The National Register. — London, England, 1809-09-03 00:00:00

SEPT. 3. TO THE EDITOR OF THE NATIONAL REGISTER. SlR,—The advatinges of a free press are acknowledged ; but, in 011111 ton with every human institution, even of the most perfect kiwi, it is, by no means, free from inconvenience. It is a mixed benefit, in which the good, perhaps, outweighs the evil. I have been led to this train of reflex ion, by a perusal, for the last three weeks, of the vague, undigested, unauthorised, and contradictory statements, which appeared in all the papers, not excepting yours, relative to the Armistice concluded be-. tween France and Austria. Had this event been communicated to the public without comment, and without gloss, it was not calculated to excite any of those overwhelming, desponding sensations, it has almost generally produced. Commentators are those nasty, troublesome insects, which buz about, and pollute, the works of art and science; and the Commenting Editors of diurnal and weekly publications, leave, upon almost every public occurrence, some remnant of their corrosive and disfiguring prejudices. Had not the subject been too serious, and the consequences so alarming, a man, who systematically laughs at the opinions and actions of those two-legged unfea thered animals, which, in unphilosophical language, are called men, would have had a fine scope for giggling and ridicule. But I would defy Democritus himself, had be been transplanted into our moon-struck age, to distend a single risible muscle, in reading the loathsome hotche p otch ofsolemnity,and trifling,reasoning,and rash assertion, second-sighted enthusiasm, and mole-eyed scepti cism, which was served up, and teasingly pressed upon the public, since this important occurrence. The abderite philosopher would have looked as grave as Heraclitus himself, in contemplating the dangerous folly. Its effects were too comprehensive for ridicule . too momentous to be trilled 'with. The public opinion was gross ly deceived, and the public feeling wantonly olurined ; whilst hope, that encouraging beacon in tempestuous and calamitous seasons, which shone so bright after the glorious battle of As pen], wa3.extinguished by the rude blast of malice and of ig- porance. An . Arni4tice, Sir, proposes more or less reciprocal admit. takes to the contracting parties; and in opposition to, and in the very teeth of, the public opinion as far as it has been de clared, maintain, and will endeavour to prove, that the stipu lations it contained, were rather favourable, than injurious to Austria. The Times, the Chronicle, the Courier, ai.d the Morn ing Post, with a tedious etc. ; of weekly s and Monthly publi cations, set op a doleful clamorous howl about the base aban clonnvnt of the Tyrolese ; the surrender of Gratz ; the relin quishment of Presburgh ; the disastrous effects of a military Cabal ; and the timid, wavering character of the limpert;r Fax NCIS. As these were the grievances most severely corn plaioed of, most freqeently adverted to, and deplored with irksome monotonous touches of the pathetic, 1 will coutine myself to the task of chorusing their howl with a horse laugh, und oppbsitr, a shrug and a broad stare. to their ranting declama tioa ! But these, Sir, were not the only subjects of complaint and alarm. Whatever wild dismembered forms folly can lump toNrther, or pale recoiling terror see, whatever passion or pre ju:lice, credulity or scepticism, opposition or Juyalty, can bate ar , were daubed upon one huge piece of canvas,' in which the mos.: prominent figures were, the Genius of Austria, bleed ing, p rostrate, betrayed, abandoned; whilst her patriots, states men, warriors, were seen in the back ground, flying in every direction, or holding up their supplicant hands, imploring mercy on the upp site side, stood conspcuaus and towering, the gris'y b 69 Gallic Chief trampling on the prostrate Geniu,, holding in the one hand a dagger, and in the other, the glass of her fate As I am, Sir ; " a plain unlettered man," have very little inta. gination, and less invention, as lam neither nervous; nor subject to panic, I have seen the armistice in a different light and form to what has been seen and represented in this country. The effect of habit are known ; its contagion is unavoidable; and I have strayed myself into the bewildering rant, I have been condemn. in; and laughing at. I will therefore come, without further de= lay, to the immediate subject of this letter. After the undisputed advantage which the enemy had oh tained in the Battle of Wagram, it was natural they should gist upon some stipulations favourable to themselves, if they agreed to a temporary cessation of arms. The vast superiority of their army, upon that occasion ; the cries of humanity ; .the privations and harrassed retreat of the Austrian troops; the se paration and absence of several corps ; the mysterious, vacillat ing conduct of Russia, prevailed upon the Archduke Charles to convent to some painful concessions. But the sacrifice was vastly outweighed by the advantages he foresaw would accrue from it. The Tyrol was previously abandoned. The brave and en• terprisingChastellar, after he had roused and organised these in. trepid mountaineers, hastened, with the troops under his cool mand, which were no longer necessary in the Tyrol,--where the natives were more than sufficient to moiatain their own lade. pendence,—in order to cover Hungary, or assist the operations of Count Guilay. That lam perfectly Tight in this opinion, the silence of the. French on the success of their operations, against that country, affords presumptive evidence. They, sire said to have detached a corps of 30,000 meg, iu order tg intimi date, or subjugate the natives; and their Bulletins do not advert to the seizure, or pacification of a single district. - The confla gration was too diffused, toe ardent, to be extinguished by assurances, 'or checked by. rumours. A numerous popu lation, worked up to the height of patriotism, confidence, and rcsi:itance, do not credit the assurances of a Government they ah. hor, and which they had defied and beaten. The stipulation which canceraed them, was rejected and disbelieved; and the protestations of the Bavarian Commissaries could not appease, or convince men, who had successfully renounced their allegiance to the Bavarian Government. This circumstance was foreseen, Tool anticipated, by the A ustrian,qoverument ; and the sacrifite %vas tantamount to nothing on their side; whilst the execution of it must considerably weaken the main army of the Frenchw They had ai)parently submitted before to the Duke of Dantzics and the moment he t u rned his back, they spread devastation and terror to the gates of Munich, Augsbarg, and Venice. These mountaineers are invincible;, their attachment to Austria is pro r verbial ; and they will adhere to hergavernment, with a stronger scrip than any other province in the Empire. The surrender of Gratz, in a military, or civil point of view, was not of mut h consevence ; and the marauding desultary warfare of t::e • na tives, in the rear of the French army, will force the enemy to maintain there a considerable force, in order to keep epee their commanicatious with Italy; whilst the Austrian force st hicii was kept there, can he more usefully employed in Hungary, .or in Bohemia. The possession of the Left Bank of the Dautibr rentlere4 the French masters of Presburg ; whebever they thought fit to occupy it. The oaly sacrifice, therefore, which the Austrians made, was that of Brunt) in Moravia. But what advantages have they acquired in return 2 Their armies are united; their objects of, deLuce beroine less complicated; the number of their troops has considerably increased ; their vigour. 4 xhaustcd by iucessaat fatigue, is restored; their courage and vat 7y.,,ta - toNAL REGISTER.