The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1806-02-11 00:00:00

Th;, continental weir. commenced whl►out coy
previous declarations. or solemn manifestoes, re-
-I•eved Great Britain. though irs corrinnance was
but short, from a situation highly perilous. By the•
war which had broken oat with Spain, at the ,
ginningmf the year. it had been rendered sun more
critical. Neptune seemed himself to have deserted
the cause of Britain, and to favour the operations of
the fleets of France. In vain Admiral Coehrane
pursued the squadron under Rear-Admiral hlissi-
es►i, that had escaped from Rochefort, and re-
turned in safety, after pillaging the English islands
•of Dominica, Montstrrat, and St. Kitts, and hay.
ing d:,ne considerable injury to the West India
mid... The Toulon fleet likewise escaped from
tle ir confinement, released the Spani-h fleet, block-
aeie.l in Cadiz, and jiining it, sailed to the Vs'est
Indies, where the English had not expefted such a
force. Lard Nelson was meanwhile seeking his
opponents on the coasts of Egypt, and in the Si.
cilian seas. The Admirals Villeneuve and Gra-
negleCted to take advantage of the weakness of
the English. Fortune must be caught land, unless
we seize the favourable moment, she escapes for
ever. That moment vras past for the combined
French and Spanish fleet. when Nelson. whose ar-
dour. disappointftent seemed only to increase,
traced them out, and appeared at Barbadoes
They instantly quitted tee West Indian seas, having
there merely taken pc/session of the Diamond
Rock, near Martinique. Fortunate it was for them. I
that they were not overtaken by Nelsun; and that
an indecisive engagement, in which the interim
squadron of Sir Robert Calder to, k from them two
ships, i tureen Corunna and Ferrol, did not pre-
vent
their return into the ports of Spain.

As little as the English made the French feel
their superiority by sea, so little were they capable
of effeeling against the rocks of Boulogne, and the
batteries which proteded the armament, destined
for the invasion. The ingeniuus means of destruc-
tion wets found to be inadequate to the end for
which they were contrived, and the force collated
on the coast, opposite to England, was increased to
a magnitude so tremendous, that the execution of
the grand undertaking for the annihilation of Eng-
land, seemed to be near at hand. This external
danger was attended with domestic divisions in the
British Government. Several of its members sup-
ported the public charge, by which the Opposition
elicited the expulsion of Lord Melville, the First
Lord of the Adnairahy, from the Royal Councils.
A partial change of Administration was even ren-
dered necessary. While the British Senate was thus
the theatre of party animosity, the Colossus of
English East India was shaken by the restless Hol-
kar, and other Mahratta Princes. The shores of
t►e Ganges exhibited many melancholy traits, as a
counterpart to the history of the establishment of.
the Spanish Colonies in Mexico and Peru. Superior
power maintained its ground, but the manner in
which it was exercised, produced a living convic-
tion, that the vast fabric must, some time or other,
fall to pieces. from its own weight.
The flames of war were kindled on the Continent
—their light illuminated the gloomy kingdom of
England. That power secured anew the posses-
sion of the commanding trident, sealed with the
blood of her greatest naval Hero, by the most bril-
liant victory ever recorded in the annals of naval
warfare. By Nelson it was gained off Cape Tra-
falgar, over the superior fleet of France and Spain,
led on by Fate from the harbour of Cadiz, to meet
the Angel of Death, who had so long pursued them.
Never had the world witnessed such a sea fight as
that fought on the 21st of Oftober, nff the coast of
Spain. It far surpassed the memorable engagement
in the West Indies, on the 12th of April, 1782 ; it
WAS infinitely more bloody and more decisive. Out
of 33 French and Spanish ►hips of the line, eight
were cartied into English ports, including those
taken by Sir R. Strachan ; sixteen were destroyed ;
six were cartieJ as wrecks into Cadiz, and three
only remained fit for setvice out of this formidable
fleet, with which 20,0,4 seamen and Lend forces
were at the same time lost, in killed ■nd prisoners.
This victory, dearly purchased, indeed, by the death
of the glorious Nelson, destroyed, for a long pe-
riod, the hopeful bud of the French naval power,
which again began to /upend. under the auspices of
Nit; okon.

England was the sonl of the continental war.
P:tt's active policy had effected a coalition, after
long exertions, and the formation of the must jit
cious plans. English gold sat the allies in motina
on every site. Nap Aeon, with his army, which had
been destined for the invasion, now hastened to meet
Austria, whose army, amounting to oo more than
So,ooo men, had advanced into Soabia, with a
view to 1114111t.1i1l its ground them till it sliottld
he reinforced by the arrival of its Russian
allies. The French armies, resembling the migra-
tion of nations, frustrated this plan : 1 ,o,uoo men,
under the immediate dire tion of the French Em-
peror, crossed the Rhine ; the Ernie: from lizilland

au.l I-Tanorer hastenod to *pia them, and tliwe
German FRince., memhers rif the fir.t col:ege ut
the Fmpire, unites' themselves to thy power of
France This must admirably condone. mass over-
whelme." the G.trmart army of Hi: lrc:;.•crial Majesty
it .i..r the Archduke FerJinar.J aiiJ Geiteral pack;
And its misfortune. were completed by the non-ar-
rival of the Russians, anJ the forcible poss.ge of A
powerful Fredch and Bavarian army through the
neutral Prussian ttrritory of the Principolity of .'in-
spac'i, which could not possiuly eater into the sphere
of military c ticuiation..
Tt.is rer.Jers it perfelly intelligible how the
eleven d4ys, from the 7.11 to tin I;th ot o.!lobef.:

could prove decisive of the fats of the Austriae
army, though it had not eaperiewced any capital
di.avter. The General-in-Chief, the Archduke
Ferdinand, saved only a small part of it, by retreat-
ing to Bohemia ; the rest cf the troops composing
this gallant army, being cut off from Bavaria and
the hereditary states, was obliged to capitultte.
On the very day on which the Combined Fleet was
annihilated off Cape Trafalgar, 23,000 men, with
whom General Mack had suffered himself to be
surrounded, laid down their arms before the gars
of Ulm. The French stated the total number of
Austrian prisoners at 60,000 mcn, amang wl.orn
were 25 Generals. In fire, it was not tens of thou-
sands that led to the many great events by which
the year 1505 will b.! eternized. History was con-
verted into Romance.

The concluding Jays of this wonderful year
brougl t to maturity events still more important.
The disaster of the Imperial arms at 1./Im, opened
Napoleon the way to the metropolis of the German
Emperor. With his viltorious force, before which
the corps of Kienmayer, joined by the tiro Russian
army, slowly retreated, he crossed the Inn, and
penetrated into the heart of Amtria. On the 13th
of November, Vienna first beheld the hu.tile ban-
ners. Having taken possession of that m.rtropolis,
the French pursued the retreating Russians to the
left bank of the Danube, the bridges across which
they found uninjured, into Moravia, which um:-
peaedly drew upon itself the eyes of the world.
The battle of Attsyrlits, on the 23 of De-
cember, the greatest is modern history, infinitely
more bloody than that of Marengo, was immedi-
ately succeeded by a truce between the Emperors
of France and Austria, and the opening of Le-
gociations for peace. The R,lssian army, whose
loss had been supplied by fresh reinforcements of
troops, began to withdrac ; and the magnanimous
Alexander returned, in conwq, nee of the tines-
pelted pac:fication, to his own dominions. In two
months, Napoleon terminated this tremendous war.
Scarcely was the arrnistize announced, when the
Archduke Charles made his appearance in the vici-
nity of the Imperial metropolis. With a view to its
deliverance, this Pri; ce, the pride of the German
aa:ion, had condud/ed his unconquered army out
of Italy, after reptilslog, at the battle of Caldiero,
thelerench Marshal, Mossena, the darling of vilfory,
who endeavoured to prevent his retreat. This great
Sobieski of the present age, arrived suffic'ently early
for his military fame; but too late for the well are
of the Austrian Monarchy, when most valuable
parts and fairest provinces, together with the
residence of the Cwsars, remained, sd utter%m,
under the domination of Franco, in conse-
quence of the suspension of arms concluded in
Moravia. The hope which put a period to the ca-
tastrophe of :633, could not be cherished on this
occasion. In this helpless situation, that relief from
oppression, for which millions of faithful subjelts
implored their Emperor, could be expelled only
from negotiation.

The declining year gratified this wish before its
close, and extinguished the flames which itself had
kindled. On the 7th of Oanber, the curtain of this
great tragedy was drawn up at Neuhurg, and at
Presburg it fell, on the 27th of December. A war
reductive of results sn important, that continued
only eleven weeks and three days, Was unexampled
in history. The peace tigned at Ptesburg, it is
true, delivered the Austrian cap tal from the pre,-
sure of foreign arms ; but this negative advantage,
which was realized in the first v.seks of the new
year, was dearly purchased by the loss of provinces
that were the bulwarks of the m nirchy, and by sa-
crifices for which no adequate compensation could
be expelled.
Italy had been the principal obje.ft of there tom_
prehensive plans. The war, which was to have
overthrown its newly-formed political constituti,:n,
only served, br its issue, so contrary to its in' •ntin
to btreagthen still more the dominion of Fiance, be-
fore so firmly established. The month of Decem-.
her completed the measures of May and June, con.
firmed the Italian kingdom, the iron crown cf the
new dynasty, the political dissolution of the Repub-
lic of Genoa, the cnnwnsion of the Republic of
Lucas into a fiq of the French Empire, and a
principality for the descendants of Nap ikon's
the Pritraill of Pi'•rohino, and the subjeaion

Parma and iNatterwl, to th, Laws and f
France. Pius VII. returned perfectly satitfitd t.e:4
Paris to R•,me. An la:pending tempest gathe?c,
not tindearrvcd!y, over !tiptoe, where the k:nr XAV.
A faveltarable reception to an Elglisla and Ros ids
army. AIM(' his codntry hyd been evAeusted by 1,4
French. and dcc.l.red neutr4l.

After Italy, the übjea to wl:irh the at,
tension of the rittlitt3n had hem direded, sea.
land, where the Fe:4i..nary, B..hintaselionninck, %%at
placed in the month ..f May, at the head of the New
Cmosiitution. I.s F.CC:iir seemed enda-gered, as
HAlland wa. tr.r a morn...nt des,itiite of troops.-..
OF this pint-lure, Engtand did not avail herself, u
the was mot sure of foreign avisrance. It was nu
0;1 a euhsiderehle time afterwards that the Hann.
verian Legion was sent with British troops to Hr
nover, when the country, :is tar as Hameln, was
cupied by Fore;gn forces, and the navie;atiots nf
Elbe was opened by the removed of the French.

Spain mml:fled, at tLe cuto:lusion of the yeat,
the loss of her goodly Abet, commanded by tlr%.
•ina, in cnns4-qu-nee of the war in which sl.e eat
involved with England. She had formed a projed
for taking Gibraltar ; bat, instead of laying siege
to tLat to.tress, her ptincipal havens were kept
closely blockaded. 1-1.. r neighbour, Purtuga
served hrr neut•a!ity ' y citnsiderable sactiflc•s.

Not so Denmark, iiich was indebted fry the cow
viable continuance of her happy tranquillity, to the
wisdom of Ler and hrr .r ye rocs.
glee, call .1 i:.t • ,a;oa by the Cr•,an Prince, vio!a
crillened in 11.,Istein a cr,u•i siahlaarmy, whi.h
beheld the menacing cloud, quietly ••• s away.
The irledit;on of vassalage, 'n the G man pro-
vinces, entwined a new wre ads loner; Pre.serick's
head. Switzerland Telngl.lif'd neutral as well as
Denmark, but not under 5u..11 farvurable circum-
stances, internally and externally.

Oce great Eun-pean Re[ublic of States (Ger-
many), had vanished horn the ccnitet of ages.
This remarkable prc donjon, so favourable to the pro-
gress of civilization, and the interests of humanity,
was founded on the principle of the general balance
of power, which the past year has so dreadfully de-
ranged. Fortunately, for Europe, Prussia still re-
mained pith undiminished strength. Frederick
Wiliam was desirous of a general recce. This
wish seemed to be near its completion, at the time
of the mission of General Winzingerode, and M.
Von Nevosiltzoff. The dawn of hope disaFessaressi;
Prussia remained faithful to her system, till she be-
held har territory violated by the French and Bava-
rian army. liar armies, joined by the Hessians and
Simons, advanced from their peaceful cantontnolus
into the field i
.Hrov:r was for a time *cc/spied:,
Prussian tron,-.3. The Sovrei,tn of Russia, the lsro-
th:r of the vas quished Restiaa E,nperor, and a
distingui.hed Member of the Cabinet of St.
JAmes's, appeared at Bet lin. akuvria found
nut that succour, which she had hoped speedily
to receive. Lord Ilarrowby, who had at first
flattered himself with a favourable prospeet,
was unable to attain the ebk•Et cf l is mission.
the conclusion of a subsidiary tteary ; bat Alex-
ander and Frederick Vs'illiam Limed an inti-
mate friendship, which was sealed at
Potsdam, on the Sd of November. with diplomatic
solemnity. Before the consequences of this alliaine,
in consequence of which the Prussian armies as-
turned a menacing attitude, from Vesta, along !le
frontiers of Prancoaia. as far as %Vest], bad time to
manifest themselves, the events in Moravia hisd
made a total revolution in the situation of .Hairs;
the Minister of State, Count Haugwi-s, beiag dis-
patched to Vienne, soon returned Lam Nap Icon's
Head-quarters, with a ratification of the hope a A
Continental react.

This peace gives a mortal blo•+v to the r•wenant
of a thousan.l years, which board the Cer:r: in Ern
pire together. The recess of 180: ma le ro corn.
pensation for the great afts of peace ai.d alliance of
1848, whose provisions they abolished. 1• rather
served to undermine the ancient fabric, wiich 4
war of two months now threatens with d ',ratio&
The German Empire, which V draire. in his Age d
1J-wig XIV. enominates the most powerful neigh.
boor of France. is no more. For-ign troops, French.
Russians, Swedes. Eng'isn, surround the hearths
of Germans; the Diet has fallen int., a profo and
lethargy. It is not from that 411.senoly, and from
irs Emperor, that Germay now receives her laws $
the Imperial Clamber is prov,snr;!y dissolved t the
decrees of the Auiic COMM.:, are not anemic.' to;
in vain the voice of the guardian of the German Con.
stitution, resounds like the song of the dyirg swags
in an age in which the harsh tones of iron alve
arc heard; crowns are prepared by French hands
for German Princes—crowns which hitherto were
the lot oaly of unlimited sovereignty, not of powers
subject to the Emperor and the empire ; the weaker
members of the empire. that have not ye: been esval-
lowed up, now serve to aggrand'se their po••verful
neighbours: other *enures, and other changes aro
at:.anll the man falls, a shapeless ruin.