The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1808-07-26 00:00:00

:THE BRIT'S? PRESS.
„., • • LoNDoN,
TUESDAY. Jux.Y 26.

. A Gottenburgh Mail arrived, yesterday, with
letters and papers from that city to the luth inst.
The Seredve appear to have abandoned the iuvasion
'or Norwsy! On the side of Finland they are said
to have suffered considerable loss near Wars. The
Lard Thumps outwacd-bouud packet, Captain
HAMILTON,: Afts chase'! into Gottenburgh by a
`Danish. privutet.r, aft.,r a running tight of three
.Itioisti, in which she narrowly ernped capture.
' The events which we yesterile! tomintiniented
to the public, from the various parts of Spain, are
of equal interest and important*. We shall re-
view them in suceession,, begiiiiiing with the action
fought on the lath of this month, at Medina del
Pio Secco, not far from Valladolid. That the Pa-
triots' were defeated in this encounter, by Ctineral
LasoLpi, cannot admit of a doubt. Their retreat
to Benaveute, near thirty miles north-west of
the seene.of battle, sufficiently proves the fact,—
'But, we are au far from seeing any thing in this
misfortune to excite alarm, that it appears to us to
have been in the cotnuion, as well as ine;it4ble,
ordei of events. It is not a series of victories, or
even of advantages, that we can expect from new
levies, opposed to veteran disciplined troops, com-
manded by the ablest Officers in Europe.' We re-.
pose our confidence of ultimate metes, in the pa-'
tience, loyalty, and spirit of the Spanish nation,
armed to defend its independeuce and its dearest
rights, against the most flagitious outrage of
usurped power ; we rely on the aislion-Inee felt by
all—orders, of both seep*, towards the degrading
tyranny of a Co, stems in: named, by a mock-
ery wise and justice, " King or SPAIR."-.-We
trust in the character of the people, who, unlike
the inhabitants of A eslria, of Poland, or of ;Jean-
denburg, do not remaia idle end indifferrat apec-
wore ; but, like their ancestors; in aimilar convul-
sions of the Monarchy, mooned fife invaders. Did
the provintes of the Prussian or of the Austrian
doaSiniOns. in. 1103 and IsOG, evince such energy,
or display seek ardour as those of Ffpain have done?
Did enraswinhir of any description ever meet at
Buda, at Olinuta, or at Prague, and call on their
.fellow-citizeria to join thorn in supporting their
common Sovereign ? littl any such meeting ever
take place at Breslow, at Konigsberg. or at War-
saw, FRROVRICK WILLIAM We* defeatled at
Auerstadt ? Did the people of those countries ma-
nifest any love of their Prince, their Religion, or
• their country ? No. they remained indifferent,
submissive spectators, while the Monarchy was
overturned. It is not so in Spain, as BONAPARTE
r already knows. There the people have an exist-
ence, a character. and u moral principle, which,
after arming, will sustain them coder defeats and
reverses. If our reliance on these qualities be un-
founded, the sooner the contest is ahaiidoited the
better. But, if we are justified iu assuming them,
BONAPARTE may ravage and over-run, but lie
never will subject the peninsula. Such ire our
modes of reasoniug on the events before us; which
have, in fact, no analogy with the campaigns on
Cie Danube, the Oder, and the Vistula.

Let us now turn to another qaarter. Josef's, it
is clear, from the concurring accounts of his des-
tined issotioiis, given by the Paris papers of the
• Lath 44', this:issionth, compared with the informa-
tion of his actual movements and foute, transmitted
frovn liiiboir; has at length ventured into Spaia.—
That lie had readied Vittoria about the intli
er
.ilth of July, cannot be questioned. Previous
to ,quitting Bayonne, he appears to hate tilled
op many of the ghat offices of stasis. So did
the um and grandson of Jets 11. in 1715,
and in 1743, when they invaded these maims.
—General LA:hiLES has, however, apparently,
by his victory at Medina del Rio Seceo, opened a
way for JOAVVH to Madrid ; if not through Valla-
dolid and Segovia, yet by the tliteci road through
Lerma, 'trawls, and Buitrie4o, to that metropolis of
Spain. We may expect to hear of his arrival there,
unless events, altogether unexpected, intervene to
impede his advance. Probably, by the 25th,.
which, as being a day sacred to ST. JA ea, is held
in peculiar veneration by the Spaniards, their new
Corsican King will reach his capital: We venture,
however, confidently to think, that his residence
there will not be long, that his retreat will be pre-
cipitate, and his administration odious, as well as
inefficient to retain the Castilians in subjection.

In the Madrid Gazettes. publisfied by the
French. we see, with the warmest satisfaction, a
complete, though a deceptive and compulsory
avowal of the defeat of LE FP.ISERE, near Saragossa.
We derive far greater pleasure, and receive
much stronger conviction of the victory gained by
PAL AEON on the 16th of lea month, from this cos-
fession of the enemy, than from aIL the preceding
accounts received through Oviedo, Badsjor, or
fievill.2. The miserable pretext ofnot punishing the
city-and inhabitants of Saragossa, for their rebellion,
becaus► they were now" become the subjects of
the brother of the illustrious NAPOLEON. is WO
pitiful and too thin a veil to toactiel their misfor-
tune. The UNICICC tuercica and ccunpassitinate for-
bearance of these wolves in hum an shape, will not
obtain much Leitef. It is clear that m airragon.