The National Register. — London, England, 1809-01-29 00:00:00

66 ';.,,i„ ; ney plundered the Portuguese, they insulted their prejudices, and, by depriving them of the benefits of commerce, took every thing away which could render urvitude tolerable. The people of Portugal, consequently, abominated their oppressors. Exclusive of the affection they must have for us, as the enemies of their tyrants ; our very name recalled to their minds the influence and tranq►►illity they possessed previous to their subjngatiou. 'Trade•, plenty, punishment of injuries, and independence, were in the train of a British army ; and they hailed its appe7 ranee as the signal of deliverance, and the dawn of a better day. From the picture we have now sketched, which, though hasty, may be relied on as correct, who would have the madness to prophecy the consequences of the ill-fated cam paign that ensieid? At its opening, every thing was auspi cious and exhiiirating;—Soldiers brave and willing ;--the Generals in iigent and enterprising;—the country well-dis posed and I:Uendly ;—whilst the direction of the future ope rations y.as confided to, perhaps, the most promising Officer in our service. Sir A. Writ Este s, possesses, iii a high de gree, a •nion of qualities, which are seldom the patrimony of one man. Ile joins, to the comprehensiveness and prudence of the .7'tatesman, all the attributes of a soldier, whose life has been spent in camps ; and whose history is a series of victories and gigantic enterprise. The foregoing description naturally prepares the mind for those signal events, which form a new epoch in the annals of a country, and lay the foundation of its prepon derance and glory. It is true, our army fulfilled the ex pectations of the public, and even surpassed them. Two victories, at lioleia and Vimeira, established the superio rity o:•iur army for bravery as Well as discipline ; whilst the arrangiinents previous to, and during the engagement, and the boldness of the operations, placed the Commander on a level, for professional skill and enterprize, with any Gene ral of the present day. Such was the campaign, and such the intelligence and heroism that marked its progress. 'But some demon has marred all ; and every thing has ter minated in disgrace arid disappointment. The country bas been robbed of her glory, the honour of her arms sul lied, the blood of her sons uselessly shed, the Portuguese have been alienated, the enemy conveyed in our ships back to their own shores ; laughing at our weakness, and de riding our imbecility ; whilst the Spaniards were left to contend alone with their merciless invaders, and were over whelmed before we could raise an arm in their defence. Let us suppose ourselves reading the annals of another 'people, and of another age, we would immediately ac cuse the writer of exaggeration and perversion of facts ; or should he attempt to develope to us the cause, we would indignantly fling-411e book away, refusing our assent to so extravagaut an idea, as that a nation, in the most awful crisis of its affairs, should be so infatuated, or so dastardly, _to allow a few individuals, as detestable for their vices, as they are contemptible for their imbecility, and repulsive on account of their insolence and luxury, to mismanage and counteract (ncry measure that may be proposed for its security and houour. The idea is so repugnant, that if the experience of every day did not convince us of its rea lity, we should feel a mortification in assenting to it. But should this mismanagement appear in our own af fairs ; should folly, vice and presumption thrust themselves i nto a prointwents, where only genius, virtue and experi. THE NATIONAL REGISTER. JAN. 29. ence ought to preside ; should want of system and co-ope ration appear, in every department ; should the services of the army and navy be frustrated by the abuses and delays ofthe Transport, Victualling, and Ordnance boards ; should a considerable portion of these diSorders be traced to the in capacity of a single individual, to the . fatal protection he extends to a set of greedy, unprincipled followers ; and should they be suffered to subsist for no other purpose, than that of gratifying his private vices and inordinate am bition; where would we under such circumstances find words to execrate the Authors of our distresses, or language sufficiently severe to reprove our own indifference. The Expedition to Portugal, the march from Cortinna to Astorga, the fatal retreat from Sahagnn, and all the pri vations and misery our brave soldiers have sustained, prove the extent of the evil, as well as the imperious necessity of removing it. The hardships, our troops have been wantonly and barbarously exposed to, through the negli gence or iticompetency of the commissariate, have roused the indignation as well as sympathy ofAe public and measures must be proposed and adopted to prevent the re currence of so trying an abuse. Whilst the greatest order and act iVity prevails in the same department among the ene my and their armies are abundantly supplied with every re quisite, we find notwithstanding the vast resources of the country, and the immence sums expended for the purpose, that incessant complaints are made about the insuffici ency and irregularity of the supplies for our men. However, it the late distresses of our army, together with former disasters, impress the insufficiency of our present arrangements, we would be inclined to bless the hand which has afflicted us; and if the amendment be complete, the battle of Corunna offers us the certainty of stopping BONAPARTk; in the career of his fortunes. After the event of that memorable battle, the counterpart of the days of CRESCY and AtuNcounT, we should explode pusillanimity for ever from our councils. Shame on tho feelings of the individual, who would now recommend caution in our fu ture operations, or advise us to decline the contest in con sequence of the enemy's superiority of numbers. The last glorious battle has proved that. the old popular adege, of one Englishman beating three Frenchmen, is neither ex: travagant nor impracticable. It may be criminal to foster the vanity of a people; but we know not under what term of abhorrence to designate the wretch who labours to raise the character and resources of the enemy at the ex pence of his own country. Just Heavens ! what an au spicious opportunity is offered us now of gratifying an ho nest ambition ! one hundred thousand British soldiers, of the same metal as those that fought at Corunna, conducted by a General, like the hero who led our army to victory on that occasion, or fighting under the guidance of a Wel lesley, are capable of snatching from the brows of the French the trophies they have so insolently worn, 'and so unjustly acquired. Our young officers are worthy of their country, and her former military reputation, and have supported the privations and fatigues of the late harrassing retreat, with a 'constancy and courage, which excited even the admiration of the enemy. We have invariably enter tamed this opinion of the moral resources of our country men; and if our Government is capable of wielding them to their full extent, we niay reckon on an era of fame and prosperity, wicqualled in the annals of any mode r n peopie. 1 4