Star.
London, England, 1829-12-17 00:00:00

tending for the triumph of the only principles which can
secure the future happiness and well-being of civilised so-
ciety. It would appear by an article in the Cosarier
Francais, that the Portrait of Ha st ensw has been
seized by the Police at Paris, and that its exhibition,
without leave, renders the offender liable to punishment !

Paris Papers of Tuesday are received this morning.
The Coestitutionnel has an article from St. Petersburgh
which is highly important. It sets forth that, the greatest
activity reigns in the chanceries of Foreign Affairs, and
at the War Office. Couriers arrive daily, or set off in all'
directions, either for different parts of the empire, or for
other countries. It was stated confidently that, at the be-
ginning of the present month, Maillhalll PARKE WITSCII
and Di Earrsc it, as well as other distinguished Generals of
the army, had been summoned to the capital, in order to
be present at a grand Council, where several questions of
momentous import—and especially relative to a new or-
ganisation of the army—are to be discussed. The
Grand Duke Cowsvaxvi N a was also expected in the
capital before the end of the year. Except the regi-
ments of the Imperial guard, which are on their way to
Petersburgh, no measures seem to be yet taken to recall
the troops which are to take up their quarters for the
winter. It is further determined that all the corps belong-
ing to the active army, are to take up their winter quar-
ters in the Turkish provinces ; and that they shall
continue to receive, from time to time, such reinforcements
as may be necessary to complete and strengthen them.
Comment on these mighty preparations is quite unneces-
sary. The threatening attitude of the AUTOCRAT—his
ambition, and his power, must ere long demand more se-
rious reflection than seems yet to be bestowed upon them
by the European Cabinets, and particularly by that of
England.

It is said, that the Duke of WELLINGTON proposes to
remodel the Liturgy of the established Church: it can-
not, however, surely, bk affirmed with any seriousness,
that the Noble Duke is himself to be the re-modeller ?
This were, indeed, preposterous. Nevertheless, now that
the public attention is directed to these matters, we could
not excuse ourselves if we remained altogether silent on
a proposition of so Much importance to the community.—
We have long perceived with concern, that the retention
of certain passages in our FORK of PRAYER—which do
not indeed belong essentially, neither to the doctrines
nor practice of Christianity—has been the means of con-
tinuing in exclusion from the Church a great multitude
of conscientious and devout persons, who believe as im-
plicitly in the mission and divinity of CHRIST, as our-
I selves of the establishment. The cancellation, or modifi-
cation of these passages—in such a manner as to bring
within the pale of one worship all those who do not in-
trinsically differ from it—it must be acknowledged, is a
llgrand desideratum : and so far from weakening, would
strengthen in a material degree by the unanimity
which it would superinduce, the moral power and conse-
quence of the Protestant Church.
In a letter, which has been addressed lately to the
PREMIER through the channel of a Morning Contem-
porary, the alterations, of which we are now endeavour-
ing to show the desirableness, have been—as it seems to
us—insisted on with too much of flippant specification.
The four incipient verses of the LITANY, no doubt it
would be expedient to modify ; but great care must be
taken lest, in so doing, we scandalise many more than
we conciliate. To the doxology, which the writer sub-
stitutes for that now in use, there could—we think—
be no reasonable objection, seeing that it is perfectly
scriptural; and seeing, also, that the " honour and
glory" which are attributed in it to GOD are attributed
" through JESUS CHRIST, for ever and ever." But we
do not coincide with him, concerning the substitution
which he proposes in the Apostles creed : on what prin-
ciple does he object to the passage—" he descended into
hell ?" Why would he needlessly interfere with the
scripture expression—which " hell" is—as if it required
to be softened for polite ears ? We all know that, in its
immediate acceptation there, it is synonimous with
'the grave; but still—he descended into " the grave,"
would not convey the full meaning : it would be an ex-
ceptionable variance. For although the SAVIOUR
did, in fact, only descend physically into the
tomb, it is understood and believed that —by
that descent—he took off the curse of original con-
demnation, and delivered us from the power of
hell, in the awfuller sense of the expression. Saint
PETER—alluding to the retrospective efficacy of
'Cu RIST'S passion, from the benefit of which no humar.
creature is to be excluded—even goes so far as to justify
our retaining the word in its moat extensive signification:
for he says—talking of CHRIST in the grave—that
he went and preached unto the spirits in prison, which
Isometime were disobedient, when the long suffering of
GOD waited in the days of Noah. By which the
apostle means, that he preached redemption to those who
were dead in the curse—who had died between ADAM
and the advent : and this is, literally, the light of salva-
tion ix hell.
We think this is a strong reason for not meddling
with that expression in the creed; and we do not apolo-
gise for our exposition, since it has been wrung from us
by the false argument of others. Concerning the al-
teration of the LORD'S PRAYER, we confess that we
feel an equal tenderness : in fact, that such an al-
teration would be unjustifiable. But as regards
that creed, called ATHANASIAN, we think entirely
with the correspondent of the Chronicle ; and heartily
aritair--with Archbishop Tra.t.orsow, and many other
Archbishops—that we were well ridof it. It is a libel
upon the Spirit of the Gospels, and a blasphemous usur-
pation over the consciences of our fellow Christians.
We recollect souse years ago, after hearing an *impost
and ingenious discourse in vindication of this creed, at
the Chripel of the British Embassy in Paris, that we had
t;:disadvantagf a few days afterwards of discoing he
with the preacher; and when we urged, gam&
Ike istoastory clause which it contains, thi beadlall re-

buke of Jaws—" Who art thou, that judgest another
man's servant ? To his own master he standeth, or
falkth"—the champion of ATUANASIUS was dumb.
We are aware that discussions of this nature are better
in any place, than a newspaper: but when we see two
of our contemporaries dedicating to such, a large space
in their columns—one, opposing himself to liturgical
revision in Coto ; the other, advocating even &falsifi-
cation of scripture—we feel it imperative to interfere.
We shall resume this subject at a fitting opportunity : in
the mean time, let it be well understood that we are
converts to the necessity of revision—though we cannot
suffer any interference with the words of Scripture. But
mind : it is of the LITURGY, only, that we speak.

The Flanders snail this morning brought us the
Prussian State Gazette to the 11th, and the Journal de
la Belgique to the 16th instant. The former contains an
interesting notice of the safe return of the celebrated
traveller and naturalist, Baron Hu m aoLDT to St. Peters-
burgh from Siberia ; and the latter conveys to us from
Brussels a just expression of indignation on the subject
of the new project of law to fetter the liberties of the
press. The Royal Message on this subject is exceedingly
foolish. The day is gone by for such restrictions. The
following are our selections :
BRUSSELS, Dec, 15.
The Journal of Astute" contains the following article :
In the Sitting of the Second Chamber yesterday a very long
Royal hielsage was read, with a project of law to repress the
abuses of the Press.
The Message observes, that in the midst of peace abroad, and the
prosperity of the several branches of the national manufactures, 'owe
evil disposed persons have abused the last law relative to the Press
the most liberal that exists in Europe, to sow discord, dissention,
religiose hatred, and party spirit : that it has become an imperative
duty to repress these excesses by severe measures. His Majesty
recommends this subject to the wisdom of the States GeneraL
After entering into long details on the execution of the Coscor-
dat, the responsibility of Ministers, public instruction, and the attri-
butes of the Provincial Estates, his Majesty concludes by hoping
that his constant care for the happiness of his subjects, will never be
overlooked either by his contemporaries or posterity. The project
of Law recognises the principle that all the acts oldie Government
may be discussed with temper by all the journals and periodical pub-
['cations :—lts proposed enactments are, that whoever shall attack
the authority of the King, or the Members of the Royal Fa-
mily, shall be punished with imprisonment front two to
Ave years. Sentence of imprisonment from one to three years
shall be pronounced against him who shall attack the heads
of the Ministerial Departments, and the Members of the States
General wish a view to deprecate the existing laws or the such's-
tigy of the Government : a repetitlun of the aline will be punished
by increasing the penalty by one half. Prosecution tor this law
must be brought within three months.
BRUSSELLS, Dee. IL

The Ministers project against the liberty of the press has ex-
cited a general outcry of disapprobation. The Journals of the
provinces are filled with remarks on this unhappy conception. It
is reported that the City of Amsterdam has offered the Xlag a
loan of 100 millions of Satins to meet the expenses of the Csoveta-
meat, if the budget should be rejected.
A letter from Amsterdam of the 15th, quoted by the Cberier
Ustreend, positively states that the merchants of that 'city have
offered the above sum. Thus all difficulties are removed; all fears
of the bad consequences of the refusal of the budget vanish; thus
the treasury overflows with resources far beyonOts demands, since
the amount of the annual and decennial budget neither was lee
than 78 millions.
On the other band, a journal of the northern provinces says the
the Government is nearly certain of a majority in favour of the
budget.--Jestrosal de fa Belgipe, 16th Dec.
ST. PETBRSBURGH, Dec. 2.
Accounts from Tiflis of the 13th November say that Field Mar-
shot Count Paskewitsch bad arrived there on the *hot that month.
Oa the sett of last mouth the Imperial Academy of Sciences had
an extraordinary meeting in honour of the illustrious traveller Ba-
ron Alexander Von Humboldt, Go his happy return from his jour-
ney in Siberia. After the reading of several interesting papers by
different members of the Academy, Baron Von Humboldt delighted
the company by a most animated account of the result of his scien-
tific expedition, in which he also took a view of the progress et the
study of the physical sciences in Russia, under the protection of the
Government. The numerous audience, among whom were the
Grand Duchess Helena, Duke Ale:eider of Wortemburg, most
of the Foreign Ambassadors, the Ministers of State, and the prin-
cipal Clergy and Civil and Military Odin, listened with the most
profound attention for above an hour to the Instruction and die-
course of the great naturalist, and paid a just tribute of admiration
to his multifarious knowledge, his acute spirit of investigation, and
the eloquence of the language that Sowed from his lips.
The frost being now fully set in, the navigation is closed. Com-
merce has been extremely active this year, as appean from a cam
parison of the number of ships that have arrived and,sailed fro
the port of Croustade, with that of former years :
aaanxsw SAILER.
1829
1828
1827
1826
1825
1824 ... •
Testae Slate Gazelle, Dee. 11.

We have received from the City, an article which pro-
bably may appear in some of the columns of our
evening Contemporaries. It is, in fact, a violent
tirade, dated La Guyra, October 22, but evidently manu-
factured in the same quarter as the preceding libels cir-
culated with so much industry against the Liberator.
Since SANTAN DER'S arrival in Europe, and the offence
taken by certain Continental writers at the exclusion
of their works from the universities of Colombia, as not
being calculated for the ardent youth of that country :
several of whom had even justified their intended crime
of assasaination upon the doctrines they most unwarrant-
ably imagined and inaintained, were taught in them.
But as the article commences by a manifest falsehood,
namely, that General BOLIVAR had succeeded is being
made President for life, with the right of choosing a
successor, when it is notorious that the constituent
Congress, by which he can alone be elected, does not
assemble till the Ist of January, 1830, and that, in fact,
no such transaction had occurred, we do not think it
worthy of further notice.

Bausszu, 12th DEc.—Some Journals have again
announced, that the diamonds stolen from the Palace of
the Princess of Oaccrox have been recovered. Is it the
object of this false intelligence to cause the search after
the authors of the robbery to be relaxed or discontinued?
When the articles stolen shall really be discovered, wi
shall immediately acquaint 'the public.—Gasette des
Pays Bat.