The National Register. — London, England, 1809-02-19 00:00:00

FEB. 19. very excusable,—for no man in Europe dreamt of resistance, — was scattered in different corps throughout the Peninsula. The first events are ktiown.—T he generous efforts of the inhabitants of the Capital ;—T he defeat and reheat of NIONCEY from Va lencia ;—the noble stand made by the city of Saragossa ;—the defeat and surrender of ()CPO N T i —and the flight of Josr.PH from Madrid,—these occurrences excited a degree of applause, hope, and enthusiasm in this country which furuished unequivo cal proofs that we were not prepared for them. The perform ance of all this was very practicable, and completely within the circle of Spanish resources, local, moral, and political. Every province acted for itself. The natives were not forced to absent themselves, to a great distance from their homes. The appa ratus of a regular and protracted Campaign was not necessary. The invaders were in small corps of from ten to fifteen thousand men; unacquainted with the country and destitute of provisions. Under these circumstances the provinces, even with their con tracted means, had it certainly in their power to overwhelm the enemy. But a new scene immediately ensued. The invad ers sensible of the mistake they had committed in dividing their force, retreated, and after collecting their whole strength in one body, took a strong position behind the Ebro. From that moment the plan of operations was totally altered. The provinces, calculated only on their individual resources. They had their respective interests, their leaders, their Juntas, and their armies ; but there existed no unity of action and con cert of will in the whole Body ; and as there was no individual, or Junta, who possessed any power, influence, or confidence beyond their own province, it was impossible, all at once, to reconcile the different interests, to efface provincial . jealousies, and to impress the importance of unanimity. The abominable corruption, impotence, and favoritism of the late government, 'the treasonable practices of the Prince of the Peace, an: the exactions of the subordinate minions, left the Arsenals without military stores, and the public coffers without money. AU these deficiencies were to be supplied; and the poverty of the inhabitants, in consequence of a detestable system of govern ment, the annual war contributions to the French, and the remaining out of the usual supplies from South America, on account of hostility with this country, prevented their perform ing this requisite service. These remarks will, we trust, ac count in a very satisfactory manner, for the relaxation the Patriots she wed, after they had been liberated from the pre sence and exactions of the enemy, and the latter had concen trated themselves behind the Elks• BONAPARTE either desired, from motives of consummate prudence, to give the Spanish enthusiasm time to evaporate; or he wished to sound the intentions of Russia, and to reconcile that court to the act of atrocity he had committed ; or alarm ed at the menacing preparations of Austria, and wishing to ob serve the effscts which the resistance of the Spaniards might -produce on the popular feeling in France and the rest ef the Con tinent ;--or all these circumstances united, probably induced him to deviate from his usual vigour and celerity. Not wishing to rely implicitly, in so alarming a crisis, in which his very exist ence was at stake, on the tteclarations of his agents, he wished to see ALEXANDER face to face; to see if he could confide in his protestations, and in order to exact new promises, before he would come to a resolution ef withdrawing his army from Germany. hus the journey to Erfurt was resolved on. To conceal his intentions, and to give them even an air of Generosi ty, this consummate politician acted the sublime farce of getting the simple unsuspecting EMP tam,. to intercede for the evacua tion of Prussia,---the very measure Bo NA PARTE wanted, and which the situation of Spain rendered Imperiously urgent. In the mean time his armies were ordered to break up from their different cantonments, and to make menacing demonstrations on the frontiers of Austria. His agents had previously got inserted in the German papers articles ad vertin to the probability of war between France and that power. The °Meet of Vienna intl• THE NATIONAL REGISTER. P 25 midated by these appearances, immediately dispatched General Vincent to discover the object of the meeting at Erfurt, and to avert the impending storm. For the latter purpose he was probably vested with authority by his deluded Cabinet, to make concessions, and offer sureties f:sr keeping the peace. Un fortunate delusion ! Besotted governments ! The resistance of the Spaniards, with its train of popular ideas and feelinzs, was more momentous in his ()pillion, n I more formidable .to the wary, plausible, designing, and intelligent tyrant, than a con federacy of all the Cabinets of the Continent. In order to complete the last act of this eventful farce, he dispatch ed Messen gers of Peace to our Government ! But his object was now at tained, and the great slight of hand man having amused and confounded for a time the spectators by his masterly dexterity, did not even condescend to wait a-single day to see what effect it might produce on our intelligent Ministers. They had also the honour of being most egregiously entertained and duped ! Thus an unexpected respite was granted to Spain; and s tor e simpletons in this country ministerial and anti-ministerial, un able to account for the uncommon inactivity of Bonaparte, and the mystery in which his designs were conce4led, solemnly as sured he would not prosecute the war against the Spaniards; hut would leave them to themselves, in order not to irritate them with resistance; and then turn his whole strength against the house of Austria. Ah ! the cunning rogues! It is a pity so much discernment and judicious observation should have been baffled by occurrences. Did our Ministers display the same pe netration ? Did these great and intelligent statesmen, by means of their emissaries, or by intuition, discover the same import ant secret? Yes, they did; and in order to prevent JUNOT, at least, from escaping across the Pyrenees, and to give Austria some opinion of our vigour and friendship, detached Sir AR THUR WEL LESLEY to take that gentleman and his party pri soner,.; that they Height not also assist one day in overwhelming Austria. Extravagant as this idea may appear, we can acsign no oth r reason fur the conduct our Government displayed during that propitious interval. Instead of landing, as near as possible, to the scene of action, a sufficient army to dislodge the enemy froto the Ebro, instead of securing Pampeluna and Barcelona. and thus oppose almost insurmountable obstacles to au invading ene my, they sent Sir ARTHUR, W I. EIL EY on- a wild goose chase to Portugal, where he fell in, however, with a fox; awl, with a modesty peculiar to trauscendant merit, instead of consulting their own judgment on the most expedient means of carrying otr the war with vigour and success, apply for information and ad vice to a Junta composed of ignorant, at least inexpeAenced„ men, residing in a remote corner of the Peninsula! Admirable Politicians!—incomparable modesty ! How deplorable and mortifying it is that so much virtue and genius should have been so cruelly disappointed. These were partly the cause of the re.. vernes of the Spaniards. Want of plan awl fixed object on our part, ignorance of the real res:nirces, character and numbers of the enemy, a vacillating, puerile, contemptible policy, marked ' all their measures since the commencement of our alliance with Spain; and nothing was performed, worthy of this country, her army, her navy, and almost inexhatoible pecuniary resourtes. The fortunes of Spain, of Great Britain, of the universe, were confided to very weak and very incompetent haudit. The pro pitious opportunity tvas disregarded; and the cheering shouts of freedom, wafted along the shores of the Atlantic and so congenial to the feelings of Englishmen, were stifled and deadened in the damp, unfeeling, unresponsive breasts of our Ministers. INTERCEPTED CORRESPOND-ENCE.. SARAGOSSA, Dt:c. 31.—Our Gazette of this day contains copies of several letteri, fottml among di‘patches addressed to. Boottparte, arid intercepted oa their way frost► Parit to his head— quarters. I ':, ''