Star.
London, England, 1818-01-22 00:00:00

FROM GERMAN PAPERS.

CURLERS, JANUARY e.
We find the following article in the Rhenish Pa-
pers, under the head of Frankfort:
" Several public papers have given different ac-
counts of the treatment shewn here to a French exile,
Felix Desportes. The following is the true state of
the ease:--,-In the night of the 4th of December, F.
Desportes. was arrested by virtue of an order of the
Senate, by an Assessor, accompanied by six agents
of the Police. The Assessor did not griii any ac-
count of the reasons of this arrest : he contented
himself with taking, in haste, some notes, and his
mission being completed, he withdrew. Felix Des-
portes remained a prisoner in his room, guarded by
two officers of the Police. There was no question of
accusation, interrogatory, and other such formalities.
tie was itrictly guarded till the 16th. However, as
it was necessary to come to some determination, it
was resolved to end the affair as it had been begun;
they discharged the' prisoner, ordering him at the
same time to leave the territory of Frankfort as soon
as possible ; he was also ordered not to enter into
any kind of connexion with Las Casas. The latter
bad arrived some hours before the arrest of Felix
Desportes, under the care of an agent of the Police.
As it is affirmed that nobody could communicate
with him without the permission of .his keeper, we
are still at a loss for the grounds of the arrest of Fe-
lix Desportes. But there we many other mysteries
in the world ; why should not the affair in question
also be one ? It is generally agreed that a foreign
influence was yielded to ; but is this sufficient to ex-
cuse this proceeding ? As a citizen of Frankfort, I
cannot help wishing this event had not taken place.
For some time past we indeed took too much care to
gain a fine reputation. The Areopagus condemned
a man for having deceived the confidence of an ani-
mal which had sought an asylum with him ; but
this sentence was, in those good old times, when the
perfectibility of the human race kad made but little
progress. Indeed I know not what can be compared
with our folly, unless it be our vanity and our pre-
tensions. When one sees with what care the king-
dom of France is guarded, one would be terapted to
believe in the possibility of seeing it stolen in one
night. these means are really necessary, they cer-
tainly cannot save it from its ruin. Cannot people
be persuaded, once for all, that a State is never
more in danger than when it is transformed into a
vast ptison-house ? Are we then so degenerate, that
we have entirely forgotten, that the surest means to
gain and attack men are magnanimity and confi-
dehce ? In truth, I should not have the heart to
•blame the:misanthrope, who should justify the dis-
gust which the present times excite, by the picture
of that mixture of vain-boasting, turpitude, and hy-
.poetisy which we too commonly remark. I certainly
do not pretend that the treatment experienced by
Mr. F. Desportes is an Important event, or that it
ran be regarded as a great act of despotism. But
this event ought not to have token place in the free
city of Frankfort,`the seat of the German Diet, in
-this; mariner, and with these circumstances. It is
true the Germans may say, " It is a Frenchman;"
-but for the same i'eason the French may say of one
of us, " ;" and this would natttralZz
lend the vovistathins to melancholy reprisals. N
would.redlefr-eays—" It is a man," for we are also
men. Mr. IMB" it is said, has resided here by
means: of a ?al* passport (which he absolutely de-
.nits), but even then, we do not see the motives for
.the conduct observed in this affair. In all we do,
we should consider not only what we owe to others,
hot what we owe to ourselves."

,
• tRANIFORT, DECEMBER 12.
..tkiteiO4.papers it is said that the Liberty of
tfle:',. WK.: Ts again placed under restrictions in the
:usitvr Play of Weimar, and that many Journals
there are totally suppressed ; and the
!'eliiit 4i ed for this innovation is, the numerous
• '4l/11plotiiatic complaints which are incessantly made
against articles in these Journals. It is to be lamented
that Diplomatists should make so bad an use of their
time, Tnd enter, as it were, into a regular warfare
trith'3Ottrnalists. However, their pleasure or displea-
aute an never be a good ground for violating or re-
"l peating Institutions which have a constitutional exist-
' once;—for injuries done to their Courts or to them-
terve' they may seek satisfaction in Courts of Law.
-1 'demand any thing beyond this, is to attack the
rigkts and freedom of foreign citizens; and if the de-
fittnd is complied .with, we see in it the melancholy
• •Crtunistanee of foreign consequence having a more
:,-
refful influence than national rights guaranteed by
whole confederation. If these things take place,
*ad the German Federation remain at the same time
!ilia, we shall thereby learn the ggrraannd and impor-
tant lesson, that it is quite superias to long for,
and give ourselves labour and toil for Constitutions,
as those which have actually been obtained and glut-
- raltced, are set aside on the first occasion that occurs.

O etc good.natured Germans! A noble and.chosen
People fur political and national advanceinest!
✓ ..stpart et Constitutional blonareisies, Artie Itresen..
tatives of the People, such the English, tench.
and Americans hare obtained, they:can poipt to the
gigantic work of the former Imperil Constitution;
it remains their master-piece; every thipg since must
yield to it! We see it ! In France, after all their
convulsions and storms, with foreign contributions
and troops, in a state of things that seems to jut-
,. tify the suspension of particular articles of the Con-
stitution, more Constitutional forms, more freedom'
of the Press still remain, than victorious Germany
• can yet spew. Where could Sdhlozer now print his
work; now that the little. State of Weimar is nt;) loner
• open to free discussion?

BOHEMIA, DECEMBER If.
• If the Austrian Observer is held in no great estreqq,-,
eon in'foreign countries (for we call the rest of Csse-
'natty here a foreign country), this Paper enjoys with
IA high hostours. It is true the quality airs of the
Aatibian Oiserver !often appear ludicrous enough to
those who do not know that many of the articles are
touched by very,illustrious hands. We would pardon,
IMwever; this vanity, if it would only follow the ad-
vice of the New Rhenish Mercury, and not interfere,
with foreign affairs. For whenever it does this, it
draws down uportitself a severe castigation from the
c, • rapers, and we have found to our sad expe-
. nee 'that every time the Austrian Observer is exhi
rnan
liii.gd in a ludicrous point of view by other papers, a

most detrimental reaction on our freedom of reading,
already so circumscribed, is the uniform consequence.
gives rise tothe conjecture, that the Editor ceages
&i be an observer, and becomes an actor, whether from
motives of revenge, or from interested views, we shall
not attempt to say. Foi- instance, immediately after
the late attack by the Austrian Observer of the Oppo-
sition Paper, the Bremen Jostrisel and the Nets Rhe-
nish Mercury, and the sturdy defence of these papers,
the following Journals were immediately interdicted
'to us for the year 181§.:—the New Rhenish Mercury,
the Opposition Paper, I.hs Neuwied Journal, all
French Journals published in the Netherlands, all
Polish Journals, the Nuremberg Correspondent. As
to the prohibition of this last Paper, we are here
quite astonished at it, as it differs in nothing in tone
and tendency from, the Papers not prohibited. As
the Nurenberg Correspondent, however, is the Paper
most read in our country, it is affirmed that thispro-
hibition has been effected to increase the sale •of the
Austrian Observer, which, as it appears at the extre-
mity of the Empire, can give us no news, and there-
fore has log much of its circulation.
LNIPSIC. JANUARY e.

Madame Krudener has now been nearly three
weeks here, though at her arrival in this city she in-
tended to depart in a short time. As a pretext .for
her delay, she says she expects the return of her son-
in-law, Mr. Berkheim, whir is gone to Moscow. .At
the beginning she received many visits, which drew
the attention of the Police, who placed a guard in
the neighbourhood, to prevent all persons indiscri-
minately from entering her house. At present she
is only permitted to see some persons who are known;
she absolutely refuses to depart till she has seen her
son-in-law. On her arrival she had difficulty in pro-
curing 200 crowns from a Banker, but two or three
idays after she had some thousand crowns at her dis-
posal, She pretends that on the 24th of December,
the anniversary of the birth of the Emrror Alexan-
der, she had a very important revelation, and that
'while she was embarrassed how she should send an
account of it to Moscow, a Russian Courier entered
into her room, who charged himself with her mes-
sage. She speaks highly of Leipsit and Saxony, be-
cause this is the first place where she has nor been
treated as a criminal. We wish, however, she would
leave us ; because there are too many weak-minded
persons heir, •over whom she might have a dange-
rous influence. The Police has sent away some jour-
neymen and others, who followed her, but they de-
clared they would rejoin her as soon as they could,
because with her they had only to pray, to have
every thing in abundance. At Weimar she received
some hundred crowns, which she immediately gave
to the poor. She had declared her intention to make
similar largesses to those who are in our pritons, but
she has not yet done so. She is not in want of funds,
and she is connected with great personages, of which
she indeed makes no mystery.

Government, has to discuss affairs of the greatest im-
portance with the British Ministry.
FROM TIIE MAIN. JANUARY 1.
Some papers say, that the citizens of Frankfort
have demanded of the Legislative Body an account
of the arrest of Colonel Von Massenbach, Felix Des-
portes, &c.
Aga Osmar, Commissioner from the Pacha of
Egypt, has arrived at 'Mil= by way of Genoa.