Star.
London, England, 1830-11-13 00:00:00

TO CORRESPONDENTS•

6:1, The Letter of Acwrtra is received. We thank him for it-.and
he probably will perceive in the increased importance of Parliamentary
business since he wrote, a reason for its not being inserted.

This day, the Prince TALLETRAND, M. FALCK,
and the Ministers of Prussia and Austria, met the Earl of
ABERDEEN, in consultation, at the Foreign Office, in
Downing-street, on the affairs of Belgium.

At three o'clock a Cabinet Council assembled at the Fo
reign-office, and was attended by the Lord CHANCELLOR,
the Duke of WELLINGTON, Earls BATHURST, ROSSLYN,
and ABERDEEN; Lord ELLENBOROUGH, Sir ROBERT
PEEL, Sir GEORGE MURRAY, the Chancellor of the Ex-
CHEQUER, and Mr. BERRIES.

This afternoon, the Archbishop of CANTERBURY had an
interview with the Duke of WELLINGTON, at his office in
Downing-street.

The announcement in yesterday evening's Gazette, that
his Majesty the King of the NETHERLANDS, has by a
Decree of the 7th instant, declared the coast of West Flan-
ders, including Antwerp and Ghent, to be in a state of
blockade, has occasioned generally a degree of surprise
seldom equalled, and more. particularly in all commercial
circles, having any connection with Holland. The policy of
the measure, on the part of the King ofthe NETHERLANDS,
just at the juncture that an attempt is making for an ami-
cable adjustment of the disputes, which have almost
deprived him of a kingdom, appears quite inexplica-
ble. No step is more certain to irritate the al-
ready exasperated feelings of the Belgians. The spe-
cial messenger arrived at the Hague on Monday, the sth
current, conveying, it was understood, the final views
of our Government, as to the proposed intervention; and
therefore the Court at the Hague must have been, at that
date, fully in possession of the exact posture of the media-
tory negociation. It is observed as a mode of removing
the surprise, that the date of the decree is on the 7th, the
day previous to the arrival of that messenger ; and there-
fore, the King of the Netherlands could not be governed by the
despatches then received; but then again, it is to be remarked,
that had such a hasty measure been adopted, in ignorance of
the acquiescence of this country to the intervention, or from
views regarding it, still, as the intelligence from Holland
now extends down to the 11th instant, there wet time quite
adequate for a correction of the error, and a repeal of the
decree, had such been consonant to the policy, or the views of
the Netherland Government.

So long ago u the 30th Oct. we announced to our read-
era " that the King of Holland and the Belgians had agreed
to refer their differences to this country ; that deputies from
Belgium might be expected in this country ; and that his
MAJZITY, it was believed, would make allusion to this sub-
ject in his speech on opening the present Parliament."
Although we stated this on authority, which we had great
reason to credit, we certainly did not think, at that time,
that our information would be so completely confirmed by
events, as it has been• . .

With respect to the policy which has actuated the pre-
sent blockade, we really can suggest to our readers no ex-

planation which is very satisfactory. We can readily per-
ceive the anxiety there is felt, on the part of the Dutch
Government, not to lose Antwerp—even if deprived of the
other Provinces ; for we know Antwerp, in active rivalry
to the Dutch ports of Amsterdam and Rotterdam, as it
would be, if under a separate Government, would soon be
ruinous to the commercial importance of the latter. We
doubt not, therefore, the vigorous CH A sac has had instructions
to be most persevering and inflexible in his tenacity ; and
perhaps some advice of what he may have deemed expedient
to the preservation of his position with effect, may have pro-
duced the blockade, even as a means preventative of more
evil, pending negociation 1 but it appears a measure adequate
to occasion, of itself, a rupture of all relations tending to
adjustment. The character of General CHASSE is what it has
proved itself—that of a most determined rough soldier.

Nothing of general interest took place in the House of
Lords last night ; but in the House of Commons the CHAN-
CELLOR of the EXCHEQUER, and Sir ROBERT PEEL had
to encounter the combined objections of Mr. BROUGHAM
and Mr. HUMS, regarding the amount and the arrange-
ment of the Civil List. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHE-
QUER, in a Committee of the House, brought forward
the views he 'entertained regarding this subject, proposing
that they should not be regularly discussed until Monday
next. We refer our readers to a clear abridgement of the
debate, in this sheet ; and need here only inform them,
that the amount of the grant to his MAJESTY is 970,0001.
showing a retrenchment of 161,0001.
Lord ALTHORP objected to the arrangements of the Civil
List as proposed, because it called on the House to vote the
large sum of 970,0001, as if for the expenditure of the mo-
narch, when it included, in fact, what belonged to the com-
mon service of the country. In this objection he was fol-
lowed by Sir H. PARNELL, Mr. Hums, and Mr.
BROUGHAM. The latter gentleman objected, most point-
edly, to the exclusion of the Revenue of the Duchies of
Cornwall and Lancaster, from the " Hereditary Revenues,"
which the King's speech had placed at the disposal of Par-
liament. His objections on this point were answered by Sir
R. Pen. and the ATTORNEY-GENERAL, who !Aimed, by.
precedent of former speeches, the expression, " His MA•
isszx's Hereditary Revenues," did not include the revenues
now excepted.
Among the miscellaneous business of Parliament last
night, we observe one topic which we plainly foresee is to
become the subject of keen contest—namely, the reduction
of the assessed taxes, and the substitution of a property tax.
We cannot hesitate one moment, in agreeing with Sir M. W.
RIDLEY, when he says that " a reduction of taxation
were practicable, no reduction would be so advisable, as the
remission of the duty on sea-borne coal, on soap, and on
candles, and the repeal of the house and window-tax. He
would at any rate repeal these taxes, and if the public service
could not proceed without the amount of revenue derived
from them, he would put on a property-tax, to make good
the deficiency. Such a tax would reach the pockets of the
rich and powerful, and leave those of the poor and needy
untouched. He thought that such a system of taxation
would be preferable to that now in force."
We are not ourselves inclined to believe, that any practicable
reduction in taxation will, taken alone, accomplish an essen-
tial relief to the humbler classes of society ; for we believe
their present distress does not arise from that source, nor
will it be cured from it; but, we feel convinced, that the
principle of reduction, or rather of change or substitution in
taxation, proposed by Sir M. W. RIDLEY, would be satis-
factory to three-fourths of the population of Great Britain ;
and we think some species of a property tax, in lieu of' those
taxes which press more directly, and, in consequence, more
vexatiously, on the humbler orders of society, would be a
measure deserving of the introduction of his MAJESTY']
Ministers. In the course of the evening, Lord MOR•
PETH presented a petition from Manchester, for a re-
duction of the Newspaper Stamp Duties; and Mr. P.
THOMPSON, the Member for Dover, gave notice of his in-
tention to move the House, on the same important subject
after Christmas.