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

FEB. 1. power, his opinions happened to tally very closely with those of Sir Francis Burdett; and Mr. Cobbett began, without hesita tion, to declare Sir Francis the only honest politician, the only man to whom this country could look for salvation; although, two Nears before, traitor, and firebrand, and incendiary, were the best names which he was accustomed to bestow on the Ba ronet. People began to wonder what an union between these hostile elements would produce; and certainly the effects were very wonderful,for Mr.Colobett now began to rail fiercely against Anti-Jacobins, and even to aim many sly thrusts at Nobility and flovalty. But nature is not so soon overcome. No sooner were the burning of Copenhagen, and the capture of the Danish fleet autionneed, than Mr. Cobbett felt all his former propensities an akencd. Ile shouted aloud his applause to the measure ; de clared that it must be just because it was vigorous ; and leaving poor Sir Francis anti his pacific friends on one side, he has since entered u ith new zest into his former course, calling out fur war, pa.petual war The late supposed overtures for pence, through the medium of the Anstriaa Ainbas-adur, gave him much uneasiness; but in his Lest number, he :ails tells us in that sportive sty le, u hick suits the protraction of national disaster., that " this pacific ugling is now "at an end." lle thea proceed. to discuss the observations of the Muni/cur on out answer to the Rossi:in Declaration ; and is very angry with that paper for asserting that our ancestors did nut maintain their maritime power by ;write; " on tyrannical prin " Ile in;ists that they did act on what are called tyran nical principles ; and that " Irma the time this country bore the " name of England, it claimed a right of sea dominion, as abso " lute as that which any Sovereign, or State, has upon the " land." This is a curious piece of historical information, and we should be glad to know where Mr. Cobbett came by it : but it were needless to question hint on this subject ; he despises old musty records; be !lever looks into such food for book-worms ; and when he finds occasion for an old historical fact, he takes a far more clever w ay—he fancies it. It would, indeed, have been rather curious in our Saxon ancestors, had they begun to vapour about the exclusive Dominion of the Seas, when the Danes not only beset their coasts un all sides, but even landed great armies ithout molestation, and at length conquered England. If Mr. Cobbett would draw historical facts from records, and nut from fancy, he would find that the first formal assumption of the Do million of the Seas, in the sense in which it is now understood, took place in the reign of an Usurper, in . tile reign of Cromwell : and that vs hen this Usurper, in conjunction with the Long Par liament, twirled the Navigation Laws, the Lord - Chancellor Clarendon declared it as his opinion, that the Dutch would ra ther endure any extremity than submit to such an extraordinary encroachment on the rights of maritime nations. Mr. Cohbett, how - es-Zit, seems desirous not altogether to lose the praise of moderation. lle declares that he is not absolutely the advocate of eternal war, but that time are certain terms on Lich he would be w illing to make Peace with Bonaparte. lle even utters this Usurper au alternative. He tells him that %%c shall be ready to make Peace with hint, if he will either evacu ate Denmark, Holland, Spain, and Portugal, and restore them to full and complete independence; or stipulate that no ships of war shall be built in these countries, or sail out of their harbours during Peace. And what return would he make Bonaparte for doing so much which we could not oblige him to do? Why, he would allow him to seize ;Ismael' territory as he chose in the interior, provided he never approached the sea-coast, or took any steps to be able to defend himself against our maritime do minion. Mr. Cohbett, indeed, in one respect, is a very particular ad vocate Of Bonaparte. Ile accuses him of no injustice in con quering and appropriating the countries around him : he frankly dedarei that " conquest gives right of dominion;" and he re cognises Bonaparte's title to his conquests as perfectly valid. lle only claims the same rights for England ; and insists that we are very justly entitled to prevent a single flag but our own from sailing on the seas, because s; e have the power to do so ! This is admirable political morality ; and will prove as useful to the highway robber as to the conqueror. If superior force con stitutes right, them the ruffian who plunders a defenceless travel ler, has a perfectly good right to his booty : and it is on the very same principle that a stronger state has a right to seize and Plunder a weaker neighbour. Such tenets may be very con genial to the mind of Mr. Cubbctt ; but one is surprised at he should venture to publi s h th em t o t h e wor ld, l est hi s llampshiit neighbours should be afraid to accompany him to town across Bagshot-heath Nations have often been guilty of extreme violence, but they have usually endeavoured to veil it under luute sinciuus protest, nor have ventured ty vow that they had THE NATIONAL REGISTER. 67 only the plea of the robber for their crimes. But the patriotic Mr. Cohhett, the friend of his country, the scourge of political vice, would have Great Britain boldly to throw oil the mask, and avow that she thought herself entitled to act unjustly because she has the power FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE. FRANCE. rum, JAN. 14.—The following Imperial Decree, addi tional to the Decrees containing measures against the maritime system of England, has just appeared in the bulletin of laws : At the Po!ace of the Thaillerieß, 11th Jan. 1808. Napoleon, &c. upon the report of our Minister of Finances, seeing our Decrees of the '23d November any! 11th Decem ber, 1801, ith the concurrence of our Council of State, we have decreed, and do declare as follows : ART. I.—When a vessel shall enter into a French port. or ill that of a country occupied by our armies, any man of the crew, or a passenger, who shall declare to the principal of the Custom !louse, that the said ship comes from England or her colonies or countries occupied by English troops, or that it has been vi sited by any English vessel, shall receive a third part of the produce of the net sale of the ship and cargo, if it is known that its declaration is exact. ART. 11.—The Principal of the Custom House, who:hall receive the declaration mentioned in the preceding article, shall in conjunction with the Commissary of Police, who shall he called on fur that purpose, and the two Principals oldie Custom !louse Officers of the port, shall cause each of the crew and passengers to undergo, Peparately, the interrogatory prescribed by the second article of our decree of the November, 1807. ART. 111.—Any functionary or agent of Government, who shall be convicted of having favoured the contravention of our Decrees of the 23d of N ovember and 17th December, 1807, shall be prosecuted in the Criminal Court of the Department of the: Seine, which shall be funned into a special tribunal for this pur pose, and punished, if convicted, as if guilty of high treason. ART. IV.—Our Ministers are charged, each in his respective department, with the execution of the present Decree. (Signe.l) NAPOLEON. HUNGARY. °FEN, Dre. 30.—The following are the Articles re solved by the Diet, which has just closed, and which have been confirmed by the Emperor : " 1. The States offer his Majesty 12,000 recruits. As soon as these are delivered, the recruiting is to proceed as before. . . " 2. A lubsidy in money 6 otre - red the Emperor. Both Nobles and Commoners are to grant a 6th of their revenue from their real estates, and a 100th of their personal property. " The Town and Harbour of I'iume are to be incorpo rated with the kingdom of liuugary. " 4. Permission is graotcd to export certain goods from the other Austrian provinces, into Hungary. " 5. The exportation of grain from Hungary shall nut, n ith- Dut especial cause, he prohibited. I I HOLLAN D. UrnEctur, JAN. 19.-116 Majesty being desirous to give still farther vigour to the regulations respecting the blockade of the British Islands, hath for that purpose ou the Sth inst, expe dited the following Cabinet Order to the Alioister of the Fi nances, who is rendered responsible for its strict execution : " AU vessels, without exception, which shall have been visited by an English ship, which shall have touched at an English port, or which shall have paid a duty of any kind whatever to the Euglish Government, shall be regarded as Eng lish property, and in the case of being afterwards captured by our ships of war, or cruisers, shall be declared good prizes." In consequence of our present relations w ith Sweden, his Majesty yesterday passed the following Decree : Louis Napoleon, by the Grace of God and the Cun•titution of the Kingdom, King of Holland, and ('os►stable of Ercnce. Whereas we have received information that the Orders atloptcd relative to the Blockade of the British islands, have nut been ~,..carried into execution with like force against S‘% edish ships ; and whereas this kingdo►n is equally at war witl► Sweden and. lin-laud We have decreed, and hereby decree as follows : ART, t, to:cry Swedish ship which shall eater the ports of • ~_~~ ~~1. kf • '!J 7t , • ,4 - ' 1 ' ..... , ' ''i,., ~..., I .1 l 1 0 ?. / 1 j t I t ' . ( k . , - . 1 r I , I . • . i k 7 ~ k.. . , 4 • \ , . r ~ 1 . , • W'r" ~s:a.~