The National Register. — London, England, 1808-09-26 00:00:00

SEPTEMBER 26. is* Letters; A Pedestrian Tour through Prance, Germany, Hol land, Switzerland, and Denmark, written during the Years 1805, 6, and 7, to be continued in a Series of Correspondence ; a Perfectly Novel Retrospect of Politics; copious Review of Literature; Dramatic Memoir. and Criticisms, ese. Bfc. Printed and published by J. B. Bell and J. De Camp, Ni. 11, Catherine-street, Strand ; and ma) he had of every Book seller and Newsman throughout the United Kingdom. TO OUR SUBSCRIBERS. ~ .M111.1.M... Vie have received some complaints of other Papers having been sent to our Subscribers instead of The National Re eider. The error must be attributed to the persons who for►rard the Paper, whose names and addresses must be fa miliar to the complainants. To prevent such abuses, we would recommend to our Sub s cribers not to pay for Papers that are thu• imposed upon them ; and by forwarding their address to the Office of this Paper, other Newsmen shall be appointed, who i% ill he more regular and circumspect. TILE NA t ft)NAL REGISTER. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 1808. POLITIC.iL EVENTS OF TRH WEEK. The intelligence received during the course of the week, from several parts of the Continent, has been by no means SJ important as we had reason to expect. The reports made Us the Ministers of War and Foreign Affairs to the l'enate, and the letter of ISONAPARTIS to the same corps, spoke so decidedly of the vast preparations, and of the un abated will, to place a BONAPARTK on the Spanish throne ; they contained, at the same time, so many insinuations relative to Austria, evinced so much aancour, jealousy, and dissatisfaction at the independence, energy, and mili tary preparations of that powerr—that there was reason to suppose that the next mails from Holland would have brought us some account of actual hostilities having broke 4:tit in the :outh of Germany. However, no such event has occurred ; and all this bluster and bullying have been no more, as we insinuated in our last, than mere Puling, in order to impose on the Parisians, delude and orrify the vassal states, and excite apprehensions and dis satisfaction in the. Austrian provinces. His present conduct is so diametrically opposite to that daring and flagitious policy, which marked his former ca reer, that some great and insurmountable difficulties must have started up, to occasion such a deviation from his usual activity and decision. What can account for this relaxation in his measures, and this uncertainty in his councils ? A declaration, similar to that lately made to the teuate, was formerly the immediate harbinger of war and ',story. Why does he then renounce a system, which was attended with uniform success ? A man of his characteristic pc netration would not so easily relax, for the purpose of exveriment, from that decided and energetic policy, which gave him so tnuch advantage over the wavering, irresolute c‘crilcilq of his enemies. We cannot extricate ourselves out of the difficulty and embarrassment, by imputing this spiritless, vacillating conduct of the Tyrant to the absence or disgrace of TALLEYRAND ; for he enjoys the full benefit of Lae experience, resources, and genius of that vaunted statesman. Ile is with hirn in Paris ; possesses his confi dence; and exercises his usual influence. We cannot, therefore, employ TALLEYRAYD as a Deus ex inathina, to salve our doubt. • Nor can we, with "water propriety or ~+•y..0 r ~~c. 1r ''' ..,- THE NATI better success, impute to him conscientious scruples rela tive to the past, and projects of reformation fur the faint. Unfortunately fin mankind, he is not subject to qualms of this nature ; and when he abandons a project, he does not do it from any tenderness for the sufferings of millions, any respect for the sentiments of his cotemporaries, or anxiety about the atrocity or profligacy of the means ; lie re nounces it from no other motive, but because it is not in his power to execute it. 617. Such is undoubtedly the man, and such are the prin ciples which the whole tenour of his unprincipled and re morseless conduct justifies us to impute to him. There fore, if he does not attack Austria at present, he declines the contest from apprehension of the consequences. Are the preparations of Austria so vast, so commanding, as to effect this extraordinary revolution in the politics of the Continent ? Has the Cabinet of Vienna suthleidy roused from its former iudolcnce and rentimess, to a sense of its late degradation, aud to the resolution to wipe it away by its future energy ? This may be the case ; we would willingly believe that its preparations are commensurat..! to the dan ger of its situation; and that the Archduke CitAiii,Es. as sisted by the patriotic and enlightened part of t h e inhabit ants of the Austrian provinces, has introduced more energy and a better policy into the Imperial councils. But taking all these circumstances in the most enlarged sense, we do not find, we must confess, a full and satisfactory explpnatioa of .:: 3 change in BONAPARTE'S conduct. The more we ex 7 att;ne it, the more reason we have to be convinced, that our yoservations relative to the French armies and finances were just ; and that it is the incompetency of hos resources, military and pecuniary, which inunces him to compromise with Austria. BottArAnic is at the same fine reduced to the difficulty common to.every usurper, who has pretended to sanction his usurpation, by substituting a regular Government to . the anarchy and uncerta nty of a i.eyolut'on. He cannot violate his own regulations in fa , our of property, withe,.t. undermining and even overthro%, ing the very prop npon which his power rests. Ile dm not have recourse to rie revolutionary means of forced loans, &A-. nor impose too burdensome taxes. He has also little or nothing to expect from his vassals : Their own means :Ire toiallv insufficient for the extraordinary exertions they are obliged to make. Holland is exhausted. Tice South aml North of Germany have been totally ruined ; and in tic present crisis of his fortunes, he will be rather cautious of not drising the un fortunate victims of his treachery and ambition to abso kite despair. This is undoubtedly the principal s•nfrce of his difficulties. If we now cast our eyes over the chart of Europe, and look out for a single province, to Which he has not given cause of detestation for the past, jealousy for the present, and fear hr the future, we shall Lind rea son to conclude, tha t there is not a single town in Germany, Holland, Brabant, Switzerland, and Italy, which dues not anxiously wait for the moment of deliverance and ven geance. Let the inhabitants be ever so insensible, im moral, so degraded ;—let them he as indifferent about their former independence as a people, the fate of their Sove reigns, and the honour of their country, as such corrup tion of principle and profligacy of heart, would induce vs to suppose ;—allowing all this in its fullest extent, will any man be mad enough to suppose, that they are callous to their own losses and the ruin of their families. The greater r. rxr °NAL ..p•••• . .