The National Register. — London, England, 1812-01-05 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTER, anti ~ ave the eagles ;—considering, likewise, that the light cavalry had not established a guard to discover the defile by which the enemy retie tra!ed, I have thought that, waiting further instructions for your Excel )ency,. to confine myself to depriving him of hisamuniand, and sending him to Cordonne, where he will remain unemployed till a tieNii dispo sition. " I have directed the General of Division Barrois to join the 7th corps and reulace General Count D'Erlon proposed to me to reduce to two battalions the 34th and 40th regiments of the line. measure appears to me useful for the good of the service, in consideration of the actual force of thole two regiments. lam going to order it, and will send the result to your Excellency. • - << I have received a letter from General Phillippon; Governor of Badjoa, dated Ist October, giving me a satisfactory account of hls si tia .00. '• A considerable convoy which I bent from Seville has arrived at fladajoa. I am, &c. (Signed) Mar:halDuke of DALMATIA." • REPORT FROM GENERAL COUNT D'EItLON TO THE MARSHAL . ..Y . 4AN, regarded its principles, was founded on pretensions that went to the subversion of our national independence, and which, although now abandoned by one power, is, in its broad and destructive operation, as still enforced by the other, sapping the foundation of our prosperity. It is more than five years since England and France, in violation of those principles of justice and public law, held sacred by all civilized nations, commenced this unprece dented • system, by seizing the property of the citizens of the United States peaceably pursuing their lawful com merce on the high seas. To shield themselves from the odium which such outrage must incur, each of the bellige rents sought a pretext in the conduct of the other - --each attempting to justify his system of rapine as a retaliation fur similar acts on the part of his enemy, as if the law of nations, founded on the eternal rules of justice . , could sanc tion a principle, which, if engrafted into our municipal code, would excuse the 'crime of one robber, upon the sole plea, that the unfortunate object of his rapacity was also a victim to the injustice of another. The fact of priority could be true as to one only of the parties ; and whether true or false, could furnish no ground of justification. The United States thus unexpectedly and violently as sailed by the two greatest Powers in Europe. withdreW their citizens and property from the ocean, and cherishing the blessings of peace, although the occasion would have fully justified war, sought redress in an appeal to the justice and . magnanimity of tiae belligerents. When this appeal had failed of the success which was due to its moderationother measures, founded on the same pacific policy, but apply ing to the interests, instead of the justice, of the bellige rents, were resorted to. Such war t the character of the Non-Intercourse and Nort.lmportation Laws, which invit -ed the return of both Powers to their former state of ami cable relations, .by offering commercial advantages to the one who should first revoke his hostile edicts, acid imposing restrictions on the other. . France, at length, availing herself of the proffers made equally to her and her enemy,by the Non--Importation Law of Kay, 1810 ) announced the repeal on the first of the fol lowing November, of the Decrees of Berlin and Milan ; and it affords a subject of sincere congratulation to be in formed, through the official organs of the GoverMment, that those Decrees are, so far as at least our rights are con cerned, really and practically at an end. It was c(infidently expected that this act on the part of France, would Itav been immediately followed by a revo cation on the part of Great Britain of her Orders in Coun cil, ir our reliance on her justice had been impaired by the 1 wrongs she had inflicted ; yet svhen she had plighted her 1 faith to the world that the sole motive of her aggression on neutral commerce was to be found in the Berlin and Milan Decrees, we looked forward to the extinction of those De- cress, as the period when the freedom of the seas would be again restored. In this reasonable expectation we have, Iwwever, been disappointed: A year has elapsed since the French Decrees were rescinded, and yet Great Britain, instead of retract ing pari passu that course of unjustifiable attack on neutral rights, in which she professed to be only the reluctant 1 . 01- lowc:r of France, has advanced with bolder and continu ally increasing strides. To the categorical demands lately made by our Government for the repeal of her Orders in Council, she has affected to deny the practical extinction of the French Decrees ' • and she has, mereover, advanced a new and .unexpected demand, increasing in hostility the Orders themselves. She has insisted, through heraccre. dited Minister at this place, that the repeal of the Ordere DUKE OF DALMATIA. " I yesterday received Girard's report—l send the original to your Excellency by an Aide•de-Camp of that General Officer, in cider that you may question hint upon what happened. There was throti#icit a reprehensible security; but the honour of the, French arms has been save..l by the firmness and valour tlf the Generals Girard and Dem brouski ; and this affair, which might have been attended with-fatal, even dishonourable consequences, ought now to be ranked in the num ber of those which are not infrequent in war. General Girard has brought back with him 800 men • be tad 1300. " I bare drawn from iladaios the battalion of the 40th. This batta lion will join its regiment, and be replaced by one of. the 88th. I will form the nth and 34th in two battalions, in order to gtve these two regimvuts the organization, which belongs to their actual situation, and the number of Officers which remain. " liiad:quarteis, Alinendralejo, 4th Nov. 1811." LETTER FROM GENERAL GIRARD TO THE DUKE OF DALMATIA. 66 MARSHAL—The Count D'l.:.rlon directed my Aide-de-Camp to days? to your Excellency the report of the battle of Arroyo Molinos. " YourEccollency will see that I was in march, that I could have retired and avoided fighting with my rear-guard. but the cavalry had compromised themselves, and.it would not have been requisite to have abal.doned them. " The enemy was numerous. I considered but the honour of the arms of his Niajesty, the duty of a devoted soldier. I marched upJit the Enzlish, and, by drawing upon myself all the forces of the enemy, disengaged the light cavalry. 66 We have suffered sensible losses, but disengaged ourselves with honour • ruin the most difficult position. Three times surrounded, three Mmes we opened ourselves a passage with the bayonet. '" Marshal—l shall be in despair, if the result of this unfortunate affair should'make the forfeit the confidence of Lis Majesty—l merit it by the sentiments which directed me-p-by those which animate me. (Signed) " CIRARD." AMERICA. - NEW YORK, Dr.c. 4.. • THE COMMITTEE TO WHOM WAS REFERRED THAT PART OF THE PRFSIDENT'S MESSAGE, WHICH RELATES TO OUR FO- • REIGN:AErAnis, BEG LEAVE TO REPORT IN PABT— . . That they have endeavoured to give to the subject sub mitted to thejn, that full and -dispassionate consideration .which is dtte to one so intimately connected with the inter jest, the . peace, the safety, and the honour of their country. Your Committee will . not encumber your journals and waste your patience with a detailed history of all the va tious matters growing out of our foreign relations. The cold recital of wrongs, of injuries, and aggressions, known and fel! by every Member of 'this Union, could have no other effect than to deaden the national sensibility, and ren der the public mind callous to injuries with which it is al 'ready too Without recurring! then to the multiplied wrongs of par tial or temporary operation, of which we have so just cause of complaint against the two great belligerents, your. Com mittee will only call your attention, at this time, to the systematic aggression of those Powers, authorised by their edicts, against neutral commerce; a system which, as Pl"' J_l =NIB MI C( pr It