The Sun.
London, England, 1831-01-04 00:00:00

the hearts of good men, and the arms of brave ones,
will make common cause against a treacherous and
malignant enemy.—Times.
We received last night, per Silas Richards, from
the North and South American Coffee-house, Ame-
tient! Papers to the 10th of liecember last. They
contain the Speech of the American President on
the opening of the Congress. After expressing a
warm sympathy with the French revolution, the
President enters on the important negociations con-
cluded with this country. His language is concili-
ating in the extreme. "It gives us unfeigned plea-
sure," he observes, " to assure you that this negoci-
ation has been throughout characterized by the most
frank and friendly spirit on the part of Great Britain,
and concluded in a manner strongly indicative of a
sincere desire to cultivate the best relations with the
United States." He dwells with much satisfaction
on the Treaty concluded with Turkey, and speaks of
the enlightened disposition of the Sultan. The res
moval of the Choctaw and Chickasaw Indians be-
yond the Mississipi, rather than submit to the laws of
the States, furnishes the President with an oppor-
tunity for lamenting the fate of this Red Race, and
at the same time extolling :he liberality of the Go-
vernment towards the Indians. The President
winds up his Message with some observations on
the tariff. He enters into an argument to show the
tariff is not unconstitutional, bitt he observes, " it
taxes some of the comforts of life unnecessarily
high ; it undertakes to protect interests too .local
and too minute to justify a general exaction : and it
also attempts to force some kinds of manufacture
for which the country is not ripe." He suggests
that the fairest way of determining whether a par-
ticular interest ought to be protected would be to
submit the question singly for deliberation. tie
deprecates combinations of small minorities for mu-
tual assistance in measures which, on their own
merits, could never be carried, In short, the Pre-
sident wishes to give a triumph to no principle in
this business. On the whole, however, the Message
is a good, statesman-like document, written in a
moderate, conciliatory spirit.--3lorning, Chronicle.
The Belgian nation has conquered its indepen-
dence in a manner so honourable to itself as consti-
tutes the best evidence possible of its aptitude for
the right enjoyment of the inestimable blessings of
civil freedom. A people who can throw off the de-
gradation of a foreign yoke with the courage, energy,
and union, that marked the Belgic revolution, and,
in the midst of perils and the din of arms—with
the threats of foreign invasion and vengeance ring-
ing in their ears—can reconstruct the social state out
of political chaos in a spirit of moderation and wisdom,
contain within themselves the elements of enlightened
and glorious self-dependence. Such are the people
whom the Duke of Wellington, through the no -
dium of a King's Speech, denounced as revolted sub-
jects against the " enlightened Administration" of
the King of the Netherlands I.—a sentiment, indeed,
which was only an echo of almost the whole of
the " enlightened" Press of London; so little
knowledge did it display upon matter of contem-
porary history ! But we imagine both our state--
men and our journalists are better acquainted
with the character and capabilities; of the Bel-
gians at present, though they did accuse them of
deep ingratitude in throwing off the ponderous pro-
tection of their Dutch masters, after having expe-
rienced the " tender mercies," in exhaustless abund-
ance, of the mild and liberal policy of such benefi-
cent statesmen as Van Kyff and Van Misanen. When
the Councillors of the " enlightened" King were
raining down prosecutions in bounteous succession
upon the opposition Press of Belgium—no doubt
from the same kind motive as actuated the ex-qfficio
informations of Sir James Scarlett in this cone try ;
namely, to "preserve its respectability"—few, in-
deed, could have foreseen that the Belgian people
would be guilty of conduct which proved that they
were stupidly insensible to those instances of Royal
favour; particularly as the same "enlightener;"
Sovereign manifested his regard for the " respecta-
bility" of the official Journal of Brussels by placing
a liberated galley-slave at the head of it, that Dutch
liberality and Dutch literature might flourish toge-
ther in congenial union to the end of the chapter.
The other gracious marks of Royal attention
which the Belgians bad received in being al-
lowed to co-operate in paying off the Dutch
debt, the price of the " military glory" of the he-
roes of Holland, and to pay more than their propor-
tion of taxation to support the Dutch placemen who
kindly took upon themselves the cares and duties
of all situations of honour and emolument, ought to
hare bound them in chains of eternal gratitude to
the Government which afforded them such oppor-
tunities of esrning, by their humble but useful ser-
vices, the high approbation of the Holy Alliance—
the Lords of the system in which the new kingdom
of the Netherlands " lived, and moved, and had its
being." But political calculations are often doomed
to be mistaken ; and, though our liberal journalists
and cur sagacious statesmen thought, only a few
months ago, that the incorporation of Holland
with Belgium was to be as immortal as Lord
Castlereagh intended it should be, yet the king-
dom is to-day dissolved, never to be re-united.
We are confident the Belgians are so perverse
as to prefer to be exterminated to a man, rather
than pass under the sceptre of any one of a family
who have such favours to bestow upon their sub-
jects as the mercies of Van Maanen and red-hot
balls 1 There being an end of that question—the
great Powers having acknowledged the independence
of Belgium, which some of them were so recently
about to invade, and our own Government having
declared for the principle of non-intervention—what
remains to be done ? Nothing but to act strictly on
that principle, and leave the Belgians to settle their
own affairs, both as to the choice of a Sovereign amid
every thing else, as they please. Yet it would seem,
from various indications, as if some, if not all, of those
Powers were engaged in intermeddling intrigues, for
the purpose of dictating a Sovereign to that people.
What would this be but to disclaim open dictation,
but practice it in secret ; or, in other worth, to
disclaim interfering with national independence
by force, but destroy it by undermining ? We
are glad, therefore, to find that the Belgic nation is
resolved to support its own dignity, and that it an-
nounces its feelings and determination in such lan-
guage as the following :—" If the foreign Powers
abuse the office of mediation, which was conferred
on them for the purpose of ensuring the execution
of the armistice, and, without consulting us, impose
a Sovereign, an alliance, or any other arrangement,
we shall reject any settlement under such auspices.
The Belgian nation must not again be subject to the
mercy of Cabinets ;—we have brought about our re-
volution without Europe, and Europe has sanction-
ed our revolution by recognizing our independence."
By acting up to this language the Belgians will
make it necessary for the great Powers to respect
the principle of non-intervention, which they them-
selves have laid down ; and they will secure the
stability of their new state on immutable founda-
tions.—Morning Herald.

NATIONAL LIBRARY, VOL. V.-It is
rather extraordinary that the Festivals and Pastimes whi,th
in all countries and (luring all ages have bee❑ indulged in
by man, should not have been hitherto adequately described
in any one work, delightful and inspiring as the theme is.
Here and there, indeed, a dry and learned quarto, confined
to the sports of one country may be found, wherein, while
dates are accurately chronicled, the spirit of the subject
has been missed ; but, until the publication of Mr.
IlonAcs " Festivals," in the National Library,
the public have not been generally informed as to the
festive recreations of all times and nations, from the grand
religious holidays of the ancient Jews', the poetical games
and celebrations of Greece and Rome, to the hearty and
social pastimes of merry old England. No library, circu-
lating or private, should be without this little volume,
which best teaches us how to be " merry and wise."

The Glasgow Chronicic mentions with merited
condemnation the conduct of a parish officer, who, on the
death of a poor Irishman and Irishwoman (not relates!)• in
the same lodging, bad both bodies forced into one coffin for
interment. The people of the neighbourhood expressed
their reprobation of the officer's conduct, notwithstanding
which he persevered and finally saved a coffin to the parish.