The National Register. — London, England, 1809-10-22 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTER. plausibility, and some ingenuity in these observations; but they can neither dissipate our apprehensions, nor induce us to abandon our former opinion : not that we are indifferent to the occurrence, but fear to foster a delusive hope ; to inspiresimaginary security, when every hour, each eastern gale Might expose the futilily of our wishes, and the baseless form of our conjectures. The following com munication upon this important ,aubleet, corrobor ates,. or rather establishes beyond a doubt, the solidity of our appre hensions. FROM THE AMSTERDU COURANT EXTRAORDINARY OF THE. IITH INSTANT. " We hasten to inform our respectable readers, that the Bur go-Master of this city received, at an early hour this morning, by express, a letter from his Excellency the Minister at War, slated at Leo, on the 10th inbt. containing an official notification of peace havipg-been signed between France and Austria ou the 3d Of this nOnth. " The above important intelligence was immediately announc ed to the citizens b 3 the firing of the cannon on the city walls, the ringing of bells, and the playing of the chimes. " We.cordially congratulate our readers upon this intelligence, so joyful to humanity, and hope that it Will he speedily follow *ed by a GENERAL PEACE." We are not ignorant, at the same time, that the Dutch are as great dabblers in stock jobbing as we are ourselves; nor do we forget the forged communication from the Foreign Office, sent some years ago to the Lord Mayor; but we still think it impossible that the Dutch Government would allow the account, were it • false, to circulate from the llth to the 14th without taking- measures to coup teract the delnaiou. A Government, sopeoenpletety autiaet dent, in a state of such helpless minority as that of Louis, must consent to whatever infamy orduplicity. the mazy, dark perfidious character of his brother might suggest ; but even BUONAPARTE, villain as he is, will not expose himself to the imputation of a palpable alsehood, without some great advantage. That is the very thing we are not enabled to discover. What benefit was to be derived from the cir culation of a falsehood, the detection of which was una voidable, and could have ..no other result than to expose the authors to confusion and disgrace. We apprehend the account is but too true; thongh we hope the conditions may be less galling to Austria than report has stated them. if a change does not take glace fundamentally in the Ca binets. of North ; if the court of Vienna submit to a nominal Sovereign, a miracle alone can prevent the establishment of an universal monarchy upon the Con tinent. It is an alarming and awful crisis! Imagina tion cannot paint, or history furnish a precedent of th e revolution in thinking, and feeling, which such event would operate amongst mankind. The progress of selfish ness is alreatly too visible—of an increasing repugnance to endanger private possessions for political rights ; but what is now a rivulet, confined by banks and dykes, would swell in a short time, to a boundless inundation, destroying every generous and noble sentiment, which distinguishes the freeman from the slave ; the modern inhabitant of Europe, from the passive, wretched victin,o4 of oriental despotism. This is the moral change which we tremble at. This is the spectre which haunts our minds, whenever our thoughts are fixed open the present and possible aggrandisement of NAPOLPON. His name, his ambition, talents, and crimes, should be impressed upon the minds of the rising progeny, as objects of peculiar eve cratiou ; as conveying every thing that is repulsive, hostile and execrable to the feeling of a youthful patriot. It is thii intensity and concentration of sentiment, strengthened and ;natured by custom and instr4iction, which can oiler any chance of our opposing the future 'hostility, the col lected and undiverted means of that dangerous and reAless man. Should Europe lie nrostrate at his feet ; or its in habitants' like so many galley slave s chained to their benches, be compellel to tug as his ambition and rapacity ,;hall suggest; it is then impossible ta calculate the extent 4thieli such an individual might employ their coltwted 67$ moral and physical resources. Unanimity of sentiment wa the part of the people of the United Kingdom—an enlight ened, vigorous, and conciliatory disposition on that of go vernment—are things of course, the urgency of which pre gents itself immediately to our thoughts; hut these are not adequate alone for the contest iu which we shall be engaged. The people must accustom their minds and hearts to the idea of a protracted,and in point of violence, unprecedented strug gle ; to sacrifices, (if efforts in favour of freedom can be so denominated), of life and property in the defence of their country and Sovereign. When these sentiments become prevalent and universal, encourag ed by example, and en culcated in conversation and writing, we may look f rota our white cliffs, unmoved and undismayed, at the demon, strations and menaces which may be made upon the op posite consts. A storm may dissipate our fleets; the dock-yards of Europe enable the enemy to construct a fleet more formidable than our own in puint of mustier ; but when our shores are lined with iron, and defmded by as unanimous and intrepid population, the storm may then ra7e, and myriads of the enemy land; but our destinies will be secured against the elements and the invaders. The fairest pakrtion of Europe lies prostrate, mangled, aiid breathless under the fangs of a savage monster. Akis;iia, torpid as her chinate, appears insensible to the dancer of leer own situation, and to the misery of her neighliOurs. Denmark, blinded by her resentment, and innit:tsn e d the remembrance of her plundered fleet. horned ceil4ai, and our .winateno unnecessary, unprovoked aggression, plays the part of a 3ackall. Sweden, pressed by .fainitie, broken down•by ‘ disasters, and terrified by the appro,ictlieg winter, has no other alternative lint - submission. Spain alone resists; alone displays the will and the courage to maintain her independence. But how. long will she be able to continue the generous struggle; is the anxious (foes tion that now forcibly presses itself upon the mind and the heart of the patriot. We can never advert to that:unfor tunate, -but respectable people, without expressing regret for the past; dissatisfaction with the present, ;aid uneasi-; ness, bordering on despondency, for the future. Wnat a subject for exultation did the Peninsula once present! How replete with hope l—Eut now—lt is distraction to pink thereon. it was [ h ? last ray of light, the last float ing plank, that shone upon, and was offered to, the be nighted, shipwrecked inhabitants of Europe. When the Spaniards began the present contest, the Con tinent lay prostrate, as it does now, at the feet of a ruth less conqueror. The terror was so unisersal, that most men were preparing to accommodate themselves to a thraldom, which they thought it vain to oppose.- Its con tagion was wafted even to our own shores, and began to spread rapidly among men, icho pretended to magnanimity. Statesmen and Senators already hinted at the inefficacy of resistance, recommended reconciliation, and began to al lude to concession. Negeciation, a milder and less' repul sive word for submission, was strongly enforced; and tins current of public opinion inclined imperceir ibly to an ac quiescence in the insulting pretcnsions.of the enemy. B u t Providence suddenly rase d a damn to oppose the invading torrent. When the word liberty was expiring; on the lisp of her most ardent votaries, it was repeated with a voice of thunder, by a people who had slumbered, neAr three centuries, in stupid indaerence, from the narcotic influ ence of tyranny and superstition. We likewise heard the invigorating sound. It was wafted to us along the shores of the A!lantic, and our -Virtue started from the momen tary s'upor. Shrill we recal that thee ? It was a splendid and a cheer ing moment ; but transitory and baseless as a vision. It was the last struggle of expiring life—the sudden blaze of an almost exhausted taper. The enthusiasm it created, !leoduced, in the social body, a flush resembling health ; Out, alas! it %TR'S the symptom of approaching dissolution. Those splendid hopes are buried; and we tread,. v.itit. • ~" L : , • OCT.