The National Register. — London, England, 1815-09-17 00:00:00

eiir Zing, Constitution, anti Laths. • • 'PUBLISHED AT NO. 11, NEWCASTLE-STREET, STRAND. Na. 41)3. SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 1815. Pr POLITICAL DISQUISITION. Some add, that she is to restore all the wor' victory had placed in her capital, and w' CONDITIONS OF PEACE WITH FRANCE. berality had displayed to the view of n' magnificent temple. If these coed; The degradation of France is complete : she is now demanded from France, they are f trodden under foot by her conquerors, helpless and un- she had a right to expect. He pitied. The glare of all her triumph has set in the when the oppressor surren,- deepest night, and the remembrance of her greatness, welcomed the king whom instead of prong balm to her soul, only serves to increase and to serve, she wo the bitterness of her regrets, and to render her present which she now vain; woe more poignant. She is fallen so low, that she dares which would have not even utter her complaints : the cry of her misery is how did the Fir stilled ; aud, were it not for the testimony of the foreigners Allied Powers al ho visit her provinces and witness her sufferings, the tat- Bonaparte ? ter would pass unknown and unnoticed. The press, they hasten whose liberty was in vain proclaimed, is now more corn- they hail pletely fettered than under the Imperial tyranny, and its I ciples voice is only raised to misrepresent and mislead, Such is eche' the situation of, lately, the proudest nation in Europe ; se' she, whose boundless vanity assumedib dd t dexclusively thelnam e of Great, and whose almost justify the assumption! The Kings who, for a' tirr gave her their strength and their kingdoms, who fe her battles, and marched in her train to conquer the are now her fiercest foes. Her lovers are turtle% her and make her desolate, for the hour of v come, and the cup which she filled for cth now " filled to her double." It is not astonishing that in such a st France, or rather her Government, towards every gleam of hope that ht of her fate. To that dispositV make the best of the worst, r with which she listens to c Lion, and the credulity w' ,cording to the last IT signed, which, at tr would secure her some fortresses tricts in her s' destruction the payrr francs. eiir Zing, Constitution, anti Laths. 'PUBLISHED AT NO. II ) NEWCASTLE-STREET, STRAND. SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 1815. No. 44)5. PRICE POLITICAL DISQUISITION. CONDITIONS OF PEACE WITH FRANC E . Tile degradation of France is complete : she is now trodden under• foot by her conquerors, helpless and un pitied. The glare of all her triumph has set in the deepest night, and the remembrance of her greatness, instead of proing balm to her soul, only serves to •increase the bitterness of her regrets, and to render her present woe more poignant. She is fallen so low, that she dares not even utter her complaints : the cry of her misery is stilted ; aud, were it not for the testimony of the foreigners lc ho visit her provinces and witness ber sufferings, the lat- ter would pass unknown and unnoticed. The press, 1% hose liberty was in vain proclaimed, is now more com pletely fettered than under .the Imperial tyranny, and its voice is only raised to misrepresent and mislead, Such is the situation of, lately, the proudest nation in Europe ; she, whose boundless vanity assumed exclusively the name of Great, and whose almost unbo.unded power seemed to justify the assumption! The Kings who, for a time, gave her their strength and their kingdoms, who fought her battles, and marched in her train to conquer the world, are now her fiercest foes. Her lovers are turned against her and make her desolate, for the hour of vengeance is come, and the cup which she filled for other nations, is now " filled to her double." It is not astonishing that in such a state of degradation, France, or rather her Government, should eagerly turn towards every gleam of hope that breaks upon the darkness of her fate. To that disposition, which endeavours to make the best of the worst, may be ascribed the attention with which she listens to every wild rumour of pacifica tion, and the credulity with which she credits them. Ac cording to the last report, a treaty should have been signed, which, at the price of inconsiderable sacrifices, would secure her national integrity. The surrender of some fortresses on her Belgic frontiers, and of a few dis tricts in her share of Luxemburgh and llainault, with the destruction of Runinguen on the banks of the Rhine, and the payment of a war contribution of 100 millions of francs, are represented as the conditions of the ne RI. No, CCCCIII. \__ > z V ~~' r~ Some add, that she is to restore all the works of art whie!: victory had placed in her capital, and which national li berality had displayed to the view of mankind in the most magnificent temple. If these conditions are really those demanded from France, they are far more favourable than she had a right to expect. Had she laid down her arms when the oppressor surrendered his power ; had she welcomed the King whom Europe was willing to honour and to serve, she would have obtained that peace which she now vainly claim, and the foundation cf which would have been the Treaty of Paris. Fut how did the French behave when the- object of th Allied Powers was attained, by the second overthrow of Bonaparte ? Did they display pacific sentiment , ? D:1 they hasten to repair the fault, not to say the crime, m Welt they had committed, by returning at once to prin ciples of order and of loyalty ? No ; obstinate in. rebellion, they proffered the standard lily, to bind them - selves to the fortunes of a fallen house, and swore fidelity to Napoleon H. for no other purpose, they would cox make the world believe, than to have a second opportu nity of breaking their oaths. They had perjured them. selves in order to exclude the Bourbons, and to wipe away that guilt they now dare to claim the merit of counter-perjuries ! Had they known Their own interests and their duties, had they proclaimed their legitimate Sovereign as soon as the sceptre of the Usurper was broken, and sunk in real patriotism all sense of party feeling, Louis XVIII. alone would have entered Francfs. Ills allies would have been his virtues, not the armies of coalesced Europe, and happiness and prosperity wcak. have attended his steps and flourished round his throne. If foreign arms have glistened on the soil of France—if her cities and her provinces arc occupied and wasted by the sons of the strangers, it is because rebellion still convulses the land, awl its triumph would be as fatal to the powers of the Continent and to France herself, as the restoration of the Imperial Despot. When France shall have shown that she can be faithful to her King, then she may l - k) admitted as a sound and powerful member of the grand European Family, without endangering its security. Tilt then she must feel the pressure of superior might, and by due concessions not only prove her sincerity in the ways of peace, but be rendered incapable of offensive war.