NEWS OF . THE WEEK.

THE revolution in Belgium draws to a close. In a week or two, we hope and expect that it will cease to occupy a prominent place in the politics of Europe. The following declaration of his concurrence in the new order of things was issued by his Serene

ighness.the Prince of ORANGE on the 16th instant.

NBel,giana—Sinee E. addressed you in my proclamation of the 5th of the presefit ninth, I .have studied with care your position. I compre- bend it, and oeognize you as an independent nation •;- which is informing you that, everrin the provinces in which I exercise great power, I will not in any thing. oppose your rights as citizens. Choose freely, and by the same mode as your compatriots in other provinces, Deputies for the National Congress ;iiiich is preparing, and go to defend there the int‘eests of the nation... ;

" I place myself thus, in the provinces which I govern, at the head of the movement which brings you towards a new Ord stable condition of things, of which nationality will be the force.

" Thii is the language of One who will shed his blood for the independ- ence of your soil, and who desires to place himself at your head, to esta- blish your political nationality.

"WILLIAM, PRINCE OF ORANGE. ," Given at Antwerp, October 16, 1830."

On this proclamation a sort of critique has been published by DE Parra'', and the rest of the Provisional Government, in which they blame the language of the Prince .where he speaks of pro- vinces under his government. It needs small logic to prove, that if the Prince be already in the possession of the sovereignty of a part of Belgiuni, it reqinres no assemblage of Notables to bestow it on him. The Provisional Government must assume, if they b3 consistent, that the whole country is virtually theirs, and must oppose the right of, the Prince to any portion of it, But this is a dispute of words, quite' consistent with the intention of conveying to him the charge of the country, as matter of expediency. In the journals, the argument seems reduced to the same form. The Courtier des Pays /kir, which ridicules the claims of the Prince, vet opens its columns to every statement in his favour ; and DE -POTTER himself, while declaring for a republic, is most ready to bow to the judgment of the Notables, if they,see fit to prefer a monarchical form of government. We have .before-observed that there was no one who had any chance of commanding the suffrages of his countrymen but the Prince of Oaalloz,-and• that if he proceeded prudently he would, in all likelihood, receive them. He has proceeded prudently, and will meet with hiS reward. The present state of the Netherlands calls for decision. The country offers-indeed a mighty show of activity ; but it is the activity of a fever; which is wasting the strength, and will soon destroy the constitution of the patriots. An agricultural country may have a revolution once a quarter. . The. sun ceiritiuues to shine and the, rain to, fall, and the labours of nature .go forward to completion, though the -labours of man be suspended ; but in a commer- cial- country, the suspension of the vast and complicated ma- chinery on which society depends for daily. subsistence and com- fort; if long continued, must prove as . fatal to the people as the revolution -that has- caused it does to the government. In such a country, changes ought to be well Considered before they are attempted ; and the. interval between the destruction of an old and the re-edification of a new system ought to be abridged by all the .means that human ingenuity can devise, which do not .positively hazard the safety of the new system. While the Government and the journals seem gradually inclining towards an accommodation with the Prince, the hatred with which they contemplate every thing Dutch remains unmitigated. The foolish attack on Brussels was not required to aggravate the na- tional dislike between the Southern and Northern provinces, though much cf its present intensity originates in that event. The cowardice of the assailants, and we rather fear we must add, of the assailed, tend to perpetuate the feelings which the outrages of the former have caused, The enmity of the two parties has no mix- ture of respect, as is always the case where the brave meet the brave. But thongh there is no hope of the Belgians and the Dutch speedily fraternizing, as it is called by the French, there can be no doubt that the family ties of the ruling families will prevent their mutual bickerings from assuming such a form as seriously to en- danger the safety of the one or the other. The King has published a long. address to the States-General on the opening of the ordinary Session, on the 18th. From the lan- guage of tl ieco n chid ing paragraph, it might appear that the adhesion of the Prince had been resolved on without the concurrence of his royal father ; but this we incline to doubt, although it may be consi- dered prudent to make it so appear to the People of Holland as well as of Belgium. The following is the King's addreis.

" Noble and Mighty Lords—The zeal which characterized your delibe- rations during the last Extraordinary Session of the States-General—the wisdom, the prudence, and the patriotism of which you have given proofs upon this occasion—have not been followed by a result which. has fulfilled my expectations. I had reason to expect, particularly after the perfect accord which was manifested between the Sovereign and the Rcpresenta. tives of the nation, that an immediate and constituted examination of the desires which have been manifested, would have exercised all the moral influence necessary to re establish everywhere, in the mean time, repose and tranquillity. My expectation has been deceived in adeplorable man ner. Up to that period, obedience to the laws, and the preservation of the legal forms, were always the first considerations, and principally favoured those desires and complaints. At a Later period, the impetuona passions of a blind and excited multitude were not controlled by refleetiou ,---they lighted up a violent rebellion, and the efforts of the army of the State to second the hopes of the well-intentioned were insufficienttpput down the revolt.

Even before their arrival at Brussels, the military forces d'istinedlor the protection of the inhabitants had been ass filed, •.:gh they had

prev,r tilt re,!0;,A:d a s.7.ieinn assuripsee of indu.,8-eee ."-f.-*!ott

city ioerieeeed 'lie most murderous resietee.

" ;:hen, the armed opposition against the e.gal GoVOrtiment has ex- tended more and more in the Southern Provinces; and its isrageoss has been so alarming. and so rapid, that, for the defence of the faithful provinces of the Netherlands, and the security of their connneroe, I took the necessary measures with respect to the sea and land forces, dedatedinoveable a part of the Communal Guards, prepared for a- levy en masser*nil called for a voluntary arming of the inhabitants of those countries.

" The enthusiasm with which this appeal was received, and the fresh marks of attachment ' My house which. I received on that occasion, have

afforded some mitig- Into the which my heart is afflicted, by the idea that hen• a of *bets was able to detach such a favoured and interesting pupal -st trate-a Government under which they had attained a degree of prospLa.ty and riches before unknown to it, and enjoying, as well in itapublic and private rights, as in its political, civil, and religious liberties, the largest share of protection. " The expectation that the greater part of that population would, after mature reflection, wish for the return of those benefits, decided me to invest my beloved son; the Prince of Orange, with the temporary Go. vernment of those parts of the Southern Provinces •which remained faithful, and to confide to him the care of procuring the re-establishment, as far as possible, of legal order, by means of persuasion, in the rebel Provinces.

" In this manner, by an administrative separation, I prepared, as much as depended on myself, the development of the opinion manifested by the States-General in their last Extraordinary Session; and by this means I was enabled to devote my attention more exclusively to the Northern Provinces, and to employ their strength and resources solely for their • interests. At the same time, I gave to all my subjects, and to the whole of Europe, a proof that nothing had been neglected to bring back the misguided to a sense of their duty. "Fortified with the deep consciousness of having kept the solemn oath which I took respecting the fundamental law, and of having unceasingly laboured to co-operate, as far as was in my power, in the promotion of the prosperity of the people of the Netherlands, I wait with calmness for the result of those measures, and the issue of the important deliberations to which the events which are taking place in the Southern Provinces give rise at this moment on the part of my allies, who guarantee the ex- istence of this kingdom. "In general, the army, by its bravery and moderation, has worthily fulfilled my expectation. Nevertheless, however,. I have to deplore that lately so great a portion of the troops, secluded by erroneous opinions or deceptive promises, should have suffered themselves to be so misled as. to breaktheir oaths, forget their duty, and abandon their flags. "These circumstances, so different from a state of peace in

kingdom is now placed, have obliged, me to open-your prese ance of the sincere interest which they take in the evils whi the Hague. It is agreeable to me to be able-to commun this occasion, that I continue to receive from foreign Po rate 6.4:4 country, and of their friendly sentiments.

"It is not less agreeable for me to be able to inform your nesses, that the courage andperseverance of the army has- , the war that desolated the island of Java; and that, ace latest accounts, the desired tranquillity reigned in the other parts of our ultramarine possessions.

" Continual rains have in general injured the harvest. I have taken all the precautions which were it% my power to provide, during the approach- ing winter, for the wants of the poorer classes.

"The internal situation of the kingdom forms, for the moment, an in- surmountable obstacle to a correct estimate for the receipts and disburse-

ments for the approaching year. Consequently, it has appeared to me proper to secure, as much as possible, the continuation of what exists. A project of law which tends to this end, and according to which all the changes which were contemplated will remain without execution, will immediately be presented to your High Mightinesses.

" In virtue of the declaration made at the opening of your last Extraor- dinary Session, I adopted a measure proper to provide for the most press- ing wants of the Treasury ; the patriotism of the citizens makes me hope that it will have entire success. However, this measure must be regu- lated by legislative provisions, which will be submitted to your High Mightinesses during the present Session. " Whatever may be the difficulties of the moment, it is imperative to fulfil the engagements relative to the redemption of the debt of the State ; and I propose, in consequence, to present to your. Assembly a project for the purchase End redemption of the public debt.

" Energetic means of repression and punishment are necessary to pre- vent the acts and menaces to which the evil-disposl might have recourse to disturb the public mind, and, if such were possible, to extend the re-

volt even to the faithful provinces and cantons. invoke for this pur- pose the co-operation of your High Mightinesses. In the mean time, I have been compelled, by the urgency of the occasion, to make the preliminary arraivements in that respect, and to direct measures of pre- caution and surveillance with reference to foreigners and travellers.

" In order to satisfy the just desire manifested on many occasions by your High Mightincsses, I had fixed on the 1st day of February next, as the period for the introduction of the National Legislation, and of the judicial institutions. The revolt which has broken out in the Southern Provinces, prevents at this moment the fulfilment of that desire for a fixed period, and consequently the previous establishment of the High Court cannot be effected.

" Noble and Mighty Lords—The rapid course of the events, by which for some time past this kingdom has been shaken, may have an influence on several other of our institutions. The issue of these events cannot yet be foreseen ; and the very unexpected news that has been received to-day from Antwerp, gives a further proof of the daily progress of a real separa- tion between the two great divisions of the kingdom. However, I wait the issue with confidence, for my conscience is tranquil. I may always reckon upon your concurrence, upon that of the faithful provinces of the North, as well as upon the support of my Allies, who will maintain the political system of Europe ; and I find myself still at the head of a people whose religious sentiments offer the best guarantee of the tutelar protection of the Almighty."

The Central Committee of the Belgian Provisional Govern- ment has issued a decree repealing all the laws and regulations previously imposed on the open expression of opinion, and de- claring every man free to propagate his doctrines, religious or philosophical, by discourse, by the press, or by teaching, without hindrance or molestation. In this respect, the Belgian Govern• meat have shown more liberality than the French. In their elec- toral census also, the latter are much more restricted than the former. TIM densus in France amounts to about 121.; in Belgium, by a decree of the Provisional Government, it does not exceed 41. in any case, and the average falls short of 31. We made a mistake last week when we stated that the ballot had not been determined on. At the time we wrote, the decree which regulates the form of election and the number of deputies for each province had not reached town. It appeared in the Brussels papers of Saturday; and in it the ballot is expressly provided for. The citadel of Ghent surrendered,,by capitulation, on the 19th - the whole of the Dutch troops will speedily evacuate Belgium. A proclamation of the Prince, dated the 18th, states, that, under the superintendence of General GENDEBEEN, they and the Belgic troops are to separate, corps from corps. The great fair of Brussels, which commenced on the 18th, will continue to be held as usual : it ends on the 31st.