The Sun.
London, England, 1833-06-11 00:00:00

SPIRIT OF TIIF, TUI)LIC JOURNALS.

We hailed the conclusion of the preliminary
treaty of the. 21st ult., between England • and
France on the one 'part. and' Holland on the
other, as the probable, though by ,to
,means cer-
tain, indication of a change of views and policy
in his Dutch Majesty. This convention, it
will be remembered, secured not:only the tem-
porary abandonment of all hostilt measures or
projects on the side of Holland, but afforded au
earnest of a speedy definitive arrangement be-
tween the rival states. The • free navigation of
the Scheldt, and the regulated 'navigation of the
Meuse, together with the Indefinite extension of
the armistice, till every minOr• point of difference
between the parties should he settled, under the
mediation of the five Powers,. `gave • Belgium
every thing that it could desifelor the present,
and offered the best guarantee for a 5M (1Y
future adjustment. The Belgic 'Government,
eager for the final arrangement, ' had all-. the
advantage of the adjourned treaty, .his
Dutch Majesty, who had hitherto resisted
it, was to suffer all the inconvenience= of
the diplomatic delay. With the knowledge
of this fact, the King of the Belgians, in the
speech which we inserted yesterday, congratulates
the new assembly of the Legislative Chamber
on the fortunate state of his kingdom, in being
relieved from the menaces of an enemy, by re-
covering posses-ion of Antwerp, and in con-
tinuitig to occupy large
,portions of two exten-
sive provinces, which; by the execution of the
treaty of the 15th of November, 1831, are to
be ceded to Holland. The convention by which
these advantages are secured, has been ratified
by the three high contracting parties concerned ;
and England and France are sufficiently power-
ful to he able to enforce its award. We have,
therefore, no apprehensions for the ultimate re-
sult ; but we are bound not to disguise from
our readers that his Dutch Majesty has had
his tertian ague of doubt or bad humour,
and that the qualification of our confidence
in his peaceful intentions, made on mention-
ing the treaty of last month, must still be
continued. He is said to • have discovered
that he has been entrapped into an arrangement
which deprives him of all future power of annoy-
ance; which ties up his hands from war, and
renders the maintenance of his disproportioned,
army as ludicrous as it is expensive, and which
must absolutely lead
.him, to abandon his views of
conquest or projects of ambition. He has there-
fore, to testify his displeasure at 'the treaty, re-
called his able plenipotentiary, M. Dedel, and is
going to try some new diplomatic manoeuvre,
which M. Dedel .was either too honest to prac-
tise or too ~wise to undertake with any hope of
success. There can be no doubt that in the
mean time M. Dedel is recalled, under witweve.r
pretext his recall may be veiled. It is not ex-
pected, however, that this ill-humour of Iti4
Dutch Majesty can last long, or signify much to
any fraction of empire beyond the Seven United
Provinces, of which, by his ambitious fatuity,
he seems desirous to be Stadtholder instead n

King.— Times.
A country holding the high place which
England had heretofore maintained among the
nations, should either abstain altogether from
interference in the quarrels of other nations, or,
if she did interfere, it should be with a vigour
anti dignity of action becoming her ancient re-
putation. But, perhaps, with the exception of
the reign of Charles 11., it would be impossible
to find a period in our history in which our
foreign policy had less of a vigorous and digni-
fied character about •it than at present—whether
we look east or west it is difficult to come to
any other opinion than that the genius of the
foreign policy of England is in, a state of dotage.
Previously to the overthrow of Bonaparte's
empire, France had completely destroyed what
was. called " the balance of power," and had, at
one time, entirely subjugated the continent.
Since the memorable campaign which over-
whelmed the veteran and, until then, invincible
legions of Bonaparte in the snows of Russia,
the latter power has been growing into a mag-
nitude and importance which makes her more
formidable to theindependence ofnations than any
other country in modern times, except France,
in her days of imperial grandeur. But
the mode in which Russia extends and
consolidates the colossal fabric of her power
makes her more dangerous than France,
whose acquisitions were the result of mili-
tary force alone, and whose overgrown domi-
nion, when at its greatest height, depended for
support upon the genius of a single man. The
victories of Bonaparte deeply wounded the ritle
of other nations and their rulersf. who, even in
their moments of bitterest humiliation, watched
for the opportunity of revenge. The subtle policy
of Russia, though quite as ambitious as imperial
France, has less of the lion and more of the fox.
The diplomacy of the Cabinet of St.Petershurgh
,does more for extending the dominion of Russia
than her arms. That diplomacy is as crafty in
design 643 it is ably conducted. Its efforts are
continually directed to make the Governments
of other nations co-operate in contributing .to
the aggrandisement of the Russian empire, and,
of cobrse, to their own humiliation. Titus the
coqperior cunning of the wily barbarians induced
England and France to co-operate in the de-
struction of the. Turkish fleet at Navarin, «Mich
left her without 'a rival in the Black Sea. • R us-
xian emissaries persuaded the weak-headed Sul-
tan himself to exterminate the truly military per-
-6n .of the Moslem population—the Janissaries
—before he had any other soldiers to supply their
place. Tben, while maimed in both its naval and
military arm, Russia picked a quarrel with the
• almost defenceless Porte—marched over the Mi-
kan in the pride of victory, and dictated a treaty at
Constantinople,which, while affecting moderat ion,
sealed the doom of the Ottoman Empire. The
follies of the protocol negotiation relative to the
dispute between Holland and Belgium we need
not now advert to. Let it suffice to say that
Russian policy led our Ministers into all the
intricate embarrassment Of that absurdly-Ina-
naged business. The Cabinet of St. Peters.
burgh, while encouraging the .King of Holland
underhand, as we always asserted, to'resist any
real settlement of the question at issue, made
our Government believe that it vas sincerely
anxious to have that revolutionary principle re-
cognised in Belgium which •Us armies so effec-
tually crushed in Poland-nay, Russia contrived
to have her coffers filled N.%'ith British gold, tinder
pretence of a treaty which had " ceased and de-
termined" the momentithat Belgium was severed
frOrn Holland. Uussta,- then, having obtained
what she wanted, and having seen Eugand
fairly entangled in the toils of the Anglo,Gallic
convention, drew off; and set about makingthose naval and military preparations in time East
which have quietly given her possession of Con-
stantinople, from which, notwithstandit,g the
confident statements of the Treasury Jou,nals,
she will not retire without exacting such erms
" :
of recompense for let "'disinterestedbast-,