The National Register. — London, England, 1809-10-22 00:00:00

horrid apathy, over their fresh-raised grave. But are they really dead ? Is there no charge of precipitation in the ceremony of interment ? Shall we, with barbarous le vity, abandon as morally extinct, without an effort at re suscitation, a cause we revered and loved so ardently ? It would be an example of apathy, of which, Heaven be praised I our history presents but few. We have loved the cause, as we did Le independence of our own country. But our affections are not biassed by the whim of occur rences. What was dear in its propitious state, becomes douhly so, when it, has to contend with misfortune. The first efforts of the Spaniards, wheu patriotism ap peared to nerve every arm, opened such a vast train of eq.ering speculation, that it is impossible to turn, at pre sent, our eyes towards the Peninsula, without feeling. sea satioas similar to those will] which a suscept:hle mind is assailed, ai beholding the rapid decline of a beloved fe male! What has been, or what is the cause of this fatal consumption ? Is the evil to be traced to the bad stamina of the nation itself; or have the prescriptions of a Junta of ignorant quacks emasculated a body naturally sound ? The decision of this question must determine whether there be room for hope, or cause for despondency. If the people be, as we are strongly inclined to believe, still sound in the nobler parts; if their present debility be traced to the qu Ickery, ignorance, and presumption of the Junta, a re tnedv is still at hand; and, by the substitution of a more vigorous regimen, the choice of an abler government, the introduction of popular ideas and liberal policy, the Spa niards may still recover their vigour and independence. But if the present debilitating regulations be adhered to, or their spirit, under any form, either of Junta or Regency, preserved, it would be madness to expect any other result than tho extinction of Spanish freedom It is with the deepest concern that we have received an account et the most melancholy nature from Weymouth, relative to 4 late Illustrious Visitant at that place. Parliament is prorogued to the sth of December. Mr. Barker, Private Secretary to Mr. Adair, arrived nn Thursday cvening at the Foreign Office, in Downing-street, from Cen,lentinople. We understand that Mr. Baker is the hearee of the ratification of the treaty of peace lately concluded between Great Britain and Turkey. Mr. Baker beard on his journey, that Sir Ilarford Jones had signed a treaty of peace with Persia, and succeeded in obtaining the disiniss;on of the whole of the French Legation from that country. Our readers wil! gather, from the subjoined letter, writ ten by en Officer in our army in Spain, an accurate idea of the correctness with which Marshal Mortier has fulfil. led his engagement to Lord Wellington—of taking care of the British sick and wounded left behind at Talavera.— There is probably policy (and, if so, it is to us a dangerous police, as well as humanity in this. But what kind of management must that have been, which would have lett our brave men to perish upon the naked floors ead they not been relieved by their enemies ? The arrival of the French must have been, to the sufferers, a must desirable event. We inteeat the British Government, as soon as we have got one, to look at the danger resulting from oc currences of this nature, and the notions they will inspire and diffuse : TA LA V ERA LA EtrAL, SEPT. 19.—" I am not able to fur nish you with the least news from this quarter. not even our destination for to-morrow, thouzli I believe it is probable the army will remain here for some time longer ; and on our quit ting this ground, it seems quite uncertain, amongst the lower cir cles, w hether we are to retire, or advance. lam sorry to say. that fatigue and sickness have much diminished our force since the action of Talavera, and ;tin Old by the surgeon of a regiment, that many men iu t:it , hospital have die.l, and continue to die, merel‘.. from weakoeF , s owing to the fatigue they have amler aone• poor fellows are obliged to lie on the brick tlo:sc, (far I have nit Leen a Wt4Odell Ilaor since we have been in Spain), ' tv't how ;19N thine lrt: their regimental cloathing to cover thew, set t ....veil a bed or blanket. " It may not be uninteresting to you, if I give a trait of the humanity and management of the French on a similar occasion. When Marshal Monier moved down to Placentia with his corps, the Senior Surgeon of our Hospital (which was pretty conside rable there) went out to meet him, in hopes of making sume terms favourable to the sick. Marshal Monier agreed to all his requests; that the medical men should not be considered as prisoners; and then asking how many sentinels he required, or dered a competent guard, and on entering the town visited the hospital, and on seeing the men without beds, told them to sup ply themselves immediately from the natives, to the complement ofone bed for each man ; it was immediately done. tie next ordered his Commissary to issue a full ration of wine, bread, and meat, to our sick every day, which was accomplished with as little difficulty ; though before; the arrival of the French, they were on the brink of being starved." The following letter, after our disappointments in the North of Germany, will be read with a degree of interest proportioned to the mortification it produces : WESTpTIA Lie, SEPT. 26. You may form a tolerable idea of the'miserable slate of oppression the people of this kingdom groan under, by the subsequent anecdote : " Some time after the war against France broke out in Aus tria, the people of Hessia, and the officers and soldiers of the armies, indignant at the tyranny of the Government of Jerome, entered into a plot to overturn his throne. The officers were to wear a particular mark worked on the coat sleeve.— About two miles from Hesse Cassel stands a convent, for the re ception of ladies of high rank but of moderate circumstances.— One of the noviciates was in love with an officer who had join ed in the conspiracy, worked the badge of liberty upon his sleeve. The peasantry were armed with scythes and other de structive instruments, and the eve of the breaking out of the re volutiou bad approached within two days : A traitor to his country and his freedom disclosed the plot, and many of the offi cers concerned in it were seized and executed, among whom was the lover of the young lady. French cruelty did not end here. The beautiful girl herself was dragged forth and public ly decapitated. The Abbess of the convent and her nuns, who had furnished the conspirators with money, were thrown into the common bridewell of the city, and compelled to spin for a scanty subsistence." Among the Spanish heroines who have so much contri buted to the defence of the country, and the honour of their sex, Donna Susana Claretonna, wife of D. Fran cisco Felonch, merits a distinguished place. By her ser vices in • the companies of Somatenes, she, some time ago, acquired the rank of Sub-Lieutenant of Infantry. By certificates from the Justices of the town of Capellades and Pobla de Claramunt, and by information from the Com mander of the division in the Lllobregat, transmitted to the War-office by Lieutenant-General the Marquis of Coupigny, it appears, that Donna Susanna has served,with her husband, in the. Sematenes, from thc very commente , • went of the war. She has been present in a nuinber of actlons, and on one occasion being surrounded by the ene my's cuiramieurs, she fought her way through them, and after killing several of her opponents, rejoined her com pany. The reputation.of her valour procured her the ap pointment of a Commandant of Somatenes, in conjunction - ,v;th her husband. On the 14th of March last, she pre vented the enemy from entering the Capelboles, distin guishing herself by her steadiness, and the repeated IIIS• dlai*ge of her blunderbuss, which occasioned the disgraceful flight of the enemy, with the loss of several killed, wound ed, and prisoners. With the same intrepidity am! coolness, she continued to serve in several subsequent affairs, until that which occurred on the 21st of June, when she received a severe contusion, which has confined her to her bed. — His Majesty, attending to the distinguished merit of this pdriot, and the recommendation of the Marquis de Con pi!;ny, has been pleased. to grant to her said husband D. Francisco Felonch, the pay of a Sub-Lieutenant of Infan try ; and to order that these traits of valour and loyalty, of which the Spanish females have given so many exam ples at this epoch, should be published in the Government Gazette. Remittances in specie to a large amount have recently been made from Spain to this country. ...•momMlrnk THE NATION r ,22. is