$0 93. 
     
    
   
   
    
     stopped, and its Engltsh crew discharged 
     
     [t is equally certain that the English ships 
     
     in the waters of Holland are ordered off, 
     
     or at least warned to prepare themselves 
     
     for such an order. We perceive that pon- 
     
     toons are preparing at Antwerp, where 
     
     fighting on both banks of the river is ex- 
     
     pected; and both in Holland and Belgi- 
     
     um reviews, marchings, and countermarch- 
     
     ings, and all things symptomatic of war, 
     
     are daily going forward. Those, there- 
     
     fore, who are on the look out for hostilli- 
     
     ties, have the prima facie evidencein favor 
     
     oftheir opinion. On the other hand, it is 
     
     said, that as for the movements of the 
     
     Dutch and Belgians, they are not of any 
     
     great moment, because, though both par- 
     
     ties are preparing for combat, it will not 
     
     depend on them to decide when the contest 
     
     will begin. As for the other appearances 
     
     --why, the Batavier may be merely detain- 
     
     ed for the purpOSe of bringing over des- 
     
     patches ; the departure of the English,and 
     
     the warning ofl'the coast, no more than 
     
     measures of precaution : and with respect 
     
     to the sailing of the fleet at Spithead, or 
     
     the marching ofthe grand Army of the 
     
     North, these believers in peace contend 
     
     that these events have been so often post- 
     
     poned that another postponement would not 
     
     strike them as being miraculous. 
     
    
   
   
    
     Here, then, are the pros and cons of the 
     
     affair, which we lay before our readers 
     
     with ajudicial impartiality. The war, on 
     
     our part, appears so absurd, so unjustifia- 
     
     ble, so monstrous, that we continue scep- 
     
     tical. The French Ministry, may perhaps 
     
     desire to gratify their countrymen—always 
     
     vain, and greedy of military glory—by a 
     
     coup de theatre about the time of opening 
     
     their Chamber--just as Perier did in the 
     
     Ancona business ; but as the Chambers 
     
     will meet in little more than a week, there 
     
     is scarcely time for any thing striking. \Ve 
     
     hope too, that there is good sense enough 
     
     in some portion of the French Chambers, 
     
     to render so profligate a measure as getting 
     
     up a war by way of a clap-trap, the source 
     
     of more than ordinary annoyance to a Min- 
     
     ister-«and in fact, we see symptoms of 
     
     such a spirit in their Opposition Journals. 
     
     But even if the French Ministers have such 
     
     an excuse or temptation. what is there to 
     
     excuse our Ministers r We ask, in the 
     
     name of Heaven, what English interest,— 
     
     commercial, national, or political—is to be 
     
     attained by forcing the harsh terms of an 
     
     unjust treaty on the King of the Nether- 
     
     lands ? Suppose our arms successful in 
     
     this unholy war, what do we gain ? The 
     
     bitter hostillity of the offended Dutch, who 
     
     are ourbest customers—the alienation of 
     
     the Northern Powers, and the aggrandize- 
     
     ment of France. In return—nothing—ab- 
     
     soluter nothing ! -or, at most, some fan- 
     
     Cied advantages in the navigation of the 
     
     Scheldt, of which we can be deprived 
     
     hereafter, at a moment’s notice, by the 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     THE BRITISH AMERICAN. 
     
    
   
   
    
     French, then the masters of the river. For 
     
     these results we are going to fight—and 
     
     while our decreasing Exchequer cannot 
     
     maintain our peace establishments, raising 
     
     armies and navies, as if we were in the 
     
     full tide of financial prosperity. 
     
    

    
     It is quite evident that the King of the 
     
     Netherlands would not expose himself to 
     
     the risks of a war with France and Eng- 
     
     land, unless he had some backers—unless 
     
     he was quite certain that he would have the 
     
     active assistance of Prussia and Russia,and 
     
     the good wishes of Austria, if not her direct 
     
     co-operation. We find accordingly, that 
     
     our old friends, Prince Lieven and Count 
     
     Matuchevitz have declared off from the 
     
     Conference, and that the Count has bolted 
     
     (to use a Newmarket phrase which his Ex- 
     
     cellency will understand) for Russia. The 
     
     Prussian has officially announced that the 
     
     movement of the French into Belgium on 
     
     the south, will be a signal for the marching 
     
     of their troops from the north. What Aus- 
     
     tria means to do, we can only conjecture; 
     
     but there must be a most amazing change 
     
     in her policy, ifshe tamely consents to the 
     
     annexation, actual or virtual, of Flanders 
     
     to France. William the Dutchman, there- 
     
     fore, need not be afraid of being left with- 
     
     out allies in case there should be a fight ; 
     
     but as we have said from the beginning, there 
     
     will be none .’ It is a game ofbrag ; and if 
     
     the Dutch King keeps a bold face, the 
     
     odds are greatly in his favour that the op— 
     
     posite party will not venture on a trick. 
     
    

    
     If, however, we should be mistaken,and 
     
     that contrary to justice, fair dealing, and 
     
     plain policy, we should be precipitated in- 
     
     to a war, the first act ofthe King of the Ne- 
     
     therlands must clearly be the bombardment 
     
     of Antwerp. The great tactitions of the 
     
     Ministerial press have been computing how 
     
     many days it would take to get military 
     
     possession of the citadel of Antwerp by the 
     
     French: and in the teeth of all military 
     
     experience, and the recorded opinion of 
     
     Carnot, they decide that it can be done in 
     
     twelve days. If it were d0ne under the 
     
     most favorable circumstances, and in the 
     
     most favorable weather, in six weeks, it 
     
     would be a great military achievement, but 
     
     in the present season the thing is impossi- 
     
     ble, ifthe city he bravely defended, in less 
     
     than three months, even without any as— 
     
     sistance from armies outside. But we re- 
     
     quest these same engineers to compute how 
     
     long it would take General Chasse to bat- 
     
     ter down Antwerp—how long that city 
     
     could resist his guns—and we answer for 
     
     them, not twelve hours! 
     
    

    
     Inna—Accounts from Rome, of the 
     
     18th ult. speak of the drought being so se- 
     
     vere as to seriously menace the existence 
     
     of the cattle, which depend on the pas- 
     
     tures for their support. Letters from Syra- 
     
     cuse, of the 4th inst, contain similar com- 
     
     plaints, and also mention that Sicily has 
     
     been infested this year with extraordinary 
     
     swarms of locusts. 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     179‘ 
     
    
   
   
    
     We understand on good authority, tbat 
     
     Lord Tenterden has actually sent in his re- 
     
     signation Sir Thomas Denman is named 
     
     as his successor.--Standard. 
     
    

    
     It is rumored in the Ministerial circles, 
     
     that the Rev. Sidney Smith is preparing a 
     
     project of Church Reform, which will be 
     
     submitted to the Cabinet in the course of 
     
     the present month. 
     
    

    
     The following list of anticipated English 
     
     county members has been handed about in 
     
     the highest quarters. It is calculated up to 
     
     the 26th October, and supposed to be very 
     
     nearly if not absolutely correct :-— 
     
    

    
     Whigs, Radicals. Tories. Waverers. 
     
    

    
     90 5 95 15 
     
     Ministerial majorities on the whole coun- 
     
     ties, 53. Scotland will, it is believed, fur- 
     
     nish 43 Whigs, 2Radicals, l Tory ; being 
     
     a majority for Ministers of 33. Of Irelan 
     
     no estimate can yet be made ; and the 
     
     English boroughs are also uncertain, tho’ 
     
     very few of them will return Tories, and 
     
     still fewer Waverers.—Spectator. 
     
    

    
     Death of Sir John Leslie.—-This distin- 
     
     guished Philosopher,died at his seat, [Coats 
     
     near Largo, in Fife,] on Saturday last. 
     
    

    
     It is rumored that the Duke of Rich- 
     
     mond is about to enter on the viceroyalty 
     
     of Ireland—Sir John Cam Hobhouse to ac- 
     
     company his Grace as Chief Secretary.——- 
     
     Dublin Register. 
     
    

    
     Gunmen—In part of our last number 
     
     we announced the breaking out of the cho- 
     
     lera at Guernsey, and the shocking rava- 
     
     ges it had made in the course of a few 
     
     days. We are now happy to state, that 
     
     the Virulence of the disorder was so much 
     
     abated at the date of the last accounts from 
     
     the Island, that the deaths were reduced 
     
     to an average ofonly two a day. 
     
    

    
     The last bulletin of the Pacha of Egypt, 
     
     is dated Antioch, Aug 3. The following 
     
     is its substance : “ In recapitulation we 
     
     have taken, up to this day, in the several 
     
     actions we have had with the enemy, eighty 
     
     pieces of cannon and one mortar, as well 
     
     as a considerable quantity of ammunition 
     
     of all sorts. The number of killed and pri- 
     
     soners we have made is 13,000, without in- 
     
     cluding the fugitives, the number of which 
     
     is immense. In the affair of Bylan we only 
     
     lost in killed and wounded 20 men.” 
     
    

    
     Information was obtained yesterday af- 
     
     ternoon, that on the 29d, 23d, and 24th 
     
     Sept, a heavy gale was experienced atCon- 
     
     stantinpln, and just after a large fleet had 
     
     sailed for the Black Sea. A vessel arrived 
     
     at Marseilles. which left Constantinople 
     
     subsequently, reported that forty vessels 
     
     had been lost in the Black Sea. The last 
     
     letters from Odessa made no mention of 
     
     bad weather. 
     
    

    
     Railroads.-—The l'ong projected rail way 
     
     from Birmingham to London is again to be 
     
     brought before the Legislature. It is expec- 
     
     ted that the railway will be- continued frOm 
     
     Birmingham to Liverpool, and from thence 
     
     to Edinburgh.