The National Register. — London, England, 1814-11-06 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL EGISTER. Pr I ; f .~',~ Cur Ming, Con.stitution, anD tataw. PUBLISHED AT NO. 11, NEWCASTLE-STREET) STRAND. SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 1514.! PRICE 9d• N°. 353. POLITICAL DIS2UISITION. THE CESSION OF FLANDERS TO HOLLAND. There now appear to be many reasons for believing that the assembly of Sovereigns atVienna will break up without hay— ing achieved any useful purpose. Hence, it cannot be either an vninstructive or a useless- task to attempt to trace the causes of its failure. Perhaps there may be some persons who will say, that regarding it in the same light as they did the ordi rory political events of the day, they never expected any other result. Those are sage politicians and accurate ob servers. But, there is another class of persons, who imagined that because the Allies had reached Paris, that France was completely hors de conk:l. These people trusting to the representations of the violent party papers, really believed that country to be in a complete state of exhaustion, and, that she would not be able for many years to re-occupy her place on the political theatre of Europe. We must all recollect the nonsense issuing from that diurnal volcano of abuse, intemperance, and party spiri • the Times, previous to the peace at Paris; en passant, it is impossible not to recollect the abuse of the Bourbons by their fainous letter-writer Vetus. On the 27th January, 18 14, in a paper headed, " the means taken by the Bourbons for recovering the throne of their ancestors," they professed to demonstrate three grand uths. The first was, that Buonaparie had no efficient means of defence or resource ; that he was abhorred and had no par tizans, but such as beheld their own personal ruin in his fate'. The second grand truth was, that even weak as he was, the means employed against him were inappropriate. The absence of the Bourbons arrested the progress of the Allies. In their name " there was a tower of strength." "There was a just inquietude in the minds of the people on the subject of the march of foreign troops among them without a Bour bon, without Louis the longed fur, at their head. The white cockade once hoisted, it was to be the signal for its uniform adoption." Its adoption was uniform among the old ladies, and the young children, and our sapient demonstrator of grand truths must allow the exception (it is an unimportant one) of the male part of the population of France. The third grand truth was, that the Princes were ready 44 toy to the succour of Franey." This grand.truth was sup , potted by the important fact, that the Duke de Berri was in ouch a hurry " to fly to the succour of France" that he tra velled to the coast in a stage coach ; but, the ground was so slippery that he was twice overturned. And, so sanguine , was the classical writer of the Tithes, as to the eventual result of his three grand truths, and the efforts of the Mouse of Bourbon, aided by the Duke de Beal iu the stage coachilhat b . Vol. vu. Ar e ,c;ccauxnr, 41 4 A---rtra it was from him that " they expected the most interesting " and the quickest news." The moment "so much de " sired had an ived. The wisdom, prudence, and discretion characterizing the pollen of Louis the Eighteenth must cause 44 a general explosion in France ;" if it had been retarded .by " political difficulties, the course of triumph will only Le the " more rapid, and Re most astonishing events say be " predicted. We think that at this moment, we confer no small share of favour on that polite and accomplished print, in thus calling to the recollection of our Readers, its admirable and .mathematically correct prophecies. It serves also to evince how extensive and accurate were its sources of infor mation as to the state of public opinion in France. If such is the nature, such the character of the channels through which information is conveyed to the people of Great Britain, ought that profound ignorance of foreign af fairs, that total forgetfulness of the actual state of things, of those changes effected in the minds of men by the French Revolution, to . be a matter of surprise ? Are our mercantile misfortunes to excite astonishment, if our spe culations are founded on information from sources like these, sources alike able and wiling to deceive, for purposes of the most degrading nature—the rousing the feelings of the mul titude, and giving vent to those malignant passions which constantly rage in their own breasts ? To this ,cause may be attributed all our failures in negoel ation ; for the Statesman in his closet appears to be as liable to the impulse, as the coal-heaver in the pot•house. Thus, as Lord Bolingbroke observes, what we gain in war, we lose in negociation. We fight, it should seem, for fighting sake, as has been most admirably exemplified in Spain and Portu gal. What earthly benefit has been derived from the mil lions of money spent, and the thousands of lives sacrificed in those countri'es.. At Lisbon, or at Madrid, the French would now be hailed as deliverers ; and, •it is a fact of no small importance, that the French government is so much impressed with the idea of its interference being called for, that the O'Firrels, the Urquijo's, &c. are at this moment at Paris and allowed pay. What their conduct was to a British army we must all recollect; and the recollection is painful. All this is to be ascribed, either to our ignorance of the character and institutions of the countries that we have been so busy in delivering for the past five years ; or, from a bi gotted attachment to old and injurious establishments. We go to Portugal—will you buy our cottons ? To Spain, will you give us leave to trade to your American settlements ? Have you an Inquisition ? Does oppression stare you in the streets ? Does the country abound in hateful monopolies ? Give us but permission to tra'Je, and all these abuses shalt cei, for the people We do not care. /11., • \ f