The National Register. — London, England, 1808-04-25 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTER. toward this country, but is simply the result of the cir cumstances in which Europe at large is at present situated. For our own part, we rejoice in every event that can be productive of peace in eveq. quarter of the globe. The present Administration, we thrik, are got men likely to have made a dishonourable adjustment of their country's differences with any nation : and after the long course of 'devastation that now has for so many years been sweeping before our eyes, there can be nut few persons whose hearts are not sickened with the very name of bloodshed. There are Aome points which still remain to be adjusted with America : but. the Americans, we believe, are not likely to show so much irritation on those subjects as they expressed themselves to feel in the affair of the Chesapeake. •BDICATION OF TfIE KING OF SPAIN-ACCESSION OF TILE ?armee OF ASTURIAS TO THE THRONE, Lc. Soon after the extraordinary events of the 18th of March, the King of Spain was prevailed upon, or rather compelled, to abdicate his throne, which was instantly ascended by hi; ' son, the Prince of Asturias, and the new Monarch was pro claimed by the title of Ferdinand VII. Ile immediately issued a Proclamation to the people, inforining them of his accession to the throne, and assuring them that the army of his Ally, the Emperor of France, had entered his kingdom, upon principles the most friendly to his interests, and those of his people, the sole object of his good Ally being to guard the ports of Spain against the designs of the English. The French, we understand, had entered Madrid with a force of 30,000 men, commanded by Gen. Murat ; and therefore it is not easy to believe that so subtle a Ge neral can have been an unconcerned spectator of proceed ings of such an extent. The Prince of Peace has fled , and his' property has been seized and confiscated. his brother was not dead, though considered to have been mortally wounded in the affair of the 12th ; his recovery was deem ed extremely doubtful. It is believed that this inportant eveut has been brought about by thc ancient Grandees of Spain, who have offered in the three Provinces of Castille, Catalonia, and Leon, to raise 150,000 men in support the new King. A Bourdeaux paper of the Ist inst. has been received, which contains the proclamation relative to the abdication of the throne of Spain, by the unfortunate Charles, and the accession of his son, under the title of Ferdinand Vll. It also says that the Prince of Peace was feend in a ~ , itrret in his own house, where he had been secreted thirty-six hours. The new King was not at Madrid when the dis turbances took place. On his ascending the throne, he determined on the removal of the Swiss guards, who had heretofore been stationed about the person of the King ; they were to be replaced by others inure fi rmly attached to the present measures. The unhappy Charles, on abdi cating the throne, assigned as a reason, his ill slate qi " health, and the necessity of a change qf climate." THE NEW ExrenerroN. The first division of the Expedition sailed on Saturday. The naval force consists of the Victory, Tigre, Mars. Auda cious, Minotaur, Polyphemus, several frigates and gun brigs, under the command of Sir James Sau u iarez. A con siderable number of troops had been embarked on Friday, and all the transports that had received their complement of men sailed. The transports which did not. join in time, are to folloW under a convoy which has been left to protect them. Most of the ships have each four -fiat bottomed boats on board. All accounts from the Downs agree that an Expedition more complete, both in the naval and mili, tary department, never left the shores ,if Great Britain. The whole of the troops are expected to be embarked be fore the 28th. Intelligence has been received by the Satyr, JOHNS, ar rived at Portsmouth, that the Rochefort squadron arrived at the Havannah early in March. Accounts to this effect si:cre received at l'ort-au-Prince on the 15th i‘i..lrob, by a ~,. APRIL 45. letter from Kingston (Jamaica), dated the sth of that month, which, after nohow; the arrival of Sir J. D UCK . wosvu in the West Indies, observes " Accounts are just received, that the Itochefisrt squaaron ;s at the Havannah. It is reported to have passed one of oaf eruizers oil that Port, and to have been afterwards reconnoitred there. Its object is supposed to be, to convoy to France sever a l millions of dollars, which have beeu collected there from Mexico, &c." On Saturday the above communication was posted Lloyd's. Ten or twelve millions of dollar, were known 10 be at the Havannah, waiting conveyance to Spain. Should the French have gone thither they may Lave the double, object of sizing on the Spanish specie collected at the Havannah, as well as throwing . a body of men into the Ploridas : and it is by no mans improbable that the trea sure may be intercepted by some one of our squadrons. The capture of the eaemy's ships thus richly loaded, would be an ample compensation for all the solicitude whict escape from Rochefort bas occasioned. There are, ho, ever, si:me reasons for doubting the truth of this intelli gence, and one of the strongest, svo think, is the circum stance of no account of the arrival of the nechefert squadron at the Havannah, having reached America, wi:cn the Statira sailed with Mr. RCM:. A great number of conjectures have been formed v nth regard to the probable object of these expeditions. We shall mention the most remarkable among them, without presuming to give a direct opinion upon a question which it must be impossible for us to determine.--It has been supposed that we are sending troops to co-operate-web those of Sweden in wresting Norway from tee Danes , which would indemnify his Swedish Majesty for the loci of Finland. Russia, liaising no naval superiority, r olnd scarcely send an army across the Gulph of Bothnia and she will hardly venture by land round the northern extre mity of the Gulph to the western side of it. The Nor tsp. gians seem to have little reason for feeling any satisfaction in the treatment they has e met with from the Danish Mo na' chs.—Again : Cronstadt or Revel may perhaps be tbe object. In the Swedish Papers of late, the King very in telligibly intimated, that an English fleet would soon threaten the coasts of Russia, and probably attack tt Russian fleet in its harbour of Cronstadt. This attack might impede the offensive measures of the Russian ror in Finland.—There is a third object, which our ntini:i tors may have in slew. It might be of importance front commercial intenlions, as well as for the operations of our fleets and armies, to seize a good post among the islands cif the Baltic. Bornholm has been mentioned as a particulaov desirable possession : for our seizure of that place teig!lt not only assist ourselves by furnishing a depot, but dim :co embarrass the enemy, by depriving him of a shelter for his privateers, and leaving the sea open to our fleets. We confess that the quiet nature of the object last mentimA seems to us little congenial with the dashing temper of our present ministers. The advices from Sweden, which we have inserted its apother part of our Paper, contain accounts of some 4iir inishes between the Swedes and Russians, but none of them have been important. The arrival of succours from Eng land have inspired the Swedes with general satisfaction , We have inserted also the Swedish Answer to the Dani4i Declaration. It is a spirited and apparently candid expla nation of the King of Sweden's rights and motives ; and seems sufficiently to expose the shallow pretences meter which the Danes have sought to cover the obligation that compels them to hostility. The advicl.s tram the West Indies, which we have givrn in another part of our Paper, relate the capture of Man galante, by a British force under Captain Eelb►. T! French islands :are represented to be in a state of security ; and v are sorry to perceive that the privateers of the enemy appear to predominate : no fewer than twelfe art mezttlaned as being on the cruize. '