The Sun.
London, England, 1831-01-20 00:00:00

BRUSSELS.

NATIONAL CONGRESS.—EVENING SITTINCt, Jay.
M. Le Hon, in the name of fin DlpioMatie Committee,
made the fTAlnwing torninunication to the Congress
n PROTOCOL OF JAN. 9, 1831.

" Present the Plenipotentiaries of Austria, France,
Great Britain, Rossi., and Prussia.
" The Plenipotentiaries of the Five Courts have met for
the purpose of examining the complaints which the Court
of London has received on the Provision3l Government of
Belgium, against the promulgdion of the measures which
continne to impede the navigation of the Scheldt, and on
The part of his Majesty the King of the Netherlands against
the acts of hostility committed by tl.e Belgic troops,
" Considering that the Protocol, No. 1, of the 4th of
November, contains the following sentence :
" On both sides hostilities shall entirely cease. That by
the document letter B, annexed to the Protocol, No. 2,
the Provisional Government is engaged to give orders and
t ike the necessary measures to put an end to all hostilities
against Holland on the part of the Belgians ;
" Considering farther, that by the document letter A,
annexed to the Protocol No. 3, of the 17th November,
1830, his Majesty the King of the Netherlands declares
that he accepts the proposal above-mentioned (that of the
entire cessation of hostilities on both sides), according to
the tenor of the Protocol No. 1 ;
" That the Protocol No. 2, of the 17th November, says

'lst the armistice being agreed to on both sides, consti

tutes an engagement entered into with the Five Powers,
and that on both sides a faculty will be retained of com-
municating freely by sea and by land with the territory,
places, and points, which the respective troops occupy
beyond the lithits which separated Belgium from the
united provinces of the Netherlands before the Treaty of
Paris of 30th May, 1514 ;
" Considering that by the Protocol No. 3, of the 17th
November, the Powers have regarded the engagement for
an armistice as an engagement entered into with them-
selves, for the execution of which it is their duty to provide;
" That in the subsequent Protocol, No. 4, of the 30th
of November, the Plenipotentiary of his Majesty the King
of the Netherlands informed those of the Five Powers of
the entire assent of the King his master to their Protocols
of the 17th of November, 1830 ; that it was understood
that from that time hostilities should entirely cease by sea
and land, and that they should not be resumed in any case,
the armistice having been declared indefinite by the Pro-
tocols of the 17th of November, and the cessation of hos-
tilities having been placed under the immediate direction by
the Protocols No. 4 of the 30th of Nov. and No. 5 of the
10th of December, 1830 ; that the nature and import
of these engagements were explained to the Provisional
Government as far back as the 16th of December, in a
verbal note of Lord Ponsonby and M. Bresson, after which
the Provisional Government of Belgium declared that it
adheres to the Protocol of the 17th of November;

" Considering, lastly, that on the faith of this as-
sent, a common application cf the five Powers was
made to his Majesty the King of the Netherlands
with the view of obtaining the complete revocation of
the measures which still impede the navigation of the
Scheldt, the Plenipotentiaries were unanimously of opi-
nion, that it was the duty of the Five Powers to insist on
the faithful, prompt, and entire execution of the engage
ments, which they declare to have been taken towards
themselves.

" In consequence, the Plenipotentiaries have resolved
to signify to the Plenipotentiary of his Majesty the King
of the Netherlands, that the Five Powers, having taken
under their guarantee the cessation of hostilities, cannot
allow on the part of his Majesty the continuation of any
measure bearing a hostile character, and that, such being
the character of those measures which hinder the navi-
gation of the Scheldt, the Five Powers are obliged to re-
quire, for the last time, the revocation of them.
" The Plenipotentiaries have already observed, that
this revocation should be entire, and restore the free
navigation of the Scheldt, without any other duties
than those which were established in 1814, before the
union of Belgium and Holland in favour of neutral vesse's,
and of those belonging to the Belgic port ; his Majesty the
King of the Netherlands having declared, through his
Plenipotentiary, that vessels belonging to the Belgic ports
had not been, and would not be molested, so long as the
Belgians did not molest the vessels and property of the
Northern provinces of the Netherlands.
" Convinced that in his probity and wisdom the King
will not fail to accede to all the points of their demand,
the Plenipotentiaries are nevertheless forced to declare here
that the rejection of the demand would be considered by
the Five Powers as an act of hostility against them, and
that if on the 20th of January, the measures which hinder
the navigation of the Scheldt do not cease in the time
above mentioned, and conformably to the promises of his
Majesty himself, the Five Powers reserve to themselves the
right of adopting such resolutions which they should find
necessary for the prompt execution of their engagements.
" With a just regard to reciprocity, the Plenipotentia-
ries having been informed that a recommencement of
hostilities has taken place, principally between the envi-
rons of Maestricht, that movements of the Belgic troops
seem to announce their intention of investing that place,
and that the troops have quitted the positions which they
ought to have retained till the final determination of the li
line, by virtue of the annexed declaration of the Provi-
sional Government of Belgium of the 21st of November,
1830, have resolved to authorise their Commissioners at
Brussels to inform the Provisional Government of Bel-
gium that toe acts of hostility above-mentioned must cease
without the least delay, and that the Belgic troops must
return immediately, according to the above-mentioned
declaration, to the position which they occupied on the
21st of November, 1830.

" The Commissioners will add that if the Belgic
troops should not have returned to those positions by the
20th of January, the Five Powers will consider the
rejection of their demand in this respect as an act of
hostility against themselves, and would reserve to them-
selves the right of adopting such measures as they should
judge necessary to cause the engagements entered into with
them to be respected and executed.
" The Plenipotentiaries repeat in the Protocol the formal
declaration, that the entire and reciprocal cessation of hos-
tilities is placed under the immediate guarantee of the Five
Great Powers, that they will not allow the removal of
them under any supposition, and that they have taken the
immutable resolution to obtain the accomplishment of the
decisions, which are dictated to them by justice and their
desire to preserve to Europe the benefit of general peace.
(Signed) " ESTERIIAZY.
WESSENBERG.
" 'FALLEYRAND.
" PALMERSTON.
" BUL9W.
LIEVEN.
" MATUSZEWITSCH.

(A true copy.)
;Signed)

" PONSONBY.
" BItESSON.

true copy.)
" The Vice-President, Count D'ARSCHOT."

M. de Robaulx—You answered so well to the preceding
protocol, now reply to this by sending it hick conformably
to the dignity of the nation. There is no longer any Bel-
gian independence; we are no longer our own masters;
we are no longer free.

M. G. le Ifon—lt is a question of peace or war, and
must be decided within five days. The responsibility of
its decision should not lie upon any body, not even on the
Congress. This protocol ought to be maturely considered.
Our eagerness alone has caused it to be communicated to
us. We cannot reply to it without having duly consi-
dered it, and for that time is necessary. The communi-
cation shall be printed and distributed to-morrow morning.
M. D'Arsehot—l had an interview this day, at eight
o'clock, with Messr•. Bresson and Ponsonhy. The result
was, it is necessary we withdraw our troops to the dis-
tance of a league and a half or two leagues from Mites-
tticht, but not that we suspend their movements in the
interior. As it is a question of life or death to our coin.
merce, I propose that it be decided by the appel nominal,
that orders shall be given this very night to the army of
the Meuse to retire.

M. C. Rogier—_Though the Diplomatic Committee has
communicated the protocol, it does not follow that the
Congress must take, or not take, a resolution on this sub-
ject, this would be putting it entirely in the place of the
Committee. I beg the Assembly to observe, that the
protocol emanating from the five most powerful legitimate
Governments in Europe, th.y address themselves to a
people who, according to their principles, are in a state of
revolt, and that if their demands are not obeyed, they will
reply by the cannon.

M. Jottrand—We have seen that every time the King
ie calbarritued, he asks the interveAtiutt of the Plenipo-

tentiaries at London. Let us then order our troops to
gain ground. The Dutch have never consented to accede
to the question of the Scheldt. The Dutch Ministerial
journals have declared that they would not yield to the
five Powers even on this point. The Diplomatic Com-
mittee must re-act till a discussion shall have aff,,rded it

some information on this subject. Let the Dutchopen
the Scheldt, and then our troops will retire fl olti Maes..
tricht.—(Applause.)
Aftet s3nb discussion, during which a member an-
nounced that news had arrived that Maestricht was on the
point of surrendering, it was resolved to meet in a secret
Committee to-morrow.

BRUSSELS, JAN. 16.—A French courier arrived here
yesterday at noon with despatches for the Provisional Go-
vernment.

The CoUnt de Celles, accompanied by a member of the
Government, set out yesterday evening at ten o'clock for
Pads.

Anonymous letters, accompanied by a lithographic ca-
ricature against the Provisional Government, and a bundle
of orange cockades, have been sent to several persons in
office in East Flanders.

A private letter from the Hague of the 4th of Jarmo:),
positively asserts that the King will not yield with respect
to the Navigation of the Scheldt.
A detachment of 800 men from Namur arrived at Hay
on the 15th. It is going to Liege, whence it will go to
Tongres, to join the corps of General Daine.
BRUSSELS, JAN. 17.—1 n one of the Secret Com-
mittees of the Congress yesterday, M. thy communicated
to the Assembly the following letter :
" The English Consul at. Antwerp has just received
the following official communication :

" Saturday, Jan. 15, 1831."
" ' Foreign-offive, London, Jan. 13, 1831.

" By order of Viscount Palmerston, I have the honour
to acquaint you, that you may inform the English Captains
in general, that the Scheldt is to be free on the 20th of
this month, and that no hindrance will be tolerated by the
five Powers.

(Signed) "' G. SHEN.
." To the Consul of his Britannic Majesty at Antwerp."
An account of the proceedings in the Secret Com-
mitees was published by the Emancipation; but was
complained of and declared false in the public sitting of
the following day.

At the close of the Secret Committee M. Robaulx de-
manded that the sitting should be made public, for the
purpose of bearing him develope his proposal in the
following terms :
PROPOSITION IN THE NAME OF THE BELGIC