The National Register. — London, England, 1809-12-10 00:00:00

have no inclination to renew the bitter, mortifying, sensa tions we experieaced during the perusal. Let the reader Judge for himself: The last accounts from Holland, which come down to the Ist instant, invalidate the reports which have been, for some time in circulation, of a meditated change in the govern ment of that country. They contain au address, teeming with affection and respect to Lours BONAPARTE, upon his intended j rrney to Paris. There is not an allusion made to the rurWoured change ; but the address contains some strong expressions of regret on the hardship and unavoid able urgency of fresh financial burthens ; and concludes with an earnest hope that their beloved King would speedily return to his affectionate subjects. Lours, in his answer, promises to gratify their wish for his speedy return ; sym pathises with them upon the subject of the finances, and the restrictions upon commerce ; and insinuates that some advantages may arise from his visit to his imperial brother. The affairs or Spain increase, from day to day, in im pori ance, and inspire, a larger share of interest. Every province vies with the others in a generous emulation of freedom, and in the organization of means to secure it. When the will and the deed thus correspond, and are mark ed with vigour and enthusiasm in the conception and exe cution of measures--in that country it is not easy for an invader and a tyrant to consolidate his plan of conquest and slavery. This opinion begins to gain ground ; and we sincerely exult in its propagation, as it does honour to the fbelinn-s of the man who entertain Pt, whilst it is a tribute of approbation to the generous exertions of the people, who arc its objects. But there is still a phalanx of incredul ous beings, who boast their consistency in repressing the con tidence and ardour of their own countrymen, and calumniat ing the principles and actionsof the Spaniards. These men, if they are not strong in limners, respectability, and ta lents, are formidable in impudence and political perversity. Tau represent our allies, as a foolish and weak people, and found this indecorous charg e upon premises as ragged 1 rotten as their conclusions . ''he Spaniards, in their opinion, .are a foolish people, for fighting for their fields, their cot tages, their wives, sisters, and daughters, in order to preserve them from the lust and rapacity of a horde of licentious, savage, and unprovoked invaders. These are no motives to 'resistance; and, because their former government was guilty of considerable excesses, had often infringed upon their rights, and betrayed by its last act, the infamy of its principles, and the turpitude of its conduct—because the iaquisition was a vexatious, unjust, and infamous tribunal— because the pretensions of the nobility, and the vast pos sessions of the clergy, were inconsistent with the prosperity of the great body of the people—Because these evils did exist, the Spaniards betray their folly in resisting the in troduction and substitution of still greater evils. They are .fools for resenting the atrocities and insults of the French ; because the grand inquisitor arrogated pretensions con 'Vary to religion and humanity. Such are the proofs of Spanish folly laid down by our exclusive patriots and re formers. There are bigots in politics, as well as in religion, who, in proportion to the absurdity of a tenet, obstinately • adhere to it. This is strongly evinced in the conduct of a certain class of men in this country, who, under the mask of zeal for freedom and abhorrence of abuses, endeavour to subvert every liberal principle, and extinguish every 'generous sentiment, which does not square with their par tial ccintcsicAo attld suffocating notions of liberty, and re have taken it into their heads to admire #=.l l ssii* of BLIONAPA RTE, from a certain 1) r !'f• - • :YeliAlent. From the same liberal and 'Lv7 ,l 9 DEC. 10. and patriotic motive, they calumniate and affect to de spise the Spaniards, their cause, and their efforts. We feel an inexpressible indignation, when we read these vituperating comments, suggested by brutality, and the most illiberal prejudice; and could dash the paper, which contains them, into the face of the writer. What a heart that man must have, which is cold and indifferent to the exertions of a people struggling against injustice and op pression ! What principles he must possess, when he has recourse to ridicule, misrepresentation and falsehood, to decry their efforts, and extenuate the atrocities of the aggressor ! There is something most ludicrously incon sistent in the professions of.Coenevr and his mimics. They affect a kind of Jansenistical convulsion, when they at• tempt to attest the miracles and infallibility of their own party ; but they are as cold and stiff as infidelity, as often as they allude to practical freedom, They are patriots in England ; but supporters of the vilest tyranny in every other country. Apostles of reform, and admirers of NAPOLEON BUONAPARTE They affect a veneration for freedom, and avow an admiration for its greatest enemy. We have been led into these reflections, in consequence of the malicious, obstinate, and inhuman attempts made by this squad, to injure the cause of freedom in Spain, in the opinion of Englishmen. If they act from conviction, they have a very limited view of the real interests of their country, and of the advantages that would accrue to her in the event of Spanish success. But if they speak in op position _to their real sentiments, and disseminate their opinions only for the purpose of creating discontent—where 'shall we find terms to mark our abhorrence of their base and dangerous machinations. Whatever their motives are, whether they originate in folly, or wickedness, they have found, thanks to the good sense and liberality of the British nation, very few proselytes to their illiberal, and disheartening doctrines. By a certain impudence of as- sertion, and jargon, interlarded with some popular words, they might have imposed upon the credulous and the short-sighted ; but the great mass of our countrymen are not to be convinced by sound and impudence, that it would be to their advantage, were BUONAPARTE to be come master of Spain and her colonies. We thank Heaven that he is not; for it would be one of the most calamitous incidents which could befal us and the nations of Europe. The possession of the Peninsula would consolidate his usurpation, and might enable him to perpetuate it in his family. It is impossible that this country, though she might resist for five, ten, even fifteen years, could main tain her independence, for a considerable time, against this immense accumulation of power, in the hands of an indefatigable enemy. But this event is not so near, as has been so precipitately concluded. Two French armies., much more formidable in numbers than those which overran Austria, subjugated Prussia, and hupabled Russia, have been already immo lated to Spanish vengeance. More than 150,000 of the invaders, in the course of eighteen months, have fallen ; and this comprehensive act of retributive justice was in flicted during an interval, when the military resources of the Spaniards, their abhorrence of the enemy, and their confidence in themselves, were considerably inferior to what they are now. Every day is an important acquisi tion to an unanimous people, struggling for freedom. — They grow habituated to danger ; acquire greater expe rience in the use of arms ; approach gradually to a level of discipline with the invaders, whilst they surpass them in every other advantage, local, numerical, and moral.— This happy and decisive change becomes more and more visible, and justifies already the most. sanguine anticipa tions. The Spaniards, exclusive of their harrassing, sultory, and exterminating warfare, in which courage alone has the advantage, begin to meet the enemy on his own terms; defy him to battles in which discipline insures success, and, by their present steadiness, spew that they are the descendants of those Spaniards, who, in the time of Puma the Second, were the best sot- i Mt THE NATIONAL REGISTER. 1 . 1% I v 4(.