The Sun.
London, England, 1839-02-05 00:00:00

THE PROTOCOL OF THE CONFERENCE_

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Tho Handelsblad of the 31st contains the text of the protocol sent by
the Conference, as well as an appendix, in which Belgium proposed a
pecuniary indemnity for the possession of Limburg and Luxemburg,
which was rejected. The following is the substance. Articles one to
eight remain the same as in the Treaty of the Twenty-four Articles :
" Art. g. Sec. 1. With respect to the navigation of the Scheldt, Com-
missioners of the two countries shall agree upon a pilot duty ; till then
the tariff of 1829 shall be observed in the mouths of the Meuse from
the open sea to Helvoet, and from Helvoet to Rotterdam, in proportion
to the distances.
Sec. 2 All ships proceeding from the open sea to Belgium, and vice
versa may take pilots of either country.
Sec. 3. The Government of the Netherlands shall levy on the na-
vigation of the Sehcldt a single duty of one florin 50 cents per ton,
namely, one florin 12 cents. on ships coming from the open sea, and
ascending the West Scheldt to proceed to Belgium by the Scheldt, or by
the canal of Terneedzen, and 38 cents. per ton on ships which shall
descend the western Scheldt, coming from the canal of Terneedzen or
from the Scheldt, and proceeding to the open sea ; and in order that the
ships may experience no delay, this toll shall be received at Antwerp
or at Terneedzen, by Dutch agents.
" As for the Eastern, which does not serve for the navigation between
Antwerp and the sea, but between Antwerp end the Rhine, a duty shall
be levied according to the Tariff of Mayence of 31st Starch, 1831, on
the navigation from Gore= to the sea, all in proportion to the distances."
Articles 10 to 12 remain the same.
Art. 13. From the Ist of May, 1839, the elebnis five Millions.

Articles 15 to 24 remain unchanged.
The stipulations relative to the territory are net modified.
This protocol is only a proposal made to the King of the Netherlands ;
if he does not agree to it the Powers will continue, as hitherto, to take
care of the preservation of peace : if Holland accepts, and Belgium re-
fuses, the Conference engages to take measures which shall justify the
confidence that Holland places in its support

ANIATCRDAM, JAN• 30.
(From the Handelsblad of Jan. 31.)
We have received during the night, by express from our Correspond-
ent at Bru=sels, communications of the highest importance, which we
hasten to lay before our readers:—
" PROTOCOL OF THE CONFERENCE HELD AT TOE FOREIGN OFFICE,
DEC. 6, 1838.
" Prescnt—The Plenipotentiaries of Austria, France, Great Britain,

Prussia, and Russia.
The plenipotentiaries of Austria, France, Great Britain, Prussia, and
Russia, having met in conference, acknowledge the receipt of the an.
nexed note ( A), delivered on the 28th of November, 1838, to the Ple-
nipotentiaries of France, Great Britain, and Russia, by those of Austria
and Prussia, acting as the agents of the German Confederation.
" The Plenipotentiaries of the five Courts having taken into consi-
deration the state of the negotiations in which they were engaged after
the exposition of the overtures made on the 14th of March last to the
Conference by the Plenipotentiary of his Majesty the King of the Ne-
therlands, in order to attain the conclusion of such a final arrangement
of the differences between Holland and Belgium as may be accepted by
the two parties, it has been proposed to communicate to the Government
of the Netherlands and of Belgium the subjoined articles (B.), drawn up
during the course of the negotiations, as containing just and equitable
proposals, the speedy accomplishment of which by those two Govern-
ments is greatly to be desired for the consolidation of the general peace.
" The subjoined are drafts of the two notes intended to be presented
as final proposals to the Plenipotentiaries of the Netherlands and Bel-
gium, with the annexed drafts (E.F.G ) of the treaties to be concluded
between the five Powers, and Holland, between Holland and Belgium,
and between the five Powers and Belgium, which have obtained the as-
sent of the Plenipotentiaries of Austria, Great Britain, Prussia, and
Russia, whereas the Plenipotentiary of France has declared that he
was not authorised to give his consent to the terms and the spirit of the
present protocol, taking, however, these documents ad referendum.
After these declarations the Plenipotentiaries of the four other Courts
requested the Plenipotentiaries of France to acquaint his Court with
these documents, expressing their confidence that the French Cabinet,
always anxious to remain united with its Allies, and to join its efforts to
theirs for the preservation of general peace, and of the treaties which are
the basis of it, will not hesitate to give its approbation to an arrange.
ment drawn up with the same intention, and after the appreciation of
the circumstances, which make a prompt basis of arrangement in the af-
fair which is submitted to us appear to be a subject of general and urgent
importance.
(Signed) " Senfft, Sebastianl, Palmerston, Bulow, Pozzo dißorgo."
:voile (A) NIINEXRD TO roe PROTOCOL OF TIM 6TII OF PRORMBIR.
" The Plenipotentiaries of Austria and Prussia to their Excellen-
cies the Plenipotentiaries of France, Great Britain, and Russia.
" London, Nov. 28, 1838.

" The undersigned Plenipotentiaries of Austria and Prussia, invested
with the full powers, and charged with the defence of the interest of
the German Confederation in the negotiations relative to the affairs of
Holland and Belgium, have seen with refire: the documents which have
been published at the time of the opening of the Legislative Chambers at
Brussels, in a language in which a design is clearly expressed to refuse
the restitution as well of the territory which, accordingto Article 2 of
the Treaty of the Twenty-four Articles, concluded on the 14th of Octo-
ber 1831, by the Conference of London, should continue to belong to
the Grand Duchy of Luxemburg, as if that part of Limburg which, by
the 4th of the said Articles is to belong to the King of the Netherlands,
either as Grand Duke of Luxemburg, or to be united to Holland, with-
out the Governments having alleged against th6se documents the en.
gagements contracted by a solemn treaty, and the right of a third party
both which those documents disregard.
" The undersigned have the less difficulty in seeing in the manifes-
tation of these sentiments a violation of the rights of the German Con-
federation, as this happened on the part of a Government which is to.
lerated only provisionally in the possession of the said territory, and
which would thus, by its own authority, change the possessions de facto
into a permanent right, which, in the present case constitutes
a usurpation.
" The rights of the German Confederation to the Grand Duchy of
Luxemburg, founded on the treaties of 1815, recognised by the Confe-
rence at the very outset of the negotiations, and formerly maintained
against the enterprises of the Belgians by protocols 19 and 21, are, as
far as concerns the part of the Grand Duchy, which by Art. 4 of the
Twenty-four Articles is to belong to Belgium, transferred to that part
of Limburg which is to be substituted for it, a transfer upon which the
Confederation makes its assent to the territorial arrangement respecting
Luxemburg depend, and with which it declared itself satisfied by the
authority communicated to the undersigned on the 15th of Juno
this year.
" Hence it follows that the right recognised by the Five Powers in
protocol 10, by virtue of which other states should take such mea-
sures as they should judge necessary to cause their legal rights to be
respected, or to establish them in all countries belonging to them to
which Belgium raises pretensions, and which arc situated without the
limits of its territory which is declared neuter' (which right has net
been since repealed by any act of the Conference or of the Confedera-
tion) is applicable as well to the part of the Grand Duchy recognised as
belonging to King William by Article 3, as to the portion of Limburg
above mentioned.
" The undersigned, without in the least pretending to foresee the
decisions of the German Confederation, leave it to the Confederation
to assert, in consequence of the late provocation of the Belgians,
rights that the Belgium Government is bound to respect by the engage-
ments contracted with the Five Courts in the treaty of Nov. 15, 1831.
" The undersigned request the Plenipotentiaries of France, Great
Britain, and Russia to take note of the above- mentioned right, as they
themselves do by this present paper.
" They have the honour,
(Signed)

" SENFFT.
" BULOW."

NOTI (E) ANNEXED TO PROTOCOT. OF DEC. 6, 1638.
This note contains the modified treaty nearly in the same terms in
which it is given in the Belgian papers of Feb. 1.
NOTE (C) ANNEXED TO VIE PROTOCOL OF DEC. 6,183 S.
" Draft of a Note of the Plenipotentiaries of the Five Powers to
the Plenipotentiary of his Majesty the King of the Nether.

lands.
" The undersigned Plenipotentiaries of Austria, France, Great Bri-
tain, Prussia, and Russia, have taken into mature consideration the
communication addressed to them on the 14th of March last by the
Plenipotentiary of his Majesty the King of the Netherlands, by which
his said Majesty has declared himself ready to cause his Plenipotentiary
to sign the 24 Articles agreed to in the Conference of the 15th of Oc.
tober, IS3I. They have likewise fixed their attention on the inten-
tion manifested by the Cabinet of the Hague to facilitate an arrange-
ment conformable in many points to the 24 Articles, and being obliged,
at the same time, to consider the change which an interval of three
years has effected in the reciprocal situation of the parties, they
have, after a long, secret, and confidential negotiation, endeavoured to
agree on acceptable proposals to be made to both parties, in order to
terminate the Dutch and Belgian question by a definitive treaty.
" Having concluded their labours, the undersigned are now able to
offer the result to his Majesty the King of the Netherlands for his ac-
ceptance, and they have the honour to transmit for that purpose to his
Excellency M. Dedel, his Plenipotentiary to the Conference, the an.
flexed drafts of treaties :
" A treaty between the Five Powers and his Majesty the King of the
Netherlands, with an appendix, and a treaty between his Majesty the
King of the Netherlands and his Majesty the King of the Belgians, in-
viting him to communicate this to his Government, with the present note.
" The undersigned refrain entering into a development of the con-
siderations which have guided them, with respect to some arrangements
differ;ng from those of the Twenty-four Articles.
" Those considerations cannot escape the sagacity of the Cabinet of
the Hague, and the undersigned flatter themselves that his Majesty the
King of the Netherlands, appreciating them, will be induced to sign the
above-mentioned treaty as soon as the Belgian Government shall have
agreed to it on its part.
" The undersigned have the honour to communicate to the Plenipo-
tentiary of his Majesty the King of the Netherlands the annexed copy of
the note of the same date, which they address to the Plenipotentiary of
his Majesty the King of the Belgians, and in which his Excellency will
find a statement of the consequences of a refusal on the part of Belgium
in case of the acceptance of the proposals by Holland.
" If, however, the Cabinet of the Hague should reject the above con.
ditions while Belgium accepts them, the Courts of the undersigned,
in though
eansodeploringatti
ne i
wr
hnioeth h at
hv
ei nyghaerffee c e
cri ap o
)fienda,l arrangement
would,n everuby i
ei
shge,
continue to watch in common over the maintenance of peace between
the two parties. _ _

" Haring terminated the task assigned to them by their Courts, the
undersigned hare the honour to renew to M. Dedel the assurances of
their consideration."

(Annexed.)