The National Register. — London, England, 1812-09-13 00:00:00

SEPT. 13. can't! disgrace that advocate, who, in pleading the cause of treachery, r iv:re to crown the defence kit the example ? How would a Court of .lu,. tice address that advocate, who grounded his extenuation at the criuw of perfidy, on a display, in his own acts, of perfidy the most prodigious? Jf th. sacred veil of confidence be rent from top to bottom,—if the sicorn nerrael«tor betray his trust,—if the secret instructions of a Cabinet Mi nister tt become standing jests for the anti-chamber, the gaming -house, and the trothel,—if the fame and memory of an English Statesman are plunged into eternal odium, through a disclosure of those sacrifices which were destined to win the meretricious smiles of TALLitint Awn ; and ail this by the agent whom that Minister had empkyed, and . the very ca:itive whom lie had ridea•ed from bondage ! Why this is mon strous , The rousty and puerile treachery of BuolvArAttiF Silk% at once into oblivion ! Human Nature says, the fact is int:redib!e— Lawyers, unanim o usly, that the charge is libellous. Ytt there arg, who bear witness, that both may tr: true." - - . Now let us see this very advocate of the " greatest states man" in our days, who is so shocked that " sworn negociators sliould betray their trust," publishing himself a fact with which neither - he nor the public could ever have been ac quainted, unless some " sworn counsellor -had betraed.his trust." " The Emperor ALEXANDER, in the autumn of last year, made a de mand liorolthe British Court, which I,e pressed with the eagerness of a man disciaiaivg alt compromise,-abiding all -xtremities,—resolute to rave and fortify his einpne, by a display of high-minded coofidence, sagacious, criginal, and coinplet,.. What then was his demand ? Whits, was Lusonousat's mission ? Was it for fleets, or subsidies, or armies ? or, was it not for that which no subsidy can purchase—without which fleets and armies arc but the drapery of war? Russia asked only for a Leader History and o!iservath,n, too seri?los counsellors 26r an English Court, have some little weight with these barbarians of the North ! From forty within:l of Russian sulnects, not one could be safe ly 'elected. •From sixteen millions ioliaboing the British islands, me alone was worthy of ALF XAN Din% choice. No Li ernroot, nor CASTLEREAMI, nor BATHURST, nor nor ELDON, nor YARMoui u, was tlyintglit of by him, who had himself half a would at issue.' ALExaN Dim has real virtues in his character : he, therefore, deems flatterers of little price. His direct intentions would be only embarrassed by an intriguer.-01 arrogance, ignorance, indecision, tervilay, and pretension, the autocrat of I; utsia has seen enough to hate, despise, and dread them. Nor was his preference bestowed upon Par liamentary orators, all powerful in speech, as they are imp tent in ac tion. Nu ! He left that noisy tribe to those who like advocates better than advisers. Neither lead mor !pass was in contemplation of ALEX- A S at:u,—tried steel was to him the precious metal. He looked to the tiovernor (Marquis WELL ESLIY) who had recovered India when in egenies,—only to be ii riled, like the keeper of a lu:,atic, for the blessings of sanity which he had imparted. The Emperor looktd to that poweriul Statesman, whose schemes of policy, wise and seasonable, ih ugh by Court minions fur ever thwarte& gave Spain a chance of sal vation from tyranny, only that every chance and glimpse of escape night be loft twain, as they will be (mark reader, these it ords) !IC his successors. The late Noble Secretary !Or Foreign Affairs ts..s solicittd to undertake the protection of the Russian em;ire,—solicited by an ::bsolute Monarch,--not to offer his counsels but to issue his commands, free from all concurrent jurisdiction, or contruul, or interference, to build the defence of a boundless empire, from the base to the summit, with what materials, and on what fOundation he pleased ; and thus to wield with his single arm, the energies of that gigantic war, on the event of which will hang the fate, not of Russia only, hut of the civi lised world ; and mote especially of Britain herself', from whose admi nistration, though tendered to him wilh all the cer emonials of g ood Cbith, he has, bya degrading alliance of rancour and deceit, been frau. duh.ntly and fatally ex..luded." I make no comment on the sentiments expressed in these extracts, they speak fur themselves, and must lead every candid reader to think, that bad ALEXANDER been able to procure, what he was ready to sacrifice the sovereignty of iris crown to Obtain, " tried steel," that is, " the Governor who had recovered India when in agonies," " to issue his commands free from all concurrent jurisdiction," he might have, found after all, that he had only gained that very " brass" with a large portion of that "'arrogance and pre tension" which he had not " in contemplation," and " of Which he had seen•enough to hate and despise." I remain, Sir, yo'ir's, &c. VIII. TILE NATIONAL REGISTER. FOREIGN IIVTELLIG CE. FRENCII PAI CRS. 563 TIIIRCEENTH BULLETIN OF THE GRAND ARVY. Smote! sko Aug t'l. On the Bth, 12,000 of the enemy's cavalry marched upoi fr,kovo, and iittneted General Count Sebastiani's division, which for half a lengue was obliged to fight, retreating ali the day, sulf-ring and causing rq..l loss to the enemy. A company of solticeurs, of the v.'4t regiment ut light infantry, forming a part of a battalion of that reo - which had been confidcd the civalry, to maintain a positi ta in a wood, was tiken. We hail about - 200 killed and wounded; the enemy may have lost the same number of men. 011 the t'.!th. the enemy's army having united at Sny.lensko, marched by different points, with equal slowness and hesitation, upon Boreitch and Nadra. . On the 11,11, at brealoof-day, (.;eneral itoi.ehy marched urn Leuebri, chased two regiments of Cossacks lions it, qthi there found the corps of General Count Nanseuty. The totem gay the King of Na• p!es, suppnr•ed by the Duke of Elchiugen. arrived at Krasitoi. The '7th enemy's division, centisting of 5000 iefintry, suppo.ted by 2000 cavalry, a d 12 pieces of cannon, was in a po•ition I.efore that town : it teas attacked and forced in an instant. by the Duke of Elchinktee. The '24th iegirnent of light infantry nttacked the small t wn of Kr.'snoi with the Imyunet, with great intrepidiiy ; the cavalry executed some admirable charges. Baron Hordesoult, General of Division, and the ad regiment of chasseuri, distinguished them-elves. 'Die taking of 8 pieces of cannon, 14 caissons, 1500 prisoners, with a field covered with more than Woo Russian corpses, were the advantages of the battle of Krasnoi, in which the Russian division, consisting of 5000 men, sulk • bred a loss of half its nuinher. Isis Majegy, on the 15th, bad his h••ail quarters nt Koviontoia. On the 16th, in the morning, the heights of Smoblk° were commentated. The town presented to our view an enclosure of wails of 4000 toises, ten feet thick, and twenty-five feet high, intersected with towers, se- , veral of which were armed with cmin-es rf a hea y calibre Upon the right of the Borysthenes we rerceived, and knew that the euctuy faced about, and hastily retraced their steps to defend Serolensko. We knew that the enemy's Generals had received reiterated orders to give battle, and save Smolensk°. The Emperor reconnoitred the town, and placed his army in its position on the day of the 16th. Marshal the Duke of Elchingen had the left leaning on the Bory•sthenes, the Prince of Eck muhl centre, Prince Poniatowski the right ; the gnat d_ was placed in reserve in the centre, the Viceroy in reserve on the right, and the cavalry under the orders of the King of Naples, at the extre • ntity of the tight; the Duke of Abrantes, with the Bth corps, lost their way, and made a f lie movement. The 16th, and half of the 17th, was passed in observation. A fire of musketry was kept up along tke line. The Cite Illy occupied Sito len.ko with 30,000 men, and the remainder of their a! my was Mimed upon the fine positions upon the right bank of that niter, opposite to the town. and communicating by three bridges. Smolensk(' is consi dered as a strong town by the Ittissines, and the bulwark of Moscow. On the 17th, at two in the alternoon, seeing that the enemy bad not debauched, that they were fortifying themselves in stoolensho, and that they refused battle, notwithstanding the orders they had it ceived, and the fine positions they might have oecupiyd, their tight upon Smolen.ko, and their left upon the banks of the Eorysther-es,-... the enemy's General wanting resolution,—the Emperor marched upon the right, and ordered Prince Poniatowski to change his (font, the right in advance, and to place his right to the Borysthenes. occupying one of the suburbs by posts and batteries, to destroy the bridge, and intercept the communication of the town with the right bank. During this time the Prince of Eekniuld received orders to attack two of the.suburbs which the enemy had intrenehed. 200 tones distant from the town ; and which were each defended by 7 a a 15000 men, and heavy cannen. General Count Fl hint had orders to complete in. vestment, in leaning his right towards Prince Poniiito•s , t 's corps, hs left to the right of the rtttack made hy the Prin. e tit Ecknautd. At two in the afternoon, Count lquyeres' division oi cavalry, after having driven away the Co,saeks ama enemy's cavalry, approached the brige hi b hest up the river, a battery of ten pieces of artillery 'was esta. bliAted upon this ground, and fired with grape -sly t upon that part of the enemy's army which was upon the right by k the and quickly obliged the Russian masses of intaetry t • ••acuate that po , salon. The enemy then plaCed two batteries of twenty pia es of cantle ► in a convent, to annoy the battery .which played up.. ne . bridge The Prince of Eckmula intrusted the attack of.-the ti L to -uiiutbs to Count Momnd, and that of the left to Psncrel Count Lsodii, At th ree, the cannonade aoaneiced. At half, log a very