The Statesman. — London, England, 1815-05-17 00:00:00

WAR OR PEACE! LETTER VI. TO VIZ EDITOR OF THE STATESMAN. Sia,—l thank you, that at a Crisis of such unex ampled moment, yon have allowed, in the cilium's o f your independent Paper, so much space to my Letters on the too generally neglected question in this country, though none at present touches us and human society so nearly as WAR or PEACE. That awful instant seems nearly to have arrived when the 'question will exist no longer; but the fatal die will bare been cast, and ECRoPE replungedin War. In the mean time, another Paper appears of the 16th April, Vienna, and said 'to be oilltial. After the Papers from the same box of Pandora, of the 13th Muni and 25th April, it is difficult to believe any thing from that quarter &forgery, on account of its wanting the usual tone and character of diplomatic procedure. And 'yet this startles belief, when we are required by circumstances to admit it to be ge nuine. 1 early studied the Lam of Nations, but I h i re found too little application of the PRINCIPLES Guotitts, :Itid of a still superior authority, VAT in the language and conduct of the Represen tsi;ves of those Sovereigns, who undertake to draw the line of demarcation beyond which there shall be nu legitimate Government. This Paper takes the whisper of Cabinets, shortly indeed, I doubt, to be made audible in the thunder of cannon, for the voice of nations. It asserts that " Congress has proscribed BON4PIRTI."—the term is almost peculiar to the most horrid pages in history —yet, by no authority of Congress BoziAp.s ItTI: could he prtiscribeti ; anti it is a strange character, that of proscription, With which to invest certain Ministers of Powers professing to be assembled for the adop tion of pacific and tranquillizing measures. It speaks in high terms of BONAPAaTE—for in the confederate explanations of the origin of evil we ere referred to no other source—as "repluug ing FRANCE into war, civil war,—though if these be war, lie has exercised every possible forbearance under the most irritating circumstances—into " ettarchy," though he offers to Famice, for her deliberation and acceptance, a Constitution rondered still much more analogous to that of our t: so in ENGLAND ; and into military despotism, though a struggle is unremittingly attempted to be raised against FRANCE, in which armies of forcipes% are to be led into her territory, for the express pur pose of changing by force the again adopted Head of her (les erument. And when against that force the opposes not on army separated from the nation trot of adserse interests, but the NATION as an Army—HEMEL, in arms—her soldiers and citizens, her army and her people identified. It is also a new language in diplomacy to speak of the Govern ment of foreign nations legitimating, or, conse euently, illegitimating , according as it shall please to decree the Government of another nation, which is to et ery people esclusively its own. !t splits too the erambe repelita, the endlessly Tel eared unraried note of the despotism of one man, which one man has proposed, immediately on his re turn to the Throne, a Constitution incompatible with despotism ; and it speaks this as if despotism mail be greater than to assume a right of saying, " reject from your bosom the principle of the ear," haling repeatedly shown that by this they mean the Bead of the Government; for tchont, and for her- FRANCT: is armed and arming. That is, expel or deliver up the Sovereign whom you have cordially adopted, otherni:e we shall persist in forcing upon you assistance nhieli you reject, as feeling it to be, the most degrading computFion ; and for a purpose, which, with all your force, you resist. I trast that it that the time is coming when " the rights of each _‹ition, the general interests, and nstiee,"—l do not gay " reason of State," for that •erm is very arnhignous,—shall decide. If so, Flue, E will decide for herself, within herself; and the powers and armies of usher States will in vain interfere to compel or influence her decision. France is in an attitude of armed vigilance and defensive preparation, which it muy well be trusted leaves no room for oppression, either from within or from without. It is, therefore, much out of season to talk of "her oppressor," and that she has asely to free herself and return to the principles of social order. Is she not free—has she not the means of fieedom within herself—has she not a basis on which' to rest it already in her possession, and now strengthened and brought nearer to perfection, as, lair, as firm, and as ample as any nation on earth ? It she not in the principles and iu the adualpradice of social order I conclude, therefore, that PEACE may well be maintained with FRANCE and BONAPARTE. They cannot be compelled by weakness to break it. It is their interest, it will he their glory and their happi. req to maintain it; and should there hereafter be an attempt to violate it, the strength, the union (however unwarranted for offence, most just when simply defensive), the military habitudes, and theever. lotehful jealousies of the surrounding Powers, are Litlicient security against aggression on the part of ittamce, so far as it is given to mortals in the pre.l unit stAte of society to provide against future possi. lilities; yet all these considerations are stated and elostrated in argument, style, and temper the most o "easive and convincing, and appropriata applies. 114 u to pets, In a Letter "7:t:03 I hare read this TIIE STATESA morning in your Paper, of the Duke of OrttAwro to Prince MaTERNICH. Happy, indeed, will it be for Princes and Nations If such calm and dignified Addresses can obtain, in any instance, their just as cendance over hostile and vindictive Councils, to the evils of which no human foresight can assign any limit, while against their natural tendencies, past ex perience, and our actual and impending circum stances ought abundantly to warn us, and every Government in Europe. If the great majority of FRANCE were not de cidedly rciih BONAPARTE, where could be the want of these immense confederate armaments ; and if it be, as I think, manifest, no armaments aught, or, I trust, can prevail to displace him. It seems time now for a private individual, whom the awakening voice of such a crisis has called from his retirement, to close his addresses to THE runtrc on this all-concerning question. As an ENGLISRU Of, I am deeply interested for my COUNTRY; her honour, her liberty, her welfare, her principles of internal and external relation, in comment and action ; that they might be such only as are worthy of her. As a man, I wish the peace and concord of human society; for esta blishing of which a most peculiarly favourable open. ing has presented itself. As a friend to national independence, to the diffusion of literature, the Arts and Sciences, Liberty and general Knowledge, I think with extreme repugnance at England being in volved in such a confederacy, and in such a conflict, against France and hergreat Leader. Bat I fear that no warning voice but that of experience, more dearly purchased than ever, will avail us !—May HeAvom mitigate those evils, which I fear the impetuosity of human passions, and the delusions of prejudice, will not suffer us to escape! At all events, Heaven will eventually, in its own time and manner, con firm that good, against which, ultimately, all human I farce, passion, and prejudice can but war in rain.— I am, Sir, your's sincerely, A • [FROM THE GIJALIN EVENING POST.] The London Papers, for the last titre or six days, ,_ have beeu preparing for a f orma l D ec li ra ti ors of War, As t h is Officer bat lately Been rai s ed t o the rank on the part of Great &Raiff, in concert oith the ' High Allies—the slang phrase Of the Ministerial of Maarsehail by lionalia e rte ' " l am i na" of his hating Press. The Faction In England have beets blobs's% S 6 : :t ut P ft - l e t; fa .n votro l f in t g he - 11 (" r t su l.l tb l et ie tits .n :i u ri r c i t e s c ss fi s n' ts i headed the the blast of War, until their eheteks are ready to r:eine , sketch of he the Disc d'Attpultone s the Asti •crack, and, strainieg on the Matt, they already his lift may not he onintereesing :—Grouchv is a devour, in imagination, the rich prey which the fair ( * oust of the anc i en t eetime _ . , his sister , t; , ! , stif s e n g fields of France present. The y g loat " el ' th e the celebratid Condnrcet. smoking ruins o f th e Capit a l, and g i ve evei.y milie- When the Ret ro l ut i nn broke out, he was Sub-Lieutenant in the Klee.; body rent to the free Government of Borreeeute to the guards. tdtored q his brrefair.irela u; les * ee• gibbet. or to the stake. Still no declaration is corn- like him, beanie a violent pert isan of the Revolailon, lag; and, we opprehend, that some time will elapse which procured him tepid prolbotion in lb • (Leases,. before any shall !nave. In short, if the Reader will e t h i es a i n o li n r , Y r( i nd rin w y. as employed i ening the Royalists in please to consult the Parliamentary Notice which lie In 179 T. hebetense GeHend or pia will find under the title of ' Private Correspondence,' he will perceive, that to a question put by Alr. t ia, n V :gli e o e ,g, • o, So , s m b e i t j, ( :. t a s s ar g t f e r r er h t e ed n : a n s .v.i lt i l li t l i t ie l e r a e r edi ,, n ,l 4 . WHITBREAD relative t o th e i ssue o f t h e Alenifesto, When the Etecutire Direct o ry, in 1798,ivent an army Lord CASTLEREAGH replied, that he could not give into Piedmont, :sellout any previous Declarntion of en explicit answer—that the Declaration lied not yet returned ratified from Vienna, and lie was not pre. %Vat', C en. (;touchy tomma n d e d i n chief, and art:. tered ra t io. A tea months after this, having Iwo pared to say how long it might remain in the hands in the dreadful engagement fought between Mac. i ef the ` High Allies' before they should deem it pro donald and Su was row, en the Toner:, tie ose nutria dent and polite to sanction it by their august signs. prisoner liy the Russians. tures, The fact seems to be, that there is considerable When Bonaparte became Consul, Grouchy having tconfusion in the c am p o': Agratnant. The parties show n sonic opposiiio n t o th e usurpat i ou, Hsi not tio not appear to entertain sentiments of mutual re- employed for many years. Le 1805, howeser, he ciprocity. Some of them prefer the chances even of was again taken into favour, and had a command in !air entertain peace to the hazards of a certain war. the Gland Army in Germany. Ile was 'afterward* —Austria thinks that s i te can add little to her al employed iii Spain, and was second in command on ready extensive frontiers, by entering into a cru- the meinaral" " of M 'Y' 1838 ' side against her Son-in-law, though, doubtless, she We hear but very little more or him from that time would wish him at the Devil, if a wish could pr o - till the Russian campaign, in which lie was also (duce a consummation so devoutly prayed for by all employed, as it 'presort by the 29th Bulletin, where the good wives and gentle Tax-gatherers of Europe. lie commanded abet is there termed the'` Sacred On the contrary, she has so often felt the power of Squadron," wader the orders of Aiurat ; and, aca his arms, and he has quailed so often under the force of his talents, that we d ou bt, now th a t s h e bas cording to the ,stat emen t i n th at memorable Bul. letitt, never lost sight of the Emperor. This stmt. obtained every thing her heart could desire, in point dron was composed of six hundred men, all cells of territory and aggrandizement, whether she would cers, and who were the only Mounted men at the con- I like to risk the sudden destruction of those be. elusion of the retreat. Ile was afters a rda appointed a I nefits, by exposing her dominions once more to the Colonel-General of Hussars, and was in almost alt fortune of War. What can she gain by such a war ? the engagements up to the day of Bonaparte's Abe Certainly not an acre of land, unless, indeed, she dication. On the restoration of Louis XVIII. he and the High Allies succeed in dismembering France., was deprived of his commission of Colonels General but of the facility of such a scheme some fair doubts of Hussars, which was transferred to the Due de —slight ones, perheps—may be cherished in a few Berri, upon which Grouchy remonstrant], pleading sceptical bosom. Now, what in case of a reverse, the King's promise'ef the cotifirmatiou of his ra n k p is she likely to lose? Her Italian Provinces are in to each Officer. Violent words took place on this a state rather unsatisfactory; and if Naroetos should occasion between Grouchy and the favourite , M aces, send 50,000 or 60,000 men to the North of Italy, for which he was ordered into exile. the present temper of the Italians, co-operating with Joecloo, might, rob, her , altogether of the richest A few days hatk,Wiilism Whitinere s of Stratford gems in the Imperial Crown of F ft e e cts. t. was driving a cart along the road w h en sue o f t he It is not necessary to take a view of the other Ilfo rd coaches was passing , and In endetvouting to States ; the Reader will see the parallel himself, and arod which the poor man was throwp u nd er th e lie will, doubtless, perceive, that every one of the m hones, s might have much to lose in the event of hostilities , * when the wheels passed over his hotly and I. was killed on the *pot. A Coroner's inquest was and nothing at all to gain. held on the body on Monday, and the Jury returned That there is some hesitation in the Confederated ..,., a verdict of—Accidental Micah Cabinet, and that the hesitation amounts t o so me- - ' ' s A dreadful accident happened a few slays-op hi thing bordering on indispositi o n, every ci r c u m s t an ce seems to indicate; particularly when we can sepa_ the vtcinity of Shadweil, a t a suger .b o il er ' s; t h e man who was attending the h a il er un f or t unate l y . f e lli o ,- rate them from the passion with which they are sue- who was so much scalded, although he ersta instntiori Mantled, and from the error in which the London taken out, es to linger in the most escroslatitik pile Press endeavours to involve them. Asa specimen of until yesterday morning , %hen he died in the greets* this strange and rampant nonsense, we shall ex- agony at the London Hospital. tract the commencement of an article in one of the first, perhaps, in point of circulation and influence,t A CAUTION.—Orr Solidity evening, about eight the very first Paper in England, we refer to the i o'clock, the house and shop of Mr. Thomas Chant,. Times, of Wednesday last. The discreet and ele. ,' grocer, of the New Cut, Lambeth, were reload. gent Editor begins his summary of the News in the , eusly broken into by means o f a pi c kl oc k k e y, by following happy imitation of Bombastes Furie s ° : ; an elderly well dressed man, wearing a black coat " Another Moniteur, totally barren of all intelli- ' and white stockings, in the view of a neighbouring genre, at a time when the fate of the Rebel Govern.' shopkeeper, who was not well acquainted with the, tnent, and especially of its bloody and perjured ; famil y (a young couple lately come to the house), Chief, hangs trembling in the balance. This is good. i who had in the evening made anexcursiorrfrom home,. This absolute sterility of fact proves that the impos. leaving no person in care of the house. O tt th e ir return they found their plate, one spoon *sly tors, who pretend to guide unhappy France, are I eepted, together with all their mcrisey, and a goat'- , a:- even at a loss for falsehoods. The very printings timbale of their politics stands still. ' L y i ng, ' says I I thy of the shop goods taken away. IM. Chateaubriand, io a Work which we hare had Accost:sr.—On Sunday last, the Dart opposition the good fortune to peruse in manuscript, ' is rep.' coach, from London to Woodford, was upset near tarty organized by this pretended Government. It i Epping Forest, whereby several of the passengers 1 lis an established part of their administration of af. i received severe bruises, and the coachman got his fairs. They have lies calculated to serve a quarter leg broken. ,of an hour, others which will go, you an hour, others A hear, which has been kept for some time past in a day, others a whole week !' It seems clear, that , the College, Edinburgh, broke loose from his colt. the weekly and daily Napoleons are exhausted; and' &lemma on Friday, and endeavoured to make his now the Rebels live, from hand to mouth, as we say, ' way over the paling into the street. As no person opoe the small change of fiction, the hourly and fit'.' could be found hardy enough to secure the enraged teen minute lies. But if they have nothing to re- l animal, it was found necessary to shoot him, and his count, nothing to distort, nothing to invent, in the 'death was not accomplished tiil five or ail balls were ' shape of fact, what oan they stow rely on ? On lodged in his body. hacknied declamations, and miserable appeals to a I A chicken was lately hatched in the vicinity of patriotism, which, where yet it exists, must be their Glasgow without wings, and another of the same bitterest enemy." I brood with two heads ; the latter died immediately, This meek and reasonable man ' who declaims so but the former is perfectly healthy. grand.eloquently against hackuied declamations, and I Extract of a letter from Philadelphia, dated the talks so learnedly against licentiousness of language, 17th of March :—" Congress have at length deter. then proceeds to abuse CARROT, and the other mined to have a Navy—a Bill has passed tee Legit. Members of the French Government. He then lature, appointing a Navy Board. Commsdorew tells us that, 44 according to the observations of the Mee, BAINBRIDGE, and Rol:soca., it is expected, most intelligent men lately returned from Paris, will he appointed Admirals, and put in commission. titers is a total want of spirit in the Parisians, and a A very powerful force, ander the command of Core. gloomy dissatisfaction very observable in the officers modore BAINERIDGE, is now fitting out for Algiers: of the army. Both parties discuss political suejects it will consist of two new 74 gun ships, five frigates, with freedom ; and the Citizens speak as openly in and 10 sloops of war. If I am not miatskee, the favour of the King, as the Military do of their Chief. ' Algerines will roe the day elicit they provoke ( Distrust and doubt, however, are clearly depicted the vengeatice of nor tars. The Guerriere, under in all countenances. It cannot be concealed that the command of MOROAK, sailed from this port the vast military machine which Bonaparte once yesterday for New York, where she is to be joined 1 guided, and which was necessary to his glory, has by the Constellation and Java frigates, from the now lost all its springs. Every means to rouse the Chesapeake, end the United Slates and Mc - spirit, and to reader disposable the resources of the donian from Long Island Sound: these frigates, wish Country, has been tried; and the number of con. six sloops of war, form the first division against Af flicting schemes that are going on together impede . giers, and it is said that 2000 of Baowries rifle v'- each other's operation. Regulars, National Guards, ' terans will go with the squadron. The whole n - Volunteers, Gensd'armes, Free Corps, all are tried ; ! tint* is decided for a navy; the Pennsylvania, a 74 even the corps of Mamelukes is re-organizing at' gen ship, will be launched at this place in the meek Versailles. But, notwithstanding this vast parade of 'of May. Large quantities of limber are daily force, it is the decided impression in France, that I brought down the Delaware and Schuylkill for olio BooNeestrre is tot homme perdu. I building. It is no more extraordinary than tree, It is surprising that such trash as this, repeated : with what dispatch their build ships of war la this until the poor man who writes it believes in its truth, I country. The Peacock, of 18 guns, was to 't sir should debauch the public mind of England—" the I Newbury Port, its 18 wnrkivg days ! The Wsso most thinking People in the World." But so it is: I was built at New York, iii ttf' with the experience of the last two months before I Commodore Ctiauecv's ll them—with the. Declaration of the Duke D'Ameou. Lake Ontario, took up one LEM himself, who attributes the ruin of his cause to of her keel until she had it the disloyalty of the country People, JOHN Curs, was ready for a cruize. It most potently believes that NAPOLEON is indeed vn to have the frames of the r the Atlantic." Sinsne perdu.. GENERA!, GROUVIIY. : y ~ ~i -. • in .20 (Inyst. The Superior, • flag ship , Of 64 i{u•is, on ilt• 30 days from the laying all her guns on hour!. and It k st;(1 Congress intend La'.i.lSquadrou colleted to Ban St. EdrautF‘, May 15, 1813. CA PE L LOFT T. Monday an iucideut occurred in the Tower, fatal, if not to the life, at least to the liberty, of one of the royal brood of rooks, which, as we re cently observed, have been brought forth in the crowns attached to the top of the turrets of the White. Tower. Probably, from ambitious motives, influenced by its esalted birth, or from precepts in _culated by its usurping parents, this aspiring bird attempted too early a flight ; it was seen for some minutes, with its wings in motion, on the top of the Crown, as if dubious of the success of the enterprize —suddenly it rose, and, fluttering, fell, never more to join its royal relatives Yesterday afternoon a fine boy, about four years of age, fell out of a two-pair a inflow, in Little Drury-lane, and had several bones broken. He was caviled to Sergeon Stanton's, in the Strand, bit we understand there are no hopes of his recovery.— It is something remarkable, that this is the third child that has fallen out of the same window within the last twelve months. The unfortunate infant is son to a man of the name of Smith, a carter, and his mother was sitting nt the fire in the room, nurs ing another child at the time when the accident hap pened. In the course of last month, a boy, 16 years of age, left Derry (in Ireland), for Glasgow—taking with him a bundle, containing a suit of clothes and other articles, with one pound in cash, which his father had given him to defray his expellees. During the passage the boy asked at, Irishman, who pretended to be acquainted with Glasgow, if he knew his cousin —the only person whom the boy knew there.— Paddy answered " Yes ;" and readily promised that he would show him the residence of his friend. Oa landing here, last week, as they were afterwards to travel together, it was proposed by the Irishman, that a small parcel which he had should be put into the boy's bundle, and that each of them should al ternately carry the whole. The boy, unsuspecting ly, agreed to this proposal, as well as to the request that the Irishman should be intrusted with his cash till they reached Glasgow. When between this town and Port-Glasgow, the Fishman left the boy, earring away his bundle and cash. The boy, robbed, and iu a place where, ho was a stranger, was, of course, extremely disconcerted; and, that he might recover his pe r vert', spent several hours searching for the faithless wretch. Despairing of seeing him I again, the boy then set off to Glasgow ; and, after considerable trouble he reached his cousin's, in a very eahaustad state. His friend, not having a bed for him, procured him accommodation in a lodging house in Gorbals. On Sunday morning he discovered that, during the night, a man had been put into the bed beside him ; who, on more close inspection, proved to be his fellow passenger. He was immediately 7 lodged in the Gerbils Police-Office. He is by trade , a shoemaker, had lived in Gotbals, and, before: Leaving it, hid borrowed from a grocer there a one pound note.—(Greenock Paper.) The following instance of the fatal effects of drink ing is said to have occored last week to one of the I egirsisli multitude ; a person in the parish of Lethtiot haring a visit from the exciseman, concealed a cask of whisky in his pig-sty. The pig immediately set about teroottiog the covering, which having accom ho abstracted the cork, by the help of the, deth which enveloped it. He drank about a pint of the whisky, which pat him in such a flow of spirits, 1 / that it was dangerous to approach him. At last the usual effects of inebriety appeared, and dowp he fell. Milk, oil, lie. were poured down his throat, bat in vain; the poor pig fell a sacrifice to drinking ardent spitits to eXCO69. On Rowley last, two young men, ballast-heaven, had an altercation at a public-house iu Parlour- street, Ratcliffesiligh way, and having agreed to end their dispute by fighting, they retired into a skittle ground at the back' port of the premises, when they I fought several rounds, but being separated , one or them was so much injured, that he died in a few hours after; the other is iu custody to abide the result of the Coroner's Inquest. • ,a [AN. ' . . s f se