The Sun.
London, England, 1838-10-05 00:00:00

HOLLAND AND BELGIUM.

AMSTERDAM, Ocr. I.—We have received from our London
correspondent the following letter, dated the 28th of Septem-
ber :—" I think I have already told you that Lord Palmerston
did his utmost to prevent Leopold's visit: to this country, who,
however, paid no attention to the indirect hints that were given
him on the subject ; and as this is here ascribed to the intrigues
of M. Van de Weyer, Lord Palmerston does not conceal his
dissatisfaction both with the step taken by Leopold, and .the
counsels of his Minister. Lord Palmerston is too sensible that
the unfavourable turn for Holland which this affair takes will
expose him to reproaches not only from Holland, but from a
considerable part of the English nation, which has at all times
justly looked upon Holland as the natural ally of Great Britain,
and accordingly considers everything that weakens that
country, especially if it is done for the benefit of France, as
highly injurious to the interest of England. It is doubly
important for Lord Palmerston that even the appearance
should be avoided as if the personal influence of Leopold
with his niece can have thrown any weight into the scale, and
that the English Cabinet be induced for that reason to adopt
resolutions more unfavourable to the ancient ally of Great
Britain. _

At the grand dinner given by the Queen a few days after
her coronation, the Duke of Nassau was seated on one side,
and, to the no small surprise of the illustrious company, the
Baron Van der Capellen on the other side of the Queen, and
this Ambassador was treated by her Majesty during the whole
of the entertainment with the greatest affability. After the
company rose from table, Lord Palmerston acquainted the
Ambassador of the Netherlands that her Majesty had been
pleased to give him this mark of distinction in the first place
as a testimony of her especial esteem for the noble-minded
King whom he represented, and then to manifest how highly
she valued the continuance of the friendly relations which had
so long and so intimately connected the two nations, and
which she hoped would not be broken by the unhappy events
which the irresistible pressure of circumstances alone had of
late brought about, but which both countries should for their
own interest consider as transitory, and endeavour to forget.
" Believe me if among the Courts that are considered as
the most regardful of the interests of Holland there were not
some that likewise think that the long interval of time that
has elapsed since the 24 Articles were offered to the Cabinet
of the Hague makes an essential change in the obligations of
the five Courts with respect to the Netherlands, the good
cause would not be more favourably placed than it now is, in
spite of the efforts of France to get every thing turned to the
advantage of Belgium."—Handelsblad, October 2.

H. C. Compton, one of the Members for South
Hants, has this year grown, on his farm in the New Forest,
thirty-two sacks of wheat from one sack of seed, of the new
species called Chevalier Prolic.

Amongst the most striking political features of the last week
must be ranked Mr. Harve3's speech to his constituents in
Southwark. It contains a clear, cool, impartial, and dispas-
sionate history of the session of Parliament over which the
country is lamenting. In it the speaker appears
" Nought to extenuate, nor aught to set down in malice."
He blames the Ministry for their timidity or indifference ; but
he also attributes much fault to the Liberal Members of
Parliament for not kicking a little louder at the gates of
Downing-street, and demanding a forward movement from
their leaders. While, however, Mr. Harvey regrets the past,
we are glad to find, that he is not without hopes for the future;
anal his adv ce to Reformers, coming as it does from one of
the cleverest men in the country, ought carefully to be
heeded and attended to. He recommends them to bear
and forbear, to give and take. Himself a strenuous ad-
vocate for a bold and onward line of policy, ha would
shut the doors against the entrance of schism, lest,
in the contention for grasping all at once, we should
be excluded from attaining anything. Without any
sacrifice of principle, he would have all shades and sections
of Reformers pull together up to those points on which all
are agreed. But this is but a faint outline of the contents
of this admirable :peed]. One part of it, we perceive, has
given mighty offence to the London Courier. In speaking
of the appointment lately given to him, Mr. Harvey in-
sinuated, that it was only offered to him because no cub of the
Aristocracy thought it worth taking; whereupon the writer
in the Courier flies into a towering rage, and charges the
Member for Southwark with bad taste, ingratitude, and we
know not what besides. The fact is, the sting of this remark
is in the truth of it. In giving utterance to it, Mr. Harvey
has touched a very sore place. Nepotism and a leaning to
the Aristocracy, in the disposal of their patronage, both in
Church and State, down to the very last appointment of the
boy Rice, are, and have been, the besetting sins of the Whiga
in office. One of them, indeed, by name, we think, Anson,
a relation, if we mistake not, of the young hedgehog, whose
anti-Chesterti-ld quills annoy every body who has occasion to
visit the Treasury, boldly avowed the doctrine, during the last
Session of Parliament, that the Aristocracy alone were fit to
have all places of trust confided to them. We think the
avowal occurred in s ,me discussion about an appointment to
the Post-office. But Hvaven help the noddy who made it, who-
ever he was. Ile would send the hawk to take care of the
dovecote, the wolf to be the guardian of the sheepfold, the
cow to look after the clover, the fox to be sentinel over the
poultry-yard. Mr. Harvey is right. Had there been another
young Spring Rice, or any other sprig of the Aristocracy, for
the place which has been bestowed upon him, it would never
have been his. The Whig and Aristocratic table is for Whigs
and Aristocrats alone. An occasional crumb which falls from
it, and which is not worth picking up, may roll away amongst
some of their liberal supporters, but nothing more.—Liverpool
.Albion.