The National Register. — London, England, 1811-03-10 00:00:00

148 ------ - Suppose, you think you will be able to defend them. Were this merely a supposition sprung from the inspiration which an Imperial Editor, above .all others, nuist feel when he reflects that he possesses the meaes of realizing at least part of the political dreams which his occupation creates, I should allow it to pass mmoticed. Blit you asrure me, you have not only a vague idea or hope of forming a navy of I'2o men of war and 200 frigates, which even then would not be equal to one half of my naval force, but that the time when it will be completed is seen, calculated, and not far di.,tant." You then condescend to enter into an explanation of the means which would enable you to carry this great design into execution. But here your political blindness again betrays itself. You say the possibi lity of having such a navy arises from the particular situation of your empire and the vast extent of its coasts : these reasons, favourable indeed to the building of ships, render less the probability of your ever forming a powerful navy. Ships without number may be constructed in your ports on the Adriatic, the Mediterranean, the British channel, the Zu yder sea, the German Ocean, and the Baltic ; but they must be collected before they can become firds. Were they all built in the British Channel, or the 'Alediterranean they might possibly be more easily united : but when they lie at such a distance from each other : when every secondary port only rs forth one or two, and every first rate )our, three or four sail of the line in a ew years, and whilst all the time my squadrons have the command of the sea, how is it possible that ye-ti s hould form• them into fleets? And unless formed into fleets, how can they accomplish your ends and threaten my safety ? The number of my vessels of war enables me to blockade every port where you are constructing. Let your new ships appear, and they shall be taken singly ; for let not vain hopes deceive you. ; my vigilance and that of my heroic sailors shall never slumber. We may, for the purpose of crushing your rising navy more speedily, allow the junction of some of your ships, and then destroy or capture the whole s4nadron at once. Sonic, it is true, may escape, but extending the limits of probability as far as possibility itself, you will never he able to collect a fleet of upwards of 30 sail of the line, anumber which it isat all times in my power to surpass, and which, with even a far inferior force, my brave tars would have no difficulty in defeating. No, Mighty 'Emperor, unless you can dig canals deep and "wide enough to convey yOur men of war inland from the harbours where o .they have been built, to your capital, and thus make it not only the seat of the plunder of the world, but - of your upstart navy, at a distance of 100 miles from the sea, and consequently safe from the attacks of my cruisers, never expect to see your dreams of naval power realized. Yen may build, but I shall t ike—and trust me, you will find in the end, that ships are as unprofitable and as injurious to the revenue of your Empire as your late Colonis!s. In my next I shall embrace a wider portion of your comments, and when they are concluded, shall continue from time to time to give you whole some advice, and endeavour with the pen as well as the sword, to assuage the raging fever of your ambitim. Yours, Undauntedly, Jonx ~ THE NATIONAL REGISTER. ipiaiGN INTELLIGENCE. FRENCIi PAPERS. Monitcurs to the 27th ult. are received, in which there are voluminous series of notes In - on the speeeli delivered to bth Hou- , es of our Parliament on the 1 nth of last month, in :he name of his Royal Highness Vie Prince Regent. It is a trios copious and laboured performance. The following is a sma 1 specimen : • Note in the lifoniteur.—P) The naval superiority of th e enemy necessarily placed at his disposal all the sm,llFnuich colonies. Martinique, Guadaloupe, the Isle of Remits t, the Isle of France, must of course belong to the squArons had the command of the ocean. Their garrison couldn e o n t here amounted at most to more than 2 , 000 Alen. Had more numerals, they could not have procured means of subsists eoce. It was evident that 2,000 men, at a thousand leagues diAtant from their country, could not make an effectual resistance when they should become the object of the successive attacks of 12 000 men. But is the occupation of these colonies by the English, a fortune to France under existinz circumstances ? 'Fliese colonies suffered much from the - strip t bl ckade itt which they were held. The connexion which binds ti.ese colo nies to the mother country will become more close, and Their hautiness will increase under the tyranny of a Government whicis finds no greater pleasure than that of humbling every thin.J, fals under its power. The inhabitants of Canada, who have been separated from France for a century, are still as much French as the inhabitants of the banks of the Loire. In the present state of affairs, Martinique, Guadaloupe, the Isles of Reunion and France, furnished nothing to the parvat State, and cost it. more than twenty millions a year. Thee twenty millions would build ten ships of the line a year ; which at the end of the five or six years that the war may probaiili last, will produce fifty ships of the line. The coffee, sugar, and cotton, which .these colonies produced, are at so cheap a rate in London, that their sale will not pay the expence of carriage to Europe. It is doubtful whether these islands will support the expellee of the Government and the: miFtary which the English Government will be obliged to main tain there. They must keep up I.;arrisons in them. In scatt:r ing her forces England will b.:come vulnerable in a great num ber of points. The colonies occupied by England w 11 be restored to the mother country at a peace, or when the empire will have P.to sail of the line, and WO frigates or smaller vessels. This period, which is foreseen and calculated, is not tar distant from us. The posterity of having so great a mined force, arises from 'le particular situation of the Empire. The . wood of Istria, Italy, France and Germany, reach us by the rivers of which we coin maned the navigation. The Adriatic, the Zny,'er Sea, tle Scheldt, the roads of Brest and Toulon, the coasting trade of the immense maritime borders of the Empire, F erve to it strict our sailors, and furnish us with the means of manning all :Le i! vessels we can build. PORTUC.IAT,. lostioN, FEB. 15.—Not a word of news. We are to told th.t liisunaparte has collected a large force at Bayonne, which ma' . enable the enemy to keep their tooting in Portugal,but not ge possession of Lisbon. Some trifling skirmishes are all we heat of. A party of hussars have taken about a score of Frenehmer and their Officer ; they have bean sent here, and state, that occa. siotrally the French eat horse flesh. A Mr. Grant lately placed himself, with eighty Ordenanze't on the heights near Fundas, through which the French troop were to pass, and, in perfect safe:y, killed 2f 0 .0 of them. Orde. nanzes are neither troops of tho line nor militia; but the inh., bitants assembled with pikes, pokers, guns, Lkc. There are game , keepers among them. The marching of the National Guards of France on account an offensive war, the conscription of 40,000 men for the sea see vice, and 120,000 for the land, indicates some project of Buon. parte's against the North or the East of Europe; the war in the Peninsula will therefore again be slackened on the part of th French, as during the time with Austria. God grant that in tie epoch we may draw better results from it, and know how I improve such happy opportunities better than we did after th , ever-memorable battle of Talavera. In as Par as relates to tl , recruiting of 40,000 marines, and those which Buonaparte procuring from the North, we hope they will meet with t h, same fate as attended the combi.iel squadrons of France a le Spain at the tr.ttle of 'l'r:if:don—( Lisbon Gazelle, Feb. i..) FEit. 15.—0 n the 12z it in,t. arrived the packet Mercurio, fro; ! Rio Janeiro, bringing letter dowh to the 2il December. 13 ; them we have the great satisfaction of knowing that his Syre, Highness continues to enjoy good health, as well as all the augu• family Gazettcr, Feb, 15,) ttt he ost 1 the is h the . aot. 'ern ist- ut-s nee of in [telt. Lit bat the re•tit. nth ced, the Itese ttin- r- um- the I'!U clod, the alb", :ol Ili [the oily the' that Ina* )t get linen oeca- nzr, :)rde- nth:, , ;a111.2. , Int of' ser- tiona- .n the of the ,n this ,ov.t to er the to the rte tit the :e and front r. BY