The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1809-12-14 00:00:00

fere. I f thrproto4"
fthe
ssiariii
lathe
present Govetement, aseteuabesbtfuti veil lilt ar-
mies of Spniep.ostly isethierist ins coafirfeliC reli-
ance On theiril*Celli r Ai fat as paStleZ'perienee
may be allrowill'fro direict our tuture.expoctation&
they ought tote very. liNitterJa iiilscept'in the in-
'tonal of Der o tres surrender at Bayliss, sad the
recent encounter of the Duke bat. Preens with
MANCHA N corps, near Salamanca, it would be
difficult to produceany example of Spanish success.
when opposed to their enemies in the field. Hence
the stiug of NsraLacia's insulting sarcasm, whey.
he says, iu the Modem.. 4s the Spaniards may dia•
play some courage behind a wall, but they comet
for nothing is an eagagement."
That the grand Spanish army, which had reached
Aranjutx on the 12th of last month, and which army,
It is pretended, exceeds 30,000 men, has been
',lilted to retreat,and relinquish its purpose of
::karehin,q to Madrid, ie acknowledged certain, even
LI the Ministerial circles. But, let us suppose
that, instead of this retrograde movement, it had
barn able to advance, and re-occupy the capital,
mad that the French, principally concentred, either
at. or in the vicinity of Toledo, neither would, nor
perhaps could, without risk and difficulty, prevent
such a movement. of what permanent advantage,
if made, would it be productive I We can perfectly
understand the prodigious utility that would
arise to the inaargeuts from the capture of
Barcelona, Saragossa, or Pampelana. For, those,
at least two of them, are the keys of Na-
varre, and of Catalonia. But, Madrid was only
the residence of the Court, and has nothing in it
analogous to Lisbon, Paris, or London. It is un-
rortified, defenceless, and of far inferior considera-
tion to many other cities of the Monarchy. JOSEPH
4014ArARTS has pillaged the palaces and the
churches, in compliance with the laudable practice
of his Imperial Brother, who begins by rapine and
spoliation, previous to reform and re-organization.
That the inhabitants of Madrid are well disposed to
expel their Canican invaders, we way naturally
suppose. But. this inclination, tildes, sustained
by force, is altogether harmless or inefficient.—
There has always appeared to tis,tg be something, if
not puerile and injudiziou4 yft.eot,sintliorised by
any systemistic line of wise sation.. iis thus pressing
towards Madrid.

Lord WELLINGTON, in his march towards it,
without takin4any one precaution of cumßon pru-
dence, either to secure his advance,"his sisialistence,
or his retreat, seems' an' have acted only from the
blind impulse of tinherity and ntifitCry ardour.—
Atiy luau in his army, 'Wh'ci reelected, might have
predicted the consequences. But, can we, can
Europe, can Sir Aarnua's panegyrists, °Sir any
ststinielor his want of all Generalship? As to Lord
CAPTLEILEAGN'S giving him a Peerage, while hie
own dismission was in Mr. CANNING'. pocket, and
Lrd been so for at least_ foirtnsosidts before; that
event cannot aurpri;e those alio consemplate the
other acts of that Administratioo. Whether the
letter, glean in our paper of Monday Wt. from
BON•PARTIL to ALEXtNDER. be genuine or not,
we must equelly agree in the cool, oltiSe; and irre-
sistible fait that he there Wilites---4, °Wend Wax;
matey," lie is made to say. haw had the extreme
imprudence to commit himsalein.lfie heart of Spain,
with 30.000 men; having on his flanks, three armies;
consisting of ninety Battalions, sod from forty to
fifty squadrons; whilst he had in his front the army
commanded by the King (Brother JOSEPH), which
was of equal force." It is difficult to conceive such
an act of presumption. How laconic, how able,
and how severe, is this commentary ! It should be
appended to the patent of his Peerage.
We do not, however, by any mean., pretend or
presume to determine on the expediency, or on the
practicability of the present march, projected by
ARAOOAOA to Madrid. Lord WELLINGTON, if be
had ever arrived there, would, as BONAPARTE has
elsewhere observed, have proceeded with his forces
to Paris. That conclusion is inevitable. ;is it
was, his flight and escape were almost miraculous.
though he left his sick and wounded behind Ilium
But the same operation, which, undertaken by a
fereigaer, merits to he condemned, as equally ism-
prudent and destructive, may he wise, and may
prove successful, in the conduct of a 'wire. Fifty
thousand Spaniards will subsist well on the same
quantity nut species of food, which would not
nourish, and certainly would not satisfy, 20,000
English. The Spaniards may find friends, recruits,
arms, provisions, intelligence, in every village. In
fist, if BONAPARTE ever is expelled from Spain,
en event which we by no means consider as impro-
ii ible, however victorious ha ins; be for a certain
lima. it will not he either the Government, or die
army, that will effect it. The potpie, and they
may, can eject such an enemy. Their abhorrence
sod antipathy to two Italian ruffians. who oonvider
force. violence, perfidy. and crime. so the only se.
canary means for aminiging Ihnsom and crowns;
Shot sentiment. de*, 'NMI% on their hearts
and cemented by Me sessuatift of the French,
Wins as she mierisory is of two foreign
adventurers, may sop**Arno end, eveso•
tually, emancipate Sonia from the Motor Nero.
LEON,
.1114
It is understood that Consrnissirmers bate been
appointed by the Tronapsiet Board to mewed to
Movlnie, to sitgoeiate an exchange Of ersoners be-
tween this country and France.