POSTSCRIPT.
SATURDAY NIGHT.
The Courier of this evening contains a copy of the proposals made by France an&England to the King of the Netherlands, in the form of a "Project of convention between Holland on the one part, and France and Great Britain on the other part." In this project, which is dated the 30th December 1832, the King of Holland is required to evacuate the forts of Lillo and Liefkenshoek within ten days after the ratification of the convention, and to open the navigation of the Meuse, :—subject to the arrangements of the convention of Mayence. It is proposed that the navigation of the Scheldt should remain free until the conclusion of a treaty between Holland and Belgium. It is also proposed that Venloo, the Dutch part of Limbourg, and- the German part of Luxembourg, shall be surrendered to the King of Holland ;. that the Belgians should have uninterrupted communication with Ger- many by way of Limbourg, and the use of the roads which* pass through Maestricht and Sittard, upon the payment of moderate barrier- duties. No person to be molested on account of his participation in the late struggle. Holland and Belgium both to reduce their armies to a peace establishment within one month after the ratification of the present convention. The Dutch vessels and cargoes to be restored im- mediately after the exchange of the ratification.
It will be seen from the answer of the King of Holland, which ap- pears in another part of our paper under the form of proposals for the basis of a new treaty, that he is by no means disposed to give way, or to acquiesce in the offers of France and England. Be takes no notice whatever of some of the are_eles ; and proposes an arrangement in other respects materially different from that which is contained in the project of convention. . He avoids mentioning any specific duty to be Imposed on vessels navigating the Scheldt; he requires that the Belgian army should be reduced, and only promises to reduce his own ; he proposes to evacuate the forts within a month, instead of ten days after the con- clusion of the treaty ; and stipulates for the payment of 8,400,000 florins by the Belgians as their share of the debt, instead of leaving that point to be settled in the treaty to be subsequently concluded between the two countries.
It will be observed that the Belgian vessels are at present formally excluded from navigating the Scheldt, though hitherto the two coun- tries are supposed to have been at peace, and great pains have been taken by France and England to prevent any collision between them during the late warlike proceedings against Holland.
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