The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1807-02-04 00:00:00

TO THE R!OHT HON. WM. WINDHAM.

The following Proclamation, in the style of the
Blockading of England, arpears to have been issued
at Posen :
•I• :—We shall not lay down our arms, until a ge-
neral peace ILA, coi.firmed and tetured the power of our allies ;
until it has re.tored to our commerce its freedom, and civets
to Us our colonies. On the Ellie and on the Oder we hare
conquered l'imdii.trerry, all our posssessions in India, the Cape
of Good Hope, and the Spanish Colonies."

By this Proclamation we are threatened with a
diminution of our power, and the restoration of cur
conquests. The mind is easily depressed by the first
impression, and such threats have great influence
upon the weaker part of mankind ; yet, boldly as
the assertion is made, I trust that we are not to be
alarmed by menaces, or under the smallest appre-
hension of their consequences. For in what manner
are they to be accomplished ? It must be by distress
or , • 'quest that we shall be forced to yield to the
power of the enemy ; for negotiation at present is at
an end, and unlikely to be resumed immediately.
Ent ho..vever we may despise such vapouring, this
Proclamation merits some degree of attention, as it
breathes the sentiments of the vittor, addressed to a
successful army.

France has now under her authority the greatest
part of the Continent, from the o.!er to the Po.
Most of the unsuhj:igated States of Europe, are
already half vanquished by their pitiful policy, and
the apprehensions they entertain of the aF roach of
a French army ; and, unless they can rouse them-
selves into action, and relinquish their ancient pre-
judices, they must inevitably fa:l. Spain, nith
bold and intrepid race of men, v‘ho detest the vet y
;lame of a Frenchman, has been long dependant
upon France ; and it is evident, that Portugal is
doomed to be a viftim of vengttar.ce against this
country.

There is a despording kind of language crept into
society, repugnant to that true spirit of patriotism
whlch Las raised this Empire to its present state of
eminence, and it is accompanied by an acquiescing
disposition to yield to events, which may possibly
arise. Lvery art will be used to encourage this
temper of mind, in order to slacken our energy,
and to foment discord and disunion amongst us
But the genius and spirit o; Britain, 1 hope, is not to
be shaken by the intri;;ue or eraftine:s of France.
Every nerv: will be strained, wherever France has
influence, to ruin our Commerce I But can any
mandate of the wildest or most extravagant despot-
ism, destroy, at once, the manufascrures, the trade,
the customs and habits of all mankind ? Is it
possible to deprive liambure, An:sterdam, Lisbon,
Cadiz, C non, &c. kc. fr om any commercial in-
tercourse with this country, or the rest or the w..rld i
ducts &sten uould be to defeat the Tyrar.t.'s own

pitrprae. tor if t were ;'ralicaisle, Ake'Chlfttrit
thirst decline ; 'the merchanq' ships must rot in their
'unfrequented poits ; the Marioers and int:Aim:co
must perish for want ; and the barbarous ages tf
incivilization, plunder, rapine, and devastation, iraura
ensue ; anJ, melancholy as it Imey appear to the
refl •Flint ro'nal, they! tits asters make rapid profrera
wherertr a French arn.y appears. Such hcarrots
should impa ess upon eveq Briton's mind, the moil
Anrioes solicitude, and most manly eff:rl4, to lvdp
danger at a distance from us. But C ullmerce ank
Colonies are the r,reat obje'ls of Prance ; and bee
ideas are to place the trade of the universe andtir
her immediate auspices; when Cwoaria are to bb
established, at such central ports as may be mode
commodious fur reception of the different mer-
chan.ilze of the world ; and I have l.eard that stir re
steps have already been taken to forward such k
measure at Amsterdam. By this means, it is pro.
posed to encourage 411 Nations to a free and brit:.
tempted Trade and thereby endeavour In uoift
them in a commercial interest slaanst this count.
But these vast projefts of ambition, if tot alreaflfy
checked, may be fo!led in the execution ; and event%
may still arise, which shall at once defeat BRA
mighty visions of universal greatness and goit.
riority.

We have alreaey seen France, Spain, 'Holland
America, and a Not thern Confederacy, in hostiEt*
to Great Brivain, and have withitood the presStrit
of such a corabination. At present, The fleet.%
of Fran e, Spain, and Holland, arta in the inA
contemptible and deplorable condition, and tyint
in all direnionc, on the approach of the British fikk.
The Dane 'will be forced to arm, hope, in favour
England ; but it will be cnr fault, if the scatterek
ships of the Minor powers should fall into the hkent§is
of our enemies —We mast anticipate their int4r•
Lions; and it will be long befdre either itimbert
can be obtained, or discipline established, to form
naval force, which can enter the lists with that alt
Britain ; therefore, whilst oer navy maintains i 6
character, there is little to be appethended from tht
menaces of France, or the accumulation of an*
feet, so heterogeneously combined, or so wretch -
' ly coMposests as that which she may colleA, t*.
possess.

But we must not be too elate with 'Success; iIF
lulled into supineness from misfortune. Otte banitii
have a precarious foundation, in the rough element
of the ocean, and we must be prepared I,44ititt hit=
ricanes and disasters.—We caimot rest our securht
entirely upon our navy. We must have a forts:its
ble and efficient army to avert the dangers incident
to the times ; and it is beneath the dignity of tlr
country to be amused with the phantoms of
diem. The French revolution, and the consequenCit
attending it,• have totally changed the state or
Europe ; and if we have not talents and resole:66A
to a'ter our systems, progressively with the agt itt
which we live, we mu.t be ultimately undott.
When the militia was formed, it was called a COir-
stitutional Voice. So were the Swiss. . What
are they good for now ? What does such
epithet mean in these days? It is only an apoa
logy for a bad army. The great men *hi
command the militia, do not mean to hat,
regiments merely for shew or parades Or to
march from Exeter to Bernick. Every man teht
uishes well to his country should offer himself fol.
the service of the Lid ; and whilst we are contend.
ing about raising men,wbether by bounty or pensio%
an An of the Legislature might allow regiments of
Militia to volunteer for general service, when vr4
should have at once a powerful and disposable fare.
The Officers should then have rank in the Asm
and the men participate in the advantages given it,
their brother soldiers. Some of the Senior Col 6:.
nels might be offered the rank of Major-Generais
and Colonels appointed to command Battalions ih
their place. It were batter to volunteer Whole regix
ments complete, than to draft them, and leave skr-
Iston battalions. I know that great obstacles would
be thrown in the way of such a plan—that penrlt
ssnell start at such ideas ; but the difficulties art
eadly surmounted. Great exertions are required to
support and increase the Army, and it is wiser tii
prevent evil, than to wait its arrival.
We have recourse to ideas that have little connece
tinn with the causes of those misfortunes which se"
have hitherto beheld. The seent of military art ange-
ment has greatly accelerated the ruin of Germany
Therefore les us liberate ourselves from the Volunl
teer System ; let the Militia be transformed this§
Regular Soldiers ; let us divest ourselves of those
prejudices and errors which have proved ruinous m
other countries, and let us adopt a more vigorous
fin:nation for our Army, and more aslive taaict §
we shill then have little to apprehend iSom the envy;
the malice, or arrogance of Prance; provides' tee
also follow the maxim of the mariner, who, in a
great storm, sail this; to Neptune :—" Oi: God !
thou may's; ..tee me if th silt ; and, if tl,ou wilt,
:hen :raj's; destroy rne t bet I 7. ill ;we:. tri !:Le

.: ~~.

An.tgAg

THE BRITISH PRESS.

LONDON,
WEDNESDAY, FealtyAtv 4.

The nuke of Kent Packet is arrived at Falmouth
with a Mail from Jamaica, in 46 days. She brings
intelligence that the inhabitants of Curesoa having
espressed a wish to place esemselves under the pro-
taboo of the British Government, Admiral Da-
EKES on the 9th December dispatched His Majesty's
frigates Lamm!, Asgard, and Arethem, to take pos-
session of it in His MAJESTY'S name.

The Blanote frigate, Sir THOMAS LAYIS, arrived
At Portsmouth on Monday, from off Kochfort ;
,• a !eft Commodore KEATS' Squadron all well, on
e 1 sth ult. on which day she captured the liia4hino,-
kw, a large copper-bottrlnA American ship, from
Philadelphia, having on hoard the Capt. Officers,
stores, and crew, cf the raleortus., French frigate,
condemned in the Delaware. Some letters from
Portsmouth add, that act milts received by the
Blanche, from Itochfort, state, that BONA * TS
had been defeated in a treat battle, on the Vistula,
and was blocked up in Warsaw. This is evidently
false. We have accounts from Warsaw to the 14th.

The Russian Official report of the battle of
Pultusk, on the `'2oth of December, extracted from
the Kquingsderg Gazette, is given in a pteced-
irg column. It is signed by the Commander in
Chief, General arstsvismsxa, and congratuk.Les His
PRUSSIAN MAJESTY on bia success in repulsing the
French. The French attacked the Russian wings,
but failed in the attempt, and after a battle, whit+,
lasted from II o'clock till night, were driven bask
with a loss of 5000 men. This probably is not an
exaggeration, as the French admitted a loss
of about 3000. AINNINGSEN adds, that BoxHov.
DEN not having j9incd him, as he expoeted, he was
unable to 'Wiese up Isis villory, and that the total
want of forage and previsions obliged him to re-
tire to Rczan. EitNNINGSLN says, that the French
did not molest him in his retreat. He adds, that
Lassos and Davoosr were among the French
Generals opposed to him, while the French Bulletin
SIAM. that Buzsioyntu's corps was part o( the
farce which these Generals engaged at Pultusk on
the flt;th. From a comparison of both accounts, it
would appear that no decided advantage was gained
on either side. We fear also that the rumours of
victories gained by the Russians, upon the three con.
secutive days of December, derive no strength from
Beast Nose's's report. His letter is dated the 47th,
at Rozan, 15 miles from Paltusk ; and, as he had
retreated, and the enemy had not pursued, it is
pretty clear that there was no action between them
upon that day.

His MAJESTY is expelled in town, this day, to
bold a Privy Council, when it is supposed the She-
riffs for the ensuing year will be pricked for.
Yesterday, the Marquis of WA TER ro no and the
Earl of KINGSTON transaded business with the Duke
at Yoaa, at his Office.
Vice-Admiral Sir CHARLES COTTON, Bart. Ir.
rived on Monday morning at Portsmouth, in
his Mat env's ship Spartan, Captain AsTLE, from
the Channel Fleet, having been succeeded. as
the second in command of that fleet, by Vice-
Admiral Sir JAMES SAVNI ARIZ, who has hoist-
ed his flag on board the S.rn Joly; 112 guns,
Captain CONN. Sir CHARLES will Lila down
his flag till the Newfoundland season, when
be hoists it on board the /sir, 50 guns, Captain
Nssve. as Commander-in-Chief on that station for
the next three years.
We assure our Readers, that the Bulletins which
have been published, purporting to be accounts of
battles fought between the French and Russians,
never were inued from the Foreign Office, nor have
they been circulated on any Ministerial Authority
whatever. These Bulletins were in general nn.
thing mote th.ln answers of clerks in the public
offices, to enquiries made by their friends.
All the Officers. Non-commissioned Officers, and
Privates, of the lit Somerset Regiment of Militia,
have volunteered to extend their services to Ireland;
and have requested Major Sir Cita as. es Ita ea moms,
who now commands them, to transmit their offers to
His Royal Highness the Cora st annen-rn-Csrase.
The Aiwa. Frrucs se ILA I. D, from Newfoundland,
for Lisbon, has been captured by a Spanish priva.
tear ; re-captured by the Amason frigate, and carried
Into Plymouth.
Yesterday, the Leto M A voa, en examining the
blerslweigher's Returns. ordered the pric..! of Bread
to be reduced an assize, to take place to-morrow,
*then the Quartets Loaf Wheaten will be sold fur
Is. Old. and Household 111 d.

A Court of Common Council will he held to-
morrow, for the dispatch of public business.
The following is an abstraft of the effective
strenrth of the Volunteers in C:eat Britain ; dis-
tinguishing infantry, Cavalry, ttod At:Lllery ; ac-
cording to the latest Returns, dated tl.e let of
December, I eO6.

C•va:ry—l,C.,:, Officials, 16n; Captaim. 441 ; Subalterns,
; Staff 05 .I,s, 74%; Set; •ant,, 1,51 ; Ttunsoster•
ctrl Drumow,l, SW; Rank ani Fair, 2.4180.
Infantry—n..l,4 (hikers. 1,2,7 E; Captain', 3,154; Sub.
Own'. 7,455 1,735; Seri...wt., 13,426 ;
Tram; titers a id Mummers, ; Rank and Fs•.., ?..9001.
AyellleryField o:fiery', Q 9; Captains, 1.l ; Subillenys,
Ovi ; Stiff Offsee,s, 55; Se jtariti. 554; TfuraNteg, and
Drummer., ?Y1; Rand y.nal 111,4 b:•
To o.lieer•. 1,4:7 ; Captains, 4.438; Slibllteve•
*7L"; StaX .105 ; 11 10 4; 'TR, '3l",trrs
ay:w: Oryandi" 6.7,;«,;; Rink and Fait, '251:043.
g 4,1, tril4,l;. •

tea
•
.7
Its