The National Register. — London, England, 1815-06-25 00:00:00

.~ E 'NATIONAL REGISTER. Fru It r Ring, Constitution, anD Laths. . PUBLISHED AT NO. 11, NEWCASTLE-STREET, STRAND. SUNDAY, JUNE 25, 1815. N.. S9l. BRITISH VICTORY. REVIEW OV ALL THEOPERAVONS OF THE CAMPAIGN. It is in the midst of public rejoicings : , and surrounded 1 with the blaze of illurniaations, that we have to proclaim the commencement of hostilities. Success has outstripped Ilepe herself, and we have learnt at once our struggle and our triumph. Neither have we been backward in our acknowledgments. The voice of national gratitude has already spoken : the thanks of the empire are gone forth to our heroic Commander, our invincible army, and brave allies ; and whilst they prepare for fresh combats and fresh victeries, triumphal domes shall rise to welcome the con querors at their return, and monuments shall perpetuate, not the names of those who have fallen, for they are writ ten on the hearts of mankind, but the memory of our thankfulness and admiration. To us devolves the pleasing task of tracing back the footsteps of our warriors, and ad- li ding to the general exultation one beam, kindled at the view of the dangers which they have encountered, and the difficulties which they have overcome. Anxious to anticipate the arrival and junction of all the allied armies, Napoleon left Paris on the 12th, and on the 13th reached Avesnes, where his head quarters were established, within ten miles of the frontiers of the king dom of the Netherlands. Contrary to our expectations, he made his first attack in that quarter, but he also met the fate which we said he would encounter if he directed his efforts against us. Ile has, however, found defenders in Lord Castlereagh and Earl Bathurst, for having adopted this plan, and the reasons on which the former supported his opinion are of considerable weight. "It must be it felt," said his Lord.lhip, " that there was in this case something in the situation of the hostile armies, which without at all detracting from the high merit and military skill of the great Commanders, who placed the allied force in the position it had occupied, gave the enemy a de cided advantage in the first instance. The war not having actually commenced, though certainly it had been under stood it was immediately to break out, had caused ar rangements to be made different from those which might otherwise have been thought necessary. The combined armies, it had been found expedient to distribute where atistenanee*could most *conveniently be proc Vol VII ) No. CC.GZCI. WSW r ~ ~ . . . PR trr then situation of things, their policy was evidently to act on the defensive ; and consequently the Power which had to choose the period for acting on the offensive, must ne- cessarily have an advantage over them from the extent of - - 'heir line, in that part of it against which it might think fit to direct its first attack. A person, in the situation of Buonaparte, would naturally, anti, he might say, properly consider, while contemplating the operations about to be commenced by the armies now assembling along the %hot* line of the frontier of the country under his controu►, that the course which it was for him to take was that which he (Buonaparte) had determined upon taking - . Whatever might be the risk of assailing the armies under the Duk• of Wellington and Prince Blucher, it was obvious that if he could bring them into action before they could be sup. ported by the armies. advancing to co-operate with them, the chance of success would be greater than that which would remain to him after they had actually got up. Buonaparte considering this had certainly formed his re• solve with all that judgment and decision of character which belonged to him, when he determined on the for. ward movement that led to those operations whirl) had terminated so gloriously for the British and their Allies." It may perhaps be added to these reasons, that Napoleon had received particular instructions from the party who have replaced him ir. power, (for notwithstanding their oaths of obedience, he is still but a tool in their hands) to endeavour to crush our army. ". Wellington once de feated," said one of their organs a fortnight ago, " there will be a revolution in England." So little were they ac quainted vt ith the superior abilities of our Commander, the undaunted firmness of our troops, and the public spirit of this country. On the 14th, Napoleon celebrated the anniversary f Marengo and of Friedland, not by adding fresh !atm els to his military crown, but by issuicg a General Order, in which he reminded his troops of those battles; complained of his own generosity in sparing conquered Kings and re storing them to their thrones ; roc alled to those who had fought against the Prussians, that at Jena they were one to three, and at Montrnirail one to six, and the. e who had been prisoners in rngland, their confinement in our hulks; assured them that the Saxo h the Hanoverians ) and the soltlier4 01 the Confederation of the