The National Register. — London, England, 1809-03-26 00:00:00

/ THE NATIONAL REGISTER. sentiments of the Sovereign, his illustrious spouse, and the majority of his subjects, we may, confidently and boldly assert, that if Prussia take an • active part, she Aid do it in favour of Austria. On the eventual conduct, or the pre sent policy of Russia, it is more difficult to decide ; but even the testimony of the enemy corroborates the important fact,—that she will not act agerst .Austria. However, if our Readers are to allow a single particle of goad sense, honour, or integrity, to exist in the councils of that court, or that a spark of PiTea's genius and of CATIIERINE'S ambition, lurks in the remotest fold of ALEx.s.ora's heart, they must be convinced that she will act for Austria. We have, however, some facts which may guide our speculations in this respect;— the recall of ROM. NZOFF from Paris, the chang e in the foreign department, the n egoc iatio n w ith 'Tu rkey, the journey of their Prussian Majesties to St.. Petersburg, and the measures bordering on actual hostility to France carried into execution on their return ; these are facts, which ? at any other period, would be considered as unequivocal proofs of a total change in the policy of that Court. We must acknowledge, we are among the number of those who anticipatr.., that event; and, when we look back the short space of two years, when ALEXANDER dis flayed so much loyalty, good faith, an d magnan i m ity, we ondly and pertinaciously adhere to the hope, that a Mo narch, who stood once, and so deservedly, high in the esteem of this country, will soon rank again among the zpost ardent of our supporters in favour o f universalfree dom. Dent ark follows of course in the vortex of Russian politics. These appearances, so corresponding with the wishes and interests of 'every man, who knows to appreciate the bles sings of freedom, and to whom oppression and lawless ra pine are subjects of abhorrence, become more cheering, when united with the new spirit of liberty and resistance, which has dnce more displayed itself, with so much vigour, in every part of Spain. The iron crown may he still shat terred on Ole head of the tyrant himself; and a fair morn ing may succeed the long and dismal night of disorder. We can never abandon this idea, as long as a ray of hope shoots across the political horizon. It may be more con- Sistent with the temper and principles of some writers, to discover only motives of terror and despondency, where we find a source of consolation ; but however they may exult iu the conscious pride of superior sense and penetra tion, we would not abandon our good opinion of mankind for their good opinion of themselves, All the Weekly Papers, almost without exception, seem to have laid it down ai an invariable rule in their speculations, to present their Readers only with the gloomy side of the question; and influenced, we would hope, rather by custom, than by principle, evince no small degree of exultation when their gloomy anticipations have been realized by occurrences. This conduct, from whatever cause it may proceed, is in finitely dangerous and reprehensible; and, Were it univer sally adopted, considering the great influence which Jour nia;ts have over the pnblic opinion, it would leave no tither alternative, than to renounce freedom of discussion, or to contemplate, with moral certainty, the arrival of a period, When Cuglish men would evince as much indifference as they display ardour at preseet, for the interests or ho nour of their country. This evil habit has so much vitiated their British feelings, and even those which are common to every man of education, that they cannot guard the com mon forms of politeness, whenever they advert to the lead in; then in those countries which are most closely united to otirs by the ties of friendship and reciprocal interests. There is as much folly as brutality in such unwarrantable strictures; and if they have no respect for tho character or welfare of their country, which must suffer from their insolence, they should, at least, have some respect for themselves, by observiag the us ual laws of deco ruin. MARGIT 26. We feel the highest degree of exultation in being able to confirm the accounts, previously received, of an universal spirit of resistance having once more manifested itselfin the Northern Provinces of Spain. The brave peasants- of Gallicia, Leon, and Asturias, so often calumniated,- we• blush to say, even in this country, have risen again on their oppressors, and harrass and destroy them by constant and irregular attacks. We are positively informed that the French force in Gallicia does not amount to 20,000 men, and these appear to be worn out by. incessant. toil, hunger, and disease. The patriotic inhabitants of those provinces have resumed, as we predicted two months ago, the enthu siasm and courage which marked so prominently -their first efforts. The rigour of the winter drove these poor people, destitute as they were of the simplest necessaries of life, and the most essential articles of clothing, back to their homes ; and the present horrors of hunger and cold outweighed, as might be expected, the remoter terror of slavery. The invigorating and cheering rays of a, southern sun have restored them to life, vigour and a keen sense of their injuries. They can now dispense with the use of hats and shoes, they can carry in their knap sacks the week's sustenance ; and emboldened by partial success, and taught the advantages of an irregular mode of warfare, they will become more formidable than ever to their infamous invaders. This pleasing intelligence is corrobated by the arrival of the Busy cutter, which loft Lisbon on the 26th ai Febru ary. We learn from this source, that the French have abandoned the Portuguese frontiers, and that the levies of that kingdom, uniting with the remains of the Spanish army, have put themselves under the command of the Patriotic ROMANA, who was preparing, at the head of 25,000 men, to aid the efforts of the brave peasants. Lord COCRRA NE arrived at Plymouth on Monday in tha Impericuse from Gibraltar and Cadiz. He has brought in. telligence from Spain of a pleasing complexion. The let., ters from Gibraltar are of the 28th ult. The most interest ing fact at present known, though somewhat confusedly, is, that at Cadiz serious tumults have arisen, from a sus • picion on the part of the people, too well justified by fatal experience in other quarters, that their magistrates were unfaithful to the cause of their country. The immediate occasion is understood to be the following Some of the French prisoners, who, under that de• scription, had been so long confined at Cadiz, made the suspicious otter of their services to garrison the town, and to make this proposal palatable, declared themselves to be Poles, and not Frenchmen. The Marquis de Ville!, Go vernor of the place, was disposed to accept of this offer against which the inhabitants mutinied. Lord COCHRANE, whilst on his station in the Mediter ranean, raised even the naval reputation of his country by his intrepidity and vigilance. Notwithstanding the limited means he had at his controul, he spread alarm and terror, along the enemy's coast, from the Pyrenees to the Gulph of Genoa; and his defense of Rosas has left a splendid mo nument of what British bravery is capable of executing * when animated by the example, and guided by the. talents of a COCHRANE. The splendour and utility of his, ser vices impress the triumphant conviction, that the ap pointment of similar Officers to the command of our army is all that is requisite to make it as enterpris ing and efficient as it had been in the time of the Great Duke of MARLBOROUGH. This conviction, we trust, will gradually explode the cautious, dilatory, and al most dastardly measures, which disg raced our late mili tary operations. The Mini s try, w h o are afraid of em ploying our army on a large scale of service, have not benefited flinch by the perusal of our history ; and judge the British character solely from their own. The g ood sense and the native c o ur age of the Public, second e d by a repetition of exploits as effective as those performed by the gallant Lord Lucaß NE, must ultimately triumph aver (be . it