The National Register. — London, England, 1809-05-21 00:00:00

TIIE NATIONAL REGISTER. MAY 21. ing ou the 2d, pushing on its advanced guard to Etlerbeug, and the rernaindoi has reached Hied on the road to Wells. The Archduke CRARLtS, according to the French Bulk tins, has retreated into Bohemia, and the consequence is, that .the road to Vienna is open to the French. It is very intelligible why the Emperor NAPOLEON should press on for Victim:L . .lf he can gain the capital, as gain it he will, he intercepts the army from its best source of supply. The machinery of Governiflent, and particularly of the collec tion of the revenue, is too complex to be transferred about with ate head-quarters, and if the Emperor FRANCIS lose Vienna, he loses the means of paying his troops, and per. haps of keeping the field. The French army is at present divided into six bodies, which are severally commanded l ) BERNADOTTE, DAVOUST, MASSENA, BESSIERES, LANNE4, and LE FEDVRE. The four last divisions are in full march upon Vienna, and are commanded by BONAPARTE in per son. The Archduke enAtti.k.s, on the opposite side of the Danube, is following upon the flank of the French army, and is apparentiy waiting an opportunity, when he may cross the river and act with any advantage. In Italy, on the other baud, the advantage is on the side of the Austrians; they have routed the French wherever they have met them. The Archduke JOHN had taken Vi cenza, and was rapidly advancing along the Adige, when he was compelled to fall back by the •intelligence of the misfortunes on the Danube.—There is every reason to be lieve, that he will make good his retreat into the Tyrol. In the Meantime, the brave Mountaineers of the Tyrol are 'fighting' with their characteristic ardour, and if pro perly seconded, we have no doubt but that they will elect a most material change in the face of the war. If all the Austrian subjects were animated by the enthusiasm of the Brave Tyrolese, Austria Would not be subdued by ten Bus A PARibIS. Li the northern part of that country theyhave indeed already succeeded by the confession of their enemies, in throwing oil' thc.yoke of their new masters. They have taken Lindau and Bregenz, invested Kufstein, pushed southward as far as' Trent, and sent predatory parties into Suabia: If the population of those vast districts, Which 'have been subjugated by the French armies, and of those which they still • threaten to overrun, could but be made sensible that their deliverance is in their own power, and that the cause is worth a zealous and vigorous effort, how soon Might the aspect of things be changed ! That they have this conviction lye do - not believe, and it is solely because we are' persuaded that the people of this Country are animated with a very different spirit, that we trust we Anil escape sharing in their fate.* All the private letters agree in staling, that the war had commenced with great advantage to the AtiStrians in the North. After having succeeded in their attack upon the Grand Duchy of Warsaw, they were on their march to Dantzic. The same loiters affirm, that the Prussians had commenced movements in favour of the Austrians. Some accounts maintain', that 'it is the Prussians, and' not the Austrians, who are marching towards Dantzic. We are afraid to believe that either assertion is true. Tile ARCHDUKE . Cris Es, having fallen back across the Danube, iustea'd of across the Inn, has reduced the French to a disadvantageous dilemma, either they must pursue their route to Vienna, in :Thich ease they leave him to recruit his armies, and to hang on the flanks and roar, or they mustfollow hit4S in which ease they abandon their course to Viedtsa. This motion was certainly mph more ;.•• incy. J-9 judicious than world have been the interposition of his broken army between the capital and the French. If the Kingdom of Hungary be as enthusiastic as is report ed, there will be no apprehension for the result. Surely a nation of thirty millions are not to be conquered by any army in the world. If the Hungarians come into the field with good hearts and solid patriotism—if they fight as irregular forces should fight---if they avoid regular battles and seek skirmishes—if they break when attacked in a bidy, and re-assemble when beyond the immediate •ursuit of an enemy—if they follow this plan we shall have uo fear of their ultimate success. It is next to an absolute impossibility that a nation, unanimous and rising to a man, should be conquered. But one important distinction should be kept in view : the nation may, and indeed should rsiotantasse, but it must not fight en masse. The asto oisitiiig victories of the French in the early days of the Revolution, were not obtained by the nation fighting in a mass; the nation fought by its armies, and when those armies were thinned. the nation rushed forwards, and tilled the vacancies of the ranks. In every war, inasmuch as war is a science, the battle must be fought by armies; the let, en masse must come in ag subordinate to the regu ,ar military, and must not occupy itself. A mere mob, fighting as a mob, would be nothing opposed to a re ;iilar army—a regular army of one hundred thousand men would annihilate a mob of a million—their superior num bers would only be their incumberance. There is a very general report in town that Marshal SouLr had surrendered to S:r A p WELLEsLcv, but we could n 4 trace it to any decided authority—Nothing, however, 's more prob thle. It will be almost miraculous, if he can effect his escape. The following Letter contains all the information respecting Portugal which his yet arrived. " Ltsttov. MAY 5. " All the French troops have left Oporto, except 3 or 400 men, who are merely left to do duty in the city, some having gone towards Amarante, and others to Pinkeiro, where by the last accounts SOULT had his head-quarters. They had heard liat the English were advancing fast, in con.equeace of which ney had taken strong positions, as if they intended to make great r.sistance. S rttt lm been victorious in every action with the enemy, and on the ;29th ult. the Bridge of Amarante was still in hi. pos.es.ion. " On th- 30th ult. or Ist inst. Sir Ro urns Wit so N was to join It at tae head of .7030 turn. Cat loaded with wounded Frmich!nen are daily arriving at Oporto; all the convents and hospital. are tilled with them ; only four or five vessels have been oit! o aded, and the wines are deposited in the Company's ware -1.911,e5. It was intended to have unloaded the Whole; but on the. rapid advance of the English army, every thing was sus pended, and all the vessels secured by placing guards on hoard. l'he City of Oporto was quiet, and the people in high spirits, ex pecting to see the English once more. Sir A. W ct.t.t:st.t:v ar rived on the 3d inst. at Coimbra, and has placed himself at the head of MOOD English, and 8400 Portuguese were expected on the following day. We expect daily to hear of an action, and consequently of the surrender of Sont.T and his army. It is sail that Vic Tort has been recalled from Spain, and that Sr n Isl . ' AN I is appointed to succeed him. American vessels arrive e l l Oporto daily; their cargoes do not sell : they consist chiefly of cotton. rice, and flour. The cotton and rice will go to Eng land. Several vessels are expected from Liverpool fur the pur pose of taking them away." Several SwHish Journals have, been received by the last Gottenburg Mail, which arrived on Friday. They con tain, howover, nothing of any importance. In Finland, the Members of the Diet have given an af fecting proof of their loyalty fa their late Sovereign, by refusing to take the oath of alliciltire 111 i