Kino . WILLIAM has issued a proclamation, in which he says
that the measures of aggression against the Dutch navigation, and the entrance of the French army into the Netherlands " to support by violence the iniquitous demands" to deliver up the fortresses, leave him no alternative but " To defend the safety, the right, and the independence of HollAnd, by- allthe:_ Means which Providence has placed in our hands' and which are seconded by the patriots in union and firtnness.of a_people which has beeri.for agesrespecte4 by the most powerful states. Far, however, from relying on our own strenvir, we are humbly sensible of our dependence on the Supreme Sovereign of tfie; World, whose mighty arm has so often delivered us and our ancestors froni-tho, greatest perils." And accordingly, he .orders the 2d December next to beheld as.a day of solemn fasting and humiliation. It is .curious to Observe how widely the real and the pretended causes of the..Kirig's per- tinacity difThr. The outward show offers a goodly 'displar. of patriotism and religion ; what offers the inward ? The Globe . of Thursday tells us, that the King has made a very large purchase of coffee, and lie prudently calculates, that if the embargo can be.. prolonged for another fortnight, be will be able to dispose of it at a large profit! We believe that the disinterested patriotism and courage for which WILLI AM'S subjects-have been so readily credited, would, if e xamioed, be foUnd to originate in no purer motives: The Thies. has properly remarked on the commercial envy of the Dntch..- -Inerehants. respecting Antwerp. Amsterdam is very badly situated, at the bottom of a shallow inlet, of difficult and often dangerous navigation. It has been falling off for many' years, and now its importance is confined to its bill-mart. Rotterdam is more fortu- nate in its locality than Amsterdam ; but neither is Rotterdam at all to be compared to Antwerp; with its broad deep stream. accessible: to ships of the largest burden, and with ample space for the com- merce of half a world. Place. Antwerp in the hands of a free Gila intelligent people, and what is to become of the less favoured ports.. of Helfand? Hence the struggle for retaining command of the Scheldt, and for the regulation of its tolls. . The King of Holland- is deeply implicated in thesematters. He is a universal dealer,, and one of the most extensive in his dominions. His Tory.. ad- vocates -on this. side - of the water are not less moved by the promptings of. self-interest. It is a mighty fine. thing for Mr.. THOMAS BARING to talk of the sacredness of international law and the blessings of peace, his fancy all the while wandering on hills: and butter. At the Edinburgh meeting, among the great meat present, we observe Mr. HARDIE, a Leith merchant—Mr. &twit is an_importer. of Gouda cheese. Such is the stuff of- which our patriots are made.
