The National Register. — London, England, 1808-02-01 00:00:00

Ait ? ...9.l,vmpowirm.pw der THE NATIONAL IttGISTER. • -, Our Ring, Constitution, anb LatuO. No.' 5. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 1808. PRICE Bd. POLITICAL DISQ ' ~ITION. • .. • pacificatory ; " I desire pence with England," said he to his Senate; "no resentments of mine shall retard it." At present, he has adopted many wild mensures against our cominerre, btrit with a view, as he affirms, of forcing us to peace; and though he has brought forward pretensions inconsistent with our naval superiority, he has frankly told us that these pretensions Would, in a time of peace, be a mere dead letter. liowever active and keen an enemy he has been to Great Britain; he has never shewn any aversion to conciliation; nor can we wonder that such should he his disposition, when we consider what plans of empire be has formed, how much is still requisite for their per manent consolidation, and how greatly requisite a maritime peace is both for the satisfaction, the comfort, and the ropes rity of his People. But, however pacific a ' dispos t .tions of Bonapatte Mae he, there are many who look upon our present Ministers as entirely bent upon the continuance of hostilities : their politited antago nists brand them as a portion of the war-faction, and a similar opinion of them seems to prevail on !lie Continent. It cannot, however, be supposed that any Minister; would be anxious to cautinue their country immersed in the calama ties of war, during whisk they themselves must encounter so many 'difficulties; if they thought that a safe and advantageous ;mace could he pro eured,without compromisingtheir own reputations Some of oar Ministers may, indeed, be led away by the opinion of those who imagine that scarcely any peace could, at present, be safe or ad vantageous; an opinion which we shall presently examine. Others might be very willing to waste the blood and treasure of their country, in showy enterprises, which might exalt their own name as war-ministers ; but no opportunity fur those now re mains :—the iron coast of France is secure!, and the world does not afford another Copenhagen. We suspect, howover, that if Ministers are really averse to negociatiou, they are so, not front inclination, but from a dread of the clamour of ri.powerfel factice3 at home. elinme men; from selfish iuterests, etseue front 'apprehension, some from presumption, would be satisfied with no peace which could be negoeieted : evert were Bonaparte to divest himself of all his conquests; :lid to reduce France within her ancient limits, scarcely would it . appear sufficient to these men, unless he would also consent to burn all his ships, and de+ molish all his harbours. Thelmal effects of th e keen and in cessant clamours of this war -faction, in harrassing and degrading the framers of the pease Or Amiens, are still well remembered; nor can it be expected t....t even the pacifically inclined among our Ministers will subject them-elves to such outrageous charges of folly and pusillanimity, n e tt! the public opinion has been dis tinctly and generally manifested in favour of peeee. 'laving thus shewn that there are no essential obstncles to the attainment of peace, let us now endeavour to estimate hew fat it would he safe for this country.—There unhappily exists in this country a degenerate class of men, who have so far lost the wonted magnanimity of Britons, as to believe that peace is utterly incompatible with safety ; who see no security, unless when surrounded with vast fleets and armies: and who dread that they shall be every moment conquered and destroyed, urie less the national bayonets are continually fixed, and the national cannon pointed against the enemy. These men are exactly of the same fiamne of mind with thot! miserable and suspicious tyrants . , who lived in a perpetual apprehension of death, who never appeared in public, unless surrounded w ith guards and leaded with armour, and who at night bare, ceded their doors against their very centinels.---And what was the result of such precaution's--Tyrants of this descrip-' Lion seldom failed to perish in the manner they dreaded ; while few monarchs, who have feared no ieiury becatea! they intended DO harm, have failed to live and to die in complete security.— agnanimity produces the same effect in regard to an Individual and a nation ; and both the indi v ideals and the people who teem always agitated by fears, never fail to provoke insult ' and aggression. lint let us examine the foundation of these apprehensions for our safety and peace. It is leered that Bonaparte v,lll con strua new tlotill:ts, that he will build ships ef wet that he will replenish his dy:lc-yards with naval stares, and that kt NUMBF.R FIJI .......im.- THE GRAND QUESTION EXAMINED; IVHETHER ORACE BE AT PRESENT ATTAINABLE, IVITH SAFETY AND ADVANTAGE? -~- How far it is practicable to obtain the restoration of the bles sings of secure and permement tranquillity, is the great subject which at present occupies the attention; not only of our own countrymen, but of all surrounding nations. The wars of Bri tain and France may indeed be termed the wars of the univert-e ; nor is there any nation so distant as that it may not dread to be involved in the disastrous consequences of their hostilitics.—The present question ought therefore to be considered as connected with the dearest interests of the human race ; and should claim our most serious attention, both as patriots and a‘ men. With these considerations in view, we propose to give to the public the rffult of our serious reflection ; and to examine how far a peace with France is attainable in the present circumstances, how I'4 it would he safe for us to accept it, if it could be attained, and how far even a secure peace would he attended with advantages superior to those which we enjoy in a state of warfare. Party shall be out of the question, where the subject concerus the universe; and we shall laugh to scorn the miserable insinuations of those men st ho may represent our senti mitts as Unpatriotic, when they do not correspond with the views of an ignorant or a selfish faction. Whether peace be attainable, must depend upon the nature of the points in dispute, and the disposition of the hostile govern ments. With regard to the points in dispute,, the question is reduced within very narrow limits. In Iwo, it was found, on opening a uegociation, Sharsk as the , ckeinOtaacess which had for so many yearsirept the fiench and Englisli Gii vernments at variance, were done away. The Ruler of France offered to give up to us Hanover, Malta, the Cape, Pondicherry and its dependencies, to which he voluntarily added the island of Tobago ; in return be only desired the cession of Sicily, fur which he offered such a compensation in territory and moue , as might he accounted adequate. Our own Nlinisters allowed that every concession was made by France which the interests of Britain required ; and when they broke off the treaty, they confessed that it was solely dune because the detnands of our Ally, the Emperor of Russia, were not gratified as well as our own. If, therefore, there be any points in dispute, which render peace at present unattainable, they must have arisen since the failure of the last negociation. But in regard to our own immediate interests, We know nothing of this sort which has occurred ; and the Ally, whose demands formerly caused the rupture of negociation, is now become the Ally of France, and a proffered mediator. Let us now attend to the disposition of the French Govern ment. Sizice the elevation of Bonaparte to the head of the French empire, peace has always been his interest as well as Lis avowed desire. lie perceived how France was exhausted and impoverished by a Ring and wasting war, nor was he igno rant of the vast 'advantages which she might derive from iliter nal improvement : he was therefore anxious to consolidate his empire, and to fix the affections of the people, by restoring to them those blessings of peace fur which they so ardently longed, and which were become so indispensable to their prosperity. Hence we find, that all the continental -.stirs, in which he has since been engaged, have been forced upon him ; and that he has al ways readily entered into negociation as soon as his successes have rendered his enemies willing to listen to terms of accom modation. To this country, against which his resentment was supposed to be particularly inflamed, he Liss repeatedly made overtures for peace, even during the present war. At the com mencement of 1805, he offered to negociate with us; but we were then busy in forming a great coalition against him, anti we therefore refused to listen. After he had broke this L6:111601) to pieces on the plains of AUsterlitz, his lang uage again became 10, 5.---col. - ......... 1 ..1 .........