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

TOE NATT6NAt.nEGfstitit. horses to be put to their carriages and their Generals to head their troops The season for political movement has passed— that for military action is approaching. Letter.. from Russia assure us, that the measures which are pm ±tang in all the depautmenis of Government there, leave little doubt that the flames of war will be speedily re tindh:d. The large purchases which have been made of '.n(! silver coin for the use of the State, and which have raised specie- In per cent., could only be required, it was thottg,ht, for the payment of troops; and Turkey.was very genlrzllly believed fo he the intended theatre of war. !fence, this coalijon of Prussia and Russia gives a new Lim to continental Eorop - e, and offers a barrier of • strength, which united, from the relative situation of the two parties, to a great probability of duration, makes us trem - Ile for the result. Prwsia has removed her advanced posts comparatively within view of Vienna, while her Westphalian fortresses give her the pokver to over awe Holland. We, it appearg, have lost our influence in her Cabinet, end Hanover offers itself Ito a,fair, and, if the army is to be dissolved, an easy object of ,:ooquest. By the re-establishment of Holland, with the annocation of Belgium, Prussia has had all fear of France semioved on her right flank : hence her position is most ' comonanding, if the 711(1Ve of her people is at all correspon den t to the acts of the Government. Tine harrier which would have been offered to Prussia, had' Float ice been allowed to retain Belgium; Would have always ,held. her in check. To us, this is of the utmost importance at, this moment. Without Councils of the boldest character, and kers of the most decided description, we have every reason to dread either an exclusion from the north of Eu rope, or an acquiescence in the acts of its Rulers, which, yivk!ed on the terms it would be, will be equal to it. • Hitherto, the public mind of Germany has been kept in agitation by the separation of the interests of Austria and Pt ussia; and, the mutual jealousy existing, has prevented, not only either from doing anything useful, but has occasioned to each immense losses. Russia has uniformly stood neutral She has now joined (with Poland in her hand) the Prussian ruenarch ;• and, thus united, these two Powers have assumed a 'oust imposing attitude. If In an unlucky hour a reconcili -onion between them and France should take place, nu the condition that Prussia should possess Hanover and Holland, 'France recover Belgium, and all unite in oppressing the House .of Lotaine, that House, feebly supported, if not (eventually) decidedly opposed in Italy, what have we not to dread? To obviate this inconvenience, we are told of a scheme for the union of France, Great Britain, and Austria, and ofcourse ..Bavaria. W tirtemberg, it appears, sides with Prussia and Russia. This, it is said, will produce an ability to check 'the ambition of the Northern Monarch. The scheme is fea sible on paper, and is said to have been a favorite project of the celebrated Mr. George Grenville. The sanction of such a name is great; but, great as it may be deemed, it is neces sat.) vre should look to the revolutions that have taken place since the death of this* celebrated Statesman. The mind of man ;las undergone a thorough change; and we fear, that idtas very just, and opinions very correct in the reign of JAN. 2I. George II and the eally part of the career of George 111. will be found of no great utility in 181.5. But, at all events, we trust that we shall hear of no con. temptible truckling, no mean and servile acquiescence, tin der an idea that we are not ready and willing, as well as able, to defend the honour and protect the rights of the Bt itish Erapire We trust that, in the event of certain schemes of aggrandizement being attempted, we shall not be asked, as we were with respect to Poland, the pithy question " can we prevent it ?'' We had fondly hoped . that some means to prevent such terrific and alarming violences would have been devised at the Congress, and we were assured that at that Congress Great Britain had assumed an energetic tone, and a commanding influence. We, on the other hand, thringht that truckling and bending to a despicable enemy. like Ame rica, was not the way to obtain influence any where: and accordingly it has proved, that the object for which we sacri ficed so much, was,_ by the very means we used to attain its put entirely out of our reach. In fact, wc are now plainly told, that the Congress has broken up in ill-humour,—that Lord Castlereagh is.on his return home,—that there are but faint hopes of a lasting peace; but that our angry passions must be kept down for the present,—in other words, that we have cause enough for dissatisfaction, and for alarm ; but that we must shut our eyes to danger; and blunt our feelings to disgrace. This, we aver, is not wisdom; is not prudence, is not saf e ty. If a new Bnonaparte s started up on the Continent, let us sec him, and know his views, and oppose him inch by inch, as we slid the further and more formidable tyrant. If we cannot do this alone, let us enter into alli ances for that purpose. Indeed, it is reluctantly confessed, H that " a combination may be necessary.'' This admission speakcs volumes as to our future policy; but it says little in favour of our past energy, and still less of our so much vaunt ij ea influence. However, on this subject more will he said at 1 1 a future period. We now tutu from it with satisfaction, a satisfaction. arising from a new open'ing being offered for the enter!), ize of British Merchants in the vast Continent of South America, on the subject of which a mass of valu able information will .be found in our paper of this day. There, with our immensely valuable possessions (would to 'God that Ministers could be made aware of their import lice!) in North America, may be fouod resources of every sort and means of support that shall, enable the British flag still to float triumphant over the tribute wave. " Over coun tries yet unknown to science, and in parts which ft itish naviga tion has scarcely yet explored, we hope to carry the tranquil . acts, the social enjoyments, the friendly and benevolent in tercourse of commerce. By the link of that goodwill, we hope to connect together the 'emotest i egions of the earth ; ' humble and weak, but not rejected instruments of that great purpose of our Creator, by which he has laid, in the reci• procal necesssities, both of individuals and of nations, the firmest groundwork of all human society. Let this be our glory, mid what conqueror will not have reason to envy it." The best informed persons at Hamburg agree with our Pa risian correspondents in believing the main points in discus son at Congress to be settled; and they add, that many of the minor arrangements will stand over for separate deliberation at a new Congress to be held at Frankfort. What the Mite- W 5§