The National Register. — London, England, 1808-12-11 00:00:00

194 referring to the former communications of the goveinment of the l'huttleries on similar subjects, has been synonimous litut4l insolence, perfidious hypocrisy, and extrovn gant exaggeration. On perusing these Bulletins, our read crs well perceive they have lost none of these characteristic marks ; they are, on the contrary, more prominent than ever, blended with a base mixture of irreligion, contempt ut social obligations, acrimonious irritation, and savors Ili attic result of this unprovoked aggression. In reading the isulle,tins, we arc at a loss, through the frippery anew , titles, to discover thenaines of the principle actors. There is nut a horde, or a subdivision of one that is not con ducted by sonic mushroom Duke or Count of the new Em pile. In mania; over these titles, our imagination hurries sis hack through a series of ages, and fixes us in that dreadful period of history, when ATTILA, at the head of a bionled oarbarous tribes, which emigrated in search of plunder from the immense forests of Germany, Poland, Russia and Tartary, overturned the remains of Roman legislation and policy, and distributed the titles possessions, and persons, of the long-established and civilised settlers, among his barbarous followers. Ile rushed, with the de vastation of the whirlwind, over the fairest provinces of Lurope; and the modern ATT/LA I more savage, more unre lenting, and inure rapacious, has joined to the vices of the barbarian, all the refinement of modern villainy. Bow often did our imagination start back with horror - from the picture which historians left us of that direful period ; and we arc condemned, in an age which Idauutcd its philanthro pic institutions, to see all its horrors and atrocities acted o - eraain. The same oppn .sign of innocence, the same -violation of property, the same insults offered to conjugal and virginal purity, tlyi same moral confusion, and the subs.itution of force and violence for the mild re strictions ut lab:s and morals. This is only a faint and ill s'ketcc,cd picture of the deplorable consequences that will ensue, slineid ilosArAitTE sucveed in his system of plunder. But what other comin—iities have suffered, or may still sustain, is no more than pare'-tal chastisement, com pared with the outrages the vindictive bosom of that c•ilious monster has in reserve for this country. 't'ue st.cond Bulletin is perfectly in the strain of the first. The rul:Lio indulges in a little pleasantry in this report, acid azl,..opis Lo animate the sombre tints of bs horrid pie te-e. b .) so sportive allusions to what was found in the the !iipansh Officers his ambition had murdered. -I..!;irated ancient, in observing the progress of a dis tinguished adversary, exclaimed, " The wonderful man !" NV e ttos i,iaividual indulging in sarcasm and plea over the mutilated remains of his murdered victims, w, in attempting to find an epithet to mark his cat; , l • iininfec:.:ice. the third and fourth Bulletins, whidi are likewise Burgos, and describe the occurrence.: down to sur v a,,s any thing we have ever read from the ii,iarlers of lioNAr.t wrr, for impiety, want of moral feeii• n 4 Atia h1)111 , 11;ity, or f..r perversion of social obliga tions. But we are disgusted at making the nauseous reca• pitnliumii; and %vitt notice only that part of the fourth, which :Lis rei . crence to our own army. It says: " The day " s e fail in with them will be a day of festivity to the " leeneh army. May they moisten with their blood " that continent which they have desolated by their in -' tr: ; _fue, Melr pnonopoly and their selfishness." The ruffian ! •.v!;,, is de.i.,!.iting Spain in this moment ; and covering it the carcasses of its inhabitants ?—tie then proceeds : ,log they, instead of 20,000, be 80, or 100,000 strong," &r. Would to Heaven they were ! The Russian and French Aleisengers, who arrived in tov.::: on Tuesday la a, returned to France on Friday ; but he ob ject which BOVA PARTE has in view, whatever mad he the intentions of the l'lmaictioa of 1 1 tissiA, in keep ing iip this farce of negotiation, is unques tionably the in ttesr_t of giving the oypuaeuts of Ministers some DEC. D. new weapons fora parliamentary attack at the approach idg :.esssion. This may induce the wary intriguing 't} rant to assume a tone of moderation in his overtures; but his. inveterate iinstility to this Country and its conunercial prosperity, is too well known for such arts to excitt• any persuasion of Li; s..,icerity. It is superfluous to add any thing' further on •;::fijett, for the lowest, as %el as the highest individual ih country, must now Inc tonvinc e d that no concessions vi 4 , • appease his animus:ly ; anti it ,would be madness to to sincere reconciliation on his part. A. mail arrived yesterday I.l.,rning from Gottenburgh. We' received by this convey a report of Gm.sill KLEns Est to the King of SWEDEN, detailing several actions in Finland. We are sorry to add, that the Sirecies, on account of the superiority of the enemy in paint of number, and from want of forage, 'together with the. inclemency of the sea,-,a, have b2ea obliged to fall back eonsidet ably. Whai, object A LE% AN R. can propwie to hiinsi in the continua! ion of this nefarious and impo litic aggression, we ar• at a loss to discover. Wuilst France is hastening with gigantic strides to universa: moans:le, this weak Sovereign is wasting his force and hai :•epufation, in squabbling with his brother in law, about the possession of Finland. THE NATIONAL REGIfiTERg ••-weili... - We turn away, from the disastrous reports of the da‘,, and from the more disastrous projects said .o be coni!•i!- plation, to record an act which is truly British, ten! all'ord.. the most cheering contrast to the contracted and policy we attempted to discountenance in the preceding ob servations. It is superiluous to inform our iteatters, that we advert to the meeting held on Friday last at the London Taven, in Bishopsgate-street. '['hr °kick!) of thts meeting, and the enlightened patriotism which surt.;ested it. will, we trust, save the British public, in the estimation a; the present generation, and in the judgment of posti•rit, from an imputation of indiCreret cc, or want of ze:ti in sup port of the last ef f orts for expiring frectloni. will soon he enabled to judge if the measel.:s of o‘cril ment were proportionate to the ardour as.d gennresity played by the great body or the people in this great add necessary conflict. Heartfelt thanks, how ever, to the pl.- triotic individuals who gave this necessary examplc. in a crisis when only the display of great virtues oilers a pro spect of salvation. When no traces of the calamity t.f our time remain, when the rumours and pusiilan— ''y of modern Statesmen are consigned to oblivion, or, if o• corded, stamped with abhorrence, the wetingo.i Frid ly last will receive a due tribute of praise,. and se. ve to prove, that even in our age public virtues were not wanther. The future historian will be at a loss to account for the di.astcrs and disgraces of the pre day, when he finds so many marks ol zeal, patriotism, a . nd disinteresicdoess privato individuals, and will be embarrasseii to reconcile the devo tion of individuals with the weakness and apathy of;overn ,•ments. This contrast will appear to hira the most sttlting apparition in our days; and 11:• will not conceive how public measures CflU 7 d he stamped ni:11 1 . '1! ) , remissness, aud want of systenl, - the mass of the peop!e were so willintz and ardent in supporting a more vitorons mode of conduct. Whatever fate may stilt awit us—whatever is the ultimate issue of the alarming occurrences of our time, the generosi• ty manifested by priv:ite individuals on Friday ast, leaves neither excuse nor exteu . ,:ation to those to whom the for tunes of the country are rastedi should their 7Cal and efforts be not proportionate t- the alarming crisis we are placed in. If any pusillanunoui pol;cv was in agitati";, l ie a momentary thought w:is harhoured of relaxing h vigorous measures adopted fur the a ssistance of the Spaniards, we hope this Meetiog will convince M i•tister4 that the sentiments of the nation did not justify a derilietion of a vigorous as well as honourable or an abandonment of the obliotions we had contracte MEM