debts? How then can the Government
be sur'pri'sed at the repugnance to, and hostility openly ma-
against, a financial system, by which one half of
ioual debt of the Dutch is to be liquidated by the

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