The National Register. — London, England, 1808-09-11 00:00:00

SEPTEMBER 11. wards retired himself in good order, though with great loss.— Here it was that Colonels Lake and Stewart fell. He was not, however, so.fortunate on the 21st, being made a prisoner in the gallant charge of General Ferguson's brigade, which broke the enemy's right column, at the head of which Breniere fought.— It is impossible here not to notice some circumstances connected with the capture of this Officer. He surrendered himself upon the column giving way, to Corporal Ross, of the 71st regiment, and immediately pulled out his watch and money, which, with his swori, epaulettes, and sash, he pressed upon his captor : this gallant man, however, refused every thing he was offered, brought the General in safety to Colonel Pack, and delivered him up to that Officer. Breniere, in astonishment, Could sot help exclaiming—" What sort of a man can this be—he has eine me the greatest services—has brought me here safe at the risk of his life—and yet refuses to take from me all the reward I can at rand offer him !" To which Colonel Pack rather drily ob served,—" We are British Soldiers, Sir, and not Plunderers." Our readers will be glad, however, to know that such conduct did not pa.s unrewarded :—as soon as Sir Arthur Wellesley was m'sde acquainted with it, he asked it as a favour from Colonel Pack ti mike him a serjeant on the field of battle (with which the Colonel immediately complied), and gave from his own pocket a handsome gratuity to this generous fellow. The con duct, on that day, of a cousin of this identical Corporal Ross, who was Piper to the same regiment, is too remarkable to be pa-sed over in silence. As he pushed on in his ranks fighting briv,.lv, his pipes being slung behind him for the present, he received a severe wound in the leg from a musket ball—finding himself disabled, he deliberately sat down on the ground, and, unstrapping his instrument, he called out—" Wee, iny bra' lads, I can gang no farther wi' ye a fighting ; but de'el ha my soul if ye sal want music ;" and immediately began playing his most warlike airs with his utmost might, and the greatest unconcern. lien. Kellerman, who was deputed by Junot to tfeat for terms on which to surrender his army, commanded the Reserve in the action of the 21st. He it was who endeavoured to retake the cannon taken by Gen. Ferguson's brigade, in a desperate attack on the T Ist and 92d regiments, which were halted in the valley where they had been lost. In this attempt, however, he was foiled, by a brilliant manoeuvre of the Commander in Chief, who, from his situation on the high ground, seeing the disad vantage to which these corps would be attacked in the vale, or dered them to retire to the heights, which they very reluctantly obeyed. Arrived there, they halted, faced about, fired, and charged down the hill upon the enemy, who had by this time reached the low grounds, with such impetuosity and effect, as totally to defeat and oblige him to retire with great loss, leaving the six pieces of cannon behind him. This Officer is the son of the celebrated Marshal of the same name. On arriving at the British Head-quarters ou the 22d, he did not seem in the least cast do wn by the disastrous affairs of the I7th and 21st, nor did lie sliew the slightest feeling or sympathy for the misfortunes of the many hundreds of his fellow soldiers who were dead and dying of their wounds all around. On dining at the General's table, to which of course he was invited, he seemed sieprised at the hard biscuit which he found there, and said—" Faith, Ge neral, if I thought you had been so badly provided, I would have brought you some fresh bread !" POLITICAL DISQUISITION. NUMBER THIRTY -SI:V EN. THE CONSEQUENCES OF OUR VICTORIES IN PORTUUAL. Measures of defensive warfare, bordering on pusillani mity, unusual in the councils of this country, were adopted after the battle of Austerlitz. The death of a great States man, attributed to grief and disappointment, was consi dered as a proof of the inutility of our exertions in favour of the Continent. The rapid success of the enemy, the humiliation of a powerffil monarchy, the retreat of the ltussian armies, and the acquiescence of the Prussian Cabi net in the insatiable exactions of the Victor, were adduced in support of this system ; an d th e d e cl a mations of a faction triumphed over the good sense and the policy of the na tion. The necessity of peace, and the inefficacy of resist. ifta _ THE NATIONAL REGISTER. ance were proclaimed by one party, and countenanced by the silence and dejection of the other. A few enlightened men, whatever indignation they might have felt in conse quence of this unwarrantable despondency, were unable to oppose this degrading innovatiou in our councils, and yielded to the exigency of the moment. A change of Ad. ministration was thought necessary ; and with it a change of political conduct. The multitude, as usual, judging from the impulse of the moment, and overwhelmed by the reverses of our Allies, considered as the intuitive wisdom of istatesmen, what was only the effect of intemperate and unprincipled opposition. Even the party itself, intoxicated by this unmerited reputation, continued to waver between the duties of their new station and the impolitic measures they proposed when in opposition. This was the secret of that fatal inconsistency, of that vacillating policy, which marked their administration. They had not the manly candour to acknowledge the de structive tendency of their former suggestions; and from incompetency or want of principle they adopted .concilia tion and concession, supported by vigorous self-defence, in preference to our ancient vigour and unyielding policy. Weak and unprincipled men ! A series of fifteen instructive years, the annals of every people who had risen to power and opulence, our own history for two centuries,- the energy and enterprising spirit of the British nation, were inadequate to make them feel the danger and folly of such measures. A pusillanimous fluctuation was visible, for the first time in our councils ; and they had the honour to discover that as our generals- and soldiers were inferior to those of France ; it would be the highest policy to ea deavour to obtain an honourable peace from the enemy ; and, if disappointed in this expectation, to confine our future efforts to the defence of our own altars and fire sides. Thus a disgraceful imprisonment within our own limits, and a voluntary renunciation of the pretensions of former statesmen, were impudently pronounced to be the acme of political wisdom, and rendered imperiously neces sary from the preponderance of the enemy. Europe was to be abandoned to its fate ; and we were to consider our selves happy, should ne have the fortune of escaping the general wreck. Such was the prospective happiness held out to this country, mid !rich was the beginning of thoep improvident measures, which led to the negociation at Paris, to the discussions relative to Ilannover, to the over- Ihrow of the Prussian state, to the subjection of Europ. , and to our disgraceful apathy during that awful crisis. But a mode of conduct so unconformable to our feeling,, resources, genius and policy, so expressive of contempt for the courage and discipline of our army, awakened at last tl e better feelings of the public, and they saw with indignation how the national character bad been degraded by a junta of systematic blunderers. But these men have passed away into that insignificance and obscurity from which they should have never been iemoved ; and with their succes sors re-appeared RrAish energy, preponderance and mag nanimity. Shall we pause for a moment, and compare our dignified situation with the degrading• and pusillanimous part we then acted at that time ? Shall we indulge our national feelings by contrasting o r • victories at Roleis and Vimiera, with our expeditions under Whitelocke, to Alexandria, and to the Dardanelles ? Or draw a parallel between our glorious exertions at present in favour of European freedom, and our apathy and fa slam before and after the battle of Jena b.—But our constitution is oa • • ~'" 1 4 I , rte .t.c.Ld 4 . - .•