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1841.] no adequate return from those in whose favour it has been formed. The Germans appreciate the efforts made by England during the Napoleonic war; and the cordiality with which German and English soldiers have ever acted together, should be remembered as an earnest of the warm- hearted sympathy which either people should excite in the breasts of the other. The noble spirit shown by the Germans last year, when the idea of French aggression was again start- ed in Europe; the energetic but pru- dent measures adopted by the various states for thwarting the designs of France; and the soul- stirring cry of "No! they shall never have the free, the German Rhine;" all this en- titles them to the warm respect and hearty good-will of the sound portion of the British public. An Anglo- Germanic alliance is worth ten times as much as a hollow friendship with France, any day in the week. Of the smaller states in the north of Europe, there is one to which especial reparation is due from England for the unfriendly part she took against it in the affair of Antwerp we mean Holland. Could events be made to occur over again, there is little doubt that the British people would never consent to espouse the cause of BeU gium against Holland, nor to grasp at the shadowy friendship of a bastard race neither French nor German nor Dutch, but a bad copy of all of them instead of holding fast by the secular attachment and long tried esteem of those sturdy sailors, farmers, and traders, who, with less of the spirit of romance in their composition than any other race in Europe, can claim for themselves some of the most heroic pages of modern history. It was a great mistake to have approved of the French Revolution of 1830, but it was a still greater to have encouraged that of Belgium ; and it was a crying in- justice to aid France in driving back the Dutch, when they were on the point of reconquering what had been solemnly awarded to them by the voice of Europe. It is not too late to win back the friendship of Holland, especially if the upper classes in that country and in England hold out to each other that right hand of fellow- ship which is so natural to them both. Old connexions, old recollections, near alliances of blood, similarity of ideas and language all dictate the policy of keeping up a good understanding with Holland. Though that country be not very aristocratic in its form of government, it possesses that really aristocratic and conservative virtue of practical good sense, and aversion to needless change, which renders a close intercourse with England most desirable for them both. Many an English noble may learn a good lesson from a Dutch merchant; and there are as few faults in the political character of our estimable neighbours and cou- sins as in that of any people in Europe. The Dutch, when they have been at war with us, have been honourable enemies; when at peace they have been upright, plain-spoken, good sort of friends: to be on terms of amity with Holland, is a credit to any nation; and a Dutch endorsement to an Eng- lish draft is just the kind of security which the real friends of Great Britain would be glad to accept. There is no reason in the world why Sweden and Denmark should not only be friends with England, but very good friends too; close national relation- ship, near resemblance of national character, geographical position, and political interests all are calculated to draw the ties of friendship between these countries very tight. That they are so indeed, we admit ; but we would wish to see rather more inter- course kept up between the upper classes in each country. We would wish that British nobles, instead of flocking to Paris or Rome, would turn their steps rather more frequently to Copenhagen or Stockholm ; and that they would consent to forget a while the Pyrenees or the Alps for a visit to the Dovrefeld, and the magnificent scenery of Norway and Sweden. The Scandinavian nations.which once made so much noise in modern Eu- rope, are for the time being suffering a kind of political eclipse ; and the rising sun of the east shines so bright- ly, that our eyes are dazzled, and we forget the nations on the western shores of the Baltic. They constitute, nevertheless, a powerful and valuable part of the European family ; and there is no reason why in future days the fate of the old world irjay not again depend upon the sword of a Scandinavian prince. The people of these countries are on the whole happy and well governed; they form a sturdy and energetic race, full of pa- triotic affection for their native land,