The Sun.
London, England, 1832-10-09 00:00:00

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

SIR,—If our Cabinet should be weak enough to
allow itself to be influenced on the Belgian question, and
to submit to the humiliations which England receives,
if, indeed, (as a Frankfort Correspondent of the Times
lays) we can be humiliated any more; if it is to be a
question whether or not the King of England has to
fulfil the conditions and the spirit of a treaty which he
ratified without consulting any other Court,—a treaty
agreed upon in common between five European Powers
after a twelve months' deliberation,—a treaty, the
execution of which is to decide, not only the free
navigation of the Scheldt, but whether Belgium, and
consequently France, shall become again countries
entirely under the frightful influence of despotism ; if our
cabinet is short-sighted enough not to see that the comedy
of urging the King of Holland to come to a final settle-
ment with Belgium on the one hand, and of whispering
into his ear, "Nov mind, don't yield to any of our pro-
Posals, and above all hold fast the fine point of the citadel
of Antwerp," it is time for the people of England to exa-
mine how far the Belgian question affects the commerce and
political interests of this island.
Let the people inquire if it is not, whether it was not,
beneath the dignity of the British Government to send
Lord Durham to implore, at the feet of his Imperial Ma-
jesty, permission to fulfil the treaty ratified by France
and Great Britain. To imagine that his Lordship's
Mission was to insist upon the execution of the treaty of
Vienna respecting Poland is absurd. Is it to be supposed
that our Government would assume the right of dictating
to Russia what is to be done on the hordere—nay, now the
interior of her own territory, while it acknowledges the
right of Russia to determine the manner in which a river
Which pushes its stream to mix with that of the Thames,
'hall be navigated by other nations ? The accounts re-
specting the result of Lord Durham's special mission are
said to be favourable ; but I feel persuaded, that although
the Envoy Extraordinary of Great Britain may have re-
ceived all the attention and courtesy which a great nation
could expect of the Cabinet of St. Petersburgh, a la fawn
• d'Alexandre, at Verona, where that equally magnanimous
Sovereign was so courteous as to visit Lord Welling-
' ton at his private lodgings ; yet, as far as regards any
[
treat political result
co , Lord Durham's mission has been a
complete failure. Is it to he supposed that under the
' Present plan, so successfully entered into, to crush free.
don), first in Germany, ith the intention of marching
upon France, if the Carliswts should succeed in effecting a
revolution in that country,—that under a plan which is to
consolidate for ever the rights of Legitimacy, a conces-
sion will be made which would in one moment upset
the combination ? Can it be expected that what has been
resorted to, and so successfully up to the present moment,
will
abe abandoned by mere courtesy, and by the continu-
ance hat diplomacy to which our Cabinets have of la e
ys been till dupes? Is it likely that one step will be
granted in favour of revolutionary principles? The Times
has
the Conference who opposed coercive measures against
Holland ; but if Russia was the only party against the
other conclusion of the Belgian affair, is it likely that all the
Powers would suffer it to remain undecided? Theie
IS a secret understanding that one of the three despotic
.i
Flonwers shall OPII,OIIO, whilst the others profess a desire to
i 1) g matters to a termination—but they will all agree
f the force of circumstances compel them to do so. Did
??t Count Orloff keep the Russian ratification in
his. Pocket
t till
.th.e m oment that our King was
forced to resign his discretion and power into the
nd
hands of a Whig Ministry ? If the tone of Lord Grey
atb the French plenipotentiary should rise a little higher,
en dispositions favourable to negociation will be an-
nounced as from Holland, or we shall hear from St. Pe-
te burgh that his
the Majesty is favourably disposed towards
amicable settlement
of however, whether England
an this question. Let me ask,
d France have not the right
alone to settle it, considering how it affects them
England submits to further degradations, what must she if
expect to be reduced to after a
f ore restorations, or
annihilations of constitutional allies? This i an awful
question ! If France should fall, for the third' time, on.
der the sceptre of tbe Legitimates,—and this will be the case
with an alliance so compact, unless vigour be displayed
Fran- optno his Majesty of Majesties say to absolute
..ee,
, "s
Charles, if you do not unite with the rest
of us in the preservation of the legitimate sceptre, which
must be one of iron, we will abandon you to your own
resources ! " nental Would there not in such case be a conti-
leYent stem
in Europe, against the only remaining constitutional overnm and would not then the exclusion
Enßritish vessels from all continental ports be as little
Pri'ing, as easy, of accomplishment? How would the
"Y Extraordinary of once Great Britain then be re-
Areceived at Court, where Russian influence would preside ?
ree, Sir, to consider any longer what steps remain to
takend. on the question, and whether the King of Eng-
la to execute a treaty, which he is bound to fulfil
Alike by honour and interest?
I am, Sir, your obedient servant,
A FRIEND OF HIS COUNTRY.