Star.
London, England, 1830-12-10 00:00:00

BRUSSEL&

Dec. 7—Lord Ponsonby has arrived at Brussels.
It is said that Mr. Cartwright is to go as Envoy to the German Diet,
where the question of Belgium will be dimmed.
A letter from the frontiers of Austria of 21st Nov. says, that a corps
of 23,000 or 30,000 Austrian troops, is on the march to the frontiers of
Bavaria, Some persons believe that part of this corps, with an equal
number of troops of another German powet, will occupy the Grand
Duchy of Luxemburg.
Letters from Switzerland contradict the report that 7,000 Swiss were
going to be taken into the pay of the King of Holland.
SPIRIT OF THE JOURIVALS.

CuitowicLE.—Last night the Duke of Wellington said the late
Administration were not in the least to blame for the public distress.
" Legislation on the subject of the Poor Laws has gone (he
said) as far as lmislation can gm Mischief arises from the
maladministration of the Poor Laws by persons who are
beyond the controul of the Government." It must be owned that
his Grace is quite a Job's comforter. The legislation is perfect, and the
mal-administration cannot be cured. The Legislature could do
nothing, the Government could do nothing, but the people themselves
could have done something—they could have borne their misery, they
could have allowed themselves to be the victims of famine and
wretchedness. The mischief, according to his Grace, is, that cor-
rupted by evil example, they are no longer so patient of misery as they
ought to be. If the French had allowed themselves to be dragooned
out of their Constitution, and treated like the brutes that perish, that
would have been a good example ; and with such a good example,
years might have passed in this country without any annoyance on ac.
count of distress. It is the business of the people to bear distress—
and the business of the Government to look on, only taking parti-
cular care, by stripping them occasionaly, to prevent their
extricating themselves from it. The only other active duty imposed on
government, according to his grace, is to supply the magistrates with
force to controul the convulsive movements of despair. The magistrates
themselves cannot be controulled, and they would have been able to
eontroul the people, but for the evil example in a neighbouring country.
Bravo ! This is a lecture on legislation and government of inestimable
price. It ought to be hung up in every cabinet, as the last legacy of a
great statesman to his countrymen.

TIME£I.-It does not appear to us-that the real proportion barmen
the supply of employment and the demand for it can era' be mode ma.
nifest and free from cavil, until the unnatural mixture of wages with
parish allowances be got rid of, and the question simplified by break.
ing up the partnership between the overseer and the favorer. Accord.
log to the perent usage of the southern counties, the mass of working men
do not, properly speaking, come under the description either of labourers
or paupers—almost every peasant is half.and.half of each. The paro-
chial grant is helped somewhat by wages—the scanty wages are eked
out by a trifle from the rates. How is it possible, in such a state
of things, to get a plain insight into the actual condition of the
market, or to guess what number of thorough-going, hearty, wai-
ted labourers, would suffice to keep up the cultivation of the soil,
or bow many Ineffective ones would be left to the tender mercies of
the overseer, so long as, amongst those who are now generally dreaming
over their work,you must cut every individual in two before you can assign
the due share of the population to the respective ranks of independent indus-
try or parochial beggary ? We find that a glimmering of right sense and
sympathy with the poor has broken out amongst the aristocracy of
Sussex. A society, founded on at least good intentions, has there been
formed, for supplying the peasantry with small allotments of land in
lieu of parochial allowances. We refer for particulars to another column.
The plan is a good one ; but a better still would be, that every gentle-
man should establish similar small tenements on his own estate, and let
them to labourers, on terms like those contemplated by this benevolent
association. An acre, of course, will not maintain a poor man's family,
but it will go fir in a variety of aids and domestic comforts. Might
not the cultivation of bees be resorted to with success, as affording at
once a luxury and a medidne, of ready sale, and at little or no cost of
production ?

Tux POIT.--Our contemporary the Times criticizes the conduct of
the Duke of Wellington, and attributes to his fears ! and indiscretion
the observations be made in the House of Lords on Wednesday, respect-
ing the presentation of an Address to the King at his Levee by gentle-
men who went to St. James's, attended by thousands of persons with
banners. Let us see what the law says on that subject„ in an Act, 13
Charles. 11. chap. 6, entitled, an Act against Tumults and Disor-
der* upon Pretence of Preparing or Presenting Petitions or
other Addresses to his Majesty or the Parliament. After
reciting that these practices " had been made use of to serve the end of
factious and seditious persons gotten into power, to the violation of pub-
lic peace, and have been a great means of the late unhappy wars, con-
fusions, and calamities in this nation," for preventing the like mischiefs
for the future, the Act proceeds to forbid persons to solicit the signature
of petitions or addresses by numbers above twenty, for the altera-
tion of matters established by law in Church or State ; and it then
proceeds to enact--" That no person or persons whatever shall repair
to his Majesty, or both or either of the Houses of Parliament, upon
pretence of ting or delivering any petition, complaint, remon-
strance, or dxcLration or other addresses, accompanied with excessive
numbers of people, nor at any time with above the number of ten per-
sons, upon pain of incurring a penalty not exceeding one hundred
pounds, and three months' imprisonment without bail or mainprise for
every offence "—lt appears then that if the Duke of Wellington is
timid, he is so in conformity with the recital in the preamble of the Act
of Parliament; and that the conduct of which he disapproved is forbid..
den by Act of Parliament under a penalty, on account of its known
dangers and its liability to be abused.