The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser. — London, England, 1806-08-29 00:00:00

• drowned. It is devoted to the government, because the whole mass of the p:ople consider the present Sovereign as their deliverer from the horrors of anarchy, as the man who put a period to an execrable revolution—and still more, because even those who are better informed, look (whether with reason or not, we shall not pretend to determine) on the bare possibility of a new revolu tion, as the greatest of evils ;blond which they dis cover a bottomless abyss, or, perhaps, the terrific speares of past timer. From this disposition and manner of viewing things, it may easily be cor.- teived how the government has constantly retained its power over the public rrind, though, .of late years, almost all its resolutions and measures, tits usurpations, its wars, its nepotism, &c. &c) are in evident opposition to the real interest of the court: try. And if evea this were not to escape the notice of the more enlightened, and who can for a moment suppose that it does, a thousand obstacles render it Impossible foe them to communicate this know ledge in an efficient manner, to their fellow-citi zens. The measures of police, the censorship and pro hibition of books, bear the same proportion, in those countries of Europe, where they have attained the highest degree of rigour, to those which have been introduced into France, as a lofty fence round a place that is intended to be made inaccessible, to a pit one hundred fathoms deep, dug in the midst of this place, as the reconsp:nce of currosit:•: The ut mit that is done in other countries is confined to obstacles; and those who find means to overleap them, are afterwards treated wi.h mildness and in dulgence. In France, on the contrary, tremendous pnnishmenta are in reserve for those who, in any manner, attempt to pass these harriers ; and a single article in a newspaper has often occasioned many years incarceration, banishment, or death. To this may be added, that, in consequence of the mnitifa• :ions cone Lion subsisting between the central states of Europe, every thing by degrees becomes knows, notwithstanding the stritlest prohibitions ; whereas, in France, the circulation of foreign ne.vspapers sad publications is attended with real danger . . In all the monarchies, in the interior of Europe, the military charatier maintains its rank ; but in none is the preponderance so great, in none is the government so completely military, and in none are the rulers so determined to sacrifice every other consideration to military greatness, as in France. Amid the storms of the Revolution, and even in the turbulent times which immediately succeeded the principal tempest, oo civil virtue could possibly thrive : and what was denominated st..te policy in those times of terror, when the whole structure of the State rested on injustice and perfidy, plunder and atrocious maims, was of such a dishonourable de scriptioa, that honest men would not pollute them selves with it. At this very time, the spit it of the army was strengthened and elevated from day to day, by a concatenation of circum•wnces, which we shall not here investigate, till it at length pro duced that system which prevailed during the last years of the war, This was tow the only point in the whole national economy of Franc:, on which the eye of the speltator could repose without dis gust, and the good fortune that attended their arms, seemed, as it were, to envelope the nakedness of the 'state, its atrocities, infirmities and guilt, in a splendid mantle. The most celebrated of its Generals soon succeeded in overturning the government; a detested government, whose ruin was considered by all par ties as a most desirable ohjeta. The preponderance of the military charafler was now established ; and as, notwithstanding all the changes of form which the new government underwent, notwithstanding all the accumulation of titles, and marks of honour, and pomp, and ceremony, nothing could be devised to form a counterpoise to military consideration and glory, the necessary consequence was, that this pre ponderance was daily more and more developed and strengthened. The present Regent of France is a fortunate Ge neral ; but, unlike other Sovereigas, who, sure be ' forehand of their thrones, acquired a military repu tation by their warlike achievements, independent of their monarchical dignity, he reigns only because he obtained it. By military achievement; alone he opened his unexampled career ; as a soldier, and re lying upon the army, he overthrew the Direetorial Government; as a soldier, and relying upon' the army, he ascended from limited and temporary, to unlimited, despotic. and even hereditary power. Whether he will continue to be victorious, time alone can evince ; but, as long as he is determined to rule, the maintenance of his military renown must be his first and his last care. No Government h so closely, so multifariously, so inseparably connected with mi litary interest : none sacrifices an unconditionally to military greatness, every other interest, every re gard for the state of the country, for the wishes and the sighs of the people. Wherever a regular, mild dominion, consecrated by justice and antiquity, and immediately combined LONDON, FRIDAY, AuovsT 19. A morning paper of yesterday announced, in a circemstantial manner, the arrival of a Messenger, with dispatches, {from France, at eleven o'clock on Wednesday night. There was not the slightest I foredation for the statement. No Messenger had arrived up to a Istehour last night ; nor can we ex pea any dispatches of a decisive nature, until the French Government shall have received inteliicrence of the refusal or consent of the Emperor of Russia to ratify the Treaty signed by his Minister, M. D'Ocaatc, at Paris. So many obstacles have been thrown in the way of a pacific arrangement, since Lord LAUDERDALE set out for Paris, it is folly to be every day expeding Messengers from Paris. BONAPARTE has followed, on the present occasion, a line of condua similar to what he adopted when the last Treaty was under I discussion. On that occasion, while the terms were arranging, he made himself Icing of Italy ; being re solved on the measure, he adopted it before he con cluded the Treaty, that it might not be afterwards objefted to as an infringement of uny of the articles. In the same manner, while the present discussions are carrying on, he places himself at the head of the Confederation of the Rhine, and has hir•.tself declared Protedor. This altered his relative situa tion in a) most essential manner. He could not expea that arrangements which were, in a great measure, settled before Lord LILDERDALE went to Paris, and any such innovation was avowed, should be acceded to by our Government, without any counter-qualificatioa. The thing was impossible, unless our Government had resolved to throw this great and powerful nation at the feet of NAPO LEON ! Even the trick which was praftised upon D'Ocaatc, tended to retard the Negociation. It is confidently said, that the Russian Negoei ator was completely duped by TAILEVRAND. IHe was made to believe, that the Treaty with England was ready to be signed, and that any delay on his part, in signing a Preliminary Treaty for Russia, would be sacrificing the interests of his Master, and placing him in a worse situation than the Treaty did which was then presented for signature. We have reason even to believe, that within a very few hours after M. D'Ou SRI c had signed that Treaty, he discovered, that he had been grossly imposed upon; and, if we may credit information of the most respeflable kind, it was this discovery that led him to set off so precipitately from Paris for Pe tersburgh. It is a fael, well known in the life of BONAPARTP, that he abandoned his army in F.gypt to its fate, and fled to France, where he landed at Ftejus, after a narrow escape from Lord Nu-sores cruisers. We have since seen the fugitive a Consul, King, Emperor of the French, and Protetlor of the Con- federation of the Rhine—Gil:stir, Candor, he has them all. This good fortune prnbably en crmraged him to recommend the gime course to his favourite brother; 3219kft —lie received an IMPERIAL PARtIAMENT. I P- - HOUSE OF LORDS—Teuasaao, Auousr 211. Between ene and two o'clock, the Lord Chan• cellar came down to the House, and, shortly afte,r. his Grace the Archbishop of Canterhury and Earl : ,Spencer attended. Lordships then took their seats in their robes, as His _aesty's Commis sioners, on the Bench in front of t he T h rone, and the Deputy thher of the Black Rod was sent to order the attendance of the Commons, who (repre sented on this occasion by Mr. Lee, and the princi pal Clerks and O ffi cer of the House) forthwith appeared at the Bar. kiis Majesty's Commission, authorising the Peers therein mentioned, or any three of them, to declare and notify his Royal Assent respelling the further prorogation of Parliament, being then read by the proper Officer, the LORD CHANCELLOIt ad dressed the Assembly as follows Ms Lords and Gratleiners, " By virtue of His Majesty's Commission, under the Great Real, to as and ether Lords daretted, and now read, we do, in ottedimme to Hlis Majesty's commands, hereby declare and mitify His Majesty's royal will and pleasure, that this Parlia ment be farther prorogued until Thursday, the 9th day of Oc '' labor seat end this Parliament ateordingly stands prorogued tasty( the said Illieday of Weber The COMMON; then withdrew, and their Lord ships retired . STATE OF FRANCE, BY M. GENTZ. The treacherous scythe of equality swept away all the rich variety of tbe local institutions of ancient France ; all the rights and privileges of the provia ces, their customs, their usages, their statutes, their civil and criminal forms, the assemblies of their O f states, their independent foundations and public , bliahments, their diatiott properties, their inr snediate influence and credit ; nay, their very limits and tbeir names. The present Regent of that cone-' S s try extends his terrific sceptre over an immeasurable rplain, without one bill er dale, without one ram part, or the smallest obstacle, to arrest or to cheek his cateer. From the centre of his uniform Empire, with an Almighty Cabinet, a Minister that trembles i at his nod, a well-regulated financial machine, an omnipotent and omniscient police, an army wholly elevated to his will, and abundance of prefeels and sub.prefees, he governs a nation of thirty millions, as easily, as securely, and as despotically, as in the flourishing times of the Ottoman Empire, the Grand Sivior ruled from the seraglio, by means of his Pachas and his Ages, his vast possessions in Eurore and Asia. The Constitutions of the Empire, as they ate termed, exhibit not one solitary, feeble attempt, to limit this monstrous Despotism; nay more, they have, to ail intents and purposes, dwindled away to a nameless shadow. It is not only the constitutions and the rights of individual provinces and cities that have been de. strayed ; not a vestige is new to be found of the , • slats produced by the consideration, the influence, and the co-operation of the two superior classes upon the ancient form of Government ; nor even of the personal power, the personal influence and im portance 1 01 property, of distinguished families, or of uncom mon merit, once formed around the state a kind of collateral power in different points of the kingdom. Bishops and priests, paid, in general wretchedly paid, Windt) obedient to the Government, excluded from all participation in temporal concerns, have stepped into the places of those powerful heads of the richly-endowed Galilean Church. The French Nobility, with all their titles and their dignities, with all their splendour and their wealth, have disap peared 1 all that remain of the ancient families, have either sold themselves unconditionally to the new Sovereign, or are buried in remote provinces, or are living in retirement and obscurity, on the• wretched relics of their former fortunes. A large, perhaps the largest portion of the great landed pro prietors, consists of new possessors, who shudder at the mere idea of an essential change in the govern ment; and would not fail to adore the Sovereign, were he even a Phalaris, a Nero, or a Thamas Kuli Khan. The consideration, the renown, or the in fluence of no single individual over the minds of men, can be placed in competition with that which 1 . he possesses. Before the commencement of the military period, during ten horrible years, a certain perfeCtion in 1 madness, a certain virtuososbip in guilt, was the 1 exclusive medium in France , to attain p ower and di s tinetion. Since the army obta ined the superi •i corky, the renown and the good fortune of a single 'i vietorious General has swallowed up the claims of all the others ; all that shone within his sphere is annihilated, proscribel, and exiled. Considered in this pant of view, as well a; in the former, modern France resembles a bare and desolated tract, from the surface of which rises but one single tree, but one single all-powerful arm, but one single name. In spite of this despotic power, there exists in this, as in every ether country in Europe, such a thing as public opinion; but, on the one hand, from a peculiar cause, which is deeply rooted in the pre sent state of France, it is thoroughly devoted to the government ; and, on the other, such regulations have been adopted, that its voice is totally llMr-- with the welfare of the nation, superintends the public affairs, the military force will only be con sidered as the means of attairring higher ribienss What used to be improperly denominated military States, could only he called so with this limitation. In this light, Frederic 11. though himself a fel . - innate General, viewed, in the while latter part of his reign, the army which he had created; and that portion of the constitution of his kingdom, which appeared to be founied on military forms, did not prevent his success() s from following, even to excess, that excellent max- To consult ahove all things, the welfare of the state, then to pay regard to the military interest." But this is not the case in an order of things, where, in every essential particular, the interest of the So vereign is separated from the interest of the country ; this is not the case with a new dominion, which is but slightly rooted in the opinions, and in the cus toms of the people ; whiCh„ founded amidst opposi sition and danger, by extraordinary circumstance,, after a turbulent revolution, cannot for a moment entirely dismiss the apprehension of being shaken or overthrown by extraordinary circumstances contrary nature and tendency. Such a Ruler is intent only on appearing continually powerful, victorious, and formidable; and, above all things, militarily formidable. With him the order of things is reversed. If the prosperity and the happiness of the State can Le comhined with its military interests, he strives to promote both at cnce ; if either of them must be preferred, his resolution is previously fixed. He is determined to maintain his military greatness , let manufaanres, trade, commerce, colonies, and all the private interests of the citiaens flourish or decay, just as it pleases heaven.—Such is a true picture of the present state of France. THE BRITISH PRESS. especial order in the fltOph cf 'Florida, tb make the best of his way to France in the Vrterax. ing the rest of the squadron to shift fur themserte. Up to the latest account, he had no reasms to A. Bret his obed:ence to this command. diarist e rYlr. persed a whole fleet, and burned a part of it. A3•l did not lay , about him more furiously is ttt midst of the flock of sheep, than du..Yr/train firth away arnrinti the Quebec convoy In justice, ever, to the gallantry of dotome, we must net ItO• get that the Captains of the captured visls, ar rived at Portsmouth, acknowledge, that Jilting tht three days they remained on board his ship, tbsl were treated with the greatest attention el.: polite ness. As the Veteran was left waifs 200 wiles fit the French coast, with a fair wind, d:e same gA fortune which enabled NAPOLEOtti in his flight tram Egypt, to escape L' rd NeLson's cruisers, may be* carried JLRONIS into a friendly port, throllah rAW squadrons. Sanguine hopes, however, are elutes tained, that the rest of his fleet will not be so sums* fu'. Much information upon this iaterestir!,, s^?!.- jell, will he found under the head of Portstm ad:, A our last - The Co, k Paper of the `.:3.1 instant dontsi:,; r' fallowing article :-4. This morning the of this port, JOH 1 RAY:. Its, blasters an is'od i ; harbour, from Jamaica. Csptain RAY cs that he sailed from Jamaica on the 21.. h in company with IMI sail of rnerchantni,o, convoy of His MAJrITY's ships Sur°. iitinft. If :•y.. and Porturiee, with the tcha sloop of the 10th of July, being to windward if the H. vannah, they fell in with a Spanish fleet c f SS 111 1 . of vessels, laden with sugar, undo convoy of t !:at'± of battle ship and two gun-brigs, ail of wl.i h destroyed l)y the British ships of war, a. the merchantmen, except the line of hatti: ;.% which escaped by getting under the Moro at the ervunce of the Havanttah. Mcst of t!..e Spanish crews escaped by swimming ashore. S , tre sugar, and a ,doable cargo of quicksilver, were taken out before the ships were destroyed." A Cabinet Council was held yesterday afterroont at Mr. Fox's Office, in Downirignstreet. At:A which, dispatches were made up to be forwarded to Constantinople. The result of the deliberatici was sent off to Mr. Fox, at Chiswick. The Funds flußuated considerably in• the conye of yesterday : the Unman. rose to 84, and lett t.,ti at 71. - -- --- Yesterday, the dispatches for fieugal end i..ectrek were finally closed at the East India Heise, and delivered to the Pursers of the following ships, viz_ The Skelton C414.1e, Captain Hem, V.ughan, tut asag2l tined. The Union, Captain I. Macinto.h, and Matilda (eoentry . . ship), Captain P. Scott, . Madras and fl , tigal. PASSONOIRS PIl eIiILTON C•ST g. R. For Rental... Mr. SA011 ; Borgia Mervlratit ; Detainer!. Colonel Sainte hieing. White ; Mr. Mts. and Maw Ras ; Mr. Humphreys ; Mr. Deafen' ; Messrs. G. Sainte, Man, Word. van, Stanley, Neale, Templer, Hautenvl . e, D. Camp'. I!, Pfeittr, Campbell, CJI,w , Kernoel, Hunter, Brow n o Anderson; Maley, ktaillie, Noble, Baker, and Willis, cadam. Fur Madras—Mr. W. P. T. Brown, cadet. PASSINCCRI Pee UNION. Fur Bengal—Mmrs. Bernell and Davidson, Writers ; Mr. C8.110'441 ; Mr. Adamson, Assistant Siirgenn ; Captain, Mr:. and Miss Muller; Mr Yount and Mr. Roliertusii, free raters; Mr. ; Morals. Continent, Ken.iedy, FAtle, Day, Shickle, WO, cadets ; MIL ;wet ILa Lark , . Fob ; M'Andrew, A•- , r-tar:! Surgeon; Me,srs. Msrklove, Redding. Siinnoce, Stramtan, Ferguson, Curshani , Casey, Nash, Crowe , Crook, Fell , Newlnd, Greenhill, Logan, and Brett, clidcts and 11. Lucas. ASSIINGEIt , PRI II ATI LO•• Ent Rental--. Mr. NICIIUIIOII, Sj f ertift ; ,tom Kid, Li•lC^Sii•r, arid St.altae, free manners; Mn Leic , Ma Sun.; Messrs. Oliver, Bell, arid Itadenach, cadets. For Madras-.. Messrs. Kellie, Stewart, N. ways, Crofter, a:11 hlPLesst, assistant surgeons ; Mamas. J. Milner and Diane., cadets. The Mathew, Jeer Etre, from Jamaica, for !Aro den, is lost in the Queen's Channel—Crew saved. The 1/i/toes from Newfoundland, and- the .18'.eo from Antigua. fot Dublin, are captered, and but..t, by the Veterax man of war. The last dispatches received by our Ministers from St. Pctersburgh, ate said to contain ,* assurances of the Emperor Alex lute determination to preserve his ! maintain his co-operation with tf.is crmin There were reports of great rej& French coast--of f. ax de Jaw, tllurrtinat Wednesday. Our own letters are subjed. Some persons suppose them rejoicings in consequence of Madame 1 Birth-day. Others, that they were the arrival of the Russian TAU lication. The Anna Mona, Elmes, arrived at Sunday last, from Newfoundland, of sixteen days, from land to land. fell in with the LI", Boag, of and from Jamaica (one of the fleet), on S. in lat. 55. IS. long. Cs. and kept convert' till Saturday se'nnight, when the Lae sail. Captain E. lost sight of her o clock, p. rn. Saw her next morning Tory, on a sand beach. Capt. E. thy have been got off, had timely auks forded from the land ; but he is afrai' to pieces, if the westerly winds set lay over at low water, arid Captain struck at the height of the tide. being becalmed, and cbliged to col to keep her from drifting ashore, give no assistance. She is supposed on shore about two o'clock in the smart breeze was blowing at that day-light. fired a gun of distress. valuable cargo on board. .11 the stronged [Atones rem: trienslthiP and :onntry. !joicings nn e.: O nations, &C. etl silent upon the nt to have beret e BONA! 41CCOS occas:oned by n. at Greenock, o after a passage 1. Capt. El= id for Greeneock on the 13th trot L e e t :r th i: P an e t ai ta ttkn ! o t n .s.c li nh Y e i t. s i ei l u ‘ ,sb : Th v eh ° , t e i : tt .eni lt er el l e : el i:: h g h l sis ra Lin E. thinks slt The Anna Ilar >me to an ancho L. cool d seC time, Ptmorning. t h 3l e rnhn u ratve gcr L 11 s nG aand, ttttalr