The National Register. — London, England, 1808-06-27 00:00:00

111. 11 11Ponrar — r -- " -- "”. -V -' . • T " • • 1.4 .• , ~-- -"~ I "V. I THE NATIONAL REGISTER. ;T y L e • - eut Aim, canotitution, anb Lati3o. MONDAY, JUNE 27, 1808. No. 26. PRICE Sd. POLITICAL DISQUISITION. NUMBER TWUNTY-SIX. ON THE PRESENT STATE OF SPAIN. " Mitzi News from Spain?" has been, for some time past, the universal inquiry among our politicians of all ranks. Did the anxiety with which this question is pro posed, proceed solely from a generous concern for those brave Patriots, who have nobly stood forth in defence of their national independance, it would be highly prtisewor thy, and an honour to those who feel and display it. Our good wishes they have every title'to ; our aid, as far as it can be given with prudence, they ought certainly to re ceive. But here we must stop. We can go no farther. Let us beware of being deceived : for the crisis is awful, and a mistake may, be productive of the most fatal conse quences. That man who believes that the Spanish People, who have appealed to arms, have the smallest chance of defeat ing Bonaparte (and it is an opinion which some .Teemospaper Tdaors have endeavoured to inculcate) is a dupe of the mod egregious, the most lamentable, the most dangerous dplusion. No man, accustomed to think liberally and ac curately, who is acquainted with the relative condition of the contending parties, and the warlike events of the last Feventeca years, can doubt for a moment the issue of the present contest. That the brave Spaniards will unfor tunately be obliged to submit is a lamentable fact ; but it would be useless, it would be criminal to conceal, or evade thy• conviction which assails us. The truth of this opinion we will not only prove, in a few words, to the satisfaction of oar readers, but we shall point out the usefulness anti the advantages of an early and serious attention to its im portant consequences. Had the Spans troops been allowed to remain at home, undivided, and entire; had they continued in possession of all their steong holds ; had they fortified and guarded all the passes of the Pyrennees ; had the Freach soldiers baen excluded from the country ; had the Spanish army L.,en fired with enthusiasm, and directed by its own Go vernment, feeble as it was ; and had the brave Inhabitants of all the Provinces been regularly armed and organind, willieg to fight, and not fearing to die in defence of their canntr7, then, indeed, we might rationally have entertain ed some Lope of their being able successfully to oppose the modern Alexander. But when the contrary of all this is notoriously the case, when the Spanish army has been divided, expatriated, even deprived of its o:ficers, and arra s ; when the French, with a numerous force, every day encrcasing, are in undisturb ed possession of the C;:pital, the Government, and all the Fortresses; alien the late King, and his intended Successor, have behaved with a pusillanimity, not only contemptible, but astonish:ag o and surpassing- all example; when the brave Inhabitants of the Capital, after hundreds of their fellow-citizens hail been butchered, have been constrained, silently, though reluctantly to submit ; whrn almost all the N. L— re. I. Provinces have already followed their example, what can the inhabitants of two districts (Asturias and Gallicia) however brave, however Patriotic, perform ? Does any man expect that they will be able to defeat the French to march to their own capital, emancipate their country, and drive the French invaders beyond the Pyrennees t No. Such hopes cannot be seriously entertained, for a moment, by any man, in the smallest degree, ,- .. - Table of estimating difficulties, or balancing proba►bitities. What then will be the consequences of the patriotic re• sistance of these two Northern Provinces to the French Usur• per? The efforts of these brave men may, for a season, en• gage his attention, distract his force, and render his conquest less easy, and less secure. These are, no doubt, events of considerable importance, if we make use of the interval to increase, strengthen, and consolidate our Own means of defence and annoyance, but fatally delusive if they are to encourage hopes that Spain is destined to form a barrier to the extended ambition of Bonaparte. The truth is, our danger is at the present moment more imminent than it has been, at any period, since the coma. mencement of the presentivar. This proposition has been very ably illustrated by Mr. York, in his excellent speech in the House of Commons, on lgoirlly last, respecting the Defence of the Country. If, therefore, we do not speedily • and elTectually rouse• from that lethargy. into which all ranks among es have unfortunately fallen ; if we become not fully sensible of the peril of our situation; if we blind. ly trust to our naval superiority, and await with a lament• able inaction, and a presumptuous, a criminal, confidence, the coming storm ; if we prepare not, with extraordinary exertions, to sleet the surrounding dangers; and if we foolishly expect, or feel the smallest confidence in any foreign aid, the hazard is incalculable (and melancholy fur a Briton to allow) our destruction not impossible. Let us. therefore, he fully convinced of what is almost indubitably certain, that we may soon be exposed, alone, to the entire, the undivided, the concentrated sire: TA of Europe. We arc opposed to a man, who, though highly aided by Fortune, 14 still more highly gifted by Nature: who restlessly pursues his schemes: who has hitherto ob. tained the objects of his ambition : who bates us, our power, our libe;ty, and our iudependance, with an un 'extinguishable hatred ; whose interest, whose Power whose happiness depends, in a considerable degree, on our destruction. This man now wields the sceptre of Europe.—He has subdued the Netherlands, llolland, and all the States of Italy : he has conquered Prussia, defeated and terrified Austria, humbled Russia, conciliated Denmark, acquired the confidence and friendship of the Porte, seized upon Portugal, and has now taken possession of Spain. Let us consider,- for a moment, the inenns which he possesses of ' invading our shores. He has all the wealth of the Conti nent at his command. A million of sediers, brave and adventurous, accustomed to warfare and victory, are as sembled under his banners. All the Continental Ports which are open to the Atlantic and German oceans, from Cadiz to the Tele), are now under his controul—M