The National Register. — London, England, 1808-10-16 00:00:00

POLITICAL DISQUNITIO,Nt . ' •• • •: : 6*; Nevi ' NUMBER FORTY-TWA., :ii • .0 • i HIE EXPOSITION OF BONAPARTr.'4' TREActitifir TOWARDS SPAIN.—BY DON ;EVALLOB / .. The history of nations is an nlmost.uhinterrriptifialmk five of crimes and weakness ; of insOlent . violatiqu of sci cis! and politicarl institutions on the part of the principal adorn and of tame submission on that of the many. Ift fettiailig the disgusting story, the philanthropist seldom finds an opportunity . of indulging in exultation and pleasure. •For the few pages which are consigned to record the beneficial effects of justice, freedom and public spirit, how many vo lumes are full of private wrongs and public calamity ; of vice triumphant and innocence oppressed I We go with horror and indignation through the long series of ages ;% and whatever favourable opinion we may have eutertainesl' before the perusal, we conclude with something like eon.' tempt for the human species itself. However disposed we' may be from nature or education to resist this inyoluntary sentiment, almost every line in Thucyclides, tsikcitns, Guie tiardine, De Thou, and others, is an huiniliatiag proof of the insufficiency of reason, and of the weakness, even atro city, of the human heart. Front motiveoiavourable to mankind, we attempt to persuade oursel ves,-tbat those phi- . , ~ ,; chic historians may have been biassed in tfielifitleirip . ,•• : 'or Una Iho mo'rfsters and calamities tAseilisexibe, : , ,,%c been engendered by a gloomy or misantheopical into. gination ; we ttre compelled, however roluctarttfy,.by the atrocities of our own time to renounce thk leisigiedelu sion. Whilst we execrated the tilutilphP or War and!the infuriated ambition of the Macedoeitut4 !whilatAspeshritik with horror from a belief in the exieletteelif mOtilitbks like Tiberius, _tlexander.oesixt.h . and C,h,stigg,of Denmark, we congratulated ourselves on the liberalaad hurnase spirit ()four Own age, which secured ells tigaiott 'similar ii'siia 7 hens. But this 'llli4t proP of our tottgiNig faith is tom frun us ;• and our vaituted philosopfklcaktgentory fist en foodered a ruffian, who unites with iehit ttoklattettyo . lk; 7 I 3 t on. re m o rvelesc eVitept : itliiaNi ,Il l :tifilt.VO i i , 9 4 -. W 4 ? ... t vetnahle amhititcti i ,.ol Oki, . rthfrif 114 InCillitmera :.1 a-Ping' pocket, and theutionitiroofea,uhiseiter;;s , NVtitiever heettie iint,eling• levity to deny the triftlreft'ttiis'ileqi i t . etBtisfr ahct • !, . . • • . t urn ,• • ii i • haling read the exposition of, N.,evAkil'os,, des; ,rjes to lie watched with a jookkaf and attentive leys,lely thelioverif- Inca under which he !ivy,. Tlwre it ;WMit'uei•fPflige for sopjlistry, i prollir,,lF:Cli'(!trp4'soii; sliddq:fliey dare come forvard. in,difence pr. eldeanation of Ake pertiLli oas riiffian. Thi; oofeelittlc *retch belongs toe() eotAittly, '4lO scO ? 'no , society.. Ilitrniint maillst the,lippiiipqs,ifid fiaii9Lkiliay of 211 4/Ce u iticfpfies,iiiN 'i0.1 j ,',a,4,ep1eF,4 4 vetifoslereq of: virtte, innoseace and taleuls, agaiu.stithlifeartrmnii irofesse; tliWtrlitieesti444;Nt '''l4 'i he: tfrfii t•ddliii: iiit4 lritctiii4o4l, l • • .....) ~• . , - , .. r 1 .r . • ' ll ' ' - 4.1_ _ 7 lh a . 1.6 7 I , . li . ..) i 94 1 4 Ik e _4. 14A . . 1U C 4 A4 ' 1 4 00 1 P n it ti " .t .1 . is4 o . , tairmspocysigaiwa stryelf..itseid;bliiierts trampelled ottileuddiesutsulled publ:c atiti p...\-...tc lav, to \i. I/ 1 t..i.rio. L. :,.: :. t .... iTLZOITi.Z afIT P t .a .3 • • ..„ 1 .,A, .4: liii.ll.l) 1.. k' •' " .4)111 irVOW 4 • ,in " ""' lo —P . Iv 144!)etti b43Lb I,l '' • " ~ t iptttittirti Ititi'ttgAft)outti . „if brit 9 l , t **filer • • - Ir3e4t s. r nfirii , w , . - 4 - Tll - 741 urriC3 - Fri 777 retsW on vl • 7 Si 4 Li . . ; ! Or &luau, t • .r.., b •cus VAN IVt 1 18()S.''""‘ Sil 5 .10C • •.. •• •Of 11+,1 9%t ,„ t • 7 1/ - 5 - -no m _t . should not be:evasidered as-sr.istiftaker in their , befieflfs, and .every one has an undeninble. riki.-ht to get 'rid, by ish:.t means lie can, of the common enemy of all. This dkietiii s e may appear pernicious and Unmoral ; but the persons, irt,O will consider it as , stich, have no yearnings fottlincorphrins and widows, for the parents and husbands, veltdrsiow be .wail in every province of Spain and Portugal,' thn injuries or dishonour they have sustained. The huinttnity and justice of those individuals are of a doubtful kind'; but had they, in common with the myriads of victims 4st Switzer land, atid+tierniany,sufkreil. titrooKh the restlessness of one solitary person, the loss of their property, honour and hap piness, they would nut be so over scrupulous in their means .of preservation and defence. At the distance *Nick Pro .vielence has kindly placed us from the malignant ftilklence of the uarelentiog monster, we can fortunately' indtkoe in speenlations on justifiable, honourable enmity r •stfiligive a latitude WI the generosity of nur.sentiments thin; 'had , we witnessed the murder of the • Inniabie au s& essirgAttS4tql Palm, and the subsequent seizure of the efteuts,af liewidort and six children, to defray the expellee • of. titeLtriat and execution; had we been present at the plunder athe 'lucent and tinollending inhabitants of Lubeck, ....visa . , :kit thsee days and three nights, lead been abandoned to Lim violence, rapacity and lust of a drupker, ficentions,•anisaid soldiery 4 or, had we. been spectators. of die unheard Of Se: jnries offered lo ,the citizeus of Cordoes4, - .ltilbustiandlsOlbei 'gaols in Spain; or, had our own InisraVibeao ..reiroasa to th4_derastatioo aed brutality of these hordes; or r had our own wives and our own danAtters .heen - treated litOthose of .the Swiss, the /ierinans and the..Spaniairds; vor ghoul/ 44 be .re,volted nt any- nseamP.of - vengeance, White our courage, or the souserof our.oaßcessive injuries, we'd& prescribe. . •1 ev-.1 1 4' Worm try t4c;estoikt .., , It is after-hawing read the - simple :and heart•idndlag narrative AoCtive hoitestand, Melo rions. Spaniard, that , sae know. lo aPPrecialcAto sontiuvents of those nsen„isbulitti- , pose a cosoprsrsulselrbetsteen our tiovernrucant and 'the mean,. tr f sozherou t t o tquiltscating rudiati,,didits . cried iu this exposition. it r . 7,:nittilVti tt . lo Nothing. can be moire-dantercitie to the rolmists of the community than faise.priaciples of - justice and humanity. They at;; fahrovilp ) lllny propose only a Vetoltentary ad. ' vantage ; and afterwards tend to aug.nient the embarrass. ments they wish to osniate. Governrnent44 oh-slidt.tscca sioliN, display the same want •of foresight and prudence, ivhich we reyrohate ill the conduct of private Inca : to get rid, rotra: shoritiine, of the present evil, they submit to a ruinous txtgavinent which, after a lapse of two or three years, accituitilatesthe difficulties and dangers then endeavoured to escape. Such would have been . the, mill aVoidable cOusequenees• to' this etauntry, isad . the crude 5 ute s tions.of,Whithread4;4toscor,; and others, been tidoptelft Weiknowvllow) sepereitritte • it pre4ent to point out tgefalla , 4'ind dangei:Orstick then:kn. ! The ruffian they • • Fished us to conciliate,:mr, 'wore:properly speaking, to stibluit to, has proved by hid amnions pettily to. Spaini, the soundness of their political doctrines, and the siteut of 1 '"N Fl :~.