"There remains to him a painful duty to fulfil, that of expressing the profound grief with which the king has remarked, that in these protocols, and in the papers connected with them, the arrangements have been destined for Belgium alone; that, without reckoning the numerous concessions made by his majesty, it is attributed to the government of the Netherlands that it had closed the door to an accommodation, and receiving, as a natural incident, the peremptory and recent announcement of Belgium that she would concede nothing after the expiration of the powers of her plenipotentiary, language is held to him who is despoiled, which by the good issue of negotiation ought to be transferred to him who receives; and which, instead of imposing on the latter as an express condition the sacrifices made by the former, it is expected that the despoiled should say 'I am satisfied,' and consent to see, without ceasing, every arrangement put aside, so long as it may so please his adversary.

"Too frequently,' it is said, the cabinet of the Hague surrounds itself by illusions.'

"If this qualification could apply to the intimate conviction that a legitimate monarch, who, submitting to the law of necessity, found himself on the eve of being about to abandon to revolt the greater part of his states, the two-thirds of the population of his kingdom, and the half of his family possessions, and to consent to relieve the insurgent provinces of an immense portion of the public debt, and to give them important maritime advantages, at least he is neither bound nor authorized to leave to their mercy the first interest and all the independence of a people

who have remained faithful to him; nor could a constitutional king of a free nation, as reflecting as devoted in his external relations, choose a course opposed to the public spirit and to the unanimous opinion of his subjects; and that when their social existence was at stake, it is not permitted to him to offer up his people as a burntoffering to the general or partial entanglements of Europe. Then, indeed, the Dutch government would surround itself with illusions, and seek to give them the consistency of reality by adopting them as the basis of its political system.

"The undersigned seizes this occasion to reiterate to their excellencies the plenipotentiaries of Austria, of France, of Great Britain, of Prussia, and of Russia, the assurance of his high consideration. "H. DE ZUYLen de Nyevelt.

"London, Oct. 18, 1832."

CONVENTION BETWEEN FRANCE and GREAT BRITAIN, SIGNED at LONDON on the 22nd of Oc

TOBER.

"His majesty the king of the French, and his majesty the king of the united kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, having been invited by his majesty the king of the Belgians to carry into execution the articles of the treaty relative to the Netherlands concluded at London on the 15th of November, 1831, the execution of which, according to the terms of the 25th article of the said treaty, has been conjointly guaranteed by their said majesties, the emperor of Austria, the

king of Prussia, and the emperor of all the Russias:

"Having, moreover, recognized that all the efforts made in common

by the five powers who signed the said treaty to arrive at its execution by means of negotiation have hitherto failed of effect:

66

Agreeing, besides, that further delay in its execution will seriously compromise the general peace of Europe, have determined, not withstanding the regret they experience at finding that their majesties the emperor of Austria, the king of Prussia, and the emperor of all the Russias, are not at this moment prepared to concur in the active measures which are called for, in order that the treaty may be carried into effect, on fulfilling, in that respect, without any further delay their own engagements, and on carrying on by mutual consent the measures best calculated for that purpose, their majesties the king of the French and the king of the united kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland have appointed for their plenipotentiaries - namely, his majesty the king of the French, M. Charles Maurice de Talleyrand Perigord, &c.; and his majesty, the king of the united kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the right hon. Henry John viscount Palmerston, &c.

Who, after having exchanged their full powers, which were found in good and due form, have agreed upon and signed the following articles :

"ARTICLE 1. His majesty the king of the French and his majesty the king of the united kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland will notify to his majesty the king of the Netherlands and his majesty the king of the Belgians, respectively, that their intention is to proceed immediately to the execution of the treaty of the 15th of November, 1831, conformably to engagements which they have con

tracted; and as a first step towards the accomplishment of this end, their said majesties will require his majesty the king of the Netherlands to enter into an engagement by the 2nd of November, at the latest, to withdraw on the 12th of the said month all his troops from the territories which, by the first and second article of the said treaty, ought to form the kingdom of Belgium, of which the contracting parties to that treaty have guaranteed the independence and neutrality.

"And their said majesties will also require his majesty the king of the Belgians to enter into an engagement on the 2nd of November of the present year, at the latest, to withdraw on or before the 12th of the said month of November his troops from the territories of his majesty the king of the Netherlands, so that after the 12th instant there shall be no Netherland troops within the limits of the kingdom of Belgium, nor any Belgian troops in the territory of the king of the Netherlands. And their majesties the king of the French and the king of the united kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland declare at the same time to his majesty the king of the Netherlands, and to his majesty the king of the Belgians, respectively, that if this requisition to their majesties is not complied with, they shall proceed without any further notice or delay to the measures which shall appear to them necessary to compel the execution of it.

II. If the king of the Netherlands refuses to agree to the engagement mentioned in the preceding article, their majesties the king of the French, and the king of the united kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, will

order an embargo to be put on all the Netherland vessels in the ports of their respective dominions; and they will also order their respective cruisers to stop and bring into their ports all the Netherland vessels which they may meet with at sea; and a French and English squadron combined will be stationed on the coasts of Holland for the more efficacious execution of this

measure.

"III. If on the 15th of Novem

ber the Netherland troops shall be still in the Belgian territory, a French corps shall enter Belgium for the purpose of compelling the Netherland troops to evacuate the said territory, it being well understood that the king of the Belgians shall have previously expressed his wish for the entrance of the French troops upon his territory for the purpose above stated.

"IV. If the measure pointed out in the preceding article becomes necessary, its object shall be limited to the expulsion of the Netherland troops from the citadel of Antwerp, and the forts and places dependent upon it; and his majesty the king of the French, in his lively solicitude for the independence of Belgium as for that of all established governments, expressly undertakes not to occupy any of the fortified places of Belgium by the French troops which shall be employed in the above service, and when the citadel of Antwerp, the ports and places dependent upon it, shall have been evacuated by the Netherland troops, they will be immediately delivered up to the military authorities of the king of the Belgians, and the French troops will immediately retire upon the French territory.

"V. The present convention shall be ratified, and the ratifica

NOTES ADDRESSED by the CHARGÉS D'AFFAIRES of FRANCE and ENGLAND at the HAGUE to the DUTCH MINISTER for FOREIGN AFFAIRS, 29th October, 1832.

"The Hague, Oct. 29. "The undersigned Chargé d'Affaires of France to the government of the Netherlands has received orders to make known to his excellency baron Verstolk Van Soelen, minister for foreign affairs, the determination just made by his majesty the king of the French, in concert with his majesty, the king of Great Britain.

"The acknowledged fruitlessness of the endeavour so often made to obtain from his majesty the king of the Netherlands the acceptance and the execution of the treaty concluded at London the 15th of November, 1831, obliges them to take the only step which remains, to put an end to a state of things the longer continuance of which might endanger the peace of Europe. They, therefore, find themselves constrained by the abovementioned considerations, and by the engagements which they have contracted, to proceed immediately, by the means which are in their power, to obtain the evacuation of the territories which are still occupied by that one of the two Powers to which they are no longer to be

long. In consequence, the undersigned is instructed to require that his majesty the king of the Nether lands shall be pleased to signify whether he consents to cause the citadel of Antwerp, and the forts and places depending on it, to be evacuated by the 12th of November next; and in case a formal and satisfactory answer to this effect should not be made on the 2nd of the month of November next, the undersigned is to declare that a naval and land force will be put in motion by the two governments of France and England; and, if on the 15th of November next the evacuation of the citadel of Antwerp, and of the forts and places depending on it, should not have been completely effected by the troops of the Netherlands, all the necessary measures will be taken to bring about that result.

"The undersigned embraces this opportunity to renew to his excel lency Baron Verstolk Van Soelen the assurance of his distinguished

consideration.

Marquis D'EYRAGUES." [The note of Mr. Jerningham, the British Chargé d'Affaires is of the same date, in English, and, mutatis mutandis, in the same words.]

"To the marquis d'Eyragues, Chargé d'Affaires of his majesty the king of the French.

"The Hague, Nov. 2, 1832. "The undersigned minister for Foreign Affaires has had the honour to receive the note of the marquis d'Eyragues, Chargé d'Affaires of France, of the 29th of October last, announcing the determination of his majesty the king of the French, in concert with his majesty the king of Great Britain, stating that the acknowledged fruitlessness of the endeavours so often repeated to

induce his majesty the king of the Netherlands to accept and execute the treaty concluded at London on the 15th of November, 1831, obliges them to proceed immediately, by the means which are in their power, to obtain the evacuation of the territories which are still occupied by that one of the two powers to which they are no longer to belong; and that, in consequence, the French Legation was instructed to require his majesty the king of the Netherlands to be pleased to deelare, if he consents to the evacuation, by the 12th of this month, of the citadel of Antwerp, and of the posts and places depending on it; and in case a formal and satisfactory answer to this effect should not be given on the 2nd of November, to declare that a sea and land force would be put in motion by the two governments of France and Eng land; and that if, on the 15th of November, the evacuation of the citadel of Antwerp and its dependencies should not be completely effected by the Netherlands' troops, all necessary measures would be taken to bring about this result.

"The undersigned has not failed to lay this note before the king; and he is instructed to make to the marquis d'Eyragues the following statement:

"Holland having acceded, not to the treaty of the 15th November, 1831, but to the greater part of its arrangements, must found its proceedings on the stipulations which it has accepted. Among the articles agreed to in concert with the Conference of London is included the evacuation, in a fixed time after the exchange of the ratifications, of the territories which were respectively to change hands, which point was regulated by the last of the 24 articles of the 15th of October,

1831, by the treaty of 15th of November, and in the projects of convention which have followed it. If on the 11th of June the Conference proposed the 20th of July for the evacuation of the respective territories, it declared by its note of 20th July that in making this proposal it had thought that the treaty between Holland and Belgium would be ratified. To effect the evacuation at a time anterior to the exchange of the ratifications would be acting in opposition both to the formally announced intentions of the Conference, and to the assent which has been given to them by the government of the Netherlands.

"A second motive which hinders the king from consenting to an anticipated evacuation of the citadel of Antwerp and its dependencies, results from the imperative duty which the interest of his kingdom imposes on his majesty not to part with the security he holds to obtain equitable terms of separation between Holland and Belgium. "In answer to the allegation of the fruitlessness of the efforts which have been often repeated to induce the king to accept the treaty of the 15th of November, the undersigned will take the liberty to observe, that since the 15th of October, 1831, the negotiation has related only to the 24 articles; and to mention the maturity which this negotiation has now attained in consequence of the offers contained in the notes of the plenipotentiary of the Netherlands to the Conference of London, on the 30th of June and 25th of July, of the approbation which was generally given them, and of the manner in which the cabinet of the Netherlands received, only a few days ago, the project of a convention communicated on the part of

the Court of Berlin, and which has been made known to the Conference of London, with the conciliatory answer of Holland ;-this state of things, instead of requir ing intermediate and partial measures, seems to need only the putting the last hand to the work, to remove in a few days all the difficulties by the signature of the treaty of separation, which, embracing the totality of the question, would include at the same time that of the evacuation of the respective territories. On these grounds, the king does not find himself in a situation to consent to measures which form the subject of the note of the Chargé d'Affaires of France: but, always ready to follow the course of the negotiations in the manner best adapted to remove the obstacles which still delay the immediate conclusion of the treaty, his majesty causes his plenipotentiary to the Conference of London to be furnished with instructions to that effect.

"As for military measures destined to realize the evacuation at a time anterior to that fixed diplomatically, it will suffice to recall to the penetration of the Court of France how they would violate the principle so formally announced, that the Conference of London must never lose its character of a mediator; and to add, that if the embarrassments (complications) which they would produce without any motives should put to the hazard, as may be expected, the object of the negotiations of the last two years just at the eve of their solution, the sacrifices which Holland has made for the preserv ation of peace would entirely relieve it even from the appearance of having been the cause of so de. plorable an issue,