The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1809-12-07 00:00:00

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THE BRITISH PRESS.

. -7.
LONDON,
THURSDAY, Monate& 7.

Earl BATHURST yesterday resigned the seals of
the Foreign Office, and they were given to Mar-
quis WIILLESLETO now Secretary of state far Fo-
reign Affairs. It would thus seem, that the idea of
restoring Mr. CANNING, and of the removal of the
Earl of CAROL !I, IS abandoned ; hut the present
Ministry is one of perpetual revolution and change ;
and it will not surprise us to find the mate-
rials which constitute the Cabinet, assentor a new
shape and fashion, at no very great distance of
time.

Our readers must have observed, that; on the di-
vision in the Common Council on Tuesday, the pre.
vious question. moved on Mr. WA ITHMAN'S motion,
for an Address to His Msntsrv, was negatived,
only by a majority of one, and the original motion
carried by a majority of three. The smallnes.s of
these ntajorities, has, it is said, encouraged a hope
among the'ildinisterial party, that they may he ahle,
by proper industry. to procure a vote for rescinding
the resolution of Tuesday ; and their partisans, we
understand, are now busily employed in handing
about a requisition for calling a Counasii Council
for that purpose.

We this day continue our extracts front the
French Papers to, the 49th lost, and Dutch to the
inst. The Emperor or AUSTRIA was expected
at Vienna on the sud last, the French haring un-
dertaken to evacuate it on the 19th.

A Washington Paper, of • late date, in its obser-
vations upon Mr. Jacsson's Mission, says—" The
public mind will remain, it is presumed, in a state
of anxiety, until the meeting of Congress; for it
would seem that the President of the United States
has no power by law to alter in any manner the sub-
sisting commercial relations of the country, unless
Mr. JACKSON had brought with him propositions
equal to those of Mr. ERSKINE ; and we may fairly
conclude, efts,. the Barrtsn KING has declared that
he cau never agree to such an arrangement, that
the new Envoy has no such power.
4. Whatever may be the instructions of Mr. JACK-
sow, it is hoped that his mission may terminate •
amicably. It is certainly for the benefit of both
countries, that peace should be the result of his
labours. As to the idea that the gentleman has
come hither to bully us, we hare a more respect-
able opinion of our country, and the thaiacter of
his untlerdanding, than to suppose any such thing.
A British fleet may hatter Copenhagen indeed, atitl
thereby prostrate the Denes ; but as to compelling
their country to yield to dishonourable terms, by
bombarding a city or two, it is a mere fantastical
conceit. Men of reflection smile at the notion df
subduing • continent with floating artillery.—.
Whatever nation would conquer us, must comae
ashore; and, in case of war, the coining on shore is
all an American need ask of his enemy, to insure
his destruction.

4. But we see no teal cause why Great Britain
should attempt aukthing of the kind ; our Ad-
nuntstration appear* willing to come to terms ; Mr.
Mauling does not seem to entertain a hostile dis-
position towards the 'English, aad it must, as
things gn at present, be the fault of the latter if
■o adjustment of differences does not take place.—
On the whole, we are of opinion, that it would be
more advantageous to the Briti,ll natloil to be on
pod terms with America, thun to irritate her by
acts from which England finally &rites no benefit."

We copied, yesterday, from The Gazette, the offi-
cial accounts of the surrender of the lonian Islands,
of Zante, t ephale.iia, Ithaca, and Cerigo, to His
MAJESTY'S forces. At a moment when BONAPARTE,
master not only of Itely, but, in virtue of the re-
cent Treaty of Vienna, Sovereign of all the Aus-
trian Littorule," or maritime provinces, front
Istria, at the head of the Adriatic, round to Cat-
taro, ie Dalmatia, poetesses both sides of the
Gulf of Venice; the acquisition of these Islands
may be of the last import:nice. It is, indeed,
singular to consider, that this Corsican Emperor,
who may be sail to compress Europe, from one
extremity to the other, arid whose power on the
Continent is unlimited, becomes impotent end
powerless, the instant that he attempts to extend
his Empire beyond the limits of the land. In
1809, when he has unquestionably reached a point
of elevation, altogether without precedent, Wince
the time of JUSTINIAN. he possesses only three
islands, worthy of mention, in any part of the habit-
able globe. Even those three, he holds by the
most precarious tenure. We mean, the Mauritius,
in the Indian O'etaii ; Guadeloupe, in the West
Indies; and,4asoylCorfu. It is more than possible,
that, in the Japseef another year or two, these may
be lost to France, which will then exhibit the extra.
ordinary spectacle of a revolutionary Despot, reiga.
Mg virtually over all Europe, without p messing
either an island or • colony. Such are the pre.
digioits end incalculable results of a navy such da/
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that of Great Britain. .s
Of these islands thus acquired, Cephalonia is t1:411,
largest, and mar, if protected by wise laws, be-
come, under the British Government, one of the
Mapco-1111gs of the Levant. It is in circuit fell one

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burnt*, ...a le iaigy tailes pnnessing, on the
South-West bids, alfery capacious harbour, named
Atgoeto ; capable .of affording shelter to a large
fleet, and land-Ineked on almost every quarter.--
Under the VeneginGoverinnenr, there were two
forts upon it, tint they have been allowed to fall
'into -:3 Ile wines, as well as all the produc-
tions df Caylhalonia, are hi,hly esteemed: In its
• sepirated only by an aim of the sea, about
a league broad, called the " Canel (uiscardo,*
stands Ithaca, or 'Penchi; the Little Cephalonia;
su famous as the country of Ur.vssEs, and the resi-
dence of PEN ELOPE. The island is near fotty miles
in circumference. Cerigo, the rick:lit Cythera,
according to the My thologistv, the ancient residence
of Velour, is situate to the South-East of t he More*,
and it about 50 miles in .circuinferenee. The
greater part of it is mountainous nod rocky, but
the rest prixluces corn and excelleut grapes. 2--.
The town of San Nicolo, in this island, has a
fort, and a good road for ships. !ante is
the last and most southern of this cluster of islands,
being about twelve miles from Cephalonia, foul-
teen miles long, and eight broad. It is not di,.
Cant from the Mores, arid yields to none or these
already descrilred,io fertility. Its currants, nole,s
than its wines, are celebrated du lugheut thecLe-
vent ; and it has a tine port on the south side,
which portionof the country is said to be ahnost
covered with fruit trees.
Of the remaining lonian islands, Corfu, the most
northern, claims neecedence, as the largest of the
whole cluster. Though Ulterior in unignitude to
Cephalonia; it is of fur superior importance in
every point of view. Placed, by nature, ptccns lv
at the entrance of the Adriatic, close to the share
of Epiris, it may he denominated the key of the
Venetian Golf. Under the Venetians, in the midrib:
ages, and down even to the seventeenth cents')
Corfu was esteemed the advanced bastion and
bulwark of the Christian States, against the Ot-
toman Power, when the Sottatraix. and li.e
Semis. Meeiiil4ll 'ltaly, no less thins the Ger-
man Empire. 'Situated in a beautiful climate,
enjoying a salubrious air, and an exuberant soil.
oear one hundred and twenty miles in circnm.
*Vence ; its productions, of every kind. are of a
Orr* quality. HONER has placed in Corfu,
awn, gle!uplinated Pits/tele, the gardeas of King
A it:lithos. It is only about fir y miles distant from
Otranto, in Apulia, and was justly regarded by the
Republic of Venitts as one of the most invaluable
potseesint;.l4 tile—slate. There are in it several
excellent ports ; but the circumstance which dis-
tinguishes it fruits all the others in its vicinity, is,
the Corfu bas a strong, and almost itupregesble
fortress. It stands, es does the capitul of the island,
which it protects, in a central position, looking
towards Epirus, built portly on a rock, surrounded
by the sear palely op the mount Sr. Mark. Though
now in the possession of N•POLEnd, yet the diffi-
culty of throwing ;n supplies of provisions, ade-
quate to the consumption of the garrison ; a diffi-
cuify which will now be, greatly augmented, may
nirr.'unprobably enable us to expel the French,
and to reduce it to our obedience. Sir Joins STc•
AAT'S unfortunate nod unproductive expedition to
Ischia, might ninth more profitably have beets di.
rectedagaiust Corfu. We do not hesitate to assert,
that, in the newel possession of Europe, particularly

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as looking forivord to our future protection of the.
Turks against France, this island is of more con-
sequence, t;ian Malta, Minorca. or the fortress of
Ceuta.

' 6ta. Maur*, the Leucadia of antiquity, stands
between Corfu and Cephalonia, and almost tomato
the coast of Epirus or Achaia, to which it was un-
doubtedly joined in the early ages of the world.—
Though only about seventy English miles round,
yet it p►oduces, is abundance, oil, wine, graia, and
fruits, of the most delicate flavour.
The latitude of the lonian islands, from is deg.
to 40, is one of the moat favoured of the earth, and
many of the productions of both the Indies may be
found, or reared in them. lei order to protect the
Turkish provinces of ancient Greece against NA-
leeLtuta, it would be indispensable that the Porte
should entrust to us the two fortrimaeWof Abdo's.
and of (....#rom, both situate on the youth-west coast
of the Moren, only about twelve English miles
from each other. They constitute the keys of the
Peleponnesus, and stand on the sea shore, in the
ancient Mesisenis, near Pylos,the country of Nu-
TOIL It is thus, that a Corsican Conqueror is loser.
siblyconducting uito the classic scenes of Tet:ce-
t►toss,nf Pavans& 43, and of Xceortinit. We have
already faced and beaten him in Egypt, es well as
in Syria. It is highly probable that we may com-
bat, in 181&7, on the shores of the Hellespont, the
Bosphorus, and of Asia Minor.

We have received New-York Papers to the ed.
and Boston Papers to the Bth last. The• Warp ar-
rived on the let at New-York with dispatches from
Gen. AltustmetsG ot Paris, but the contents bad not
trunspirerr. • The gentleman who brought the dill..
patches for Government stated, that Gen. ARFI•
31149 G luformeithito he hart accortiplished nothii;g,
and liad nothing favourable in prn‘pett.

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Yesterefty a Cnurt of Directors was held at the
Eest Inrha ll{wove. when 'tire lerruentiorted
°spurns geore sworn into' the commatirt of thr.it
.peetive via. Copt:lin P. llot LAM. eilosioick.
CINOM filreet ; C ?pt. M. CRAW. E/phirt-
Ste/te, &mho". and Chula. The Court adjourned
At Ea o%lack tdries,'ay otat.