The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1818-04-30 00:00:00

ed by his MAJLette of a speedy evacuation of
the French territory. The Duke of Ricugt.teu.
torfipteuicatiog 44 Memoir, promoted a
clear, dispassimate, end argumentative review of
the name of the eggageruenti into which France
hid entered ; shewiog that th autos Or Jamey
new demended were pot iodemsitiee., ea had been
generally believed, , elthereto the inbabitants or
the Governments 9( the teeny. eseetrim wasted
by the demisting march of. the remelltiooary armies
during their wild career of conquest, bat merely
• payment of debts forma* contracted with indi-
viduals on the faith ,of the French Derailment.
This, was solemnly geminated by FrOliCe in. the
Treaty of the 30th of bay, 1814, and pay person
having claims against the French Government
were invited to prove them to the Commisiters.
before the !Sib of February, 18i7. But the King's
Ministers soon repeated of the facility with which
they bed rendered themselves reeponeible for all the
engagements of the country contracted during the
itevolution. imseant of the claims transmitted
from every pert of &rope was computed a aisteen
hundred millions of franca (about 06,665,6001. titer=
ling)--a sum which not only far outstripped the
expectations of the French Ministers, but which, in
their minds, exceeded the alitiost abd 4y oi; France
to liquidate. Negociations were immediately open-
ed with the Allied Powers, for the purpose of limit-
ing the demands,. The difficulties of such a pro-
ceeding may be easily insisgioed : but they were at
length *amounted, " io conserasee." ells the
Duke of RICHELIEU, " of the sentiments of equity
that animated the Ministers engaged in the negocia-
tion,end the impartiality and usoderstion of the illus-
trious mediator. whims the confidence of Europe
had iovited to preside over it ;" and the Chamber of
Deputies are now reqiired to inscribe on the great
book of France a perpetual rasa of 16,040,000
francs, equivaleat to a capital of 3100100.000 fr.
or about 13,1110,0001, sterling; to which the ori-
ginal demand has bees reduced.

We are far from desiring to question the policy
of the Allies in acceding to this immense reduc-
tion from the original amount of the demands
against France, while we cannot avoid expressing
our admiration at the great dexterity wikh which,
from the result, we May presume the Frihrh ne-
gotiators managed so delicate a subject. Indeed,-
we have hitherto uniformly expressed oar opinion,
that, were the Allies to insist upon the original
chins, they must considerably affect the security of
the throne they have heat so long and on ardently
labouring to establish. But it most be observed
that if, as the Duke of RICIIILIZO has represent-
ed the matter. these &moods mode by individual.
upon France are not the veealt of her ill Ibrtrue
in bottle, but arise fees regular contracts mode
with private persons so the faith of the French
Government, then so considerable * diminution
froth the original and equitable claims implies the
inflicting of a tremendous injury upon the unfortu-
nate delineate, and the composition proves neither
more nor less than • national bankruptcy, wherein
the fair creditors of the State obtain something
about Ss. Gd. in the pound. This view of the ques-
tion, whereby these claims are regarded solely as
public debts, may, perhaps, save the French pro-
ple from one pang of wounded pride; but it is im-
possible, at the same time, not to hove the mind
strongly diverted towards the individual sufferings
that must arise front the modification.

The Mester speaks... an eppreoching Congress
of Sovereigns, to cuirass the propriety of withdraw-
ing the Army of Occupation from the French terri-
tory, on . the close of the third year from the ori-
ginal Treaty. From the tenor of the Duke of
RicuieLtisuis speech, it might be collected, th,it
the ineasurawf a final evacuation has been already
decided, and that the meeting of the Sovereigns,
or their Ministers, will be for the sole purpose of
giving it their more solemn and expressive ratifica-
tion. Preparatory to this event, the Ministers re-
quire an eventaal vote of credit, ansionting to
24,000,000 or retries, to complete the payment of
the sums due to the Allied Powers, conformably
with the 4th Article of the Treaty of the 20th of
November, ISIS. If these requisitions meet the
compliance of the French Legislative Assemblies,
es we have little doubt they eventually will, the
aggregate amount of capital to be raised by loan
within the year will probably exceed thirty mil-
lions sterling. No inconsiderable share of this
sum will, no doubt, be advanced by British cspi-
*alias—and the anticipation of the consequences
upon the hellion market has been the ostensible
cause for continuing the Bank Restriction during
another year.

We Bud, with some degree of surprise, that the
Chamber of Deputies have voted the Estimate of
the expenses for the Ministry of General Police,
almost without discussion.

We hare received New Orleans Papers to the
StOth last, but they contain so hews.

In some further Estimates for Miscellaneous
Services of the present year, which have been
lately laid upon the table of the Howie of Com-
mons. we perceive. with no small surprise, a charge
of 75,0001. for defraying the expenses of a gold
coinage of 0.000,000/. The Estimate for the year
1017 was only 40,0001. the gold coinage in that
year having amounted only to 4,000,0001. We
were glad to bear this subject noticed last night by