The National Register. — London, England, 1813-12-05 00:00:00

THE NATIO Our Iting, Constitution, anti tato. PUBLISHED A'T NO. 11, - NEWC ASTLE-STELEFT, STRAND. No. 310. Nt SUNDAY, DECEMBER 5. 1813. CRITICAL SITUATION OF THE FRENCH EMPIRE. We are aware that the resources of the common enemy continue to be greatly exaggerated, and that many persons expect, not only a protracted, but a powerful struggle on his part, to recover s his lost pre-eminence in Europe, and once more to stand a candidate for the empire of the world. Our opinion is widely different. The lien may roar after he has lost his teeth, the tyger may spring after he has lost his fangs, but -their power to do harm is gone, and, although noisy and turbulent, they arc no longer formidable. Such is the situation to which NAPOLEON seems to be reduced, and the evidence en which we found our opinion cannot be deemed unfairly partial, since it is that of the enemy himself. The . Paris papers which arrived yesterday to the Ist in't. slim the miserable state to which the French finances are ; educed. To raise the 27 millions of franks (about 1,200,0001. sterling), necessary to carry on the war, NAPOLEON is artiged to .have recourse to the old revolutionary system of ' , Mandats. These Mandats are to be sent to the Prefects to the requisitions made for provisions , hay, horses, &c. for I the "army : and the price is to be, not the market price, but the price which the Prefect chuses to fix as the value. The buyer is to determine the price of tlfe article—he is to pay fur it in paper, which paper is to be assigned for liquidation upon taxes which may be utterly unproductive. It is per haps expected, that, as the sum is not very considerable, the arbitrary nature of this measure will he less noticed, as its weight will be less felt. But there is no doubt that this sup ply will prove. insufficient, and must be frequently reiterated in the course of the year. Had NAPOLEON possessed any other means of procuring money, be would have used it in preference to this tyrannical and unpopular mode. To the same expedient he must therefore recur, whenever his wants become pressing, and the effect of such repeated impo sitions on his people must powerfully assist the progress of the Allies, by leaving to the French no other object than ruin to fight for, even should they succeed in repelling ' every hostile army from...their territories. These invaders and ravagers of the world are now doomed to feel the ter rors of invasion in their turn, and the Journal de Paris con . tainsan animated appeal to the patriotism of the people, to rise in defence of their wives and daughters, and by 'a mighty effort to renew the scenes of 1793, when the armies of coalesced Europe were driven Itom the heart of Fiance. Did it never enter into the mind of tilt writer of this appeal, bow many ,countries the French lave since invaded, how many kingdoms they have wastrel, how many nations en slaved, and in how different a situation they now stand? Mad they been satisfied with the deliverance of their terri tory at that period, had they not overflowed their flaw:al boundaries, carried war and desolation to every state of Eu rope, and endeavoured to plant the banner of despotism over a subject world, their homes, their wives, their daughters, would now be secure, and the brand plucked f: om the flaming embers of Mcscow, would not wave terrific over their trembling cities, and menace even the maguiticent palaces of imperial Paris. No military operations of importance are mentioned io Vol. VI. No. CCe_t these Papers. BEAUH A RHO'S, as usual, claims a victory in Italy. But all his triumphs have hitherto terminated in re treat ; and although, in the present instance, he pretends to have kept his ground, it was not without suffei ing a se vere hiss. The neutrality of the Swiss Cattons is now the gland consolation of France. It is indeed no less astonish- Mg than the obstinacy of the king of Des: MARK It is a phenomenon in the history of man, a contradiction to the feelings of nature, an apostacy fro.n the ,virtue of their an cestors, that a people, who five centuries back, gave Eu rope the noble example of emancipation from the yoke of despotism, and through a succession. of ages, amidst volutions that changed the political and religious face of Europe, • preserved their liberties unalteresl, and .the native simplicity of their manners untainted, should now be found almost the only prop of the most oppres sive tyranny on earth, is a problem not to be solved by the common rules and principles of human action. Is it because the sacred edifice of their ancient constitution had lately been overturned, and a new system of political existence imposed upon them, by the Despot who styles himself their Mediator, that out of gratitude they stand forth his ft lends, for their neutrality is nothing but an alliance in disguise ? Has he, who hunted freedom through the world, really reconstructed their liberties ou an improved. plan, and lavished on their favoured land the rights of which he robbed every other nation, so as to havelained their hearts and se cured their fidelity ? or, has the ancient Swiss character pe rished with their constitution? Has corruption kept pace with submission, and the charm of novelty made even slavery appear sweeter to their lips .thaa antiquated, and therefoie tasteless independence? Whatever be the cause of their conduct, the effect is the same. If they do not assist Napo leon with their swords, they shield his vitals with their ter ritories. Their neutrality, if acknowledged by the Ailies, is an impassable rampart which covers the moss ins; o. tan; com munications. of his empire, those that conduct Italy with France, and without which the former, entirely cut oil from external assistance, must return under the sway of her ancient Princes. Switzerland neutral. prevents the coalesced unites from turning the positions of the enemy on the Rhine, and compelling him to abandon that river and allAusti ian Flanders, without fighting, to seek a shelter behind the tripple line of fortresses which formed the ancient boundary of Fratice. Even the hostility of the Swiss would be pieferable to their neutrality, Their nutubers are not so great hot they may be overpowered, and their spirit is not so mighty, but it has been, and may yet be quelled. .A way might be o pened through their legions, to sever those ticks that still unite Italy and France, of which, as neets ak, they kaaynie the salegnard. Let not, therefore, the feir of e am.iog the Swiss cantons to declare openly in tevour their MediLtor, induce the Allies to acknowledge their brut , ality. An armed neutrality, especially, ought to he mere than suspicieus, for who can• doubt, after their late heat ty co operation in all the wars wag(al by Franca, that at tie best signal of altered fortunes on the pat( t;f the Allied l'eraers, these conscientious neutrals would licsi tate - to tall on and rear, and contribute to dept lye t nein of de.- ft.: nvany toils, so many datrifers, and many sactifiLes liits $(, )A •„. L REGISTER. PRICE 9d•