The National Register. — London, England, 1808-10-24 00:00:00

674 THE NATIONAL REGISTER. able Weir and acknowledged, their virtues, to he pure and corrupt motives. If we did not suppose that he is guilty of this unintentional atrocity, from the silly and repulsive vanity of wishing to appear more knowing than ethers, we should look down on him as one of the most viciom and loathsome animals that infest the earth. This foolish pretension to superior penetration induces a sensible man to Z%-.pose himself wantonly to the imputation of being consamtuate raieal : for if his remark be just, that the ireatesi. and most admired of our statesmen were nothing better than poi;tical knaves, what claims can Mr. Cobbett produce to disiiew him from a similar imputation ? If the reputation of the worthiest and most respectable characters be not seure Crom the rancour of malice, the surmises of folly, or the cens:ire of profligacy ; what chance of safety will those hh% idt!als have, who afliord by their conduct too much room for uncharitable surmises ? This is unques tionahlv one of time most worthle*s and reprehensible uses' to which time pages of The Political Iter,ixter are devoted.. We should be worse than enemies of the imprudent writer, if we took him at his word, and believed him serious in the charges he prefers. What an opinion should Ni'e then en tertain of his heart ! what ! does neither honour nor in tegrity regulate the actions of men ? ... Is %Wile no more than an hypo Critical mask, in order to deceive with greater advantage and security? ... Is all our belief in the intec;rity of others and the divinity of our origin to he dung away ? Should ',nett infernal principles gain ground, the whole fabric of society is destroyed to the foundation ; and men would look upon one another with as much distrust and appreh , m3ion, DA savages of contending tribes. How an individual of Cobbett's sense conid compromise himself in so wanton a manner, is ineonzeiiabk. lie may be con ainced that others will not shew so :mach toleration for his imigudenee as we do, and will seize with avidity an oppor tunity afinilictlog on us character a Wound, which neither Vie balsam of time, not of art, wilt he alibi: to heal. 7'hey -ill impute to the worst and most pernicious of principles, -.what we ecineeivelo bo the• died of an insoleut, overbear ing vanity. What is the object of alt this fuss and imper tinence, on the part of Cobbeal . • Remark readers :—Mr. Pitt, Fox and Chatham, whu:r you are so proud of rever ing, were uo mere than rogues and blockheads; and as -very few are in the habit of condemning themselves, Mr. Cobbett is a man of genius and spotless integrity II Bravo, Mr. Co'abett ! Your modesty and discretion are admirable ! We have made the foregoing remarks in order to save lir. Cubbett from the persecutions of private malice; to prove him. to be no more than a • presumptuous, silly Journalist, and by ne means deserving of the violent indig nation which a foolish article, iu his last Number, has uni versally excited. We have often stared at his temerity, and smiled at the latitude he gave himself in abusing Eng lish credulity, and tampering with English patience. Like all noisy, blustering individuals, he swears, foams, bullies, cocks his hat, locks fierce,—and means nothing. After this introduction, we feel no difficulty in stating the cause of these remarks ; in particular as we have reason to think object of them from intemperate, un- In his ranting, paradoxical manuer, affectation of superior penetration, olumns of his last Number to prove of Dun Cevallos li e ! OCT. 24. :and the- patriotic Author an Intriguer t flat th e w h o l e business was nothing but one of those trumped-up tricks ea usual with Politicians, in order to gain credit with the People of Spain ; with some ingenious and witty insinua tions relative to the fatotr be et Toyed under King Charles, King Ferdinand, and King Joseph ;" and such like nonsense. However we may execrate the levity and impertinenc e 41f observations tending to weaken the interest and credit of a publication so admirably calculated, from its simplicity and candour, to benefit the cause of innocence and justice ; we saw, by no means, that degree of danger or criminality in them, which some a&cted to discover. They only con. tribute(' to confirm us in a belief we have long eutertained, that some of our Journalists, and particularly this very Cobbett, are guilty of a most unwarrantable abuse in their remarks and strictures on the Governments of friendly States. The injury they do their oWn country, by their insolent interference, is incalculable. Our Newspapers arc read with avidity in Sweden and !ipam ; and when a journal, like Cobbett's, falls into the hands of a Spaniard, who is unacquainted n ith the peculiar customs of England, and the licentiousness of our press, he is naturally astonished at finding the language of our Papers so contrary to the declarations of Government. Every article in a Spanish Gazette which refers to this country is a warm ellnsion of eulogy and gratitude. That a man laying strong claims to understanding, and pretending to have the interests of his country at heart, should, for the gratification of making a quaint, or an impertinent remark, contribute to wcao the union and confidence so happily subsisting between ns and the people of Spain, is a spevies of pleasure we arc in. capable of comprehending. Whilst we acquit Mr. Cohbett of the criminal motives, sonic may he too prone to impute to !chin, we sincerely bewail, that, from indiscretion and vanity, he should act in a manner as injurious and disgrace ful to himself ) as it is repugnant and otrensive to 'others. - . ' 1 , have . scqpred the 0 ((O - " 4 - • . 2 . • arifmosi tv. P - . 4 tx- . • , <,.cni hi -f-1. x.4 \ 0 r 7). t:'l l ,-;.. - • , - , .:,,, . ~ • ~•, - . _. -. _ A e•• •.. ••• 1.• .. ~ le ' $ ~~~= FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE. FROM THE SP4NISII AND PORTUGUESE PAPER.% --...5i0..... SPAIN, DETAILS OW THU OPERATIONS OP OUR ARMY, IRANIVI r TO TEL move SERENE JUNTA, NY Nis EXCELLENCY uu•' JOAQVIN BLASE, COMMANDER. IN CHIEF, icc. " MOST EXCELLENT SENIOR, 41 I have the honour of informing your Excellency of the sin gular• proofs of valour which the troop under my command ha% r evinced, in the re-capture of the city of Ili Ihmi. whicbachie"' ment would have been most complete, if some of our ad►aured posts, who, the preceding night, fired upon the enemy, had out given then, an opportunity of knowing our posi MIS at a moment when they were nio.t ignorant of them, believing us to he many leagues distant; aware thus of our arrival, they took a diterci : t determination, and it followed that they were not all made pri soners, as undoubtedly would other wi , e have been the case. " At half pan three in the morning of the 20(1', Brigadier Pon Manuel Fabio set ont with, the v anguard, consisting of to o com panies of the regiment of Barbastro, the tirailleurs of Toledo and the Prince, the 2d battalion of grenadiers of the tinny, tt►t► of Toledo, and the regiment of Luz°, to cut off the retreat of the enemy at the new bridge, a point necessary for their pas►age. " The enemy soon commenced tiring, and having eros. , cd t. e river, po►sessed the avenue. Notwithstanding their filleicrl.e passage. he continued his march, forbidding the troops to lire, and stationed himself behind a house. IV hiist these inowinent, were executing, the day begau to break, and after forming the regiment of Lugo to support his flank, be charged the eneiny, who from various points entwine:iced firing, reducing the action to a mere mountain warfare. In the mean time I ordered rest of wy troops to advance, which were the first battalion 1.4 n pt 1) 1 , .. i .'~ tti /