The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1808-09-24 00:00:00

1117 EDITOR.

• !waist;lbsen, it bas•bevii remarked, de:i've benefit
and improvement from the •lissuits of •eximiriettee,
this is seldom or never the ease with nations.
—roe Mississippi Seite:nc, which nigh ruined
trance, was, within a few years. nevived in Eng-
land ; and. with mime muddle:axioms, .in most croon -
iiiervalai states, and with equal secede. The va-
cuous instil:4*es which lave occurred iu Britain, of
rasituesa, the injustice of deciding itpou the me-
..its or demerits of Officers employed w the public
bailee, without even a single vestige of evideistie,
Of the smallest kouviledge of their situatiop or mo-
tives, do nut prevent every world-he politician, from
tile lowest pot-house to the dignified court laequey,
from dogmatically deciding opine merits they can-
not eomprehend, and circumstances with which
they are totally oirtequaluted.
'l'ltese re...larks forcibly tzcvurred to me by the
*lstria! *bus,: now lavished 0.. our Coluniancli:rs iu
Portugal, for their conduct ii the late Capittilatioli
of the French artily. The circumstances of the
two armies, •tael, coosequently, the propriety of the
motives whitit indaced Sir A. SA ellesley to adopt
that measure, beiit tutully unkinovii in Uritain.
iui lit, one wouldthiok, hare the effect of at least
p•stpoiiiiis censure. Sue!i, however, is not the
case ; the same people who, but a fortnight since.
baited we a hero, mist conoemn as an imneeile, the
C'ooqueror of Vic-nein. Whence arises this change
The answer is easy. The credulity of the public
was grossly excited to entertain hopes, which, in
the circumstances of the case, seem to have beim
visionary. Who excited these el.ituarical expects-
tintis Soule of the very !'..!itc,•s of Ncesp.yers,
altentstely the echoes, the iitiioieers, and, to a de-
gree, the gitides of publit op: lion, who are now
exhausting their brains, a id torturing the Eogiish
language, for terms of invective against our Lest
and our bravest absent Officen. With all due de-
fereace to their patriotism, I cannot help suspect-
tug. front their tone, that some of these feel per-
sonally 'sere upon an event wlich iii,stied their
and dashed to vitae% the mighty r‘litic.•
of delimitse they had so lon and se anxiously been
cesuitrinti:ig fora too credo iits
With di* Mii...ers, these men must
participate in this charge. The latter by diet-
coislovt (rimer/ bells. tiriug atonal, loc.) it they
created not. at least eide.l and formed in rtoemplar
for the laaguage cif boastful exultation.
I intend not the dsifenee of Sir .1. Areilosley : I
only claim for him and his brave canter, t ACV/4 the
right secured by law to the meanest
being heard before beteg condemn:J.
I coufera, however, that, from Wilily circum-
stances, at moom of which I barely Hint, I 11•,
means acquiesce io the reprobation of hi, (.)
duct.

let. The Expedition was dispatched for the ex-
press purpose of rescuing Portugal from the Frettelt.
'Chat object has been thoroughly aceompladteil.
lf, from incidental cusennastancirs afterwards, some-
thing more was ex;tected, he is not to he blamed
for unreasonable expectrions excited by others.
id. The circumstances of the two aunties, at toe
signing m. the Capitulation, did not warrant the est-
peetatso a entertained its tnis country. The battle
of Vime:ra was sat woe of r.toseTeat victories, de-
cisive 9(th :ate of a kingiout. lu fact it was little
snore then a successful resistance to a skilful at-
tack, in which individual bravery and steadiness
preveeted us from being overwhelmed. Many rea-
sous might be given for this opinion. 1 content
myself with stating. that though consuls was taken,
it was only iis the attack, and at the commence-
meut of the act:on, and that the feeble attempt to
pursue was atten led with the discomfiture end al-
most total destruction of the assailant..
3d. After the action, the French had, of dispos-
able forces, ten thousand at least, beside; live or
six thousand Russians, and at least as many Portu-
guese of their party. It is too true. that, in the old
Portuguese army, a very great number were fa-
vourers of the French. Lisbon so defended, in its
present very tenable condition, could have held out
for months. Where was our heavy or battering ar-
tillery for such a siege e Where were our troops to
have their supplies of stores and provisions f
From the fleet, will it be said ? Who that knows
the coast of Portugal, could ever dream of de-
pendence upon such a quarter, pertiestlarlv daring
the Equinox, the succeeding, or, indeed, any
ammo The fate of many of our ships, particu-
larly that of a convoy, not long lance, might, oar
woad thiuk, have convinced our London politi-
cians, that the coast of Portugal is not always safe
for either ships of war or transports. I say nothing
of the consequences to he apprehended by land;
fro:u the enemy's hostility. They can, by every
one knowing any thing of French armies and Ge-
nerals, be well estimated.

I co:octude by repeating, " do not condemn be-
fore you have heard." lo /4 OTUI.

The I'ORTIYOUEsi AMBASSADOR arrived, yestei-
da• morning', in town, from Plymouth.
Morning Pepe? says. „.1 circumstance is no-
ticed i letters from Elolland, which, though tri-
vial ia itself, may perhaps be regarded as a proof
that the Frrnch Government is not wdi pleased
with the revolt/basset Csastaatinople. It is stated,
that a maguiticent pipe, which BONAPARTE had
caused to be prepansd, at a great expense, fur a
prese►rt to the lets Sut.Tsn, has, by Ins order, been
given, to the PERSIAN AMBASSADOR at Paris"—The
sew SUI../AN. if true to hts interests, would not
give it grid of tobacco for the pipe.

C'olotiel Forret, Member for Drogheda. and I.
L. FosrEn. E. Member for the university of
Dublin, have r ceut!y embarked in a frigate for
Madrid, as iwectators of the interesting transactions
now tramming in the fiponish dominions.
Mr. WAITIMATI WI notice, OW Thursday last,
dolt he should move et the next Conrt of Common
" That an busuhle and dutiful Address
alid Petition be pmeenteil to His blx.rEsTY, ex-
pressing their grief and Istonishinent at the ex-
traordinary and di4Traceful Convention lately en-
tered into by the Corn renders of His NlAJEsrr's
Fame.. in Portugal, and the Commander of the
French Army iu Lisbon. praying His MAJESTY to
institute end) an inquiry into this dishonoura!,le
and unprecedented tramaetion, me will lead to the
discovery end feunishu►ent of those by whose mis
conduct mid immitt•ity the cause of the country
and its allies has be'.o so shamefully sacrificed."