Star.
London, England, 1831-02-10 00:00:00

SPIRIT OF THE JOURNALS.

The length and importance of the Parliamentary Debates yesterday,
• • ~oily prevented the insertion of '• The Spirit of the Journals."
We hate now, therefore, included the articles of yesterday, with those
;o-day.

T t mrs.—We are not purred to say that much negative interfe-
:., cc may not have been indispensable to the interests of Europe and of
:he British Empire. If the Belgians and a violent French party, who
raise an outcry one moment against the ambition of England and against
all governments which have not yet undergone the process of revolution,
and The next insist on armed annexation of Belgium to France, without
regard to the hangs of Europe,—if, we say, the Belgians have leagued
with such a party to renew that incorporation of their country with'
the dominions of Louis Philip, which was effected by conquest in the
war of the revolution and dissolved at the peace as incompatible with the
gel eral safety—that league is a confederacy hostile to the continent and
t England, and must, unless its objects be rendered palatable by fin.
patant qualifications, of which we have yet heard nothing, become a
..gitimate cause of war on the part of those Powers which feel themselves
ad angered and aggrieved. For let us ask any reasonable Frenchman—
:: where territorial aggrandizement be concerned we can find a reason.
Frenchman—what safety is there for the Rhenish provinces of
Pros* if France, in the flush of her Belgic triumph, should pre-
mu herself as a protectress of all troubled spirits in the countries now
under the sway of Frederick William ? Must the British Government
resin submit to have Antwerp with a line of forts and batteties on the
le:: bank of the Scheldt fulfilling the most rancorous threats of Buona.
pine. who created that immense magazine of naval power with its de.
tendencies to be a tut presented at the breast of inland It If I
furce again be brow tto the door of Holland, who will guarantee
her stopping at the of that inestimable outwork of the British
shores ? Is there no resemblance now in France of that same spirit of
aggrandizement and aggression which tempted Louis XIV. to attack,
Napoleon to appropriate, the United Provinces ? But we shall be
:;:d this is warlike language. No ! these are the suggestions of an
.1-Xi311% love of peace. We strive to avert, that we may not have to
misfortune.

. .
Posr.—England, whose influence a Wellington ever made cowmen.
tunic with her real power,and whose power none but Whip ever un-
dervalued, is now (thanks to those very Whip), intent upon, what ?
Upon the great question of war and peace ? upon France and Belgium,
upon Lord Palmerston's diplomacy, at whose mercy we now lie, or
upo.: the mighty consequences which may result to our financial and
tomittercial system ? No such thing. Whilst Europe regards the actors,
we criticise the scene-shifters--whilst France values the stake for which
sheplays,we calculate the cost of the candle-ends, and swear that farthing
tallow rushlights would cost less than wax bongs—whilst other nations
reward anti enlist the best actors, we select the worst, and discourage
even there, by putting into jeopardy their salaries and pensions--whilst
Palmerston is hissed, and his part in the performance damned, we in.
quire how much his dress Costa us, and censure, not the badness of the
acting. but the expence of his new uniform. Graham swears it
cannot, must not, shall not be changed, and his word is irtevo-
:able. Grey frowns on his colleague's rash presumption, and
Ahliorp declares that he will not change it; but the cut may
be :dieted by a committee ; and thus, whilst the individuals com-
psing the present Cabinet are divided on this great question, the people
o Franc:, wt.ore Sovereignty we have so long extolled, are giving laws
to Europe ! How long—how long, we ask, will this delusion last ?
Toe %%lig' created it, and they are now justly tormented
by it ; but shall the country suffer unjustly for their mis-
deeds ? out—out upon such actors as Palmerston say we—
oat upon such managers as Grey—out upon such weak and igno-
:At financiers as Althorp. Europe new sees the difference between
practical Statesmen and charlatan popularity.hunting
France laughs in her sleeve at her sympathising friends, and moves's,
always progressive, to the great point at which the nouveau/re aloes,
hadiscovery of the Rhine boundary. Hence she disavows Lord Pal-
merston's boundary line—hence she refuses the King she herself caused
to be elected—hence she increases her army daily—hence all she desires
is time—time for the due organization of that army, and then we must
either go to war or acquiesce in all her measures of aggrandisement.
Hertarn —lf the Preach Government be sincere in the disclaimer of
tile acceptance of the Crown of Belgium for the Duke of Nemours, it is
very strange that, pending the discussion in the National Congress, re.
lative to the choice of a Sovereign, that Government should have taken
a step the most like of all other to secure his election to that dignity.
The Protocol of the 20th of January, which the Belgiums so justly
regarded as an attack upon their independence, and a gross violation of
tote principle of non-intervention, was drawn up and agreed to, as
toe title of that document states, when thee were present
the Plenipotentiaries of Austria, France, Great Britain, Prussia, and
Russia, and was consequently the joint act of the five Allied
courts ; for Plenipotentiaries being, as the word imports, per.
having full powers to act for their respective Govern.
ntents in whatever diplomatic concerns they are charged to teas.
in that capacity, their treaties and contracts are bg
conclusive as the Courts of which they are the
representatives—unless, indeed, indeed, where it can be shown
their consent is obtained by fraud ; it being an ad-
mot principle that jrassd vitiates every contract. Instead of making
ly protest against the protocol, Prince Talleyrand assents to a
'sterol, which exceedingly incenses the Belgians against the five
vwer,. and then, in the midst of the election of a sovereign, the
huh Ministry secretly sends a communication to an influential Met-
hOf Congress, disclaiming the said protocol on the part of France.
might be expected, renders the election of the sun of the French
',cure, and then the French Court protests against that election
• is all this mere inesuisanser Tine will
P,'st —The letter addressed by General Sebastiani so 11. Benson, and
by M. Van de Weyer in the National Congress at Brussels (upon