The National Register. — London, England, 1808-12-18 00:00:00

- - -.. 1 Imw • I THE SUNDAY, DECEMBER 18, No. 51.. POLL ricAL DISQU ISITION. NUMPAII , FIFTI. SPAIN AND BRITISH CO-OPERATION. The subjugation of Europe, after the peace of Tilsit, seemed to be accomplished. The most enlightened men of the last century considered such an event as impossible. However, after the science of war and government had been carried to a point. of perfection they bad never before ' attained, this chimera, which had disturbed so much the imaginations of our countrymen during the reign of King William, and was considered only as a political bug-bear during the greater part of the last century, has received form and existence in our days. Those who attempted to prove the impossibility of such an occurrence, made no difficulty, however, in acknowledging, that were such an event to occur, it would be one of the greatest evils-that ever befel society ; as nothing could produce it hut joine violent concussion in the moral and political world. This part of their prediction has been justified t And the French revolution, which changed a community devoted to habits of peaceable industry, into a nation of armed men, pre ceded and prepared this system of subjugation. This revolution, which gave birth to so many crimes, and engendered such distinguished talents, produced, at last, a man, who united in his own person all the atroci ties and genius generally produced by such memorable occurrences. his prudence, his ambition, his dissimula tion, his profound knowledge of the military art, his in difference to religious or moral restrictions, his plausNiity, were only inferior to his good fortune. Such an individual in any country, or any age, at the head of a government restricted by laws and salutary customs, would afford the neighbouring states just cause for terror and alarm ; but at the head of a community violently transformed into nation of soldiers, over whom he exercises the most un limited controul ; whose collected will, talents, mental and personal strength, are absolutely and unconditionally at his disposal, whenever he wishes to employ them ;—sach a man, sovereign arbiter over the lives and fortunes of such a people, is, unquestionably, the most porteatious appa titiou ever recorded. The utmost range and exertions of public and private virtues, are scarcely adequatieto protect the must powerful states from sinking under his ascen dancy ; and for one that has the fortune or virtue enough to escape, ten are sure to succumb. An universal monarchy, with all its excesses and t3'ran• nical restrictions, .was considered by even the most ardent and independent spirits as unavoidable, long before the peace of Tilsit. They drew this conclusion from the monstrous apparition we have alluded to : and nations, in consequence of reiterated disasters, and fruitless attempts to oppose any resistance to this overwhelming torrent, 1111 )".ght oll!y of averting its rage by •tiinely and voluatary ►9f. • . - .',w"~!~ Our Bing, elonOtititticin, atria Latul. • 1808. PRICE 84. submission. Then the situation of Europe became truly desperate; and any attempt to rouse it from its degrada tion, was resisted by men most at erse to this monstrons debasement, because they despaired of finding in any mos Bern community, N iri ue or euergy enough to do it with successs and failures rendered the evil more comprehensive and irremediable. Such was the discouraging and desperate vspect of public affairs *t the commencement of this very scar. The de spoudeucy of the good and the patriotic in every part of the Continent excluded even . a faint ray of salvation ; and excommunicated by the arrogant conqueror within our insular limits, we thought only of protectnig oursches• Then occurred, in the midst of the universal gloom, one of those unhoped for events, which baffle calculation; and, as If to prove the weakness of political reasoning, it happened in a country where, from two centuries of mal administration and the most inveterate abuses, regeneration and vigour were considered impossible. This Finset] iusurrec tion of a people, so long sunk in natural decripitude, to revenge the insult offered to their national independeoct„ is too sublime an occurrence to require elaborate commen datiOn. It is enough to say, it shook to its very founda tion that colossal system of spoliation, whose duration and stability were thought superior to ordinary resistance and modern energy. The clash was heard on our shores: and we answered it with mingled shouts of astonishment and applause. '['he insurrection of the Spaniards was spontaneous as well as unanimous; and the people of this country dis playedjaa union of wishes for their instantaneous support, which proves how highly sensible they were to the recipro4 cal advantages it secured. Parties forgot their animosities, ambition its selfishness, and sectarists their prejudices, and the subjects of the United Kingdom hastened to the throne, to assure his 'Majesty of their perfect acquiescence in the most vigorous and efficacious measures iu support of so great and good a cause. The sympathy and enthusiasm spread through all the orders of society ; and it any one did exist, so dead to moral feelings, and indifferent to the happiness and dignity of his species, as to attempt to damp this ebullition of national patriotism, he was indignantly reproved for his selfishness and apathy, The first efforts of the Spaniards justified the warm in terest we manifested in their behalf ; and in less than three months they exterminated one half of their invaders, and drove the remainder, who fled like miserable Ingitittes to the foot of the Pyrenees. These great exertiolta, this glo rious success against a formidable army, who arrogated, in consequence of former exploits, the title of invincible, be• gat in the converors too much confidence, and, conse quently, a momentary relaxation; though their high prin ciples lost not a particle of their first energy. Ths removal also of the most distinguished moniberil of the provincial Junta's from the immediate scene of their Who ' enee, and the ill advised resolution of depriving those who r !mained, of their political weight, unfortunate'', re:arded too efforts of that hi4h-spirited community. The invadatk ~ • . e, . • -.1e,• _ ....i‘ 111 11 .~ r', .~ , I 1