The Sun.
London, England, 1832-11-12 00:00:00

SPIRIT OF TILE PUBLIC JOURNALS.

Certain bankers, merchants, and others, Con-
servatives of the town of Rochdale, in Lanca-
shire, and ex-officio worryers (if they knew how)
of the Reform Government, have thought proper
to address his Majesty, through that minister of
peace the Duke of Wellington, against the mea-
sures in progress for enforcing the execution of
the protocols and treaties agreed upon by A ustria,-
France, Great Britain, Prussia, and Russia, con-
jointly, with regard to Belgium. Now, the right
of petition is a sacred right, and one of those
the value of which will never, we trust, be im-
paired in the minds of Englishmen ; but un-
questionable it is, that if a large proportion of
our countrymen shall hereafter become indifferent
to any one privilege assured to them by the Con-
stitutimi, or doubtful of the benefits derivable
from it, such carelessness or scepticism can never
so naturally he produced.as by the general dis-
gust arising from a series of gross perversions
to foolish or malignant ends of that power which
has been vested in the people for wise and
good ones. An abuse of the right of pe-
tition—that is, a prayer against the public
interest—is treason to the right of petition.
An address to the King for such a pernicious
purpose, and on such silly grounds, as are set
forth by these Conservatives of Rochdale, might, if
it had any effect at all, beget a wish in the minds
of the more intelligent of their fellow-subjects
that stupid blockheads should have a muzzle put
upon them, and that the decree of nature which
had already disqualified them should be con-
firmed by Act of Parliament. The Rochdale
Tories proclaim their terror at the warlike pre
parations going on, and their condemnation of
the objects, as being ruinous, dishonourable,
wicked, and uncalled for; they put forth a com-
mon-place against war at all times, and tinder
all aspects, as deplorable, even when unavoidable,
—how much more so this, which is a war " not
for our own safety, but for the coercion of an old
ally, and in aid of French aggression," &c. &c. !
Why, if this war (as it is falsely called) be not
for our own safety, so neither was the original
Conference, nor the conclusion to which the
Conference came from the first moment—viz.,
that Belgium should be separated from Holland.
If it had not been for the security of Europe, and
of England more especially, against the evils of
a universal war, why should a general deliberation
of the leading European States have been called
for ? and if the deliberation were desirable, was
it also desirable that it should have no re-
sults? If the leading Powers, after much
and anxious consultation, agreed that the esta-
blishment of certain principles for the fu-
ture guidance of Holland and Belgium had
become necessary to the . future repose of
Europe, would the Rochdale politicians allege
that it was also expedient for those principles to
remain a dead letter, with the temptation to
quarrel fresh as ever, and the original scources
of danger still unclosed ? All Europe says
that Belgium and Holland being to exist in a
separate condition, each shall withdraw from the
other's territory. Holland stands out against
the authority of all these Powers, four of whom
had been invited by herself to arbitrate ; and
the question arises, shall she be permitted to
oppose a settlement deemed by the whole of
Europe essential to its common safety, and to
abide in a position which menaces mankind
with a deadly and far-spreading war of opinion,—
or shall Belgium be enabled to recover her own
city, and the aggression of Holland be repelled
This question can, upon principles either of com-
mon sense or humanity, be answered but in one
manner. Belgium must receive justice, and
William of Holland must be forced to render
it—or Europe can never be at peace. Long
ago we have described this wholesome restraint
upon the King of Holland as a meaaure not
of war, but of strict and direct pacification.
We shall not insist upon the folly of designating
as " the old allies" of England, a people who
have taken more than one occasion of joining
the fiercest coalitions against her, and from the
most ungenerous motives ; but we do assert
positively that the British Government has em-
barked in the present effort for the " coercion"
of the King of Holland without one particle of
enmity towards him, or towards the Dutch na-
tion, but with the most conscientious anxiety for
the future security of both against dangers with
which the stubborn continuance of their own
system of aggression. would unavoidably surround
them. The moment the Belgic city shall have
been restored to its own King and people—that
moment does England prepare to stand between
the Dutch and all their enemies, and to nego-
tiate, in a spirit of confidence and friendship,
upon whatever commercial or territorial ques-
tions may arise in relation to Luxemburg
or the traffic of the Scheldt. But, in fact,
we are fighting with shadows. These tools
of Rochdale do not speak the language of
London, nor of any other great trading com-
munity. The intelligent and affluent classes of
the metropolis are only reconciled to Ministers
because they procrastinate no longer. Had they
acted with more promptitude in putting an end
to the sore and sickly condition of the continent
springing peculiarly from the Belgic dispute,
London would have been far better pleased. So,
it is equally true that whatever measures are to be
adopted, ought to be effectual measures, otherwise
they become ridiculous. If Antwerp be not relieved
from its present visitation of a hostile garrison,
by such an earnest of the ultimate intentions of
Great Britain and 'France as their combined
squadron may exhibit, an army must be resorted
to, and that army can be no other than
French. As for the impudent and viciously
meant allegation that any opposition to Eng-
land or France will be given by the other great
Powers, we declare for the hundredth time that
it is a positive falsehood. The continental
Powers have one and all pronounced their full
conviction, that if the King of Holland will
not peaceably yield Anttverp, he must be made
to yield by that species of interference now in
course of execution.— Times.
The last week has been pregnant with striking
events. So many interests are involved in the
measures adopted with regard to Holland, that
the public attention has been almost entirely
absorbed by this subject, so that Portugal has
been comparatively unheeded. The Portuguese
question is one, however,
.of too much im-
portance to this country to be neglected. We
have always foreseen that, should the cause of
Pedro be unsuccessful, the British merchants
connected with Portugal would be loud in
their
complaints against Ministers for not acting with
more decision, when the most important in-
terests were in danger. - Though we ought not
to mix up ourselves with the affairs of other
countries, yet Portugal may almost be said to
exception to the rule, from the peculiar
lattfure of the connection which has long sub-
sisted ,bei,;"teen,that country and England. The
~.te!i;,,Oriunaph of Miguel would be the -signal for a

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