The National Register. — London, England, 1808-02-28 00:00:00

" 41 • s'+ . . . . , -4., ,-• • - ,:r, ' , t • -i ' ,• ' -..7 • • ~ .—., .., • 9 4 P l c 4114 ,1 ** V . • r e t ' . •,.. 6 -t -01 's .., k 1 -. . . * 4. foi a*/ Our tting, contitution. an!) Lati3;. 44" t...0il 4 , !1i14 0 4* , 610141414 derationof our Readers. In the debate on Mr. Fox's Judie ou the pith of Nov. 17ti3, that lamented Statesman sAid, 44 it 'ryas true the Bill was said to be founded on we " eessity; but what was this 1 Was it not necessity which " had always been the plea of every illegal exertion of " power, or exercise of oppression ? W 43 not neceisity the " pretence of every usurpation l .I'eccssity was the plea foe " every infringement of human freedom. It was the " argument if tyrants : it ices the creed of Warm"— Of much human calamity has the plea of necessity been the detestable cause. It is therefore a wretched excuse which Russia has to Air in her own behalf, to talk of the necessity under which the injustice of Britain placed her to imitate that injustice. Condemning, therefore, as we thus do, the War of It us sia against Sweden, it is with the deepest sorrow that we contemplate the cahonities Which it will too certainly in flict upon that feeble and unproductive country. ,v% eden is perfectly unable to stisi tan the pressure of a Russian War. The people of this country may delude themselves as they please. They may fancy that the Swedes will resist the Russians, as they fancied, in persevering succession, that the Austrians, then the Prussians, and next the Russians would resist the French. They will find, toe, plenty of hireling writers to flatter them in this belief, and to abuse the persons who would lead them into the path of reason. Unfortunate it is that the event, it is far too probable, will deceive their eximictations. The whole population 'it' Sweden is scarcely more than three millions of souls. The revenue of !tried= is computed at about a trillion and a hall,which leaves but little for the ordinary expences vernment, after paying the interest of a debt of 10,000,0001. This debt, too, is chiefly incurred at liumburgh, where she has at present no opportunity of borrowing. The whole amount of the fortes, both native mind foreign, is generally computed at 45,000. The exaggerations which we receive in our Newspapers are ridiculous. We have been told that the troops in Swedish Finland are 25,000, and that '20,000 more may be raised from the population ; whereas the whole population of Swedish Finland is only 7,000, as was found by the enumeration made in 1784. The amount of the force which it may be deemed ad viscable in this country to send for the protection of Sweden, is not. as et determined. It is a matter of im portant deliberation. Whatever can serve to protect her high-spirited Sovereign, we seem to owe to his perseverance in the contest which has engaged us to so vast an extent, But it is a sacred obligation ou the Councils of this cowl. try, to examine deeply what is really for the protection of that unhappy Monarch and his people ; and to distinguish it from n hat can serve only to precipitate him and then* into inextricable calatnities. Whatever is fur their pro. tection, let us do, But if we encourage them, beyond our means of alrurding them support, to bravo the resentment of their powerful antagonists, and to sacrifice the occasions of rualiini; 0+44 Vettoc, Iva sb4Jl perfnreu the othee of Um POLITICAL 1)ISQUISITION. - Numern NIIE. WAR. BETWEEN AND SWEDEN, The Russian Declaration of War has not yet reached !Lis coantrs ; and by con4equence we are unacquainted with the pretexts upon which it is grounded. We know, how. cVer, the great cause by which this course has been prompt ed, and no doubt can ha entertained that the British at tack upon Copenhagen will be held forth as the reason which has induced Russia to make War upon Sweden. Russia, in this case, is guilty of flagrant injnstice.— S has committed no crime against Russia ; and be cause Great Britain has been guilty, in the eyes of Russia, of an act which calls for her resentment, Sweden is con demned to suffer. The vengeance of Russia is wreaked, not against the guilty, if guilt has really been committed, but against the innocent. But why should Sweden he made to sutler because Great Britain has seized the Danish Fleet, and bombarded the Danish Capital t Swedeu was iu no respect concerned in that transaction. She was no otherwise connected with. England, than that she was in Peace with that country. Rut if that were a reason for ()Manor; War against her, it would .be equally a rea son for declaring War against America.. Sweden, to he s:ire, is at War with France ; but, undoubtedly, that -au be no just reason why Russia should make War von her. 'The arguments of Russia, in defence of this procedure, be found to resolve themselves into a pretended lie- The unjust attack of England upon the Danes, mpelled her, it will be said, however reluctant, to strong measure. But this is exactly the reason which pt Britain has urged in defence of the attack upon Den . The injustice, and the violent designs of France, necessitated her, it has been said, to seize the Danish This plea, however, Russia has rejected. These ictive necessities, she has said, can never justify a u of ant evident, a fundamental, and au eternal ntifjustiee. A constructive necessity may, in fact, be - yed to justify any thing. It will justify the assassi of the Duke d'Enghien, or the poisoning at daft, as the War against Sweden, or the attack, on Co en. In fact it cannot be doubted that the necessity measures must have appeared to the mind of Bo ne, fully as urgent upon him, as either of .the other res to the parties who adopted them. Russia, then, udenmea by her own sentence against Britain ; and he name of justice has committed a gross violation of sacred principles. There is a memorable passage in a remarkable speech of Mr. Pitt, in which the use of neces sity, as a plea to justify tuilawlat conduct, is exposed with high indignation. Having lately read it, the impression which it made was trey &AT. 404 , Ye c!lcr it NJ tilt! WIWI NC lA. V • `~ ~_ ...0.. .. ..~...