Star.
London, England, 1830-11-24 00:00:00

M. DE POTTER.

Unluckily, M. de Potter is a doctrinaire—his information is dent% tl
from books, his wisdom from speculation, and his sphere of action k
his study. He is a true specimen of the theoretical statesman, eh
stumbles over the first practical difficulty. His colleagues ate &tient,
banisters, and are all practical men, if they are any thing, aril kre v
how to smother a scruple in an expediency. But de Potter alone nevet
would have been permitted to fall foul of his shadow if his colleagues
I had been with hint there is a difference of opinion on more substantial
grounds. The fact is, that de Potter is a thoroughpaced ItepublicAn
lin theory, while his comrades are simply Libetali —thty wish well to
I the country, but he loves his theory.
I know from personal experience, and the best of evidence, that three
parts of Belgium an in favour of a Constitutional Monarchy, with the
Prince of Orange at its head, because they consider it the speediest mode
of coining to a safe conclusion. This is, no doubt, the opinion of the
Members of the Executive (a-devout the Provisional) Govenintsnt ;
and because they see that such must be their conclusion, have they die-
embanassed themselves of their high-minded colleague. De Potter is
far too good a man for the present state of Belgium, and, as such, would
only be pernicious to its interest.
There is some misconception as to •the character and situation of De
Potter, in England . I have seen him called a bookseller, and repre-
sented as the editor of the Courtier des Pays lee, in the best-informed
English newspapers. De Potter is a Belgian Nobleman ; he is a na.
tive of Bruins, and his house there would be considered a palace—it is
certainly equal in all points to Devonshire House. His fortune,
for his country, is large—ample—and, for a single man, would
anywhere be thought sufficient. By habit he is a student : his
learning is considerable, his application immense. Whether by his
study of the history of the Church, or by having fallen upon
the works of Bentham, which are well known in Flanders,
he has become a thorough theoretical Republican : hating
all overweening authority, he would gladly sacrifice himself
and his fortunes—all but his old mother--to right the cause,
not of his wormy, but his theory. He bates all that is of Nassau,
or Nusattlish. They have tampered with him, they have coaxed
him ; but he has treated with them as sovereign to sovereign,
and they, having the power, have beat him. He was beaten dead--
when the French Revolution broke in upon his chamber, beaming with
light—his little wretched chamber at the Black Swan at Vales, where
the peasants in secret came to honour him. Had be been quiet even in
Paris, it is possible the Bruxellois might have been cajoled or reduced
to order, or by whatever name it be called. When he read the answer
to the deputation on the part of the King of Holland, be cried out
" Cheatery in He wrote a letter to the Belgian people, which was
conveyed through the medium of the Joentaldet rribunssis, exposing
the designs of the King, accusing bin of finesserie, and, in short,
predicting precisely that which has happened—double-faced cruelty on
the part of the Dutch Government.—Npeclator.

FATAL EFFECTS OF CLEANING VESSELS CONTAIN-
ING FOUL AIR.

An inquest was held at 11r. Robinson•s, the Grapes Tavern, who is
a wholesale brewer, in Sutton, near Macclesfield, before Mr. Hollins,
coroner, relating to the death of Charles Roe, who died from the above
CUM.

Mr. Robinson proved that about a month ago he placed a new rat in
his cellar, in order to be filled with porter, the height of which wet eight
fat two inches, and the diameter about seven feet two inches ; and atter
so placing it, he put into it about 114 gallons of sour dregs of malt 11.
quor, in order to season it, by mopping the inside with the dregs several
times each week ; and the deceased, who was his servant, was occasion.
ally employed at this work. When so employed, he used to enter the
vat by an opening at the top of it, about eighteen inches aquae.
The opening was usually covered wtth a trap door, except whet
persons had occasion to go in to do the shove work as usual. 4)
Saturday morning last, at about half past nine o'clock, the cover
was taken off by his directions, he intending that the deceased
should go into it after dinner, and accordingly, about half-past cue, he
emend it by means of barrels adjoining, and a ladder-way placed in the
insole to enable him to descend to the bottom; and it being noecteary
for the person mopping the inside of the vas to have with him a lighted
candle, Mr. Robinson gave the deceased one when he entered the vat,
and when near the bottom, Mr. Robinson beard him cough twice, and
immediately afterwards he heed a noise at the bottom, as if the de-
ceased had fallen down, but the light of the candle did not enable him
to see what had happened; and when he called out • Charles I' no an-
swer being returned, Mr. Robinson became alarmed for his safety, col
immediately called to him several men, and they laid the vat from Ps
upright position to its side, and then drew out the deceased, who sr.
pared quite lifeless, although he had not been in more than a few mi.
mites ;he then sent for Mr Dickenson, an eminent surgeon and
neighbour, who arrived in about five minutia, and the following are
the particulars of his evidence :—He first directed the deceased to
be carried out of one cellar into the open air, and there he
em.eavourcd to excite respiration, but ineffectually, the deceased being
quite dead ; and having been informed that his lath was eeeasioned
by having gone into the vat, he examined it, and found the tap bole at
a height of about four feet from the ground, having been opened after
the vat had been laid upon Its side, the large opening at the tither erd
was rather higher from the ground, so that the foul ale below ti,etie
openings still remained in the vat. Mr. Dickinson then rut a lighted
candle in above the openings, where it burnt steadily, but or, plating it
in the foul air below the openings, the dame became immediately
einguished, which circumstance he stated to have arisen from carbonic
acid gas—which is one-half heavier than atmospheric air, and which
being irhaled into the windpipe, necessarily occasions immediate suffo-
cation. Mr. Dickenson also stated to Mr. Robinson the danger of any
fermented liquor remaining confined ; and being In a state of fer-
mentation, would consequently produce this ; and that cn
his examining the iemaining consequently
in the vat, he was of opinion
that they would ;induce the niclancholy result.....scseapeec Ad.
wearer.