The National Register. — London, England, 1808-08-07 00:00:00

AUGUST 7• on the occasion. I have been positively informed that his Dutch Majesty bas been so extremely alarmed by some symp tom, on the part of his loving subjects, that he sent Courier after Courier to his August Brother, to remonstrate with him rela tive to his leaving Holland in so defenceless a state, and that he has threatened to quit the country, and leave crown and all behhal him, if a sufficient number of troops were not provideu for the secu r ity of the country, and to restrain the indiscreet wishes of the Mynheers. " It is unnecessary to inform yrs that the several accountsspub fished otilcially and unofficially ielative to Spain, are entirely devoid of truth. It is now universally tumult that the inbabi tants of that country are is a state of general insurrection, and that several engagements have been fought to the disadvantase of the French. I have seen several Proclatnations published tis the .:usats of the several Provinces, 'Which contain the strongest aid most eloquent animadversions on the perfidy an su d urpation of Bonaparte. Not withstandin g every precaution which has been taken by the Police, L have been positively told that copies of theta are circulated all over France and Germans'. Those have seen have been sent to Mr. Von der L—, from Amsterdam. The French, who are here, give out, it is said,that they were fa bricated by the English, and circulated by their agents, in order to create disturbances. Ilowevess, if they are not a fabrication, and I see no reason for considering them as such, as they contain the strongest marks of authenticity, the domination of the Bonapartes is at an nut' ! Every one here, in Westphalia, in Holland, on the left side of the Rhine as far as the ancient frontiers of France, and up as far as Switzerland, and, in fact, on the right side throughout the several States, which form the Rhenish Confe deration, is animated with a degree of detestation against the French, their Chief and his august Family, which is as unbound ed as it is just. I was a few weeks ago, at Ellierfeld, the Gemara, and several other towns in the Ruch)? of Berg, a short time after the disturbances ahont the Conscripts had subsided, and the principal manufacturers told me, that had they not em ployed the greatest degree of prudence, the greater part of their workmen, to the number of about 40,000, had supported thr Conscripts. You know what the inhabitants of Elberfeld arc, and that at the first signal disaster which occurs to the French Armies, they will sacrifice, without remorse, all the French and their adherents who fall into their hands. " I begin to perceive that the French employe's display the greatest uneasiness and even despondency in consequence of these occurrences. I dine every day in company with several of them; said as they do me the honour to suppose me one of their humble admirers, they are not restrained by my presence. They already tremble for the considerable property which some of those fel lows have purchased along the Rhine, with the money they had extorted from the wretched peasantry. As they consider the late atrocious conduct of Bonaparte towards the Spaniards as the cause of their well-grounded fears, they are not very eir coinspect in their animadversions on that subject. This is in perfect unison with the character and principles of Frenchmen. Every action is appreciated by them, not according to its moral or immoral tendency, but the advantage or disadvantage it may I , cause them individually. Even every notion of national benefit is ;reli&rent to them, only as it coincides with their private interest. You know these gentlemen, and it is therefore need less to inform you, that the moment the views of theic Emperor :ire in opposition to their invidual welfare, they will abandon him with as much sang froid, and probably with greater, than *hey did their other favourites for the last nineteen years. " Another serious alfsay took place last Monday, at Bone, between a numerous body of Conscripts, and a detach wet of Chassours which was to escort theut. They are the Conscripts of the department of Mont Tonerre, and bad lain for three or four months at Juliers. They were mare' heti, a few flayA bef,ire this disturb:tare took place, from that fortress to 33 ° 11 N Acre it was said thq were to. remain. However. the THE NATIONAL REGISTER. 50Y third day after their arrival, when about 'ZOO Chasseurs arrived from Cobience, they received orders to pass the Rhine on their way to Fulda. They immediately reused to obey ; and when the chef d'Escadron told them that he would order his chasseurs 10 cut them to pieces, if they continued refractory some of theta seized his horse by the bridle, pulled him to the ground, and he was stabbed by one of the Conscripts with a knife. He was with the greatest difficulty rescued by his men, who charged the mutineers in full gallop. The latter made so desperate a resist ance, that the chasseurs were at last compelled to fly, and seve ral of them have been most dangerously wounded. The Chef d'Egeadrou has since died of the wound and contusions he re ceived, Several of the Chasseurs and Conscripts have been since arrested, as the former are accused of having shewn too much lenity. Certain it is that their exertions went nut muck further than to save their officer from the hands of the enraged recruits. Several of the inhabitants have also been taken ups and two persons, one a countryman from the environs of Bonn, and the other a shoemaker residing there, have been condemned ay a Court-martial to be shot, for having thrown stones at the cavalry. " These marks of disobedience, manifested so frequently for the last two months by the Conscripts on both sides of the Rhine, and the lukewarmness of the military on those occasions, must convince the French Government of the impracticability of col lecting a sufficiently numerous army to oppose to the Spaniards, to the English who are reported to be making vast armaments, and to the Austrians at the same time. The latter have assem bled suddenly an army of more than 80,000 men between Lentz and Vienna. Orders have likewise beets given that all the Bo hemian and Galician regiments should form a camp at Egra, and the Hungarian regiments are to be collected in iuul about Pres- Uurg. The most extraordinary circumstance is that the Austrian Government, notwithstand;ag the remonstrances and menaces of 1 Andreossy, is said to have declined every explanation relative to these unexpected movements. The militia is completely or aanised,and instead of 59,000,as stated in the Imperial Rescript. already amounts to more than 90,000. The vast preparations, the extraordinary diligence in collecting the whole Austrian Armv in so short a space of time, and the activity displayed by the Commissaries in organising the new levies, together with the conciliatldg measures adopted towards Bavaria, prove that the Austrian Cabinet is directed by other Councils, than it had been three years ago. " however the French seem to be aware of the danger whick menaces them. All the soldiers stationed in Westphalia, in llolland and Brabant, notwithstanding the disaffection of the inhabitants, are marching towards Wurtzburgh and Baden.— . Their entire army in Germany, exclusive of their auxiliaries, is said to amount to between 10 and 80,000 men, and if we esti-• mate their auxiliaries at about 90,000, which I am confident is estimating them too high, the whole force at the disposal of . Bonaparte in that country, may be rated at 180,000. With these he will be obliged to oppose the whole Austrian [force keep all the population of Northern Germany, from the Rhine to the Vistula, iu awe; resist every attack which may be male by Sweden on Pomerania, in case of a peace with Russia, and .protect Holland and Hanover against the English. Neverthe less the insolence of Bonaparte is said to increase in proportion to the difficulties of his situat ion. Instead of manifesting any fear, he is said to demand from Austria a renunciation of her part of Poland, and from the unfortunate King of Prussia the cession of all her Provinces on this side of the Oder. If the c h a racter of this man were not su fficientl y known, these preten sions at the. present juncture would make me tremble for the conseq uences of a new Continental Wa r. But he has deceived 1 Europe too long and too grossly 1 and there is not a single man of penetration in Austria, who is not convinced that this air of assurance is essamed in order to conceal his weakness and fear:. However, after all the experience I have been able to acquire I