166] ANNUAL REGISTER, 1818. 



threw considerable difficulties in 

 the way of this determination, 

 yet the final result seems to have 

 been in his favour. In the same 

 Chronicle will be found a re- 

 ference to various transactions by 

 which the durability of his regal 

 authority appears to have been 

 placed on a firm footing. 



The congress of sovereigns at 

 Aix-la-Chapelle, seems to have 

 been strictly confined to the 

 aflPairs of France as far as they 

 acted conjunctly ; and to have 

 laid no plans in common for the 

 general government. Each in 

 other respects pursued his own 

 objects ; and there is no more 

 reason for conceiving that they 

 shaped their counsels alike, than 

 that they followed any other re- 

 sembling system of human con- 

 duct. Hence nothing appears to 

 have been settled in the great 

 mass of German affairs by the 

 events of the last year, but all is 

 still left to be decided in propor- 

 tion as free government or arbi- 

 trary sway shall gain the ascen- 

 dancy. Speculation may indeed 

 incline on either side ; but unless 

 the fate of mankind takes some 

 preponderate determination, it 

 will not be easy to pronounce 

 whether good or evil will be the 

 final result. This may suffice for 

 the present to such a considera- 

 tion of the state of Germany as 

 its condition may suggest ; re- 

 specting which it will perhaps 

 appear, that the subsequent 

 articles of the Chronicle, selected 

 with tolerable care, may afford all 

 that is required for a transient 

 view of a matter which will as yet 

 scarcely bear a fuller discussion. 



The sovereign of the United 

 States of Holland and Flanders, 



at his session in Brussels in Oc- 

 tober, gave upon the whole a 

 pleasing relation of the progress 

 made by that country towards a 

 state of settled tranquillity. The 

 following is a transcript of the 

 speech made by his majesty on 

 the occasion. 



Opening of the Sessio/i of the 

 States- General, at Brussels, on 

 the 19th of October. 



At noon, the members of both 

 Chambers assembled in the hall 

 of the Second Chamber, and ap- 

 pointed a commission of 12 

 members, to introduce his Ma- 

 jesty. 



His Majesty having arrived in 

 state, and taken his seat on the 

 throne, with the Prince of 

 Orange on his right, and Prince 

 Frederick of the Netherlands on 

 his left, delivered the following 

 speech in the Dutch language: — 



" High and Mighty Lords ; — 

 During the course of this year, 

 my house has received new 

 marks of Divine protection, by 

 the birth of another child to my 

 well-beloved eldestson,the Prince 

 of Orange. On this occasion the 

 inhabitants of the Netherlands 

 have given unequivocal proofs, 

 that they regard this event as 

 another guarantee of happiness 

 for their descendants. They 

 may be convinced, that I and my 

 sons will always regard as the 

 dearest of our- duties, to animate 

 our successors with the same love 

 which we entertain for our sub- 

 jects, and the solicitude with 

 which we regard tneir interests. 



" I have the satisfaction to 

 communicate to you, High and 

 Mighty Lords, that at the mo- 

 ment in which you are about to 

 commence 



I 



