The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1809-10-03 00:00:00

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Tilsit ? Can CHAIM'S XIII. re-conquer Stralsund,
and the Isle of Mogen, occupied lie BONAPARTE
Cau he regnin Finland. with all its fortresses, from
the River Hymen, quite to the head of the Gulf of
Bothnia, and to the /tittle Circle ? Can he even
hope to re-capture the Isle of Aland, which is the
advanced bastion and outwork of Stockholm itself?
And if he cannot accomplish any of these objects,
why should het-01111111.1e to firorecote an 011e111;4,,
and a hopeless coutest, commenced by his prede-
cessor, which can only terminate in the utter ruin
of the Stale ? Has Great Britain the means, even
if she pitasesscd the inclination, to aid Sweden ef-
feeemilly ? Our squadron is necessarily about to
be withdrawn from the Baltic ; and no one sup-
poses that we are able, or disposed. to send a milita-
ry force to Gottenhorg, for the defence of that coup.
try. To this deplorable point of misfortune and
humiliation has Sweden fallen ; and who is the
author of its unititentional distress? Unquestionably
GII.TATUS IV.; vet, the Ministerial Papers strew
the polities! bier of that misguided and unfortunate
Prince, with laurels, and extol him with the warm-
est enloginins. They even cite the " ifrebiels."
es declaring, tied " Geneve, fell, heceuee lie hail
an energy which placed him above his contempora-
ries ; and which, tomcod of attinuleting the nation
over which he titled, :cod ihe Sovereigns of the Con-
tinent to whom lie set an example, fatigued the one,
and *liaised the other." There eepressions and
charges are very natural in the mouths of men, who
have demonstrated themselves, a similar energy in
their conduct ;of men who justify tad admire the
energy of Lord W Et.tINGToN. which impelled him,
instead of covering Portugal and Andalusia, to
march into New Castile, without magazines. without
plan of rational comperatiou with CUESTA, and
without securing the passes in his rear ! And where
has Sir ARTHUR'S energy led him and his army ?
Why, pretty needy hack to the very spot from
which he set out iii or duly, and which he
never ought to have coitted. But. like Gus r SVCS,
be has left his metals behind him. if that Mon.irch
lost his provinees, and exhasested his revenues.
in an imprudent attempt, altogether shove his
strength ; so has Sir ARTHUR precisely done.
Both have demonstrated much energy; but neither
judgment nor prudence. Unlike, nevertheless, in
one respect ; and that a very material point, namely.
that Guresvus. by his energy, lost his Crow's ;
while Sir Airtime, by his mance to Tolooero,
though he has certainly lost, or abandoned to his
erievutshed vomits. at least a fourth part of hiserrny,
yet has gained for himself, by the mmtnaniinous
gratitude of Ministers, a Peerage. So far, Lord
WELLINGTON certaioiy has she advantage, on a
comparison with the lets deposed King of SwEnce.
But eau it, with justice, or with common sense,
he spirited, that Geneve' ou4ht to have expected
a better fate? Let us examine. That he was
meguissitinous, or, rather, that lie suffered his moral
and ;Jerboas! abhorrence of BORAPARIE to Carry
him beyond all political considerations of the in-
terests of his subjects. and even of his owls indi-
vidual safety, we must allow. But, omen he so to
have done? That, end that only, is the question.
Or should he not rather, resreiuiog his detestation
of Naeor.xoe within some limits, have preferred
the preservation of his dominions, his crown, and his
family, toe ruinoas and impracticable resistance?
Sweden is so locally placed. that the Usurper of
France, however formidable to Austria. to Prussia,
and to Swag, could not easily approach, and still
less could he invade, any part of the territories of
tiusrawus, except the sinall detached provioce of
Pomerania. But the attack which Boeastarec
could not make himself, he could execute by de-
legation. Anil whom could he appoint to be the
monster and engine of his vengeance ? Not %Dew.
mirk. against whom England could hare protected
Swedeo ; still less Prussia. ....eLLIANDER alone
could carry the orders of NAPOLEON against G ye-
vavus. into ;umet and effectual execution. The
Russians only were able to overrun und subject
?Inland. It is obvious, therefore, that unless
Cusrairos preferred ruin to warty, he ought to
have withdrawn from the contest. as soon as the
Rniperor of Burma signed the treaty of Tilsit.
By ceasing an ineffectual struggle, be would have
preserved his own crime, and have reserved his
force for a more propitious season. Perhaps, by
yielding to circumstances, he might hampribtained
an exemption from the necessity. whiels he will
now probably have tailboard upon his successor, of
closing all his ports mod harbours against the Bri-
tab. It is, therefore, Gusr.trus, in fart, and not
the present King, who, by his want of judgimeit,
acid magnanimous folly, if such an epithet can
attach to such au act, has reduced CHARLSS XIII.
to sign at once the commercial, territorial, and po-
litical degrsitution of Sweden. He may say of his
tiredecessor, when submitting to smell
ruinous condition~, as Le LAS dish TURNUS: I

," P•LL•e to hoe vulnere, P

'• I tow/mist •

In truth, Gustavus IV. and FESDIII•OD VII.
hoth of whom have been deposed, one, by his own
subjects, the other by a foreign invader, have each,
their own sets, produced their own destruction.
Almon', it is well known, alive)) meet. The
tame, unmanly pusillanimity, or ciedulity, or want
of ad force of character, which impelled Fsaot.
fltawo, instead of retiring to Seville. and resisting
his flagitious foe, to go to Bayonne, and there
Plead his cause before a rutEau whom he should
have dreaded ; this line of action scut him to
Valency. GUSTAVUS'S generous, but insensate
and impracticable violence, which precipitated him
on a war that laid Sweden at the mercy of
the iastrument of UuIIAIASTE. carried the twilit.
Whale ociaarch to Gripshohn. We may morally
admire. or approve in SpeCtllillloo* of acts which
a rtlard.to our awn safety and pretervittion forbid
us to execute; and BwItAiIfAITE well knows. that,
" Tbimark hisswesly &swiss so vireos bosses bostow,
'Tis fens mail ewer ids the clown beimir."