uch blockade was ever attempted at such season of the year.

At one time we had two squadrons to etch the fleet in the Texel and the cheldt, one of which was usually at an char in Hosely Bay, and the other at nchor25 miles from the land, with a brig [a frigate occasionally looking into those rts as the batteries would allow her; and is was sufficient at that time, as the large hips can Only leave the Teer at spring

de. ‘ I! ministers are anxious to get at the real We of public feeling respecting the un— atural war now impending, let them ask e underwriters at Lloyd’s, or the mer- hants of the exchange, anal they will find at these matter of fact individuals are 00 obtruse to discover the advantage Eng- and can obtain by giving up her valuable rade with Holland. for the chances of a cure frontier to France. The committee tLloyd’s' have applied to the Admiralty or information respecting the measures overnment had resolved on for the pro- ection of Biitish property now afloat, and n reply have been informed, that direc- ions tor duly securing the safety of such ad been given. Convoy is to be appoint- d immediately for the protectiou of ves- ls sailing, and all tends to show that the 'ruggle is not expected to be of short du- tion. There are many here however, of opi- ion, that the first gun fired will be attend- by such fearful consequences that the dministration of Earl Grey will be unable Ostand against it, and that a centest, in hich victory \will be dishonor, and defeat rreparable disgrace, can only ultimately ntail exccration and dismissal upon its agectors.

uwneemxa. —'l‘he New-York Stand-

has the following paragraph :— There is a report afloat, connected with .0 Holland and. Belgian business, that ex- iles a good deal of attention and interest. tis said. and believed, that the Dutch barge has instructions or authority to is- ie Letters of Marque against English and rench commerce to vessels sailing from merican ports on the news of the first

le proceedings by the combined pow- rs—the capturing ofa ship, or the firing “Egan. The co'nnissinns will probably 0 Gazerly sought for. and Baltimore clip- ers fitted out with Hutch crews may be got eadi’ for sea ii a very short time. Such mensure as this n) tld hardly have been outdo-l on by the Convention ofLoudon, at it is s.) natural and feasible that the robalulity of its adoptiOn is evident, and V a] hate given rise to the report. It ap- are I first in the Albion, a weekly paper f the highest standing, the editor stating bat be has it on sutficient authority to al'faat his laying it before the public. It

cult to conceive a course more likely

=‘

THE BRITISH AMERICAN

than the arming these privateers to bring on a serious war.

The number of passengers, who have arrived at New-York during the past year from foreign ports, exceeds 40,003.

The following remarks are from Bell’s Messenger, relative to British policy to- wards Portugal and Holland : ,

Portugal has been one of our greatest consumers for the last Century and a half ; not only does she take all our manufac- tures, and much of our raw produce, such as tin, lead, iron and copper ; but, being at the very gates of Spain, a country ofri- gid, fiscal prohibition, she has the means of introducing a great quantity of our raw goods and manufactures into that kingdom.

Alate traveller in Spain. of much ob- servation, has told us that the whole trade ofthat country is nearly all contraband, and that English manufactures enter it on every part, notwithstanding the jealous and duenna-like vigilance of a military custom-house and excise. But do we not run the risk of destroying our trade both with Spain and Portugal by upholding the civil war now raging in the latter country, instead of suffering it to expire as it soon would do, if left to itself?

It is hardly to be denied that our present professed neutrality is amere farce. ‘ e whole Thames below Deptford, is as it were, the doekyard of Don Pedro, and money is borrowed on his account, and troops openly enlisted for him, almost by heat of drum, under the Treasury windows of Whitehall.

Can this then be neutrality ? Is‘this that impartiality which we profess: viz. that ofleaving the two rival candidates for the throne to fight for the prize by their own unassisted strength, and with their own proper resources.

But we ask, what must be the conse- quence ofsuch a proceeding as the pre- sent undisguised support given to one of the competitors ? Will it fix Don Pedro upon the throne of Portugal ; will it tend to establish liberal institutions ; to dispos- sess Don Miguel ; and to convince the be- setted and bigotted people of the Peninsula of the folly of upholding their old abuses, -their church—their conVents, and other monastic establishments ? No such thing. All that we now do is to heap new fuel upon the flames, and to prolong a sangui- nary contest, which (after a trial had once been made under all possible advantages, and found unsuccessful) it was our duty to have discouraged.

Whatever the result of Don Pedro’s pos- session of Oporto may be, we are satisfied that it can never seat him upon the throne, but through years of civil wars and long protracted contests. It is admitted that there is an adverse feeling in the people a- gainst Don Pedro ; that the priests who lead on the pe0ple, are opposed to him; and that the whole aristocracy of the coun-

205

try reject him with one voice, as unworthy of their confidence. What chance of suc- cess therefore has be but by acourse of prolonged civil war ? Strange, it may be said, that the Portuguese people prefer

Miguel to Pedro ; but there is no account-

ing for taste ; so 11‘ is.

UNITED—STATES.

A letter trim: Carieston says:—“ Our citizens bandy epithets of abuse, and charges of treson and talk farmiliarly of shedding one another’s blood, and we are every instant in danger of civil commotion among ourselves.—The storm nearly broke out on the reception of the Pre- sident’s proclamation. Some of the young nullifiers proposed to burn the President in effigy. The Union party determined to preo vent it. The prompt interference of the city authorities, civiland military, suppressed the measure in the bud, and our community was saved from a scene of carnageg’

Strange as it may seem, says the Journal of Commerce, we doubt whether there be a state in the union in which the question being fairly put to the people, they would not vote against the Tarifl‘. The cause of this is plain to those inclined to see it, and is nothing less than this, that in no state are a majority of the people benefitted by the Tariff. The labouring classes, after all the logic which has been expended to prove whatacapitai thing it is for them to pay four dollars for two dollar cloths, and eight cents for {our cent sugar, do not exactly see through it. Tm matter is not ms-le plain enoughfor their comprehension. They come to the same conclusion, b the short process of common sense, which the most profound minds have come to by laboured deductions. from masses of facts.

Jamn‘ra.—We have been favoured by Capt. Ross, with a file of Jamaica papers, down to the 10th Dec. Some progress appears to have been made by the Governor anl Assembly, in the agreeable game of cross purposes, which they were playing at the last accounts. We quotea paragraph rel itive to a new cause of contention that appears to have ariseuz—Af. S.

“ The Massage of Elrl .Vlilgrave, to the House of Assemblv, on Friday, denying the Crnnznittee ofthe House the right ofexaininin‘ witnesses on oath, some vhat astonished the lieges, as such a right hal never been doubted. until GeneralCirmicliael the Commander of the Forces. prohibited the officers under his command, from divulging nnoith. the cause! ofthe munity in the 2! West lulia Regiment. We have taken some pains to lay a history of this case before our readers; an! we lament, that ata m moot like the present. the Etecu- tive and th . Assembly are likely to come into collision on a point so vital to the int -rests of the Comtry, and so important t i the rights of our Constituents; and as itis inn inssihle that either can abandon apoint, at which they are so decidedly at issue. we have no doubt tho Governor will be under the painful necessit of promguing the House, until his Majesty pleasure be known; and should it he at variance with the rights of the House, dissolution after dissolution must he the consequence.” "

His Majesty’s Government has consented to relieve the island from the paynent of the- troops for three years.