The National Register. — London, England, 1811-05-05 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTER. Our fitng, eronkttttuttan, anb 11,atn'. N°. 17.5. SUNDAY, MAY 5,1811. PR rcE 9d POLITICAL DISQUISITION. - eady done so much to forget, or conceal their No. 162. ON THE PROBABILITY OF A WAR BETWEEN RUSSIA AND FRANCE. The general cry now is, that MAssr,NA having been driven Out of Portugal, a war between France and Russia must unavoidably ensue. The general hope, as expressed through the medium of the press, is, that such a war may be on the eve of commenc• ing, and that the military movements observable in the North of Europe, may be its certain forerunner. On the necessity of a renewed contest between these two Powers, if the one wished to secure its extensive conquests, and the other to preserve the remnants of its national independence, we have long since expre.:sed our opinion. We have often been found sanguine, but seldom wrong in our expectations. We still preserve our sentiments unchanged on the ii ;:voidable necessity of a vi ar between NAPOLEON and ALEXANDER, but we think its period is now, or at least ought to be, rmoved to a greater distance of time than when we first treated on this important subject. The favourable hour is passed, when hos tilities might have been opened on the part of Rus sia with an encouraging prospect of success. The alliance of the Houses of Austria and France was at first most unnatural, being produced by force on the one side, and dread on the other. It might .• • `reasonably have been expected that, compelled to resign his daughter to the embraces of his Con queror, the Emperor FLANCIS could not he sin cerely attached to his interests, and' would, there fore, not heartily oppose any effort N•vhictr Russia might make to restore the balance of European power. The case, however, is now widely diffe rent. The birth of the young NAPOI,ON has not only drawn closer the ties of blood which united the two Imperial Houses, but subdued, or rather .gra tiCed, the p-ide of the Austrian Monarch, who now deems his situation as grand-fathtr to the future Sovereign of France conducive to the honour and interest of his family. To the honour, because among Continental Princes, ambition, instead of justice, has always formed a leading principle of thought and action ; and when NAPOLEON himself shall be laid in the dust, the means which he has employed to reach his present elevation will cease to be remembered by his crowned vassals ; who have vol. /V. CL.X.XV, knowledge of them. To the interest, became the ascendancy which the Archduchess of AUSTRIA had gained over the mind of her Consort, in creased by the birth of her son, is now almost unbounded, and . has revived that female influ. ence, through which the Members of the House of Hapsburg. have always endeavoured to govern the world. Devoted to the interests of her family, she is become the palladium of her father and his empire. Should death soon snatch the Imperial Crown from Nitro', EON, she would remain sole Re gent of France, and therelore all powerful to serve her country ; and not only during the period of her government, but in future years, by early impre s sing her own national feelings on the mind of her sor. Should, - on the contrary, NAPOLEON live to direCt the education of his, successor, stillohis near affinity to the Austrian House would be a pledge of the sup port which it might expect from hint on his acces sion to the Throne. Defeated in all his attempts to regain his cot flier greatness and extent of territory by the sword, FRANCIS has now resorted to a line of policy far more effective than war, and through which he has already contrived to impose fetttrs on the will and plans of his conqueror. He deems it now his interest to uphold the vast fabric of the French empire : and when interest pleads, justice may thunder forth its claims, but in vain. From him, it is therefore clear that Russia can now expect no assistance, open or secret, but a decided and powerful opposition. But it will be said, if FRAN cis 11. be resolved to support his son-in-law through every continental war, what use can there he in de laying a contest which must unavoidably take place, and at any time be waged with the united forces of Austria and France. The propriety of delay depends on other considerations. Had Russia declared hers,:lf towards the close of last summer,- when, as we have already seen, the interests and views of the French and Austrian Emmons were less intimately connected together; when, in order to put at once an end to the cam paign in the Peninsula, NAPOIXON had sent an int• mense force into Portugal ; scattered numerous bodies of troops in every quarter of Spain ; and thus weakened, not only his army in the North, but the strength of his fortresses, as the heavy artillery em ployed in the siege of Ciudad Rodrigo was brojight from Magdeburg, the chance of success would have ; < • ' • ••••• • • • t 4 L /P N lll'll • ti 4111 fr • . • . . 1 111 t: •