The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1832-11-30 00:00:00

THE LONDON PZESS.
THE UNPOPULAR WAR.

In an article from Berlin, quoted in the Frankfort pa-
pers, treating of the eventual consequences of the expe-
dition against Antwerp, the Prussla_n writer says—" It
were much to be wished that the French Government
would consider what it is about. It may, by its impru-
dence, kindle a conflagration which no human hand will
be able to ektinguish, and which may in the end prove
most fatal to France itself. It is the French policy which,
all the vain attempts to consolidate its new Govern-
ment, at home at the expense of foreign countries, now
Makes a new one to maintain, by arrogant conduct, a
sntem which was already out of joint at its birth. It has
met with encouragement in London from Lord Palmer-
Ston, and thinks itself now strong- erraugh to throw the
sword into the balance, and violently to decide a quarrel
with which it has no concern, though the common sense
cf justice protests against it, and even prudence seems to
forbid it; for the taking of the citadel of Antwerp will
neither cool the military ardour of the French party of the
Mortvement, as they are called,. nor so far lull asleep the
cabinet of the Hague, as to induce it to depart from what
it believes to be its right, and to subscribe to conditions
which it believes would lead to the ruin of the commerce
of Holland."... From the same quarter, we are told that—

" nothing will have been done to pacify the opposition,
or to terminate the differences between Holland and Ba-
gium, if the French campaign is to terminate under- the
walls of Antwerp. On4he contrary, the OppoSitiOn, (in
France) would only be furnished with the more danger-
ous weavons, and thei3elgian queßion become more com.
plex." Thus, as we stated the other day, the. general
peace of Europe is endangered to effect an object which,
when achieved, if the French army should immediately
withdraw, would not in the least facilitate the settlement
of the Belgic question. On the contrary, it will, by
rousing all the national pride and angry feelings of the
Dutch, make it more difficult than ever to settle in
peaceful way the great question of the free. navigation of
the. Scheldt, and other matters in dispute, such as, the na-
vigation of the internal waters of Holland, and.the ques-
tion of the debt, which have yet to be adjusted.—lt is
humiliating to see the Government of this country made
the tool of the immoral and selfish policy of Louis Phli-
lip's cabinet. , When we objected to the interferenoe:df
the Tory Government in the Belgic question, the Whigs
did the same, and a notice of motion given by the pre-
sent Secretary at War, to prevent the Duke of Welling-
ton proceeding with such interference, had their warm
support. Before the motion came on, for discussion, the
Duke was out of office, and, the Whigs, succeeding
to his power, became enamoured of his policy. The ex-
ample of sitting in Conference with the despotic Powers
is his—the blunders of the protocols and the warlike
measures against Holland are their own.—Morning
Herald.

It is now universally conceded, that, the risk to Europe
is not that of a war of twelve days, but of a* universal
convulsion.

The leading, Ministerial organi after asserting, in terms
the most precise and unqualified, that the five Powers
had given their full consent to the coercion of Holland,
finding it impossible to hold longer to its falsehood, turns
its artillery of abuse upon the conservative interest as.the
-oriqinat6rs•of the war f
Ihe friends of peace have all alono. said, " In this mat-
ter,. this country has been made the tool of France; we
are fighting for her 'objects against our own interests; for
the lestruction of a power which we ought to .uphold ;
the three absolute powers will not permit it; you are in-
volving the country in a net of difficulty from which you
will have no-power to extricate it; the issue will be an
universal War."

The reply was, "This. is -a war to prevent awar—the
.contest will be over in twelve or fifteen days, and the
peace of Europe secured."
The Cabinet find that they have wholly miscalculated;
that Prince Talley rand has outwitted them ; that it is a
universal European war which is at our doors. Their
organs, with infinite simplicity and decency, turn round
and say, " You vile conservatives---you boroughmonger-
ing factionyou blood-thirsty crew—do you see what
your meetings and speeches are bringing on the country ?
Every drop -of precious blood that- shall be spilt in this
frightful contest will be charged to your account." The
late meeting, at the City of London Tavern, is re-
presented to be one of the chief causes of the dreaded
war, while the Prussian manifesto was issued before- it
was held, and was only, as his-Prussian Majegy asserts;
a copy and echo -of the sentiments which he, in comtnon
With Austria and Russia, had ever held on the subject,
since the opening of the negotiations !
• • fn the mean time every preparation is making for the
. siege, of .Antwerp. The French officers, approaching
very near the walls, in taking the necessary elevations
and.plans , expeetexl, as a matter of course, to be fired
upon. Not a shot was fired. The Dutch seem resolved
to act entirely' on the defensive—by land as by .sea.
As we have already Said; it is.our belief that justice lies
onthe side of-the Dutch Monarch. Thus he thinks, and
thus do his people unanimously ; and, in this belief,,the
Christian King calls upon his people, by a public mani-
festo, "to app-roach. the Throne of he Lord of Hosts
our God, and the God Of 'onr fathers, **. to implore
the .Divine blessing in the struggle to which we may be
Compelled. in our own defence." The day for national
humiliation and prayer named is the 2d -Of December
next. .

We hear it rumoured anew, that fresh negotiations are,
iiih on`foot. - May they lead to a peaceful issue !—The
Record.

T.iiE W AR. —The erime-Wt'Of nations are the crimes of indiri;
duals, if the nations be free,\itnd the•indiyiduals do net use their,
frcedeut to preVent the sin. No :motive of policy can justify
before God an unprovoked homicide; every life - faken- at Ant,'
,Aretp Will be in his eyes a murder, and every Englistiman who
shall .not to the utmost of his power prevent the threatened
,!bloodshed,. will be a participator in its guilt: There is no pru-,
deuce in dallying mith sacred duties. Let men read the justice
of. Heatten in its dealings with men, without-regarding the sneer.
of the.scorner. If they so read, they will see that no national
crime, like that into which we are plunged, ever went without
its appropriate punishment. Let men then push the Vengea,nce
'from:their 'own hearths and their own families' by tl;e only
means by which they can purge their souls of the guilt of this
unproy(tked 'and inuidemith war; namely, by using .their- privi-
lege as -freemen to exclaim loudly against it. We have-before
spoken of its road irnpolicy, of its detestable contempt of honour,
of its total want of generosity, and of every other feeling which,
whrldly.Men respect. When we are driven to-speak so-
lerenly( ,our -fellow.subjects, however, we shall not descend-to
-Ruch ;arguments:-.we tell them that if the war were as politic as,
it is qupid, as magnanimous as it is base, as chivalrous as it is,
paltry,: stiil they ought-to raise their voices against it, beeause!
t is a *1,4, It is distinguished from every other wat in'whichi
for more than a century this country has been, engagetlHtil
'Ara'illy wanting that Tehttlh,, muter any •circuinstattees;' tan ren-
der war justifiable. We have received nit -irj7;timt, s%jArec4 no.
iirroifj, :vane .of ~oar btaillts Att re been, 4i)ithll4l, hone r, o*)tillies
1%04:ed.: r. 112 sole -guilty& of our- sitga(ik (nrott the ertrclit -Or:ftfe
Reformation, upon the birth-place, and indeed .fainity,l4-Aliel
gfeat, defiviirei (ittlytwtetams, Lisci 4 hlit iito-,Kii,iv•tf Nether-I
lands will not submit to usurped jurisilictico '1'414 prOcteeli'sl
muct#3lhat we tiara ittiir Other titirtb rre twiedhresj
Sr) deny that uhkll-,Nve,!a,4,e to estataAt by the.
rlaughter of our Christian PrOteftrit bretliren• is Nsitrpeel. is
tkiis•lvar, then,' not a nationalsin ? the people ofigng-
Temonstrate against ;it? 'rimy' will; by cities, c6fintics,
it, villages, in .families and as 4t;cliyithrals.-8-treratord.

MINISTER.
1t ys evijegt ti-Ott'LO,rtA".P.aln;l ers'fon's;new with
lisearil to •b9O-10N:Ijit.'Itait :will. soon be pnt
~„or vrof.e- test, and, itc;wever matters may terminate,
~,,„ige the -htipe that one of the earliest inriuiries

, in the next Itouse of Cotes will be; whether it is the
will and interest dr Btriotts-tito.t their Oldest allies and`
best customers shohld be tranipled to the ground, and
whether the exercise of those rights ought to be
Willih6Td from them Vithout • whibh no frolependent
nation can be sea to exist: In the meavtothile the
awful responsibility which has long been gathering
upon the head of our -Moister of Foreign. Affairs is
likeip; erelong, to-he better 1111(M-stood by. the- public of
thiscountry, for the moment is fast arriving whenthe.expe-
rimental policy pursued our relations with other states
must appear in all its naked deformity. Whenever that
time comes it will be found that there is :a heavy reckon-
ing to settle between Great Britain, a 4. directectby the
Grey administration, and, the tw6 coantries
which- reckoning it is yet a consolation to think bears
onlY.a modern date. Till now it was always thought that
good faith was-essential to-the ends of good'guvernment,
and Lord Palmerston is the first man, with.the ftweign
portfolio under his charge, who has ventured to forget
that. the national greatness anti political power of Great
Britain were the result of a successful application of her
commercial industry, and enterprise; su pp ortedby intio r-
able integrity both on the parr of those invested with
public duties. and those who eitlim fought or U 40,1 under
the British flag an the high seas.—Morning Post. • , :

(Guardian and Patlie Ledger.)
The defence of the noble lord, whose name will be
mortalised with the infamy and misfortunes Gillis country;
appeared hi the -Globe of Saturday evening:. kis in at.-
tempt to prove that, the King of Rolla-lir! has oh right to
keep, even proviionally,.the .citarlel of Ant.v.-;‘rp, and that
consequently his resistance is as-Mitt:lA as it is useless.
In order to prove this, our cOntemporary has recourse to
an argument which proves- nothing, or proves .against
him. The armistice 'of November,._N3o,- agreedupon by
Lard Aberdeen„and_a.c.gepted by the K.-inr flellaml,- is
impresged into • his . setrioe to prOwl that his Alitjesty is
in the wrong. But evieittlie Globe will admit .that the
armistice required'the'content of the two parties to make
it valid. The Gioso-kfrows, or ought to know, at least
Lord Palmerston kaMirs,. that the Belgians did not con,-
sent to the terms of the armistice! The Belgistris, by
their act of the 10th November, signed by the rtvpublican
De PkAte: , eel totimerr Limburg:, aridauthorise
it heir, taking- iminediate'possession of Dutch Flanders. In
itift-rnanner;andittrongiftlie fault of the Belgians alone;
the armistice waver exe_ctited4.ther.snerely.conteuted
themselves with a cessation of hostilities. But even if
the argument of the -G/44be were achnissible, which it is
not, our contemporary papsn bad compliment to the sue-
cassor of LordAherdeen. If Lord Aberdeen ceded the
Citadel to the Belgians; *itieh he did not, why did not
Lord Palmerston, without further negooiation--witirout
allowing two.long yearsto expire, stand upon this act of
cessioh,.atid,roliow up the execution of the measure ?

,THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD.