The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1804-11-30 00:00:00


ILL.4GE, TRIBUTE, AND CONQUISTS.

The anger expressed by BONAe sn re in France,
ei.l the clamour raised by the faaious in England,
c.n account of -the detention of the Spanish trea-
sury ships, equally evince both tlit justice and po-
-1144 :it ibis vigorous measure. Were one of the
powers of *maw to make war as the Romans did.
at the expence of these whom it vanquished, and dtll%,
its resources for war from war itself, it would attain
the empire of the world." When Mosresouieu,
sixty years ago, wrote this sentence, he little thought
that, before the completion of a century, there would
be a revival of those military politics, which mora-
lity, the laws of war, the general system, the expe-
rience of retaliation. and a stria agreement among
the different members of the great family of civi.

lised nations. had long left mouldering on the an-
tiquated rolls of history. Since the decline of the
Roman Empire, the invasions made by irregular
multitudes were as transitory as those transmigra-
tions of rapid plunderers. Abler to conquer thin
to preserve their conquests, atter laying a country
Irate, they abandoned it ; or if, imitating the Visi-
goths, and Normans, they settled on their conquests,
k was in a national body ; they spent the fruit of
their rapines among the vanquished themselves,
with whom they mingled, and were, in time, even
confoonded. Till the reign of Louis XIV. neither
were the regular armies considerable enough, nor the
Princes sufficiently rich, to preserve conquests which
lay at any distance. Neither CIIARLES VIII. nor
Louts XII. would have been able, like the modern
I " French, to have subjugated Italy Cnin the shores
of Nice to the Vel:no. How were they to subjea,
to keep, and to extort the riches of a populous
country, without exhausting their armies ? Do-
minion was at an end, with the retreat of those

ertose empire rarely extenJed beyond the
sine *if the campai!sa, tbat of the enterprise, and
some bad fortresses oa the outskirts.
If conquests have become more difficult, they hawo
atm acquired more stability. This is one of the eff.lts
of the multiplicity anal ivprovement of fortifica-
t do% 1014 of the estalishruent of gr,st standing
1111111 in ; •aeo•rge, the weight of which, crushing at
once nations and governments, his convened the
finances into a calamity, has intridaced disorder
int* administration, and ripened the cause of pop's-

lar revolutions.
Produced in the heart of war, and for w ir,

sanitary Republic of France, hating more soldiers

under anus than ever AUGUSTUS or Ttii/AN haJ,
extended its limits in order to milt room for its su-
pernwnerary forces, to draw off the riche. of the
ImPw Serritarisss and to secure upon them the ssib.
atom, pay, and even clothing, of its armies ; in
their turn, the armies serve to Ptge and preserve
these acquisitions. From this double want, have
proceeded the military oppression that supports its

neeinhe, and the military oppression which coll-
imates the vanquished state ; oppr-ssi ,na that h 'yr
been spread over those revAutionary em
peer those revolutionary molvachie:, principAlitiLm.
or republics, which, instead (.1 pillaging in a com-
mon way, Bon has deirei to incorporate
with revolutionary France; either by his milart y
ordinances, called constitutions, by his revolutionary
ads, called treaties, or by his revolutionary n
tient, called tributes. In settling their equestrian
colonies, the Romans, with the military yak-, als
introduced a police, wise laws. and a creative spirit.
They opened roads, and euablished agriculture and
the arts ; establishments, which, t, this day, continue
monuments of an e dig!itened munificence. But
the spirit of the French Republic has not risen above
that of a leader of Bedouins ; the government
differs from that of Egypt and Syria, only by its by-
pocrisy, atrocity, and buffoonery. Always and every
where the same, a Committee of Public Safety.
five Direaors, three Consuls, and one Emperor,
with Generals, Ministers, and Commissioners, al;

have tau:led, and all tend to a eeatral point; that of
converting the right con:pest into a right of uni-

renal confiscation. No species of property, public
ur private, has withstood their rapacity. Whether
hostile or neuter, republican or monarchical, every
motion, whose patience they expererice, has unditr-
sone a treatment perkaly uniform. Rorie had
ber Valises ; the F.eneh Republic has had as
assay Vast tees as she has had governors, cavil
and military. Demovast■ and PICHLGIU are
Ilse only ones to be struck out of this infamous
list. Sicily was avenged. and Values punished ;
sot one of the ruSans whom France ha% let loose
upon Holland, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Spain,
Portugal, Egypt, Syria, and St. Domingo, has been
wren threatened with an inquiry. France had itself
boat previously stripped at home. The cause of thi.
is to be traced to the year 1789, fcr, at the very out-
set, the supreme revolutionary power, patronising
robbe. y, making it praitically and theoretically a
law, pot itself at the head of the outrages against
property ; and, what r: L•id established systematical-
ly and through cr.vetius-.c.s. it parsu-1 and it put-

terted by BONAPARTE from Italy, Spain, Portugal,
Holland, Hanover, from the Hans towns and Ger-
man Princes, he would not be able to pay and keep
up an army of 500,000 men for six months. This
alone evinces not only the policy, but the absolute
necessity, required by our self-preservation, to cut
off all pecuniary succours in a defensive war, which
the usurper may draw to what length his ambition,
interest, or vengeance demands or incites. Let
Europe remember this, and be convinced of an
undeniable fait, that, wherever revolutionary rulers
can penetrate by their intrigues, or command by
their armies, plunder follows. Rapine is always
their first object, of which ferocity is but the means.
The French revolution was fostered by robbery
and murder, two nurses that will adhere to it, to
the last hour of its existence, under the Corsican
Emperor Bow &&&&& e, now, as under the Flemish
sans-castles ROBESPIERRE, ten years ago. Few men
have a just notion of the amount of this plunder,
under the appellation of requisitions, contributions,
loans, and tributes. In general, the enormity t.f it
is far from being suspeeted. There certainly is no
era in history, in which dissipation and pillage can
be found to have played so extensive a par. A
great Empire might be raised, enriched, and made
to flourish, with what the revolution, the Repub-
lic, and the war have cost France alone, to brutalise,
oppress, and impoverish her inhabitants. Lea those,
who have any religion, honour, or property.
whatever class, country, sucie:y, sect, or putties,
they be, reflect upon this uneontradietory truth, and
they will no longer wonder at the successes of the
invasion of revolutionary Generals, more expert
than former barbarians, who, with their list of emi-
grated or suspected persons, seize equally on im-
moveable and movea:de wealth, on the fruits of the
earth, on the produce of trade, on metals, money,
forests, men. and the soil itself. By throwing off
the laws of war, as they hays done, by making
nation, hostile or friendly, swami or allied, cara-
vans to be pillaged, and converting their property into
capitals fur their military chests, it is easy to sub-
jugate one after another. With the succours of the
treasuries of Holland, Italy was conquered ; with
these of Italy. Venice and Switzerland were sub-
dued ; in their turn producing means to enslave
Germany. Let us beware that the mines of Peru
and Brasil do not serve the ferocious Usurper to
ruin or enchain the British Empire ! ! !

This Day—ST. Aattiaaw.allw.day at the Public Offirei

TILE BRULISII PR{ESS•

LONDON,
FRIDAY. Novamesi 30.

A letter from an Officer on board the Masson,
one of the ships of our squadron off the
states : 44 That the crew of a Dutch pilot boat,
sent as a flag of truce, with dispatches from the
Batavian Admiral KIKKLIt r, to Admiral Russ's,
have given further information of the preservation
Of the officers and sailors of Ilk Maicsry's ship
Roomy. who, to the number of near 300, were
safely landed in North Holland, where the French
had takes upon themselves to match them to the
depots for English prisoners at Leyden and Bois
Le Due. Several English Officers were permitted
by the Dutch Admiral to write to their friends in
this country, with this flag of truce ; but when it
was reaJy to sail, an a d.• ,frap of General MA k.
MONT. accompanied by fun- grenadiers, came on
board and seized every letter. They were so stria
in their search, that they even examined the pock.
ets of the Dutch sailors, and took every morsel of
paper from them. This tyrannical behaviour highly
offended Admiral lc: • , who sent an express
to the Hague with complaints, after having, in
vain, claimed the letters of the British Otfizeri,
whu had been offered pecuniary assistance, not only
by tl.e Batavian Officers, but by several tespenable
'merchants at Amsterdam."

The Prussian ship, Die Twee Gesehoristers, Cap-
tain Taussao, who sailed on the 19th inst. from
I: Orient for Leghorn, was spoken with on the next
day by one of our frigates off Brett. According to
the report of the Prussian Captain, who, in the be-
ginning of the present month, had passed several
days at Brest, Atosassu had arrived there ones-
peaedly from l'aris, and was said to carry with him
fresh orders and instrunions for Admiral Gas-
rusacms. Captain Tavarao had himself wen
two divisions of troops, 5000 each, embark
under the command of Generals Des J RDIN
and Doass ea, and 8,000 other troops had embarked
before the Captain's arrival—so that 18.000 land
troops were on hoard the fleet under Gm:rise.. t; st c'a
command. They were to be commanded by Au-
near •r; ; General Doszctor was the chief of his
staff; both of whom had sent on board their camp
and military equipages. But though A. O'Cora sot,
with several sataset Irish Rebels. had commands in

sues 6011 through Withusat the nibet4 ea- I Witi3 eel