Star.
London, England, 1830-12-20 00:00:00

that the Polish troops, and the officers, with few exceptions,
have rallied round the popular standard ; and as far as intelli-
gence has yet reached this country, nothing appears to check
those hopes of ultimate success, in which all liberal minds
must participate.
It will be seen below, that some of the political writers of
France, are assuming, on the part of their country, a tone of
defiance, and almost menace, which many will think—
as is said in that country,—ws peu trop fiirt ;

but, perhaps, strictly speaking, if the observance of a per-
fect international policy, is alone to prevent war in Europe,
it may be argued, that the compact of peace is broken be-
tween all, when any one of the Powers, whatever be their
locality, shall cross with armies their own boundaries. The
conduct of NAPOLEON towards Naples, and the Italian
States, was argued by British politicians as an infraction of
the Treaty of Amiens, between France and this country,
quite adequate to occasion the recommencement of hos-
tilities ; and, therefore, if a cause for foreign war be an
object with the French Government—if tl.ey should see,
as they must sea, and as all civilized Europe must see—
that the reduction of the Power of Russia, by tho re-eeta-
blishment of Poland, would be desirable, they need not
be confined to sit in stubborn neutrality, for want of
a legitimate pretext for war, whenever Austria or Prussia
lend the co-operation of their armies,to crush the present re-
volutionary movement in Poland. If France be distant
from Poland, so is Russia from Belgium ; and if the inter-
vention of France, in the affairs of the latter, would
be considered adequate to vindicate the hostility of Rus-
sia towards France, why, we would ask, should not
the intervention of Prussia or Austria, in the af-
fairs of Poland, be considered an equally valid cause, for
the hostile interference of France in the same affair? Aro
not Belgium and Poland precisely similar cases ? Is not
Russia, in its relation to Poland, exactly analogous to
Holland in its relations to Belgium ? If Prance were to sup-
port the patriots of Brussels, would it be an intervention
to vindicate the hostility of Russia to France ? If so, we
maintain, that an analogous intervention on the part of
Austria or Prussia, against the patriots of Warsaw, would
be quite adequate to vindicate, in the eyes of all impartial
judges, the hostility of France towards those powers. The
reasoning in the Times on this subject, we deem quite un-
sound.

We have neither time nor space, to pursue, at any length
this day, our remarks on the subject of Parliamentry Re-
form, as we had intended ;—but we are a little anxious to
make a correction in one part of what we advanced on Sa-
turday. We stated that the present qualification fur
electors of shires, had its date front the reign of Enwaaa I.
and was obscure in its origin. We find on reference
to authorities, that it originated by Act of Parliament, in
the Bth of Hsu RY the Stxvn ; and that the preamble of
the Act sufficiently explains its object ; for it states the
reason for restraining the exercise of the elective franchise, to
the proprietors of freeholds of forty shillings, clear in-
come, to be the inconvenience experienced at elections,
from " the great, outrageous, and excessive number of
dwellers in counties of small substance, and no value." It
has been argued by PaYss a, that previously to this act,
the franchise was universal; but a fair view of all that has
been written en the subject, in our opinion, leaves the infer-
ence, that the franchise never extended beyond the heads of
families, or housekeepers paying the taxes of those times,
the scutage or land-tax, or the talliage or property-tax,
paid by the residents in towns, cities, and burghs ;
and, therefore, that still some degree of property
or importance in the parochial community, as rate-payers,
was essential. To attain definite views of this obscure
part, in constitutional history, it is evident, that the enquirer
must include, in his researches, a history of the people, in
their gradual elevation from glebe bondage.