The Sun.
London, England, 1856-02-07 00:00:00

THE "INDEPENDANCE BELGL" AND
TIE INDEPENDENT BELGIANS.

(Front the Morning Advertiser.)

Since the acceptance of the Austrian.ullimatunt
by the Emperor of Russia, and the change in the
tone of the French Press and in the bearing of tho
Emperor of the French, the Independance Beige
has been peculiarly distinguished by its jeremiads
on the Press and People of England, for not em-
bracing with open arms the propositions for patch-
ing up A peace. Tho acrimony of its attacks upon
the policy of England have only been surpassed
by their impertinence—Belgian independence, if
the Indepenclanee Beige really represented it,
having been established, and being guaranteed, by
that very policy and that very country which is
defamed and insulted.

So far as we know, the Morning Advertiser only
had the courage to resent this insolence, the other
English journals, more especially the Times, re-
ceiving the lash with most Christian complaisance,
and crying peceavi whilst cudgelled. We denied
the right of this Belgian print to summon Great
Britain to its bar, and we denounced the assurance
of venal writers, who were not even Belgians/
though prefessino• to'be representatives of Belgian
independence, and who were notoriously in the in-
terest, if not the pay, of Russia as well as France.
A little-incident has just occurred, which throw's
some light on the Independanec Beige, as well as
on the odour in which it is held on the part of its
Belgian brethren. At a time when England is
snubbed on the .Continent by hack French and
German scribes, it is pleasant to see what sort of
journal its most active abuser is.

Doctor Veron, as everybody knows who knows
anything of pharmacy and France, is its Professor
Holloway. He married the widow of the great
Reguault, the inventor of that immortal paste
which has never been known to fail in curing the
most incurable ills, and purchased with the paste,
or, rather, with its proceeds, a share in the COW'
stitutionncl. The Pate Regnault is still,, we trust,
his, but the Constitutionnel is not. He worked i 6
at a profit and did not sell it at a loss. He created
a scandal, had to defend an action, obtained a ver-
dict which was another scandal, • and pocketed a
handsome premium. He is a somewhat fade and
very fat Coryphmus of Bonapartism.
Now Dr. Veron, a French Bonapartist and a re"
sident in Paris, has, for reasons which he himself
best knows, but which others may venture to guess,
been endeavouring to purchase out-and-out the
Independance Beige !
If London morning and evening journals are in
Bonapartist pay, it would pay Bonapartism very
well to buy the Independance Beige, an influential
European organ. The French Press is the French
Emperor's, by virtue of the power of suppression,
and the Foreign Press bids fair to be his by virtue
of the power of subvention.
The bargain got wind in Brussels, and was pet
quite so universally approved of as the parties
might have desired. It seemed rather too good a
joke that the Belgian Independance should not
only lie conducted by French Bonapartists in Bel"
gium, but that it should be exclusively owned 11
French Bonapartists out of it.
The Observateur, a Liberal paper, published
daily in Brussels, took the Indcpendancc Beige t°
task, and demanded how, if it was bought by 're;
ron, it could maintain its independent course
" How ?"—replied the Independance Beige'
" Why, quite as well as ever!"
On this, the National cf Brussels justly observed
that the simplicity of the Observateur was marvel'
long in putting such a question.
"The Independance Beige," says the National,
"is at one and the same time Russian, French'
German Spanish, Turkish," everything but Eng;
,lish.
" It is right, then, in protesting that, ifl
should be sold, it would be just as independent in
its politics as it was before it was bought. There
cannot be the slightest doubt of it. On this point
the most timid reader may feel perfectly at ease'
and, whatever happens, the Independance will cox
tinue to be Russian, French, German, Spanish'
and Turkish, and Spanish, as before. •
" The lndepcndance is like a railway, which is
always adding a new branch and a fresh line of
traffic. The only sensible alteration in the
pendance Beige would be to become Belgian."
When the Independance Beige does become 13.,,
gian, it may also, perhaps, become English. T.1,1'11
then the British press and people must put up V7l',
its abuse; a cataclysm which, considering all thing*,
both may hope to survive.