The National Register. — London, England, 1815-01-22 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL 'REGISTER. tionized in seven .different sections, when 7,000 men cannot j be shipped off to one point? And what can be expected of men, who desert before they are embarked ? If this expe dition fails, can Spain send out another ? On what a ticklish footing, then, does not her empire stand in the western hemisphere, since now it i 3 evident that sbe has to recommence the work of conquest ? Spain no longer possesses those bold adventurers who discovered, and thos'e intrepid but cruel conquerors who subdued, the great Continent oC the West. Tie-se she now sends forth to combat th t energies of an aggt levet' people, are themselves disgusted with the cause they are compelled to sustain, and, in all probability, will be the first to abandon their leaders Eager to acquire, and anxious to enjoy, the old conquerors of the new world braved every danger and endured every hardship of war and climate, but the present ones consider they are sent out as in a state of banishment, and as instru ments destined to lay the basis of tyranny abroad, which they deplore has fallen to their own lot at home. If con quest, then, is to be the means by which Spain is to regain her Ultramarine Provinces, her exertions must be on a more extended and solid scale But it is to be feared that her re maining power and energies thus carried out from their cen tre by the impulse of. an extravagant ambition directed against distant objects, will sap the foundation of that real power she might otherwise have created, by atientfing to re form within herself, and seeking substantial greatness by the increase of popula inn, agriculture, and national industry. Actuated by a spirit of rapaciousness, destroying every thing itself cannot obtain, she seems to have spurned at every means of conciliation on a liberal plan. and chains and unconditional submission, seem all she has attempted to otter to men who have been enslaved for 300 years, and subject to every oppres , ive and degrading act. Let the result of the Cadiz Expedition against Spanish America he what it will, it is generally believed to be des- tined again s t Buent.s Apes, and its extreme amount cannot exceed 7,000 men. Dv the fall of Montevideo, Buenos Ayres is plated in a situation different to that gcncrallv be lieved. as will be seen by the following results, founde d . on official reports received by the last arrivals. The strength of Montevideo is well known to us, since our unfortunate attempts on the two shores of La Plata. It had iesisted a long blockade and partial siege, and still, after the total destruction of its naval forces, by the Buenos Ayres armament, under Commodore Brown (14th and 17th May), hopes were entertained from the expected airival of succours, and sorr►c dissentions which had broke out among the besieging party. Pressed, however, by land and sea, the Spanish General Vigodet offered terms of capitulation, and, indeed, our own public papers reported that this had been carried into effect. General Albear, however, discovered that the object of his enemy was only to gain time ) and re solved to take the place by main force, and by an extraordi nary and almost desperate effort, that certainly may bear a parallel with the repulse of the British from Buenos Ayres, Ire, in four days, became master of the city, citadel, and all its dependencies, sword in hand. By tl►e fall of Montevideo, wHch certainly has put a seal to the fate of Spain in that section of Spanish America, Buenos Ayres becomes possessed of 5,700 prisoners, forming the garrison, of whom 390 are officers ; 390 pieces of artil• lery of all kinds; 11,700 muskets, 99 vesse!s of war, and mer chantn►en of all kinds, and eight colours belonging to the following regiments of the line, viz. Lorca, America, Provin -4 Albuera, and Madrid. By this means, the chief fortress JAN . eg. of the whole vice-royalty is obtained, besides a great :weal sion of strength by the armament captured, and the union of most of the prisoners to the patriotic cause. Dissentions have also ceased. Artigas has joined his comradeS, and confi dence is every where restored by so brilliant an achieve ment. What then has Spain to expect from the exertions. of 7"0 men, where 5,700 could not retain the walls of Montevideo ? The destruction of the Cortes and of the Constitution has for the patriots also operated as another victory, so that it may be fairly anticipated what kind of a reception will be given to the armament, when it arrives, particularly since the patriots are convinced, that fi.om the divided and exhausted state of Spain, this is the last thun derbolt she can hurl against them, and all with one voice cry out, one exertion more, and the palm is secure. COURT MARTIAL ON LIEUTENANT-GENERAL SIR JOHN MURRAY, BART. The Court-Martial appointed fur the trial of Sir J. Murray as sembled lin Monday, at Winchester. The Court is conspobed as follows :-- Sir ALURED CLARKE, PrePlilent. Earl of Ludlow, Hon. Sir Edw. Paget Lord Charles Fitzroy Hon. H. 0. Gray Sir George Beckwith Sir Brent Sprucci- Generill Harris Sir Samuel Auclimuty General N aeon, Lieut.-Gen. Champagne Sir Charles Green Lieut.-Gen. Montresur Hon. Wm. Lumley Lieut.-Gen. Ackland, And others. The Members having been sworn, and the charges, Mice in num ber, read, the Deputy Judge Advocate, Mr. tArpent, adressed the Court at great length ; Sir J. Murray having pleaded Not tinilty to all the charges. Mr. L. began by observing. that the first point to which he had to draw their attention was the length of time that had elapsed since the events had taken place that gave rise to the present charges. It was necessary for him, therefore, to enter into a brief narrative of . the eircumst , ...nceso which had made the delay ,unavoidable. In the Id week of Jnly, 1813. his Majesty's Mitlistei, first became officially acquainted with the event, The Duke of Wellington had teceired the information some time previously, as well from Capt. Carron, as from the reports of Sir J. Alnrray him self, and of Admiral Hallowell. The first step taken by his Lord ship was, to call on the General for a full explanation of his c , mduct and operations. Admiral H. had in the mean time forwarded his statement, and the nature of his representations was such as to ren der it impassible that further enquiry should not take place ; and Lord Bathurst immediately directed that a Count Martial should be assembled in Spain with all practicable dispatch ; but from a want of British Of fi cers in the fi rst instance to constitute a Gant-Mae. tial ; next the difficulty of procuring the evidence of Spanish Of ficers; and then the reluctance ultimately entertained by General Cote and others, to try au Officer senior to them-elves, st lien re quired so to do in Match, 1814, by Lord Wellington, it was at length determined to decide the business in England. He should HOW proceed to describe the position of the army under the c o o t . mind of 'lir John at the period alluded to in ;he first charge; what the intentions of Lord Wellington bad been ; and what were the proceedings of Sir John tinder these instructions. He should sub mit, in the first place, Sir John's own account of the operations re. ferred to in the-hrst and second charges. The third charge was in the hands of Admiral Hallowell, and was founded on that Officer's report to Sir E Pellcw. This report he conceived it necessary should be read at the onset. It was dated on board the ship Malta, anti " represented that he had been directed to embark the whole army from before Tarragona, and was sorry to say it had heel' done with great precipitation, leaving behind them It pieces oforilnanee, which had been spiked, and their carriages burned. That he had offered -to secure th em the course of the night, alai that the horsesand baggage were removed the next morning without moles tation Tfat the garrison consisted of about 1,011/0 men, and the French army advancing from Barcelona, as lie understood, of 5,000, with two iield-pieces, two heavy guns, and two howitzers. - That he ascribed the orders-tor immediate embarkation to the iutlccision Ihk,