Star.
London, England, 1830-10-05 00:00:00

SPIRIT OF THE JOURNALS.

Cnaerrircit.—ln the recent affair in Brussels, the fact is but too
certain that humanity has been sadly outraged. One melancholy case
has been communicated to us, on the best authority. An English
officer, whom we forbear to name, had five daughters violated ; three of
them are since dead, and it is not expected that the remaining two will
survive. Some of the English, we know, attribute their sufferings to
the populace of Brussels, rather than to e Belgian or Dutch troops.
One reason assigned for the outrages not being Dutch is, that the
Dutch were themselves in such constant fear of the people of Brus-
sels, from the hatred borne them, that they durst not straggle.—
Another reason assigned is, that our countrymen and the people of
Brussels have very long borne no good will to each other. We have
heard that one great cause of the misunderstanding was the foolish aria-
tocratical pretensions which, we are sorry to say, make Englishmen the
object of very general dislike in every country. Every one at all ac-
quainted with society in England, is aware that exclusiveness Is the
great object aimed at; that every town and even village is divided and
subdivided according to the supposed wealth and style of living of the
inhabitants. This morgue was carried so far, we learn, in Brussels,
that it was understood, if any English family visited in a Belgian
family, they were excluded from English society. When people take
so much pains to make themselves disagreeable, it is impossible they
should not sometimes succeed. This is no excuse for the barbarous and
most inhuman treatment which our countrymen have experleaced ; and
we pity most sincerely the sufferings of tire unfortunate parents. But
we cannot, at the same time, help regretting that the natives of this
country, when their poverty.or the state of their health, or the wish for
a more rational education than they can obtain at home, drives them
to seek hospitality abroad, should be so ill-advised as to endeavour to
make themselves disagreeable to those whose guests they are. We ought
to confine our national absurdities to our own island.

lixam.n.—There are some persons who would gravely have us be-
lieve that the whole world is on the point of an inevitable change, and
that revolution, with all its train of barrens, Is fast approaching oar own
shores. Among others, a writes in " Blackwood's Ifa" for the
present month, following in the wake of the renowned"Thsnefsloore,
Phpacian," declares that, " in every quarter of the ben son be descries
little else than clouds and storm—she certainty of troubled times and in-
finite confusion—manifold strife and confusion, with little anal Ost—
end a long course of national chastisements and humiliations at band,
both to the French and ourselves." We do not deny that example
disregarded brings on danger ; and that, either in public or private
affairs, if men slumber while they ought to, be upon the watch, un.
looked-fee evils may overtake them. But to assert that, because revo.
lution occurs in one country, it must necessarily take place in every
other, is as absurd as to suppose the epidemic of one climate must, of
necessity, be universal. On the other hand, we are not. nor, we trust,
are our rulers, now (whatever they may have been heretofore) insen.
sible to the signs of the times, and to the awful warnings which are
rtatikiiinrtface in other countries. And, as warnings, the events in France
and um cannot be otherwise than of use to other countries : ells
wood" so
they may be productive of all the evil the writer in " Black.
mournfully anticipates.—

Tness..—The deputies of Fiance were zealously occupied ea Bator.
day with a petition from some absurd person, urging them to claim the
bones of Napoleon, and to transport them from St. Helena to France.—
The Chamber came to no decision on so weighty a proposition, but so
interesting was the topic considered, that the debate is to be renewed on
Thursday. It would certainly puzzle people of some ingenuity to find
out why the free-minded Frenchmen of the present day, living un.
der a liberal charter and a citizen King, should desire again to
see among them either the lifeless remains or the living presence
of their former tyrant. In repealing lately the law which he.
Dished from France certain classes of French citizens, it was
not thought advisable to abandon one of its provisions, which ex.
dudes the family of Napoleon from the French soil. Is the Chamber
seriously to continue an unjust sentence of exile against whole families
and generations because they happen to bear the name of Buonaparte,
and to make a parade of reversing a sentence of banishment against his
ashes ? So much for their consistency !—But, leaving out of view his
transcendent victories and everlasting military renown, which have cost
France enough already, without the additional expense of a funeral
mission to St. Helena and a gorgeous monument in Paris, what
claims has be on the grateful remembrance of France or of Europe
—What reason can be given for invading his repose under
the willow of his choice, and parading his remains before
the eyes of a nation, which suffered so much from his
ambition 1 He was twice banished from France in his life-time; he
was twice deserted by those who pretended to be his friends ; and ha,.
Ing expma his country to the horrors of two mighty invasions, was
obliged to quit it amid the execrations of those whom the armies of the
invader remained to oppress for his sake. What merit did he acquire
in exile to balance so heavy an account of calamity, and to allow a
surFlue to pay for his mwthunious transportation to Europe ? The
trench now justly boast that they enjoy a charter—that they cherish a
constitution which gives them free deliberative assemblies; that they have
renounced the dazzling splendour of military glory for the mote substantial
blessings of civil tranquillity—and that they prize a free press as the
source of their civilization and the guarantee of their rights. Is it because
Napoleon bestowed or respected those ennobling blessing; that such
posthumous honours are to be conferred on him by an enlightened and a
flee people? What was the charter which he gave to France but the
laws of thetonscription, or the acts additional, intended, by an armyso
raised, to preserve hereditary despotism in his family ? What were his
Chamber of Representatives and Senate but halls where the tribune was
silent, or mounded only with the slavish echoes of flattery or false.
hood ? And when did be show his love of tree conversation and his
regard for tares press? Was ft in banishing Madame de Steel for bet bon
mote, or ordering Palm, the German baukacher, to be shot for an alleged
libel. We only remember one similar instance of folly said to have been
recently perpetrated in the transport of buried remains item one hemisphere
to another, and that was in the case of Mr. Thomas Paine, whose bones
Cobbett olityes that he brought to Europe, and persists in keeping from
their mother earth. If the French Chamber really intend to de any
thing in this dirty work. we would recommend them to our old bone.
grubber, who must be already inured to the resurrection trade, who will
find Napoleon's hair more profitable for ring, than that of the
American infidel ; and who, in fact, will find any honest
occupation more profitable than collecting poor labouvers to
bear seditious lectures, and filching from their pockets their
odd copper, on pretext of sending it to the wounded patriots of Paris.
If the French Legislatureentertaio projects like these, we must conclude
that the revolution is not yet ended ; that it is about to extend to the
tomb, as well as to the scenes of living existence; and that every poli-
tical culprit, who was either exiled for his offences or executed Jur his
crimes, is to be restored to his country, or commemcwated in an expia.
tory funeral ceremony.

Post.—The Trench Chamber of Deputies have, we perceive, ap.
pointed a day for the solemn discussion of the question, whether the
nation shall tdaim the remains el with a view to their trans.
peewits to France. Considering the number of pave and ptessiort
subjects of nations' Watts* which at the relent moment might be ex.
Feted to engross the attention of the amber, it ma oldie mime SIM
prise that any important k scotched to ems 'disk mainly is not
pressing, and will& neat huts very dorm' power would vesture to
term rave. For the sciatica-of this subject, at a doe like the pre.
emu, there is probably same make beside, that of admiration of the
chemise or vesseadou *wards the of the lets Emperor,
although it would he dl auk to daesretiaa, awes the various
modem which may possibly hers led to he busdasties, which is the
principal or ruling soe. • Is It intended to try Ow guelpet of the people,

in order to ascertain with what prospect of success an attempt might be
made to revive the passion fur glory and conquest, to gives military im-
pub* to the Revolution, to prepare the way for the dominion ot some
one of the Imperial Family, or of the distinguished Marshals of the
Empire ? Is it meant merely as a tub to the whale, to allay the revu.
lutionary impatience of the people, by presenting to ahem some other
object of•contemplation than the feebleness and inactivity of the (;oven'.
meet and Legislatute ? In either case its purpose, we imagine, will
quickly be detected. It it be the former, it is not very in.probable
that the appeal to the French people, thus indirectly made, may be
attended with a degree of success calculated to astonish and alarm the
present weak, timid, unrevolutionary possessors :of revolutionary
power, who seem to fancy that an ancient and legitimate throne has
been subverted for no other purpose than to make them Kings and hli.
misters. whose National Guards are already (as we learn by the letter
of our intelligent and faithful correspondent) the objects ot d,trisi.te to
the people in the streets of Paris, whose intrinsic qualities, *hose ex.
tenni adjuncts and manifestations—all present a contrast the nic‘t de-
plorable and ridiculous, with the energy and splendour of the Imperial
regime. If the revival of the name and achievements of Napoleon be
intended,however,merelyto draw offtne attention of the more active and
daring Revolutionists from the deficiencies of thosewhom enjoyment
of place bas rendered too timid and tardy in the revolutionary the
means could not possibly have been worse adapted to the end ; and the
reject, conceived in folly, must end, as it deserves, in disappointment.
The French Deputies talk, we perceive, of claiming the remains of
Napoleon. If they do not intend- to expose the whole affair to derision,
they will take care, in the future stages of the discussion, to vary their
phraseology. In a matter so indifferent to our national interests, if the
Ihritish Government were asked to confer a favour upon the French na-
tion, we suppose there would be no objection to comply with the rt quoit.
But if there is to be any more talk of claiming, these Revolutionists
must be told, that in order to attain their object they must learn the lan-
guage of supplication, of which, as the literary men amongst them reed
not be reminded, there exists a very suitable example in the address of
Prifilts to Achilles on a very similar occasion.