The National Register. — London, England, 1808-09-19 00:00:00

SEPTEMBER 19. 11 , . I; •till in the viznur of life, but most vulgar and uncouth in iris appearance; his face is seamed with scars, and his manners are bnari4ii, rule, and obtrusive; he is ignorant of all learning except the mere rudiments, but he has always been reckoned remarkable for his quickness of judgment and decision, and cer tainly his conduct since the binding of our troops in Portugal fines not cow ►diet the general opinion. His skill in negotiation has been even superior to his tactics in the field, and he has con quered with the pen those whom he could not touch with the POLITICAL. DISQUISITION. NUMBER THIRTY-EIGHT. PROJECTED INVASION OF SPAIN BY BONA- PARTE. -.■r To the cause of Spain are irrevocably attached the des tinies of Europe. On the successful resistance or subjuga tion of her inhabitants depend as incontrovertibly Our own preponderance and security. Let us then consider with all tile candour, impartiality, and judgment, which this great e,nestion so imperiously requires, the means she possesses of vlitaining ultimate success, and how we can mostetheaci 01141V assist her. This disquisition acquires additional in terest from the late official declaration of the enemy ;—an enemy till now in the habit of executing his menace; — whose dreadful fiat, with few exceptions, has been attend. ed with almost instantaneous effect ; and whose irrevocable adherence to his purpose Italy, Germany, Spain, and Por tugal unfortunately attest. Let us consider the man, his genius, his resources, his crimes, and his inflexible will ! Let us then contrast the united efforts of Great Britain and Spain, the sacredness of the cause, the calamities and de gradation that await them in case of discomfiture ;—and having done so, let us examine what cause for apprehen sion, or motives for encouragement we have. In the an nals of history there is, perhaps, not one question which outweighs the present in importance. There never has been one, whose interests were so comprehensive, and its consequences so decisive. Under this impression we ought to enter on the examination ; and whilst we treat it with that seriousness and temper, which the magnitude and awfulness of the subject demand, we will communicate our suggestions with freedom, and propose measures, which appear to us conducive to the exigency of the times. The crisis is awful ! Every individual. who feels the faculty and the will, should contribute his mite to the general fund. Every talent will be thus brought into circulation, and the result of this general interest and participation will be, that the energy of the community w id be wound up to that pitch, which, as long as it lasts, renders their etrorts supe rior to Occurrences, and forms a new and glorious era in their annals. Doubts and apprehensions, discreditable to the public, have been manifested in consequence of the eirmciation uncle in the official journal of the Tyrant, " Thol nnt n " village in Spain would he in a state of insnrrectiln, nor " an English soldier on the Continent before ;he close (!f the "gear." These fears were magnified by the ncoontit of the numerous armies which were hastening to thy Pyrenees. in order to support this menace. Some from le% it e• and some from iv ' 'norance, others, to crive a proof of their fore sight, and a few worthless individuals, we are afraid, from a desire to depreciate the efforts of their country, and to extol those of the enemy, have contribut?il to nromnote the alarm. Three inontlis ago this anxiety v.-oAI have been justifiable, when an army of a hundred thousval Fren7h veterans was in possession of Madrid and the principal ci ties and fortresses of Spain ; when warm a cirps was or ganised in that country- to resst that tremendous fore: . !; when the very man, woo had oyerrin and soh:mated Eu rope, in the course of three Nears. was on the frontiers : Under those circumstances apprehensions would have been excusable and even Just. But after the Spaniards hare 595 done every tiling to command our esteem and veneration; atter they have given unequivocal of their resoiu tion to bury themselves under the ruins of their LIJUat y, sooner than submit to ignominy ; utter tiwy ua • e l'Cliug r ed, by the extirpation of their invaders, the seiz.ire of the fleet, their bold and just delineation of the perfidy amid atrocity of the enemy, every idea of compromise impossi ble, anti submission itself unavailing ;—after having armed a considerable part of their male population, and put iu re quisition the whole mass of talents and virtue in th • r try ;—after having done acts of heroism, manifested a de irree of perseverance and patience, and given a sublime ex ample of patriotism, unequalled in modern times, and el an wiut a parallel in the most vaunted ages of Greece d Ro me ; —after such proofs of magnanimity, we did not expect that an insolent declaration from the Tyrant whom they discomfitted, and whose brother, and whose partisans and soldiers they chaced from their capital, would be-suffi cient to depress a British public. What renders this dis conramement the more unpardonable and criminal, are tho victories of *Vimiera and Rolcia. Though our generals have not known to avail themselves of these brilliant advantages, our soldiers are still the same, and are ready to engage the enemy on Spanish ground. New Expeditious are fitting out, some have already sailed to augment their force ; and the whole regular army of the United Kingdom is un der orders for the same destination. With such vigour on our part, and incontestable resolution on that of the Spa niards, we would entertain no fear of ultivirrte success, were the enemy at liberty to send his whole army beyond the Pyrenees. The character of this war is (la rent, as we have tiequently observed, from every other Ile has been engaged in. 1:e may be successful in the coma encement. He may conduct his brother once more to MArid. Ile may commit the most unhe:ftd of outrages in several of the provinces, erase their cities to the very ft.undation, and exterminate a considerable part of the r pulation ; but we wilt hazard in like manner a conaterlrophecy, " That at the close tif this sear not an finned pare an of' the " Bonapartes will be in Madrid." We hazard this pro phecy, because we entertain a very high opinion of the energy and capacity of the present Cabaret, as hvourable an opinion of Spanish prowess, and the most smigulne hopes from the nature of the contest. We have left out of consideration the rest of he conti nent. We will give as much credit to the deelara!ion rela tive to Austria as Boaaparte himself coald wish. We will believe his solemn assurance of the acquiescence of Russia in his system of usurpation and plunder ; we wid suppose that every Cabinet on the Continent consists of tools or knaves, we will allow that every particle of virtue, that every spark of liberty, that every national sentiment, from the Neva to the Hay of Naples, arc extinct. We will at tempt to forget his former declarations previous to the Austrian and Prussian Wars: vv c: Mill acknowledge the ar rival of two Savaish Cabinet Niessengers in Paris, the sub mission, acquiescence :Ind debasement of Italians, Aus trians, Prussians, Poh.s, Danes, Russians and even of the magnanimous Gusiavas. .After all these concessions, sup posing all these statements were tone, we should be far freni believing the cause of the Spaniards desperate ;—We should still indui2:e the opiuicn that they would finally sacceed in spite of the sui:ilerfuges, treachery and power of their daring cut agooist. Hut convinced as we are that I bis flerlarnlion was made to deceive great Britain, delude his vassal States, and im pose on i‘ustria ; that it was made without wisdom and tores'ght, as a miserable shift for the moment, we then perceive the extent of his einharrassmcnt aial the ineffi cacy of his nvetuvs. Ilis armie3 are in irotioi!; bat he is micertain how to employ than. He appreheads Austria 4 he distrusts the Confederacy of the 111:inc, and is wholly aware of the magnitude 914hca,clart:, , ,w that threatens him in the South. I war ketweet..H t '..nixt:Austria is unavoid lble ; and it is by tiwniaans jn.t. , iqe Oa' i the part of the I +o latter to defer the con) 44 n.t4i'l . edisidatable part of his . . w ~. . ~"'~..~ THE NATIONAL REGISTER.'