The National Register. — London, England, 1809-02-12 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTER. ti 1 0 ' 111 . ' .4% ur fttug, Cam:Mutton. ant tatt34. ' SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 1809, PRICE M. perils they subdued ; we will repeat to them what Britons for merly achieved, and bow they, by euarage and persevelaoces triumphed over difficulties wore trying and periloos thau those we are e posed to. These are the sentituents fit to be ex preasect to me hire annals CORtaio so many splendid examples of what o . lury and love of freedom rare capable of iuspi ring and perfor ag ; whose country his been invariably cosisidered as the natural sojourn of morel and politic al independence, and whose fathers have always appeared in the conspicuous characis ter of avengers and deliverers of outraged and oppressed noticing. But if their feelings are become so torpid as to be insensible to the call of honour and freedom, an appeal to their WES oleos and avarice is unasiailin, because a people, animated only *with such sentiments, are Incapable and unworthy of bcitig saved. We have thus thought proper to preface the follow log obser vatious, on the conduct we ought to pursue relative to Sp. A...— Heaven knows, it is mortifying enough to be obliged to employ so many arguments in support of tneasures, wliose urgency we consider as self-evident; but the alarming iudiffereece which Las . succeeded, within a few weeks, to the Alaimo and zeal previously manifested by the public, is sudicient to justify any degree of apprehension we may feel in recommending the necessity of energetic memurea in support of the Spaniards, in support of Europe, in support of ourselves. A cirouinstance, which in creases our anxiety, is the fatal opinion which begins to grtia ground, that even the full display of our streugth, directed by i the most consummate wisdom, is now insuflicieut to secure e.en a single village of the Continent the enjoyment df inclependeore. How variable has the public opinion been on the :aloe .i.! , r• t in the sport space of six mouths ; but we kousa the revuliiag cause of this inconsistency and vacillation- .it lies in the iet)- m4eagenient, weakness, awl ignorauce, of the individuals v. iso had the inauicezneco of ou r eVactrot:. We o.•ul.ladvise, how ever, the public nut to abaudou a good c0a,..., too to zrhie..don themselves, and the future interests of their chil.lren, in coat- , quence of the incompetency of this, ur preceding; admioistrat ions. A mass of talents, virtue, and energy, are surely to Le fi..ii.d among sixteen millions of iallohitatits, adequate to the caeca. Lion of more arduous projects than we are called upon to accom plish ; and the British character Las never been thought defi cient iu those qualities, which enable a people to act a dl.fieult or even proinioeut part. The utility of al-sisting efficaciously the Spaniards, is so ob vious, and has been so frequeatly urged, that it i.; su l .efl.i.or., to make any new observations on that subject. But doubts, it ap pears, have arisen as to the practicat.ility of doing it. If disc gust at reiterated disappointments, al - :he improvident Dud in adequate use which has been made of the national resources, have caused this unwarrantable despondency in the public ; we hope their good sense and :.rinness will finally triumph over these obstacles, and counteract the delusive soggestions of iudolence. A little reflection, a recurrence to forcer event:, some know. ledge of the springs of huiran action, and an attentiea to the effects of popular feeling, wou'd point out the a1,?;41,t tu.ttro mountable difficulties BuNA.I - AItTE has to encoulitcr, before be obtains undisputed poo , e:ssiou of the !et:bifida. Vague and undigested theories are not sufficient to overtlirost the exves rience of ages ; and nothing is more absurd and errotieous than the idea that proinises and a ambiance of i nioie•afto are a we to reconcile a people to the yoke of a cotiqu,”Or. Generations 'bust pass away, and every vestige of the injustice he effaced., before a cordial and voluntary iubmission can be t x protest. To she* the - trutb of Usti racsaris Its lb more übviap light, ant ma No. 59. POLI'T'ICAL D ISQ ISITION. Xt ABER I IFTY•SEV/BX. -••■410... SPANISH AFFAIRS. A cetebrated reaoldtlonary demagogue, after the atrocities of the revolution had destroyed every trace of predllectiou for its 'principles, is reported to have said, it held out great advantages to mankind, but it felt into the hands of very bad men. This is impremely true with regard to the unforeseen, the unboped for, occurrences is Spain ; they promised Incalculable advaotages, but they were frustrated by the interference and mismanagement of wry bad and very weak men. Their Gist appearance was bailed by the good and enlightened in every part of Europe, and parti cularly in this country, as the certain signal of deliverance from calamities, which men were preparing to submit to as una voidable. The universal enthdsiasm they excited In the com mencement, could have been alone produced by a strong sense of imminent danger, and the unexpected certainty of escaping it.-- We participated strongly in the feelings of our cotemporaries; but as we never desponded, and never harboured an idea of sub.- witting with resignation to the pressure of public misfortunes, however alarming, we felt no other Sensation on the occasion, bat that triumphant one which men of a certain character feel, wben they see their speculations in favour of human virtue and energy realised by occurrences. Our joy belrayed neither ex traordinary zuituoisbnient, nor symptoms of fOrmer despondency, bat it Rowed from the colremplatian of innocence and freedom totally triumphiagavor injustice and violence. • We were far, however, from being insensible to those alarm lag marks of !Wildcat apathy add indivialual selfishoets, which begin to Creep into society in the train of overgrown opulence : Sind luxury; and we looked with some anxiety to the persons on whose capacity, firniness, and versatility of mind depeudtal the fortunate issue of Spanish resistance. We might have been discouraged from entertaining over sanguine expectations by the experience of the inadequate measures adopted by nieces , sive admiuistrations for the last fourteen years ; but we were in clined, at the same time, to trust, that repeated disappoint ments and reverses had sufficieatly impressed the inexpediency of their measures, and that a system of vigorous policy would succeed, at last, to the miserable, shuffling, and spiritless half measurta, hich, during that interval, marked and disgraced - our exertion& We were nut unaequaiuted with the resources and former success of the enemy ; we bad followed him with painful attention in the career or his victories and conquests; and bad, by no means, forgot that former efforts, on the rata of other states, to stop him in the rapidity of his course, termi nated In their abasement or subjugation. We knew all these circueastatees ; but we would rather appear, in the estimation of our cotemporaries, as senseless drivellers and extravagant visionaries, than lay claims to soperior penetration ana judg ment, if this reputation were only to be acquired by expressing our contempt of thepresent generation, auts proclaitntogtheft. l 4 of expecting from their efforts an effectual opposition to the Overwhelming inroads of usurpation and tyranny. Never Will II sentiment, implying so contemptible an opinion of man kind. dishonour the columns of this paper; but an unceasing appeal Mill 6a made to the characteristic energy aad patriotism of our countrymen. We will remind them of the virtues and ex ploits of their ancestor, of the trials tbel eateostatasedp awl. the ;4!.. PIA% # 9 O 11 1 / 4 1 111 1 1 5 51 ti • • • • 1 ; / 0 1. • „ • e f, •Sle .„ . • . lit 5 r