Star.
London, England, 1830-10-04 00:00:00

SPIRIT OF THE JOURNALS.

Po r.—By the Flanders flail we yesterday received important in.
telligence from the Netherlands, which will be found below. It con-
firms two facts—that the insurgents are extending and consolidating the
spirit and the means of 'resistance, and that the Government has at least
paused in its measures of coercion. Doss the King of the Netherlands in
this crisis appeal to the T27oltrif
1814, and call upon his Allies to sup.
poet the integrity of his kin ? And will the Contracting Powers see
in the present posture of ns the earns federie contemplated by that
Ttsuy ? These are quads= of mighty import, and which necessarily oc-
cupy the most anxious consideration of the public mind, here and through.
out Europe. We have, however, the satisfaction of knowing that in this
country the national interests and the national honour are in hands
equally incapable of disregarding the one, or of suffering the shadow of
a stain to nest upon the other. We have reason to believe that the
question of foreign Interference will not be formally entertained until
every means of internal arrangement shall have failed. That the power
and government of the two States shall essentially remain In one head
is Indio ; but any settlement of the present unhappy differences
which not violate that principle would beregarded by every friend
of humanity as a universal blessing. We are informed by a Gentleman
who left Brussels on Friday, and arrived yesterday in London, that on
the 30th terms had been offered by the inhabitants of Brussels to the
following effect:—That Belgium, comprising the duchy of Brabant,
the principality of Liege. and the counties of Flanders and Hainsult,
shall form a separate State under the sovereignty of the Prince of Ono ge
I—that1—that a Charter be conceded appointing a Representative Constitutional
Government, and supporting the Roman Catholic as the Established
Church, and guaranteeing the 'there,: of the press.

Hziato--Though it may be looked upon by some, and perhaps
jusdy, as a great compliment to this country, that when her neighbours
are in difficulties they uniformly refer to her for refuge or assistance, it
would, nevertheless, be the height of folly were she to lend herself to
matters in which site neither can nor ought to have any concern, except.
perhaps, as a mediator. The truth is, that such applications, however,
are seldom or ever made but from dire necessity, or the most interested
motives; and, as is too often the case in private life, the hand which is
spunted in the hour of prosperity, is eagerly clutched for its gold when
want or emergency knocks at the door. Great Britain has already paid,
and is still hourly paying, dearly for the barren honour of having been
the banker of so many of the States of Europe—though banker we
should hardly call her, for that implies a previous deposit, while
her office has been to satisfy inordinate demands, which she
might have met by the fitter answer of `• no effects." But,
supposing money is not now their suit, what else is it that they require
of this country ? Is it that we should embroil ourselves, and waste our
physical strength in quarrels not our own ? Right or wrong, what is it
to us, abstractedly, whether the King of Belgium agrees or disagrees
with his subjects ? Least of all, does it behove a country boosting, and
justly boasting itself the medic of freedom, to expend either its blood
or treasure in an attempt to subdue those who are, either really or ap.
parendy, struggling for a share in the same blessing ? But it is said
that we are bound by treaty to guarantee to the King of Holland the in-
tegrity of his dominions. Those who urge this argument cautiously
keep back the terms of the treaty, because they know full well
that it would not bear them out in their interpretation of it.
The truth is, that all treaties must have reference to externs!,
not to internal causes; and if the King of the Nether.
lands fall out with his subjects, or his subjects with him, what hays
his allies to do with that, or what claim can it give him to their inter-
ference ? Such a principle once admitted would be a guarantee of des-
potism wherever it prevailed. A monarch would have only to exact the
moat unreasonable demands, or impose the bitterest chains upon his
subjects, and, on their resisting either the one or the other, call in his
allies to assist him in his unrighteous purpose. It was spoil this
mistaken view of a r ght In nations to interfere with the !almost re-
gulations and dissentions of each other that most foreign wars have
arisen. The melancholy war of the French Revolution had its rise in
this mistaken principle ; end with such an example before his eyes,
and its consequences still weighing us to the earth, a British States-
man would be worse than Insane who should venture upon another era.
'lade, either on the one hand to crush the rising liberties of any people,
or even, on the other to curb the despotism of their rulers. The whole
is hitherto a domestic matter; and as, in private life, however we may
dislike our neighbour's mode of going on, yet, as long as be keeps hint.
self to himself, it is uo concern of ours; so, in the case of nations,
they are entitled to settle or unsettle their internal arrangements
without the iterference of the Bury-Bodice and the Marp!ole of other
Sates.

Temze.—The Flanders papers of Friday, which we received yester.
day, contain accounts of the spread of the insurrection in the south of
Belgium, and record the acts of the Provisional Government of Brussels.
It seems evident, from the proclamation of the Regency of Ghent, that
that city is to be added to the number of those which have joined the
Belgic union. Mons, one of the first line of [oranges on the
road to Valenciennes, is certainly in possession of the insurgents.
'Our Quotations from the Courrisr de Pas Bays will show that
Ath, a strong fortress on the road to Lille, has not only warren.
dered to the Government of Brussels, but that a part of its ar.
tillery has arrived at that city. Tourney, which has lung been die.
tinguished for the strength of its fortifications, and which is im.
poetant as being the first strong place on the road from Lille,
hat likewise been given up, or is promised to be surrendered, to the
Provisional Government. Thus we see either a surrender of the for.
tresses along the whole frontier of Belgium, from Ostend to Liege, or
hear of their intention to surrender. Ar any rate, the line is broken,
and the Orange flag no longer waves over the chief defences raised for
the protection of the united kingdom of the Netherlands. Antwerp, how.
ever, is still secure, and we have heard of no defection at Maestricht and
some of theother fortresses on the south-east of Belgium. At Brussels,
the Provisional Government seems to have been very buy, if we may
judge from the multiplicity of its aets and proclamations. M. De Palter
arrived on Tuesday, was dragged to the Hotel de Ville by immense crowds
of his partisans, made a speech to the assembled multitude, and war in.
stalled immediately as a member of the Provisional Government.
In the Courier:des Pap Bar of Wednesday, of which he was an
editor and proprietor, he published an address to his fellow-citizens, in
which he tells them that they most for ever separate themselves from
the Dutch assassins who had introduced fire and sword, rape and carnage,
into their firesides. It is es ident from the words of this addrt vs, as well
as front other proceedings of De Potter and his party, that a union of the
two divisions of the kingdom, under the same Sovereign, though with
different administrations, will not now satisfy the Provisional Go.
vernment. Thus even the slender federation secured by the " contact of
the Crown," as proposed by the commission which met the Prince
of Orange at the Palace on the 11 of September, has been aban.
cloned. It is repotted in the Coarrier des Pays Bat, that on
the Wednesday the main force of Prince Frederick, consisting of 10,000
men, maintained their position at Dieglient, keeping their communica-
tions open with Antwerp by strong detachments stationed at Vilvorde
and Medium It seems evident that a considerable number of the Bel.
gie officers have resigned their commissions in the Royal army, and at.
cepted of higher appointments from the Provisional Government. 'rkis
Government has published a decree, releasing such officers from their
allegiance, on the ground that the Royal Government had violated its
oath by ordering an attack on the people. Among these officers we End
two Lieut.-Cols. several Captains, Lieutenants, and subalterns. That
the military authorities of Brussels are still apprehensive of an attack
from the King's troops—however unfounded such an apprehersion may
be—is evident from the fact, that they have ordered the barricades to
be preserved or restored, and the citizens to remain under sent,' pre-
pared for action. Such is the state of facts and the course of events as
recorded in the last Brussels and Ghent Yapese which have reached us.
The feeling of resistance to the Dutch seems spreading so fast and
powerfully, that there is little probability of its being arrested either
by the force of arms or the influence of concessions. It would be need.
lees now to inquire into the reasonableness of this feeling, or to discuss
the nature of those grievances which were pleaded at first as the
MOO of the insurrection. That it exists among the lower
classes, and through them has acted u muds on the other
parts of the Belgic population, is an undenWle fact, to which
we ass not the less ready to assent because we desalt a subject of egret.
All that can be said of the Bugle revolution, should it seated to the
utmost, is, that its lathes have displayed their National antipathies at
the utmost their omitted tranquillity t that they have released them-
selves from the beet of the Cents neat,—set excepting even
that of France,—in the hope of a barren lodepeodeoee t and that, at •
greet made, of life, and by a great loss of property, they will be able to

OM up some puppet, foreign cm donsevic for William of Nassau. Ardent
!oven of freedom must regret Silt tit, storm has thus passed over ler-
dleend of Spain, Miguel of Portugui. an.l other continental despots, to
fall upon the King cf the Netherlands. But their day of retributtou
must come ! "if such things can fe done in the green tree, what shall
be done in the dry ?"

CnaoxrcLa.—The House of Commons have always affected great
jealousy as to the interference of the Peers with the freedom of election.
Every Session opens with an allusion to this weighty affair, and when a
Peer has been so silly as to write unguardedly on the subject den elec-
tion, we have heard long debates in the House on the violation of their
most important privileges. And yet we have Dukes, 'Marquises, and
Lords openly insulting the people of England. by turning adrift all
their tenants who would not vote for the candidates whom they pointed
out to them. The aluquis of Exeter dares to turn out the third part
of the inhabitants of Stamford out of their houses, and would, if tie could,
deprive them of their bread ! The Marquis has committed the miatake of
flying at game a little too high for him. Mn the times in which we live,
an Aristocrat ought to content himself with petty oppressions. He
has here, unfortunately for himself, committed himself with a body
whose spirit and respectability will enible them to defeat him. One of
their first steps will be to holds great Town's 3leeting,with a view to pe-
tition Parliament, and they will make a beautiful exposure of the nia-
nsent of the borough. Can anything tend more to till a nation with
abretiee of a system than the seeing the population of large towns in-
volved in ruin, because, forsooth, they will not allow themselves to vote
for men whom, in their conscience, they believe improper per,ons to
represent them in Parliament ? Borough patrons arc, in general, more
prudent than these noblemen. Out yet their greater prudence ougLt
not to blind us to the fact, the exercise of the elective franchise, as it is
called in England, with a few trifling exceptio-.1, is not only a source of
misery when those who possess the franchise are so corrupt and degraded
as to vote as their masters tell them, and so insensible as not to feel un-
easy on account of their prostitution. The education of the people
would be a source of misery to them, were it merely to open their eyes
to their degraded condition, without allowing them the hope of being
able to rid themselves of this bondage. Evints are working for tie
people. It is impossible, we think, that the examples of our day sl.ouil
tall to product rn impression on the much-irejun d and insulttd people of
England. They cannot much long. r stiff r utemselves to live the •
of boroughmongers.