The National Register. — London, England, 1814-02-20 00:00:00

I THE NATIONAL REGISTER. • • - , Cur line') Constitution, anb taloa. PUBLISHED AT NO. 11, NEWCASTLE-STREET, STRAND. SUNDAY, F EBR VARY 20. 1814 No. 319. POLITICAL DISQMS ITIO N. CONFLICT OF OPINIONS. The annals of the world do not present a more interest ing and awful period than the present. When has so much anxiety, so much hope, and so much fear, filled the heart of man ? When have more contradictory re ports and a greater vacillation of counsels, contributed to encrease the perplexity of the public mind ? As long as war raged and empires fell at a distance, we could retain sufficient self-command to mark with precision the course of devastation and the progress of the mighty ruin. Placid in the immediate vicinity of the 'seat of action, and almost within the sphere of the whirlwind which now shakes the power of France to its foundations, all our perspective faculties seem gone. We see, and do not linovr; we hear, and do not understand. The fate of the world is deciding by our side, but, in the tumult and chats of events, we are led on as by an irresistible im pulse, without exactly knowing the views which are pursued, or the prosy; t of success with which they are attended. We hear every nation calling aloud on the sacred name of peace, and at the 'same time baring the sword for renewed slaughter. We see proposals made and accepted, and yet no suspension to the ravages of war. We behold a Congress assembled, Ambassadors from all the nations of Europe exchanging their powers, meeting to discuss bases which have already been settled, and as suming the language and deportment of friends to each.other, and yet no treaty, and, we are falsely told, no negosiations are carried OR. Couriers pass through the enemy's capital ill order to hasten the progress of peace : our funds rise to att unexampled height in that expectation, and the organs of Ministers proclaim that they have resolved to treat iilth NAPOLEON, because, notwithstanding the advance of the Allies almost to the gates of Paris, no disposition has been shown either by his people or his armies to over throw, or even to desert him, and, because our Plenipo tcntiaries state it, as their opinion, that lie retains too inucli power to be put down by a continuance of hostilities—yet, on a sudden, we hear of diilerences in the Cabinet. Our Allies are for peace, Lord C %.iTLLREAGN and Lord LIVERPOOL are for peace, the enemy is for peace. The terms are proposed, accepted, and of such a nature as to reduce the power of the French Dc.. , spot below that of France under her Kings. The object for which nations have so pro fusely bled, and England has made such constant and enormous sacrifices, seems therefore at last attained, and years of universal rest ar3 anticipated, when those dKer. r o t. u (" CC NI.V. 1 t' '~-'~, y~~f st. PRirr 9d. ences in the Cabinet, or rsther between the Cabinet and a higher rower, are said to break out. Lord Liviateoor, offers his resignation ; but the value of the administration to whieli he belongs is too strongly felt to allow of its dis solution. Councils are assembled: the determination which . is to doom three or four hundred thousand victims to uus timely graves, or to draw closely again the bonds of European brotherhood, is reconsidered, and a medium is found to reconcile the advocates of peace with the supporters of war. Peace is not entirely rejected ; -but the negociations ordered to be protracted, that the sword may not be cramped in its exercise, and that the value of the terms already obtained may be heightened by the fresh torrents of blood they will cost.---Scarcely had this account gained credit, when it was contradicted by another, given with all the pomp of authenticity, and stating that the dispatches sent to Lord CISTLER EAGH were decidedly anti-pacific; that the negociations were closed, and that the Allies had been peisuaded not to re new them until tinv should be in possession of Paris, when the fate of Napoleon as. a monarch and a man woniJ be settled accoriling to the real disposition of the people. which had not revealed itself during their advailea. Th 4 • revolution produced in the public opinion by this account did not last long, for though published by one of the sup -posed organs of administration, it was immediately pronounced false by other ministerial prints ;. which contended that the intentions . of. our Cabinet (though averse to recognising BuoNxe.tr.er if the banished House could be restored with the consent of the Allies and . the French people), were to accede to any terms of peace w hick the former might think sufliceiit to render the Despot harmless, rather than to expose the alliance to dissolntion by an unreasonable and impolitic secession from the views of the. Powers of which it was composed. No Alteration, it was maintained, had. taken place in the instructions transmitted to Lord CASTLEREAGJI, and the Congress opened at Chatillon . had not stopped its pro ceedings, • notwithstanding his Lordship's journey to Troyes. As the disposition of the coalesced Monarch was decidedly paeific, it was expected that the arranie,e mut of preliminaries would soon be completed j and a port was added of their being actually signed. Such have been the contradictory statemer.ts, wh:ch, for the last fortnight, have agitated and effectual!) - , blinded the public mied. What is the real state' of the case, remains a profeend sesret in the midst of so many explanations. To pretend to superior iliforniuticn on et subject with which the chief agents in the important i events now passing, are alone acquainted, would only b(' to ens crease the number of thoseitccounts w hich merely serve to perplex the judsrnent, and to .: pr o o r l t er w ie_; r,a,nvexaieltst.ite fairs of weeks. perb:inT a few .- t • .41 ) • 4 • • -• • , A a