1824.) 
oe roads, canals, docks, ship- 
uilding- and fortifications. The agri- 
cultural interest is suffering in Hol- 
land, and the government has resorted 
to the mischievous expedient of sup- 
porting it by a prohibitory duty on im- 
portation. Not only is the existing duty 
paid by the importers, but a bond is 
taken of them for the-payment of such 
further duties as may hereafter be im- 
posed by the legislature. Such a mea- 
sure is both impolitic and unjust. The 
low price of grain is a public blessing ; 
and any people who enjoy it will soon 
so multiply in numbers as to increase the 
demand, and relieve, in the only secure 
and durable way, the grower from the 
difficulties consequent on a low price. 
But a government which has recourse to 
artificial means of raising the price of 
the first necessaries of life to its own 
subjects, sacrifices the many to the few: 
and adopts the most effectual method of 
preventing the native population from 
ever rising up to the consumption of the 
home produce. We are sorry to see 
Holland retrograding in this particular 
while other states are advancing. The 
Emperor of Russia has at last appointed 
the Marquis of Ribeaupierre ambassa- 
dor to the Porte. His Imperial Majesty, 
it seems, has arrived’ at Volo Kolomsk, 
and proceeded on his journey. These 
personal and periodical surveys of his 
gigantic empire are highly creditable to 
sis Majesty, and theymay be of advantage 
to himself as well as to his subjects ; 
especially if they induce him to recon- 
sider his favorite colossal scheme of 
military colonization ; the machinery of 
which has been ably developed by Dr. 
Lyall; and which, if we are not de- 
ceived in our presentiments, is as replete 
-with hazard to the Russian government 
as of menace to the future repese and 
independence of Europe. 
GREECE, TURKEY, THE LEVANT, 
THE EAST. 
In consequence of the Greek autho- 
rities having refused to recall a procla- 
mation enjoining their armed vessels to 
attack, burn, and run down all foreign 
_vessels employed by their enemies, as 
ships of war, and transports, the go- 
vernor of the Ionian Islands has re- 
sorted, by command of the Lords of 
-the Admiralty, to a counter proclama- 
tion, in which he orders reprisals to be 
made on the armed vessels of the 
Greeks. Nothing of importance is added 
by the’ last intelligence from Constanti- 
nople and the Levant, to the previous 
accounts of the advantages gained by 
AND 
Political Affairs tn October. 
373 
the Greeks over the Capitan Pacha; 
but it reports that two messengers were 
despatched from the Sultan to put him 
to death. The reports respecting the 
naval victory over the Turks, near 
Samor, are still very vague and contra- 
dictory. There is another report afloat 
of Mahommed Pacha’s Egyptian fleet 
being defeated, on the 7th instant, by 
Admiral Miarilis at Zea, where it was 
endeavouring to effect a landing, des- 
tined against Athens ; that three frigates 
were burnt, and several smaller vessels : 
that the Pacha’s son was aboard one of 
the ships that blew up, and that the rest 
dispersed. We should, however, be 
greatly deceived in our estimate of that 
talented and ambitious mussulman, the 
Egyptian Pacha, if he committed him- 
self to any severe extent.as .a sharer in 
the disaster of his Turkish allies. It is 
much more probable that his armament 
was from the beginning assembled under 
the plausable pretence of co-operating 
for the purposes of ulterior aggrandize- 
ment. The Grand Vizier has been 
suddenly deposed at Constantinople, 
where a tumultuary spirit has displayed 
itself among the Janizaries, on account 
of the Sultan not allowing his son to 
‘accompany him to the Mosque. An 
earthquake is reported to have destroyed 
the greater part of Jerusalem. — 
AFRICA, THE EAST AND WEST-INDIES. 
The Gazette of October the 5th con- 
tains Lieut.-Colonel Sutherland’s ac- 
count of the defeat of the Ashantees, 
on the 11th of July, and of the British 
operations against them, from the 3lst 
of May to July the 17th. It appears 
that the Africans disbanded themselves 
after their defeat, and left the king to 
pursue his way back to Camassee with 
a few hundred attendants. Bombay 
papers contain accounts of the military 
operations against the Burmese to the 
28th of March, and announce the occu- 
pation of Gonhatty, the ‘capital of 
Assam, by the British expedition. The 
New York papers continue to be filled 
with details of the reception of La Fa- 
yette. The file of Buenos Ayres papers, 
just received, disprove the previous re- 
port of the defection of General Ola- 
neta: but the measure to which he has 
lately resolved, in the exercise of his 
vice-regal authority, appears to under- 
“rate his design of re-establishing an in- 
dependent government in some part of 
Peru for himself. Peru, according to 
the document recently published by the 
late president Reva Aguerra, appears to 
be in the most distracted state: and 
Yulucan, 
