The National Register. — London, England, 1812-02-23 00:00:00

- 7 - I i P 4 illiemmta.);oo;eissemot -114 I •••... lIINI. Commanders. On l*ening• to your admirable speech I almost Lncied I heard the pages of the .11onitcur read aloud to me. Your skill in useful misrepresentation is fully equal to that of my Editors. I was particularly struck with the abuse which you contrived to throw on his Lordship, for doing so little wi:b means so ample.— Between us, the fact was the reverse ; the superiority of numbers vas, on every occasion, on the side of my armies. But with a 'degree of unblushing . impudence, which I could almost envy did I not feel myself at least your equal on that point you c. , nputed numbers in such a man ner as to swell the British and Portuguese force to a grand total of 200,000 men, with an armed population of 150,000, whilst you reduced my troops, employed against Portu gal, to 60,000. Did the Committee, you exclaimed, with a burst of exultation and pride which I hitherto fancied none but a Frenchman could have felt, " recollect the en trance into Portugal of General MassENA with 60,000 men- who maintained their ground for suck a considera ble period of time ; whom famine alone compelled to re treat, and who, when they did retreat, although they retired in the free of a superior army, and through an hos tile population, lost no single advantage, but maintained themselves unbroken and untouched How forcibly you demonstrated the importance of Lord WELLINGTON'S conquest " In the present cam paign what has be .n obtained ? Ciudad Rodrigo ! a for tress which any army preponderating at the moment must inevitably reduce ; the cut-works of which ware of little avail, and required a garrison of 4000 men. The garri son which it contained , however , when attacked by the British, did not exceed 1500 in number. The place was assaulted by 12,0'30 troops, and Lord WELLINGTON himself revealed its weakness when he acknowledged that an attack which was intended merely as a feint had succeeded." How admirably you contrasted with this pitiful atchievenicut, the important ti iumphs gained by the French Arms in another quarter of the Penin sula ! How enthusiastically warm the praises which you bestowed on my newly created Duke, SMUT ! In a short period this Marshal had taken Tarragona, Murviedpl Saguntum, and Valencia ; had sent to France 47,000 prisoners, including 2000 Officers, and the Ge neral in Chief BeAxe, himself. Badajoz bad fallen into the bands of MASSNA, and Lord NV eeeixo - roN, after vainly attempting to retake it, had lost tztelre thousand !lien at the battle of Albuera!" This last assertion was too evidently in the French style, not to cause some symptoms of disapprobation among the illiberal and un enlightened. But let not such marks of contempt, on the part of your Colleagues afflict you. YOur conduct is observed, as you now perceive, by beings of a higher rank, whose praise, let it be your chief object to deserve. How just the following remarks and how well calculated to further my views. Wherever the English have the power in their hands, there the Inquisition is established : where ver the French have the sway, there the Inquisition is abolished. This is the sort of liberty with which we are to favour the Spaniards, this the deliverance to be pur chased for them -with the treasure and blood of the people of England." I feel the more admiration for the sentiments which you Lave expressed, because they are spontaneous. You have acted on ground entirely your own. The opinion of many inibic writers, and public speakers in your country, I can command, as I have purchased it ; but congeniality of ylin•i alone has led yolits to coincide with mine. This free will ofleling I sa:Ail neither reject nor sutler to p.►ss ...kallNIOW.v.•,.•:, • THE NATIONAL REGISTER. IEI3. 23 _ - unrewarded. Yoe raise my notions of the English people, and I have experienced too much satisfaction at finding such a friend, not to take every possible means to secure his affection. I, have, in consequence, 'passed the follow. ing Decree, in order to bestow on you a. distinguished and public mark of my. esteem and gratitude. We NAPOLEON, Bc.c. Being desirous of displaying our esteem towards Sir FRANCIS BUR. a x - rr, Bart. and of testifying our admiration of his patriotic conduct ever since he became a public man, and more particularly of the decid edly Gallic sentiments expressed in the Speech in which, on the 2 1,t instant, he opposed the grant of 2,0001. a year to our enemy Lord WEL LINGTON, 'Have decreed, and do decree as follows: — Art. Ist. That the said Sir FRA r!z els BURDETT, Bart. is admitted Ito all the rights of French citizenship ; which rights shall remain in his male descendants ad s,ecula urridortim. Art. 2d. The said Sir' FRANCIS BURDETT, Bart. is created Grara Cross of the Legion of Honour, with the reversion of the first Duke dom vacant. Our Minister of the Interior shall see this Decree registered and car ried into execution. Dane this 22d day of February, 1812, at our Balloon Observatory, '2,600 tolses above the surface of the earth. NAPOLEON. GARNLRIN, Witness and Secretary. U.VITED STA 2'ES. American Papers to the 2d instant were receive.] on Friday, bringing , intelligence of considerable moment. Tire bill for permitting the importation of British goods, purchased or contracted for previous to the 2d February, 1811, had not passed, and some of the Papers stated that it would not pass. The official documents contained in the American Papers arc highly interesting. We are glad to find the base imputations cast upon the Bri tish Nation and charaCter, both in and out of Con , greys, with respect to stirring up the Indians to war against America, have ilten so triumphantly refuted ; Aid. that even the American Government was the channel through which that refutation had been conveyed first' to Congress, and afterwards to the Public. Mr. FOSTER called the attention of the American Govern ment to a letter written some time since to Mr. MoniEtt, by Sir JANIFS CRAIG, directing him to apprise the American Government of the intention of the In dians to make war upon the United States. The corres pondence between Messrs. FOSTER and MUNROE on the subject, has been communicated by the PRESIDENT to Congress, and published. ' . The other contents of the American Papers sare of considerable importance. It appears from the official Budget that the expenses d the war cannot be defrayed without many new taxes and accumulating debts ; and an official Report made by Mr. GALATI:I to Congress shows what was the state of American commerce, and the vast disproportion between the amount of e:Torts taken oil' by this country and by France, or7even by all other nations. If any thing can open the eyes of the Americans to the ruinous consequences of a war with , 1 this country it would be these documents , upon the latte r 1 of which an American Paper has the following coni. melts : " document k highly interesting, we here see from the foun tain head of authority, that of FORTY-FIVE P.TILLIONS of dolkrs of our exports, the grand source of our national riches—more than thirty eight millions of them are purchased by Gr eat Britain and her Allies, Spain and Portugal; while short of one million two hundred thousand • are taken by France and Italy. Farmer, marfc. well ! that of the alloye exports, more than Six Sevenths of them are derived from Agricta ture.—f Coltonbrian alivel.) Mr. GALLATIN'S Report is finished to-day. It has electrified Con gress—hi-Ow the w;'r fever—and must have a good effect on the Ameri can l'ublie.—; Caumbrianfinal.) Pi 1 1..... FE *' RLI that den htic illci con