The National Register. — London, England, 1813-04-04 00:00:00

Q!0 ed Smolensk°. Confident in the tion, be allowed his fatigued sol sent flying parties to inquire into the situoion of the corps be had left in his rear in his invasion of Russia Proper. Here the chief causes of the destruction of this gratoi army will unfold themselves. It is elm that when it re-occupied Smolensko, although it had suffe: eel great losses, it still existed as an army, and a prx e , ful one. Neither the conflagration of Moscow, nor the activity of the Cossacks, the severity of the weather, and the difficulties of the retreat had yet de stroyed it. And had NAPO!, EON- found, as he expected, his troops in possession of the strong places on the Dwina and the Borysthenes, he would have made good his plan of win tering in Russia without any additional loss. The causes that disappointed this expectation, must therefore be the true causes of the ruin that overwhelmed his grand army. To these we have already alluded in the first part of our remarks on this interesting subject. In our hext we shall enter into A more detailed explanation. NA FURTHER EXTRACTS FROM 4 , THE BOOK !" LETTER FROM THE PRINCESS OF WALES TO TILE KUNG. (Concluded from our last.) There are therefore other measures, which I trust your Majesty will think indispensable to be taken, (Or my honour, and for my se curity. Amongst these, I most humbly submit to your Majesty my most earnest entreaties that the proceedings, including not only my irst answer, and my letter of the nth of December, but this letter also, may be directed by your Majesty to he so preserved and deposit ed, as that they may, all of them, securely remain permanent authentic documents and memorials of this accusation, and the manner in which .1 met it; of my defence, as well as of the charge. That they may remain capable at any time of being reorted to, it the malice ‘vhich produced the charge originally shall ever venture to renow it. Beyond this, I am sure your Majesty will think it hut proper and jltNt, that I should be restored, in every respect, to the same situa tion, from whence the proceedings, under these false charges, have removed me. That, besides being graciriusly received a : Jain, into the bosom of your Majesty's Royal Family, restored to my former re spect and station amonot them, your Wiest:, will he graciously pleased, either to exert your influence with his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, that I may be-restored to time use of my apartment din Carlton-House, which was reserved for me, excf-pt while the apart ments were undergoing repair, till the date of these proceedings ; or to assign to me some apartment in one of your Royal Palace. Some apartment in or near lairdon is indispensably necessary for wy con venient attendance at the Drawing-room. And if I am not restored to that at Carlton-llonse, I trust year :Alajesty will graciously perceive, how reasonable it is, that I should request, that some apartment should be assigned t, me, suited to my dignity and situation, which may Mark my reception and acknowledgmeut as.one of your Majesty's fa mily, and from 1, Inch cry attenCance at the Diawing-roorn may be easy and convenient. If those measures are taken, I should hope that they would prove Satisfactory to the public and that I may feel myself fully restored in public estimation to my former character. And should they prove so satisfactory, I shall indeed be delighted to thini.;, that no farther step may, evt 71 now, appear to be necessary to my peace of mind, my security, and lay likamur. But your Majesty will permit me to say, that if the next week, which will make more than a month from the tune of your ;Majesty's informing me that you would receive me, should pass without my being received into your presence, and witheut having the assurance that these other requests of mine shall be complied with, I shall be under the painful neee,sity of considering them as refused. In which case, I shall feel m 3 self compelled, however reluctantly, to give the whole of these proceedines to the win ; unless your Majesty can suggest other adeqtiate nit uns of molting toy honour and my life, from the effect of the continuance or renewal of these proceedings, for the future as well as the present. For I entreat your ilslitjesty to Itclieve, that it is only in the absence of all other adequate menus, that I can hare re sort to that measure : that I et.iisider it with deep regret; that I re turd it with serious appresension, by nu means so much on account if the effect it may have upon myself, as on account of the puin which vesty, y ,Jur uuzubt Eatutly, your loyal GIST As far as myself am concerned, I am aware 6f the observations to which this publication will expose me ; but I am placed in a situation let which I have the choice only of two most unpleasant alternatives ; and I am perfectly confident that the imputations and the loss of cha racter which must. under these circumstances, follow from my silence, are most injurious and unavoidable,—that my silence, under such cir cumstances, must lead inevitably to my utter infamy and ruin. Tlus publication, on the other hand. will expose to the world nothing, which is spoken to by any witness (whose nuttily and ditcredit is not wish swerably exposed and established) which can, in the slightest degree, affect my character, for honour, virtn , .. and delicacy. There may be eircutnstances disclosed, inattifestiog a degree do condescension and familiarity it, my behaviour and conduct, which in the opinions of many. in. he .considered as not -sufficiently guarded, dignified, and Iv. ./ red Circumstances, however, 'whack my foreign education, and foreign habits, liav• ► d nit to think, in the humble and retired situation in which it was my fate to live, and where I had no relation, no equal, no friend to advise me, were. wholly free from offence. But when they have been dragged for ward, from the scenes - of private life, in a grave proceeding on a charge of high treason and adultery, they seem to derive a colour and character, from the nature of the charge which they arc brought forward to support; and I cannot but believe, that they have been used for no other purpose, than to afford a cover, to screen from view the injustice.of that charge; that they have een. taken advantage of; to let down my accusers more gently ; and to deprive me of that full acquittal on the Report of the four Lords, which my innocence of all offence most justly entitled me to re ceive. Whatever opinion, however, may be formed upon any part of my conduct, it must in justice be formed, with reference to the situation in which I was placed. If I am judged of as Prin cess of Wales, with reference to the high rank of that station, I must be judged as Princess of Wales banished from the Prince, unprotected by the support and the countenance which belong to that station, and if I am judged of in my private character, as a married woman, I must be judged of as a wife banished from her husband, andeliving in a widowed seclusion from him, and retire. ment from the world. This last consideration leads me to recut to an expression in Mrs. Lisle's examination, which describes my conduct, in the fregnency and the manner of my receiving the vi sits of Captain Alanby, though always in the presence of my Ladies, as unbecoming a married woman. Upon the extreme injustice of setting up the opinion of one woman, as it were, in judgment upon the conduct of another ; as well as of estimating the conduct of a person in my unfortunate situation, by reference to that, which might in general be expected from a married woman, living hap pily with her husband ; I have before generally remarked. But lie yond these general remarks in forming any estimate of my con. duct, your Majesty will never forget the very peculiar circum stances and misfortunes of my situation. Your Majesty will re member, that I had not been much above a year in this country, when I received the following letter from 116 Royal Highness the Prince of Wales*. _ _ The date of his Royal Highness's letter is the 30th of April, 179 G. The date of our marriage, your Majesty will recollect, is the tilit day of April, in the year 17i0, and that of the birth of our only child the 7th of January, - 1796 On the letter of his Royal Highness I offer no comment. I only entreat your Majesty not to understand me to introduce it, as af fording any supposed justification or excuse, fur the least depar ture from the strictest line of virtue, or the slightest deviation from the most refined delicacy. The crime, whirl' , has been insi nuated against me, would be equally criminal and detestable ; the indelicacy imputed to me would be equally odious and abominable, Uhatever renunciation of conjugal authority and affection the above letter of his Royal Highness might in any construction of it be sup posed to have conveyed. Such crimes, and faults, derive not their guilt from the consideration of the conjugal virtues of the hub% i • dual, who may he the 'most injured by them, however much such Virtues may aggravate their enormity. No :inch letter, therefore, in any construction of it, no renunciation of conjugal affection or duties cou:d ever palliate theta. But whether conduct free from all crime, free from all indelicacy, (which I maintain to be the cha racter of the conduct to which Mrs. Lisle's observations apply,) yet possibly not so mensored, as a cautious wife, carefatb avoid the slightest appearance of not preferting her husband to all the woihl, - might be studious to observe. Whether conduct of such descrip tion, and pos.ibly, in such sense, t of becoming a married Woman, could be justly deemed, in my situation, an offence in me, 1 Joust leave your Majesty to deternanr. • 114 letter appelited iu liirituulsiza of Mardi Li. it 1;i give to your Ma j subjects. 1.. • v•••• 4 ,T i tro‘:. 4 . ,o . 1 :• • 1 • THE NATION 410 A Lt practicability et their execu- )ldiers settrul days rest, and