The National Register. — London, England, 1809-09-24 00:00:00

612 • 0. . :.~ . THE NATIONAL REoI§TER. S . Lonbon, SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 1809. POLITICAL EVE.VTS or Tilt WEEK. The meagre supply of foreign news, and the paucity of events which have reacheitus from the Continent, have been amply compensated by the 'domestic occurrences of the last week. AMong these, the most important is the duel he.tween two Members of the late Administration, for so we estmie it must now be considered. This circumstance is tiopor!ant upon two accounts, Ist, the total disregard of all' dccency and decorum, so far as it personally regards 11:4 MAJEsTv; 2dly, as it affects the dignity and charall te- ;itir Government abroad. As to the lira, a great deal Will depend upon the fact of Lord CASTLEREAGH and Mr. CANN: ve; having given in their resignation previous to the . reacontre, and upon the cause which, produced this dis grficeitil event. The apologists and personal' friends of Administration state the fact to be that the parties were viPtuatly out of ot;ice ; tie hope this was 0, and, for the, sal;:• of lrgiiint , it, v.e will admit it. But the reports which have . prevaitql as to the cause, of the disagreement. con cern he publ:c. When so much obloquy must attach to both the parties, if the business of the nation, or dispot , ..s con tenting official Com!net, led to this contempt and defiance of the laws, ‘ee cannot but argue, •from the silence of the. parties !tieing...lves, th -1 if the dispute had been ofa private :nature, it would have been stated for their mutual justiii 'cation ; and we arc strengi heued in this conclusion by the nature of the reports which prevail, and by the known partiality of one of the Gentlemen for Lord Chatham. The Most probable account that we have been able to trace to any thing like authority is as follows :—From the fatal teinimat ion of the Expedition to Walcherea, it was obvious to toe whole Salim' th t " Infancy must rest somewhere." The friends of Administration, and the friends of Opposition, for mice concurred in calling fur tngirirQ , and that inquiry must necessarily lead as it was supposed to fix the blame of this failure, either upon those alio conceived the plan, or upon those who directed the.eiecution of order toms:if) Lord CHATHAM, Mr. CANNING 's stated t o h av e said, that the fault lay .with those wno. in drawing up the instructions for his Lordship, directed him in the first pare to obtain posse.otha Flushing. This was a Ref-Nina! attack, 'Ton Laid CASTLEREAGH, in whose department it fell. The conversation is said to have received some aggravation from ma tier of the speaker, and Ine itarm:li with which obsi Itions were subsequently 'OATLAND. We shall no: ,v, ral reports, or the d.• oel, but the publ:c have a screen lord CuAnia 31 it a force of near 80,000 be occupied for three th4t the letter of instruc- rel 2‘..Wal l ik /40 11 .. • •.- • i' THE NATIOINTAL . REGISTM , ft. SEPT. 24. . . tinna should b e t w i ste d to d estroy the very spirit and mean ing of them, is weak,'unsatisfactory, and insulting. • , 'lilt to be believed that Lord CaiTuax could 'imagine he ; win to fritter' away the time of such an army, and agonize . therfeelings of a whole nation, to say nothing of our by aupposilig; he • was to wait upon South Beveland with ii 5,000 men, in view, of his prey, and within 20 wises of it, whilst 10 . to ,13,000 were employed in besieging Flushing ?, It would argue an imbecility of mind, which 'we believed the moat inveterate enemy of his Lordship had neverim puted to him. What I let . this great armament be frittered away by disease, by inaction (which to military men is of itself a disease), and by disappointment, because at the head of his instructions his Lordship, perhaps, found these words—" Having effected a landing-, your Lordship 7144 im mediately invest Flushing, and having obtained possession of the whole Island of Wakheren, you will. then proceed," Sfc. It is impossible it should have been intended that Lord CHA• TRAM'S forces were to be cooped and cabbined up in a man ner so preposterous. One forgets the injustice of such an idoa in its If Lord CASTLEREAGH has made a stand upon this occasion, and has impeached the conduct of Lord C HAT•• HAM to his colleagues, we will forgive a great deal that is imputed to his. Lordship's political conduct, we will give him credit (and the nation will join us in the gift) for a spirit highly honourable to his feelings, and grateful to his country. That country calls aloud for investigation, and that country feels but one sentiment at the appearance of Lord CHATHAM at his MAJESTY'S Levee.. In the name of that country, that insulted country, we ask what business a disgraced General had to intrude himself upon his Sovereign's notice, when perhaps that Sovereign will be called upon to execute the vindictive justice of an indig. nut People upon him, hello%) the new regimentals, in which he appeared, have been sullied by wearing. —Look at the army he took out, look at that army he has brought back, compare what he has done, with what he might have done; and yet such a man as Mr. CANNING, whose only claim to be rescued from obscurity is popular opinion, in defiance and contempt of that opinion, unequivocally and universally expressed by every Britain, presumes to plead the letter of instruction with the quibbling pedantry of a dialectician, or special pleader prying into flaws and bunt ing for exceptions. With respect to our foreign.politics, what will be the impression which this circumstance must Make upOn every thinking man upon the Continent ? That we have an Administration not only quarrelling-among themselves, but fighting with one another ! 0 shame where is thy blush. We shall only add, that if Lord CASTLE.. HEAGH has really made the stand which we have stated, he will deserve well of his country. Among men of variortil abilities, among men of . ardent minds, difference of opi nion mast and will prevail, and they ought, both for their own sakes, and for that of the public; to concede to each other ; but the utmost range of politic complaisance. is confined within the limits of justice, especially when that J !dice is due to One's country. If on the other hind, this duel has originated in a con test for place and superiority—if it has been the miserable effect of an ungenerous ambition which would fain hold Ani - 111:11 with which rime abserva mule at tiiiiiib4crittlihe Duke of Pa .4. : Feel • , ' Mr . ' A l 4 ~:r - 4l fk e .4ev ... • i... • - )/ 4 ,,,'"-w . ti. , , , .- . . 0, zit). ta•14 . ?.; 44 1L 7t ).. J ' imitt . - I: :lk ! S duel r' rt lir 4 1, . l'i l - 4 P- • . " 4, 3 ' .3.. 6 : ., ;i d• to ;.• . Nsilk 6 7;‘4 4 ,1. " ( if'• t•• Y:. fill .... • ma: ' .. .., 4 ,7'%,:-.• °I 'f.': _s„i7 Thal . . ;,.-.;..---- - , 7:: I _T. 4 , - i t . ri i nien 4 4 ,,...b. -1." 7. •' 4°' mild t we.:As , .f i-41- . ~ ." . t.. 11 aud di! ui. : .... - V