The National Register. — London, England, 1808-02-14 00:00:00

NATION AI. REGISTER.. . . . =-~"~ ve.r ~~ 1 Y 7 4 , 1 incc, that nothing was so difficult as to shake his .1, or to induce him to chan,te any line of conduct had once adopted; and that he was sure no connection texisted between the French and Danish Governmenis previous to 'r attack en Copenhagen. ;. " . .. , ‘ . 4 ;‘ , l lthen said, that I believed Lord G. L. Cower had delivered t4 te Imperial Majesty 's Minister a note on the subject ;to b his Imperial Majesty answered that he had, but that the tents of it were nuoutory, as it contained"no sufficient ex Oa )ion or otFer of satisfaction. llis Imperial Majesty then pro ed to state the great concern which our unjustifiable aggrcE . : n had given him; that the French Government never had done thing so strong—that it justified every thing they had done might do hereafter. If such proceeding , : were adafiss;ble, sere was an end of all those relations which had usually infiu aced the conduct of nations towards etch other ; that every body was at liberty to do just what they pleased, and that he plight attack Sweden to-morrow. 11 is.lmperial Majesty then told my in the most peremptory language, tone, and manner, 'that he would have satisfaction, complete satisfaction, for tlii•- unprovoked aggression. That, it 1% !IS his duty as Emperor of 'Russia to demand it, and that he would have it; and he asked me, whether even I of , elicottli venture to ditier with him on .bat subject 3 He then said that he was bound to Denmark by the most solemn treaties and engagements, which treaties and en lagements he was determined to adhere to ' and fulfil. II is Im perial Majesty then added, that he supposed we meant to make :an attack on Cronstadt ; he did not know what the event of that Istack might be, but this he knew, that he was determined to mist to the last man, and to prove himself not entirely unwor fy of filling that high station to which it had pleased I'rovi -4ince to call him. " I told his Imperial Majesty that I had strong reason to hope Id believe, that uo attack would be made on Crow•tallt. Hi , Imperial Alajesty said he was prepared for such an event, and kad taken his determination upon it, which was that which lit r*ad before stated to me. Be then elo,ed the conver s ati on , b ‘ e peating with much emphasis, that '•he wouldiaa..e satisfac tiou for Deutuark." The estranged and hostile tone which now appeared k not a abject of wonder. There was not a thinking man in England ,by whom it was not anticipated as a natural consequence of the lipedltion to Copenhagen. This, it was said, mot of necessit Ipreekre as the enmity of Russia, who regards herself as the arhi tress ef Ike Baltic, and will nut, without extrcuce jettlousy and tndignation, behold so violent an inroad upon her pretensions. The evidence of the case seems to be altogether uncommon. s ascertained that the Treaty of Tilsit did not annihilate the friendly sentiments of Russia towurds England ; they werc an •iihilated at the moment of the attack on Copenhagen; this cause is sufficient to account for the elect, and no other cause can he be shewn to exist. Full of the idea of the unjustifiable nature of the measure, the Emperor asked Lord Hutchinson what he thought of it, whether be, even he, had any thing to say in behalf of his countrymen ? •Difilcult Was the situation in which his Lordship was here placed ! It appears that his heart recoiled from the transaction as it pre sented itself in its outward features; and he was obliged to as time that the hostile designs of the Danish Government had been tia matured, and so manifest, as to justify it. This the Emperor Immediately and confidently denied from his general knowledge of the circumstances; he appealed to Lord Hutchin , on's own knowledge of these circumstances, if his assumption was not un reasonable, and his Lordship was obliged by his silence to ac knowledge the force of the appeal. It now appears, after the .defence of our Ministers is before Europe, that the Emperor was ' tight; that no evidence existed of any hostile designs un the par; vrf the Danes; and that the attack was made on the sole appre °tension of hostile designs on the part of Bonaparte, v. hid) Den thark, it w4s concluded, was unable to resist. There is something, even in the complaints of the Emperor, which prove hot► well founded, and strong were his prejuaii-etk against the French, and how far he was, previous to this unfor tunate transaction, from any leaning of utfeeti!,:i to the cnu'e Napoleon. " Our fo►tl aggre►tsion," ha salt!, " justiUacl every' * O. ~.• t:7;Fig French cerement had done ;" a cle:ir e pre:o ou of opinion how lawless and abominable the conduct of the French to wards other countries had h eed. The expression which follows, too, is still more remarkable, " This' aggression of ours," he said, " juitified every thing which .the Pernek might • hereafter do :" a decisive proof of his fears, that the FreaCh would not yet cease in their lawless and -nr:ressive career, and were still'clangerois neighbours. Are Welt opinions as these coma patible with the idea tart voluntary association, antecedent to alt provocation, for the aggrandisement of tionaparte, and the. • übjugatinu of Britain ? Certainly not nor can a doubt remain that to the attack on Denmark, and to that'at tack alone, we an a the great and important cfpure from tlieudly td boAlle in - t!ie Councils of This fact, which was highly probable, from general evidence before, is, by the conferences which cord Hutchinson 100 related, plac , -(1 beyond a doubt. %V hethee we have by that attack averted any other evil equally great it h the enmity of 1? tusia ; whetlirr we have attained any :A+ vantage of sufficient magnitude to compensate it ; whether any evil which it could avert, or any advantage it could procure, could, in t he eye tif reason and justice vindicate it, are question* • of a different sort, the discussion of which we mast reserve till another opportunity. REVIEW dF POLITICAL DECLAIMERS, Na. VII, COBBETT'S SPITEFUL ATTACKS UPON till AMER IC ANS, If it has been viilently olkeeted to Mr. Cohbett, that his opinions are mutal.le, and short-lived, he may defy his bitterest' enemy to tiring this accu,:ition zvr,aint his resentments. These would appear to he as deep and (Jura bte, as the others are hasty' and transient. NV het her t pt"'lti r: iv of character is a proof! of great wisdom, and gre!lt vitine, or flyy contrary, is not the present question. The fact is undeniable. stud is of no little consequence toward enahlim: 1,5 to foil); a judgment of the worth .tf hie sentiments reiatoig to the mcment on- :!tie , rions on the -object of our relations ss its America. Alato-t all the () pini ons which Mr. Cobbett held on the ot!ier side of the Atlat.tic tare. now changed. Mr. Pitt he then regarded as an angel for alents, and a saint for pa; ity ; he miss designates him as the dtallow• hearted Pitt, and describes him as having been a cor rnpting, jobbiat;, squandering oppresbur. Sir Francis Burdett was then a fiend let loose from the sulphurous pit ; he is now the ugly n.an who has a chanee la be the ,i,eif.tir of his countr. At lilac time he described the Eritish Coustitutiun as equally perfect in practice ;tad in the:A . ) . t he now represents it as prat.. tically teeming with abuses and corruption. Such is a short specimen of the : changes in :Air. Cobbeles opinions ; but 144 re sentments against the Americans appear to be as keen as ever. Ile see:as incapal.le of forvetting the violent quarrel he had with them, and the lo.,ses and hardships which it cost him. There is something in this, however, extremely unreasonable. It was in preachi4 with violence andfury those very ()pinkies which Mr. Cobbett has now renovated that he created those en.. inies w hose ill ()dices have mules() deep an impression on his mind, Is it not e xtra ord Mar. , therefore that Air. Cobbett does nut reflect that as his violence aild fury in favour of opinions which he nosy condemns, WAS highly unreasonable, he may have given cons i. &Table cause for that enmity which he excited, and against whica is resentment is yet so iateqse ? If :o many of his opinions were entirely wrong when he was in America. why Inas it not happen that the very bad opinion which he formed of the A mwieans themselves was wrong II ke ise ? Without adverting to any other evidence of this allegation, may we not wonder why Mr. Cobbe:t doe% not reflect that this opinion which he r irmed of the Americans, was I state b..tter than a corollary from t'n'erroneous notions under which lie t;lenlabaured. If Mr. Cob. /WO, NI hen in America considered all Kings, with their song, fm. lies. and clergy as dent-ltols, heroes and en .els ; and by cm ie. Auence hated ilpeople who bed vielent prejudices against them dl; and if Mr. Cobh; now 14s greatly altered his °pillars respeetiog &lap, and their seas, nobles and clergy, is it not . • .