The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1808-02-04 00:00:00

tloei not irdst If me dieter occasions Dee-
iark liar displayed a jealinsey of, mud hostility to,
he interests of Emiltuttl.- when the circumstances
,f Europe were widely ilithrent from the dente
stated picture she ;mutt exhibit to every feeling
spectator at this period, what may we not conclude
youlei naturally bt the determination of the mimed*
Deunne k (were we not even furnished with aily,
positive proof of the nature of her intentions) in a
crisis so mach more formidable and terrific ? Could
Denmark be the only pea er almost on the
eat wientidued, anti iadepeudent of the moustroas
power of France, *Jul nut feel that this very cir-
cninstaece constituted her greatest danger ? She
had been for some time alarmed, and that justly ;
she must have Leen stupid indeed not to perecii e
the views of Bonaparte especi y and particularly
:ended to exclude the Be • ► merchaniliac from
tie ports of the ic. This was manifestect
zlearly in what b ridiculously denowittattef
the blockade of th British Moe and the de-
struction of the E glish naval superiority.—.No
Treaty has been 'tide' by him—no accornitio-s.
latioa entered int with any other power in Eit-;
enpe--but these are the leading featunis of the
Treaty ; the situation of Denmark was then ex•
• sesly such as rendered her a desirable auti easyl
Trey to the Conqueror of Europe, nor was he:
anxious to disguise his intentione, even ultimetelyt
o.t her own acrinieitiousi and territories. But
the Right Honourable Gentleman has said, that
Denmark was possessed of a sefitient military
force to counteract the ambitious int-en/ems of
France. The history of the warlike achievements
of that country, fur eittuecousiderable time, may be
comprised in relutions of retreats and abandonments
of territory. When llanover was seized by the French,/
what was lier conduct? Hauover wits close on her from
tiers, did she arm in her own defeuce Hamburgh
is occupied, yet not a man appears in array. This[
cordon of Holstein,, so much spoken of as an effete
tire force, was never stationed there, until the de—
parture of the French from the frontier. It.
aelieared strange that she could trust the
'French on her frontier, yet fly to its defence when
they removed to another part of the Conti-
nent; especially when we recollect how her
neetrality was respected shortly after, when the
cd` Aesterlitz decided the fete of Prussia, a
perty other troops were pursued by a French force
itee the territories of Denmark—a ekirmisit en-
sue'. in V. hieh the Danish forces were engaged, and
a iMitial (lettere' Officer taken prisoner, who
'zi!-.erwards complained of the insults and seventy he
had experienced from the French licentioussoldtery.
This was indeed an explicit iotintatioo of the re-
seere France intended to chew to the dignified
neatiality or.Deiinuoire It . might have been ex-
peeled this would have been followed by au addi-
tional force to that already Si Holstein. No such
thing ; a concession wail made, sad a retreat ste=t
took place, and thes by the command of the Danish
Government, at the instigation, or rather the
command, of the Emperor of the French. The
situation of the Danish troops in Holstein a; that
period, and the displeasure ineniteeted by France
towards Denmark, occasioned au imputation to be
made agaisst the Government of this ceitotry,
which I, for myself, as well as others, feel bound
to refute, namely, that these troops were in-
tended to act in concert with British, in
making a diversion iu the common cause.
No such intention did exist. But ins; ances of disc
regard to neuttality are not confined to that of
Denmark. Prince Murat vigorously pursued a
body of defeated Prussians into the city of Lubeck;
and after attacking the place, in whichret)ooSwedes ,
were killed or taken prisoners, !Herat addressed
the Swedish Monarch, with feigned sorrow for the I
necessity imposed onhini by the chances of war,
tied eatitannired to distract him from the com-
mon cause, by insinuating to him the impropriety
avid impolicy of permittitig Llenn.ark to retain
paxiession of Norway, when so conveniently and
nese-a:Ay situated for the purposes of Sweden.—
This octernd contemporarily with the violation of
neetrality I have ulrradv alluded to, and
though the offer was agaie made to Sweden
tlaroegh the French Ambits.ador, such was the ef-
fect it 'prod uced on this noble and high-principled
Monarch, that he directly acquainted the Crown
Prince with the hostile intentions of the French
Emperor, accompanying it with en offer of the assist-
ance of S withweden e.0,000 men, to secure the pos-
session of I lolstein. This, on being commuuinited
'to the Government of this country, excited consi-
derable interest, and occasioned the Ministers to
mako a tender of the service and arms of England
to support Denmark in the maintenance oft& just
rights ; yet Denmark, whether duped into en idea
of her ability to preserve iserself front the ambition
a France, or terrified into a submission to her de-
crees, determined to refuse all proffers of foreign
assistance, and effected to rely on the integrity of
tee French Emperor's views. Such was the
"hose insincerity or humiliating subserviency
of that nation the Right Honourable Gentleman
had attempted comparative) y to paneygeise, whew
contrasting its conduct with that of this country.
To throw additional light on her conduct, and
substantiate the charges I have made, 'tis only
necessary to go a little into detail—On the 19th of
'November the French seized on Hamburg', and
two days after the French Decree of Blockade was
published, unrestrveilly stating it to be the inten-
tion of the Government of France to shut up ell
the means of commerce and communication. This
was acquiesced in by Denmark, without remon-
strance or accusation. But when in January fol-
lowing, our remonstrance, in shape of a Decree,
was published, then, and never before until then,
std the Crown Prince tee* his disapprobation of
these restrictions on trade; then age and fury
bunt forth, and hostility assailed every act of the
British Government, so far as it affected Denmark.
If there were any thing farther necessary to chew
the predisposition of Denmark in favour of France,
there could be nothing so decisive as the diftereht
views she entertained of the same act when proceed-
ing from France and this country. Such evidence is
conclusive, and no parer of reason, however acute,
no perversion of argument, however subtile, can ever
snake the broad foundation of fart and fair in-
ference on winch it reets. But men the serupuln.
Sty of the Gentlemen's consciences on the oppo-
site side of the limes have something more to in-
duce them to lu-credit the alleeed hastily inten-
tion of Deuniark, and total acquiescence in the