Star.
London, England, 1831-01-19 00:00:00

SPIRIT OF THE JOURNALS.

Tiuss.—ln the late revolution, the people of England rejoiced nearly
IA much as the French themselves,—not because they regretted the sat-
een of their arms in aiding the nations of Europe to shake of the mon-
strous oppression of Napoleon, the gallant armor's military chief, but
because they saw the liberties of a great nation secured against the vio-
lence of a perfidious bigot, and the principles of nonintervention, which
had been violated, again restored. If General Lamarque is satisfied that
the cannon of Waterloo have been silenced by the firing in the streets of
Paris, why think of over-running Belgium for additional satis-
faction ? No misapprehension was ever greater, than that which
General Lamarque evinces of the feelings of Englishmen, or
the policy of the English Government. We are not envious of
the prosperity of France—we have not enriched ourselves with the
*polls of Holland, which has rather been enriched at our expense—and
we have no desire to keep the French people " within any circle of
iron," traced by any coalition. The "circle of iron" is the old boun-
dary of France, which revolutionary inroads had only for a time ef-
faced, which solemn treaties had again drawn, and which nothing but
the most criminal ambition would again desire to pass. The amen-
dation of her free institutions in peace, and her conquest over that rest-
less spirit of military enterprise which dictated the speech on which we
ate remarking, would be more conducive to her happiness and honour
than Belgium with all its nine departments.

lititatm —The Congress of the Commishioners of the Great powers
at London have at last turned their attention to the question of the
Urand Duchy of Luxembourg, the most knotty point in dispute between
Holland and Belgium. The Germanic Confederation recognise the
r,gllt of the King of Holland to the province in question, and express
their determination to enforce that right; but, before taking any harsh
'"ensures, they desire to know of the provisional Government
LI Belgium, whether they persist in their claim wit. The
4c.wer has not yet been made known, but from the po.
,LNltory tone of the manifesto of the Confederation, and the ulwt
artce given by the London Congress, not to lose any time in sending
belician Commissioners to London, there Is to alternative left the Pro-
,tuonal Government of Belgium, but to en up their claims upon
I.6xemburg, or repudiate altogether the medbMon of the Great Powers
their cause. The latter course is net from the WIWI' of
he Brussels Congress, sod there is no doubt bet that the fortune of war
!"14 be bailed on both sides as a more estisfarnery mode of arbitra-
.l42' than ilwilalertulltion of them European Powers. It will, k all

events, prove the most conclusive mode; for, with the present excite-
ment which prevails in the minds of the Belgians and Dutch, no formal
accommodation can entirely trifle the feelings of hatted and national
jealousy, which can only be extinguished in blood.
Canostrcti—We wish we could see oar way dearly in the affairs
of Ireland as some of our contemporaries think they see theirs. The
aOlalien will either continue, or forcible measures will be resorted to.
We will suppose coercion attempted. We will suppose further, that
the Irish are beaten. What then ? Are we to keep and treat Ireland
as a at4sered country ? Where will all this end I) We hear every
day exclamations of "we must have a fight for it, and the sooner
the better I" But have those who thus exclaim calculated all the
conesquences of the shock which this would occasion in England ?
The people of England do not, certainly, wish the repal or
the Union; but what would be the effect of hostilities in Inking on
England, with the present way of thinking of a very great parcel the
ion ? We have gaerned Ireland by force and corruption mass the
population
of 1688; and what is the result ? We have a perdation
without any common bond of sympathy with England—a numerea, a
brave population, who may be coetad, hat who may alms suc•
ceed in a contest between the two mama AB the inseam darted
to by England for the crudes if an English laessset In
Ireland have signally failed. The pod laws ass Impaled,
because they failed in their object. The ftlmanis were set eireaph •
coed, but weakened, by the ascendancy of *Or Church asi the ammo-
poly which the laws gore them. The people le these preelesea are
chiefly Catholic'. In one province akar, the Presseleass sod Presby-
terians form a considerable part of the ripeletles. The radiation of
Ireland being chiefly Catholic, it has always appeared so us questionable
po to continue to a sinecure Protestant Church immense revenues, to
which all sects must contribute. The ettly *wade estamsd Reran esta-
blished church is, that the church a estabilised h that of the perdition.
But, if a church be established, which least dtatafthe pspaahs, thee the
Government can derive no benefit teem it, while the itlistbsel of the
, religion of the population are placed by the unnameable partiality in a
' state of opposition to the Government. The Priests have with them
the strength of the country; and it seems obvious that it must always
be much easier to govern in accordance with the wishes of the natu-
ral leaders of the population than by placing their leaders in a state
of opposition. The great body of the people of a country, and their
natural leaders, can never safely be neglected. Hence one mature,
on which we would mainly rely is the placing the Catholics on an
.1 equality in all respects with Protestants.

Traza—The most recent device of the Dublin incendiaries appears
to be an intended run upon the banks for geld. This is in character
for a party who represent the disappearance of capital from Ireland. and
the decay of consumption arising from the number of absentees, to be
the grand cause of pauperism and wretchedness, an evil to be cured only
by the repeal of the Union. that is, by a sanguinary war with England in
the first place, and afterwards, by an overthrow of the entire fabric of
Protestant property, ecclesiastical and civil. Does not the Agitator
know full well that a political run upon the banks of Ireland
I would so cramp and paralyse the whole frame of commercial
I credit as to stop, within four.and-twenty hours, two-thirds of the
labour now going on in Ireland ? Is Mr. O'Connell not satisfied with
the amount of human suffering of necessity attendant on the famine of
1831, which he predicts with so much confidence, that he thus kills the
moving power of human industry, while Providence blights that of ve-
getable nature ? But there is another beneficent project on foot, the
Irish papas tell us,--namely, a non-consumption of excisable arti-
cles," the motive of which le avowed to be the ruin of the revenue and
the consequent distress of the Government. Good ! And is there no
revenue but that of the State to be depressed, and nobody but the British
Minister to be embarrassed ? We suppose that eseemodities subject to
excise must be
Irarchased before they are and who are
the sellers ? hy, the merchants and tradeemea, great and small,
thresghast Ireland. The retail price of them models des set consist
only of the Tax upon them, there is to be added the One oust, seed the
vender's profit r then, oat of spite and hatred albs grawainest, every
dealer in the kingdom, who has bought the anewhanilns. that he and
bin family may live by ths mak of it, is st sae to be mind to bank-
ruptcy, a d deprived of bread, as one of them " ellisedeus emeedies"
which the and-Union Staisenras beast that they alms are unable of
adminktaing to the asthma diseases. We have tideland la many
pad's Ws spine the fraud as wellasdss ferocity stems mesa's
es adost that an is sigh& with the alias sedadens violsnas, marsh
the aggression of any 1111111111.111. but *see which the Milked feel
MI blend la egnaaing gram the psepk. The lOW is that of Ro.
bergisrre...k is Ismer.