The Sun.
London, England, 1831-05-20 00:00:00

BRUSSELS PAPERS.

BRUSSELS, MAY 15.—We are assurod that the arrival
of M. H. de Brouckere rendered the immediate assembly
of a Cahinet Council absolutely necessary. The despatches
from London leave little hope. The result of the Council
was not the sending of new instructions to our numerous
legation at London. (Mors have been despatched to the
Commanders of the several corps of the army immediately
to resume the positions nearest to the frontiers on the
whole line.

The Courier contains the following article:--
" The Government, having no official Journal, the
Editor of the Courier is requested to publish the annexed
document, which was despatched to the Hague on the 9th
of this month.

" Brussels, May 14,1831. " NOTHOMB."
" The Secretary to the Minister for Foreign Affairs.
" The undersigned Minister for Foreign Affairs of the
kingdom of Belgium, after hiving taken the orders of the
Regent, and the opinion of the Council of Ministers, has
the honour to offer to Baron Verstolk de Soelen, Minister
for Foreign Affairs, the following considerations, which
he requests his Excellency to have the goodness to submit
to his Government. At the point which it has attained,
the Belgic revolution has in it nothing hostile to the
true interests of the Dutch nation, or to the gene-
ral policy of Europe. The separation of the
two portions of territory which composed the kingdom of
the Netherlauds, is accomplished both de facto and dejure
by the will of the respective people, and by the declaration
of the States-General, composed of the Deputies of the
Southern and Northern provinces.
" Your Excellency said, on almemorable occasion, 'that
the honour of the two countries did not owe its origin to
the advantages which Holland would derive from it, but to
the necessity of finding a new security for the balance of
Europe.' Your Excellency added, ' that in 1815 two
States were waned which were on an equality with each
other, and that neither could be con,idered in the light of '
an addition to the territory of the other.'"
Answer of M. V. de Soelen to Count de Mier
Apri1:12,1826 :

4' The undersigned is happy to be able to quote these
remarkable words which recognise the independence of
Belgium in past times, and eventually sanction it in future.
Holland and Belgium, in separating from each other, have
only resumed the reciprocal position which your Excel-
lency has so well characterised ; and the event which led
to this separation is a national restoration for the two people.

" Beyond this Europe has nothing to claim of it.
" In Holland, since Oct. 20, 1830, the deputies of the
more northern provinces meet separately. In Belgium,
since the 10th November, the national representation has
been in the' Congress. The two countries therefore are
entirely constituted. But, besides the question relative to
the interest of Europe, solved by the declaration of cur in-
dependence, there are questions of private interest between
the Dutch and the Belgians. Fifteen years' union leave
many points to be regulated between the two people on the
day of their separation, and a part of the Belgic territory
is still occupied by the Dutch troops.
" With a view to conciliation and to maintain the peace
of Europe, the envoys of the five great Powers mrt at
'London in the month cf Nov. 1830, and applied to the
Government of Holland and Belgium to stop the effusion
of hlOO3, and to facilitate by their mediation tVe solutions
of the questions that might decide the twis parties.
"Hostilities have been suspended for nearly six months,
hut neither Hollanduor Belgium has recovered tranquillity.
In many respects the two ciuntries have need of each
other, and all commercial relations are interrupted. Large
armaments exhaust the public resources in the expectation
of a war, always imminent, and always deferred, and yet
neither nation has any desire of conquest, each wishes
only to combat for its own territory.
" In this`temper of mind, is it necessary to prolong a
state of crisis, and to renew a sanguinary strtvgle ; to
submit to the chance of arms questions which might long
since have been resolved by common deliberations ? We
are on the point of resuming hostilities for some disputed
points, which would probably be arranged by the two Lel-
ligerent parties, had it been tried imtnediately after the
sespension of arms to treat together, without, however,
declining disinterested counsel.

" It is not from without that peace can come to us, we
must give it to ourselves. After hostilities are resumed
the two people will be necessarily always brought to treat
together, unless one should subdue the other.
In these circumstances, and from these considerations,
the undersigned has the honour to enroll your Excellency,
to propose to your Government to name three Commis-
sioners, who may meet three Belgic Commissioners in
some foreign city, for instance, Aix-la-Chapelle or Valen-
ciennes. They will he commissioned to agree on the
basis of a scheme of arrangement, which may be sub-
mitted for acceptance to the National Congress, and to
the power which the fundamental law of Holland invests
with the rights to conclude such a treaty.
" The National Congress is convoked for lBth May.
It is to be presumed that if your Government should not
be disposed to agree to the proposal which the undersigned
has the honour to address to your Excellency, or if it
should observe a silence which must be understood as the
rejection of every amicable arrangement, Belgium would
immediately proceed to a renewal of hostilities.
" The undersigned protests before-hand against every
false influence that might be drawn from the present pro-
posal. If he has endeavoured to join firmness to mode-
ration, it is because the national dignity forbid any other
attitude, and because the very notice of his proceeding
called for language as remote from provocation as from
weakness.

" The underigned begs his Excellency, the Minister for
Foreign Affairs, to accept the expression of his distin-.
guished consideration.
(Signed) " LEBEAU.
" A true copy. The Secretary, &c. NOTHOMB."
" Brussels, May 9, 1831.

MEETING OF THE COUNTY MAGIS-
TRATES.

(Concluded from our Paper of yesterday.)
A petition was presented from Mr. Webb, the late
surgeon to the prison, who is nearly eighty years
of age, to he allowed a pension for his past services;
and, after some discussion, it was agreed to allow
him 1001. for the ensuing year.
It having been the practice of the Crier of the
Court to take from persons acquitted a fee of 165.,
to which he was not legally entitled,
Mr. Serjeant PELL addressed the Court upon the
illegal conduct of the officers of the Court in de-
manding and taking such heavy fees, which were not
sanctioned by any enactment of the Legislature or
order of the Court. The Magistrates would agree
with him, that the conduct of Mr. Richards, the
crier, in taking such illegal fees, was deserving of the
severest animadversion.
The other Magistrates concurred with Mr. Ser•
geant Pell, that neither law nor usage sanctioned the
taking of such fees, and they hoped all fees would
soon be abolished. —(Hear.)
By a majority of ten to four the practice of taking.
fees was declared by the Magistrates to be abolished,
and an order was made that a list of fees should be
affixed on the walls of the Court in future. The
Court then adjourned.

THOMAS SPRING RICE, LSO., M.P.—
Mr. RICE arrived in Dublin yesterday, on his way to
London, and visited the scene of our city election, where
be gave his vote, as a freeman of the city at large, f.r Mr.
PERRIN and the LORD Mayor.. On being recognised in
the freemen's booth a great crowd immediately collected
round him, and cheered him loudly on the announcement
of his vote. An objection was made to him by the
RECORDER'S agent, and he was obliged in consequence to
attend in the Assessor's room, where his vote was imme-
diately allowed. On his leaving the Court-house many
persons followed and cheered him in the street. He seemed
a good desl amused by the scene the booth presented, and
was evidently gratified by the cheers of the people.
A meeting took place yesterday morning, itt
the Vestry-room of St. Clement Danes, of the inhabitant
householders of the above parish, for the purpose of :ron-
sidering the propriety of presenting an address to his
MAJESTY, thanking him for his late conduct in dissolving
the Parliament. Mr. Baowx, one of the churchwardens,
took the chair. Several of the inhabitants addressed the
meeting upon the subject, and spoke in favour of the pro-
posed plan of Reform. Sir FRANCIS 03131 A NNEY spoke
against the plan of Reform, and wished to ask the vestry-
clerk whether it was legal for a parish to call a vestry
meeting for political purposes. The vestry-clerk said,
that most certainly it was quite legal. Sir FRANCIS•
then said he should feel compelled to vote against the
presentation of the address. He bad not come forward
with an amendment upon the occasion, but he had his awn
feelings upon the subject, and he would not let it ga forth
to the world that he had been present and given his sanction
to a proceeding like the present. He considered that the
present meeting was quite useless, as they had met for a
similar purpose in October last.. The vestry. desk said",
that that meeting was to beg his MAJESTY to grant thera
Reform, and the present meeting was to thank him for the
efforts
.he bad made to procure it. Several other gentle—
men addressed the meeting, and it was ultimately resolvel
that an address should ha presented to his MAJESTY,
thanking hint for dissolving the Parliament, and at tte
same time expressing an unqualified approbation of the
measure of Reform submitted to Parliament by his Ma--
JEs.rv's patriotic Ministers.

Air. GRATTAN, the popular author oi
" Highways and Byways," is, we understand, abort to
publish a new historical Romance, entitled " Jacqueline of
Holland." The story is connected with the eventful for-
tunes of that Princess in her struggle against the usurpa-
tion of PHILIP of Burgundy.

- -
WHALE FISHERY.—For a lengthened pc-.
riod the Americans have prosecuted the whale fishery
greater vigour and success than, perhaps any other people..
They commenced it in 1690, and for about fifty years,
fmmd en ample supply of fish on their own shores. But.
the whale having abandoned them, the American naviwt....
tors entered with extraordinary ardour into the fisl.seri..is
carried on in the northern and southern oceans. From
1771 to 1775, Massachusets employed annually /.83 ves-
sels, carrying 13,820 tons, in the former, and 12y vessels,
carrying 14,026 tons, in the latter.--Foreign Quart eri7
Review.

A. COMPUNCTION OP CONSCIENCE. 011
Monday last, a boy was observed to walk for up, cards of
an hour up and down, before a shop in this towr (Truro),
looking earnestly into it as he passed. At ler,Fd, .k person
was sent to ask what he wanted. He said, he wished to
speak to the owner of the shop, but not presence of a
third person; and an opportunity of doing so being-offered
him, he handed a small parcel, sayir,g, 4. Take this back
,wahalc ith
and:has
and read it." Ott opening the parcel 'it was found to con-
tain ls. 6d., and the following note, wiitten-in a fair band..--
" Here is Is. 6d. for two books which' stole' out.oryot!rs op,
but not a word to no tune." On the person:
forgive me,
who received the parcel looking up, the boy was gone,'
West firiton.
abeleonng. timew eweight
ha
tg o:. bne,yn ootoot alarmed,
ec. ever
rip ?inter: