Death Of The King Of The Belgians

8!u fiíMpK ktp%. A European anival news of the death of King Leopold, of Belgiura, aliout whose heaíth gomo anxiety had hei'ii expressed lor severul montbs. The i Néstor of Europoau sovereigns, sagacious and prudent, ho was much respeoted throusjboüt Eur'ope, and had considerable i nflueiK-e iu ttie politics of the coütinent. He was a Oarman by birth, hnviug been born at Coburg on the 16th of December, 1790. Ad excellent scieutifio and literary education acquired fot him the reputation of being one of iw)t accoup!ished Prraees in Europe. He seïTed in tho Knnisn army f rom 1808 to 1814, and was present at the capitulation of Paris in the lattur year. Hnving accompanicd the Emperor Alexander to London he thoro saw PriDceas eíiarlytte, only etiiM of King George IV., whom ho mamed on the 2nd of May, 1816, reeeiving at the time from the British Govarninent an annual pension of L50,000. By thia mnrriage he beenine uncle of Qnecn Victoria. To the great grief of the natvon he becnme a widower in tbe following year. After this he lived in retirement for somo time. In 1830 be was offered the crown of Greece upon that country becoming independent, bat tHo-ugb be aecepted the offer at first, he subsequently saw sufficient reasons in the extensive intrigues then on foot in Europe to decline it finally. He was not long without a throne, however, for iu 1831 be etected King of Belgium by the ministry and Dational Congress. Scarcely bad his reign commenced when Holland in defianee of the armistico, sent an army across the frontier, and Le(Jpold fuuod bimself engaged in war, with a kingdom all disorganized, an army hastily levied, and an unformed administratioo. Leopold asked aid from France, which was promptly afforded, and the duke of Orleans marched an army to Brussels, which compellecl Uie Jjuion ioruu iu iktreat across their frontier. William of Holland had not, hwever, given bis consont to tho naw order of thingsin Belgium, seeing that as yet the quesfira of the public debt was not satisfactonly disposed of. Aocordingly, the conference deterrnined on compelling Holland to evacúate the Belgian territory, and an anglo-Frecch army was dispatched to drive the Dutch out of Antwerp, Fort tule, and Liefkenshook. The siege of Antwerp begfin Nov. 18, 1832, and on tho 24th General Chasse capitulated. The other fortresses were, however, not evacuated, but Leopold declared himself saüsöed to hold Limburg and Luxembourg against tho strong places in quostion, and acoordiogly the French army retirad. On Aug. 9, 1832, Leopold married the Princess of Orleans. daughter of Louis Phillippe. The now K;ng soon found biuuelf obliged to distsolve tl) e chamber whieh had eleoted hira, and to suramon a second. The inextinguishable hostility ot Holland kept up a state of great irritation ia Belgium, which was not allayed, when upon the surrender of Luxembourg to the Dutch, in pursuance of the treaty o: 1831, the .Luxembourgers protested loudly and even raised a rebellion, peti tioniñí? Kine Leojiold to maintain the integrity of the province. NotwithetanciiDg tbe threatening aspect of affairs, Leopold skillfully conducted them to a peaceful issue. The events of Franco in 18-18 naturally gave rise to a crisis of alarm and anxiety in Belguim Leopold at once signified to the peopla his willingness to resign the constitutional trust he held, if such was their wish. The sugestión was not accepted The legislatura, however, proceeded te carry out the full measure oí electora reform contemplated by the constitution, and to abolish the newspaper duty. Some ultra French republicans attempted an irruption into Eelgiuin, but they ■were seized at the railway station, disarmed by the Belgian troop, and sent Jiack unhurt to the places from wlnch the1 carne. Dufág his reign of thirty-four years, King Leopold governed Belgium with mineled firmness and discretion. He contioued to balance the rivalries of poHtical faeiions within his kingdom, during the whole time, so as to insure to it the extensión of Ub comtnerce and the development of iü re8Jouuroe I" years U he was engaged by the Br, - ish Government in negot.áting the quarrel between the Britid. Government and Brazil. in which he was remarkably Cessful. v. Tot. By his secood marriage, g eo" pold" had sue of two sons an daughter, of whom the eldest marnea to the Archduchess Mario of Austria, daughter of tho late Archduke Joseph, palatine of Hungary, s heir apparent to the throne. Hia death will throw the Oourt of St. James into mourning, and may possibly prevent Queen Victoria from oarrying out her well-meant and gratifying detormination to open the next Parliament in person.