Star.
London, England, 1820-12-26 00:00:00

• I E .14; V k'N ING STA K.

lON DON.

TUESDAY, DECENIBER 26, 15'20.
Sr. Srirruitteslialay at the Batik.

A Commercial Treaty is, it is said, now negoci-
ming between this country and France,. upon liberal
principles—namely, the principles of reciprocity.
The import duties on-certain enumerated articles
are• to' e reduced from 75 to 15 per cent. ad valorem;
a diminution of duty which will increase the con-
?umption, in both connteies,Of the articles rchich they
respectively w.mt from each other, and which, con-
!!e,prently, will operate to add to the wealth of both—
the only effectual method of inc rea.ing the public
rovenue of each ; for the produce al indirect taxes
arises, and can only arise, from the expenditure of the
consumer; and the amount of this .!epends on the
extent of the markets they can find for their own
!arplits products. Should Ministers eventually suc-
ceed in effecting this object, they will do much to-
wards restoring the decayed prosperity of our nu-
merous manufactures ; and, through thii medium,
that of our agriculturists ; for the c.elfa:e of the latter
deiends on the of the artizans to cat full meals,
instead of going half started
The eyes of Statesmen are opening more and more
daily to the impolicy of the " Rest:ictivess Pro
tooting System"—names which fools give to the
both- of foolish laws which have for so long a period
shackled and wasted the industry of mankind ; and
should this Treaty once be effected on the fair bases
of reciprocity, we shall not despair of seeing the
new system become, before many years, as gener.b
as has been the one which has operated so long to
depress the efforts of human industry, and abridge
unnecessarily the comforts of mankind.

We beg to refer our Readers to the ample Report
given in our columns this day, of the Proceedings of
the Meeting of the County of Edinburgh, on Friday
last. Although the 6' Loyal" Address, as it is called,
was carried by a numerical majority, the arguments
by which it Was supported—the. studied evasion of
all the great points on which Ministers and the Public
are at issue---. hew, in a striking light, the desperate
plight to which the Ministerial partizans are reduced.
Mr. JEFFREY, the ingenious Editor of the Edinburgh
R.,iew, was again conspicuous in the declaration of
his sentiments, and we recommend his speech to the
particular attention of our Readers, as presenting, in
very animated terms, a pretty exact picture of the
crisis to which we seem fast hastening.

We have received a copy of the Proclamation issued
by President Bovaa, on his entry into the Cape, and
regret to learn from it, that the consummation of the
Revolution has 'not been so bloodless as the first ac-
counts represented : 64 I regret (he says) that blood,
-which I have been so solicitous to spare, should have
been spilt. On the 18th of this month, my order of
the 17th, sent express to the Cape, did not arrive in
time to save the lives of CHRISTOPHE'S son, and some
Officers who were conspicuous in executing his bar-
barous orders." Ile-concludes with entreating that
past events may be forgotten, and that the Ilaytians
will hasten to act, in concert with Government, in
consolidating the independence of the country.