The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1806-08-29 00:00:00


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drowned. It is devoted to the government,
because the whole mass of the p:ople consider
the present Sovereign as their deliverer from
the horrors of anarchy, as the man who put a
period to an execrable revolution—and still more,
because even those who are better informed, look
(whether with reason or not, we shall not pretend to
determine) on the bare possibility of a new revolu-
tion, as the greatest of evils ;blond which they dis-
cover a bottomless abyss, or, perhaps, the terrific
speares of past timer. From this disposition and
manner of viewing things, it may easily be cor.-
teived how the government has constantly retained
its power over the public rrind, though, .of late
years, almost all its resolutions and measures, tits
usurpations, its wars, its nepotism, &c. &c) are in
evident opposition to the real interest of the court:
try. And if evea this were not to escape the notice
of the more enlightened, and who can for a moment
suppose that it does, a thousand obstacles render
it Impossible foe them to communicate this know-
ledge in an efficient manner, to their fellow-citi-
zens.
The measures of police, the censorship and pro-
hibition of books, bear the same proportion, in those
countries of Europe, where they have attained the
highest degree of rigour, to those which have been
introduced into France, as a lofty fence round a
place that is intended to be made inaccessible, to a
pit one hundred fathoms deep, dug in the midst of
this place, as the reconsp:nce of currosit:•: The ut-
mit that is done in other countries is confined to
obstacles; and those who find means to overleap
them, are afterwards treated wi.h mildness and in-
dulgence. In France, on the contrary, tremendous
pnnishmenta are in reserve for those who, in any
manner, attempt to pass these harriers ; and a single
article in a newspaper has often occasioned many
years incarceration, banishment, or death. To this
may be added, that, in consequence of the mnitifa•
:ions cone Lion subsisting between the central states
of Europe, every thing by degrees becomes knows,
notwithstanding the stritlest prohibitions ; whereas,
in France, the circulation of foreign ne.vspapers sad
publications is attended with real danger..
In all the monarchies, in the interior of Europe,
the military charatier maintains its rank ; but in
none is the preponderance so great, in none is the
government so completely military, and in none are
the rulers so determined to sacrifice every other
consideration to military greatness, as in France.
Amid the storms of the Revolution, and even in
the turbulent times which immediately succeeded
the principal tempest, oo civil virtue could possibly
thrive : and what was denominated st..te policy in
those times of terror, when the whole structure of
the State rested on injustice and perfidy, plunder and
atrocious maims, was of such a dishonourable de-
scriptioa, that honest men would not pollute them-
selves with it. At this very time, the spit it of the
army was strengthened and elevated from day to
day, by a concatenation of circum•wnces, which
we shall not here investigate, till it at length pro-
duced that system which prevailed during the last
years of the war, This was tow the only point in
the whole national economy of Franc:, on which
the eye of the speltator could repose without dis-
gust, and the good fortune that attended their arms,
seemed, as it were, to envelope the nakedness of the
'state, its atrocities, infirmities and guilt, in a splendid
mantle. The most celebrated of its Generals soon
succeeded in overturning the government; a detested
government, whose ruin was considered by all par-
ties as a most desirable ohjeta. The preponderance
of the military charafler was now established ; and
as, notwithstanding all the changes of form which
the new government underwent, notwithstanding all
the accumulation of titles, and marks of honour, and
pomp, and ceremony, nothing could be devised to
form a counterpoise to military consideration and
glory, the necessary consequence was, that this pre-
ponderance was daily more and more developed
and strengthened.
The present Regent of France is a fortunate Ge-
neral ; but, unlike other Sovereigas, who, sure be-
' forehand of their thrones, acquired a military repu-
tation by their warlike achievements, independent
of their monarchical dignity, he reigns only because
he obtained it. By military achievement; alone he
opened his unexampled career ; as a soldier, and re-
lying upon the army, he overthrew the Direetorial
Government; as a soldier, and relying upon' the
army, he ascended from limited and temporary, to
unlimited, despotic. and even hereditary power.
Whether he will continue to be victorious, time alone
can evince ; but, as long as he is determined to rule,
the maintenance of his military renown must be his
first and his last care. No Government h so closely,
so multifariously, so inseparably connected with mi-
litary interest : none sacrifices an unconditionally to
military greatness, every other interest, every re-
gard for the state of the country, for the wishes and
the sighs of the people.
Wherever a regular, mild dominion, consecrated
by justice and antiquity, and immediately combined

LONDON,
FRIDAY, AuovsT 19.

A morning paper of yesterday announced, in a
circemstantial manner, the arrival of a Messenger,
with dispatches, {from France, at eleven o'clock on
Wednesday night. There was not the slightest I
foredation for the statement. No Messenger had
arrived up to a Istehour last night ; nor can we ex-
pea any dispatches of a decisive nature, until the
French Government shall have received inteliicrence
of the refusal or consent of the Emperor of Russia
to ratify the Treaty signed by his Minister, M.
D'Ocaatc, at Paris.
So many obstacles have been thrown in the way
of a pacific arrangement, since Lord LAUDERDALE
set out for Paris, it is folly to be every day expeding
Messengers from Paris. BONAPARTE has followed,
on the present occasion, a line of condua similar to
what he adopted when the last Treaty was under I
discussion. On that occasion, while the terms were
arranging, he made himself Icing of Italy ; being re-
solved on the measure, he adopted it before he con-
cluded the Treaty, that it might not be afterwards
objefted to as an infringement of uny of the articles.
In the same manner, while the present discussions
are carrying on, he places himself at the head of
the Confederation of the Rhine, and has hir•.tself
declared Protedor. This altered his relative situa-
tion in a) most essential manner. He could not
expea that arrangements which were, in a great
measure, settled before Lord LILDERDALE went to
Paris, and any such innovation was avowed, should
be acceded to by our Government, without any
counter-qualificatioa. The thing was impossible,
unless our Government had resolved to throw this
great and powerful nation at the feet of NAPO-
LEON ! Even the trick which was praftised upon
D'Ocaatc, tended to retard the Negociation.
It is confidently said, that the Russian Negoei-
ator was completely duped by TAILEVRAND. IHe
was made to believe, that the Treaty with England
was ready to be signed, and that any delay on his
part, in signing a Preliminary Treaty for Russia,
would be sacrificing the interests of his Master, and
placing him in a worse situation than the Treaty
did which was then presented for signature. We
have reason even to believe, that within a very few
hours after M. D'Ou SRI c had signed that Treaty,
he discovered, that he had been grossly imposed
upon; and, if we may credit information of the
most respeflable kind, it was this discovery that led
him to set off so precipitately from Paris for Pe-
tersburgh.

It is a fael, well known in the life of BONAPARTP,
that he abandoned his army in F.gypt to its fate,
and fled to France, where he landed at Ftejus,
after a narrow escape from Lord Nu-sores cruisers.
We have since seen the fugitive a Consul, King,
Emperor of the French, and Protetlor of the Con-
federation of the Rhine—Gil:stir, Candor,

he has them all. This good fortune prnbably en-
crmraged him to recommend the gime course to
his favourite brother; 3219kft —lie received an