The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1819-07-17 00:00:00

', JULY 17. ISI9.

MR. 11W Itte'S PLAN.

A Pamphlet has just limy published, entitled
" A Letter to Wm. Wilberforce, itsi. M.P."
attesting that Mr. oweii's Plan is highly hivonrable
to Christianity. The following note iii the Pant
phlet is interided to explain away the effect of Mr.
Oweit's declaration of his own opinions on relig•
millers. Si the fiat Public Meeting lie convened in
the rnetioprilis :
" Serious Christians were justly scandalized at Mr. Owen*.
first appearance, as he thought proper to oppose the domi-
nion of faith ; but it should be remembered, that be did not
propose to give any of the villages the shelties, tinge of his
opinions on religion; he is willing to have the subject of
religion In the entire consideration of thole who come for-
ward with • view to form a village; h► only claims fur him-
self that which he knows to he esaesitial to sincere religion,
viz. perfect liberty of noneeiewee. The objection to his
plan on 1114 account, is therefore altogether groundless:
indeed some of his warmest friinds are among those who
value it oil ar(outit,of its favourable tendency to promote
vital religion."

RETREAT of the FRENCH from MOSCOW.

The most frightful picture of the retreat of the
French army from Moscow, in 181=2, is tkovit in
The Memoirs of Baron D. J. Larrey, who was
chief surgeon of the French army on that memora-
ble occasion :

" At our entry into Ouniana, my thermometer was at
24 deg. below Zero; it fell during the night to 261; deg.;
and the bivouac fray terrible was myself so fortunate
re to pars that fatal night in a warm chamber, and noon a
litilestraw—(M. Larrcy, it will be recollected, was a Baron
of the Empire, and at the head of the surgical staff)—after
taking some food, with which one of my old rompaidous in
Egypt had the goodness to supply me. We marched the
next morning before day, the thermometer bring then al 29
deg. below Zero, and could scarcely bold ourselves erect, or
pet form the most simple movements. He who lust his eqiii-
libiium and fell to the ground, was instantly struck with au
icy and mortal stupefaction. We funnel upon the road a
great number of dead of the 12th division, which hail come
to meet us at Osmiana *. I left in this village, with une of
my surgical officers, all the wounded who wished to stay;
I could not bear to see them die wpon.flie rnad,lo;lhonl bar.
lap Ike power to amid them. With the exerriom of some
elect troops of the guard, who still preserved their great
coats or cloaks, their hoists and gloves, 11w whole army was
now In a stele of frightful nakedatois. Milo,' in complete
confusion, without arms, sir any mark of distinction aiming
the corps, they were nothing but a masa of wretched indivi-
dual'', marching in • crowd, and compelled by cold and
weakness to press together, and lean upon each other fie
support. But nothing could be more ludicrous, soil at the
same time more deplorable, than their habiliments. They
were covered with freemen's of pelisses, cloaks, ur morels
of stuff of different colours; the fires of the bivouacs having
gradually consumed their original garments."
" At Mieduicki, the thermometer at the author's hullos.
hole wog at 31 deg. below 74fro deg. he low fret zing); and
Ike whole army, readout creePhon,tcrte compelled lohirener.
' Woe be to him who gave way to ids iodination to slum.
her : a few minutes were sufficient to freest him entirely
through, and he was left dead upon the place where he had
fallen asleep.' There was now very little difference between
the temperature of the days and nights; and the cold was
nearly of the same intensity during all the rest of the march.
The sides of the road were strewed with the 'lead bodies of
those who had perished during the night between the Bth
and 9111; and at last, says M. I.arrey, • we were in such a
state of torpor and depression, that it was with difficulty
we could recognise eich other : we as:tidied along in metau.
chilly silence, our sight and muscular strength so much re.
duced, that we could hardly preserve our direction, or main-
tain our equilibrium; and when any of us fell, his curare.
nines did not even turn aside to look at him. l'hough 1
was myself one of the most robust iu the army, it was with
the greatest difficulty that I arrived at Wilna. My strength
nod' my courage were almost totally gone ; I was just ready
to fall—no doubt, like so many other uufortunate beiges
who had perished before my eyes, never to have risen again."
"'The death of the unfortunate victims was genteelly
preceded by paleness, a sort of idiotism, difficulty of speech,
and weakness, or even total loss of sight. In ibis state some
of them continued to march on, for a short time, helped
slime by their friends or ei•mrailes; but their muscular law.
era became insensibly weaker; they staggered iske drunkest
men, and fell at last entirely deprived of life.' The fate of
Moe who could not keep up with the columns was still
more rapid, and the dead bodies were found lying our the
face. The want of food materially aggr.isateil the effects of
the cold ; and to appease their hunger, tor soldiers frequently
swallowed snow or freezing water, which were unto fatal.
On the other hand, the author remarks, a small quantity of
wine or coffee immediately calmed the sensation of lounger :
and once, niter three days of fasting, during which he had
taken only a little ouffre, a siugie glass of claret, which he
drank with inexpressible delight, instantly put an tool to the
pangs be bad been suffering for several hour* The grestest
injuries eustained by the survivors arose from their hay-
ing approached the fires of the bivouacs, while their limbs
were yet in part concealed—which calmed, in numleflCss
instances, the mortification sad loss of their exttentitira.

" It was observed, universally, that individual. of whet
the author calls the' Witten-sanguine' temperament, with
dark hair, and brown complexion* mitered the cold muds
better than those of an oppoeite appearance: mail hence the
natives of the South of Europe Nitad better, during thil la.
no ratable retreat, than the Ihtc4 t end. Germans of the
army ; a fact, whith our ontiour re.nerting the 111011111 ff a
habit on the animal economy, cr. !Andy would out have 1111
its to expect. liven the hussian., the author asserts, lost
more from cold, in promartitni, then the Ftenrit; and he
was rosined, by a ph,sictan lung pilled at Mvteuw, that
the French inhabitants could wa:k the streets with 'mon.
oily, driving the deidhof winter, in clothing comparatively
light ; while the Ruspiane, yrrepped hi their warm pelisses,
could hardly resist the cold.—He allegte al.°, that the eta:
lives of the South retained their courage and mental energy,
longer than the northern soldiers. And the Poles, who might
went to furnish an objection to this doctrine, he think., no
the contrary, support 11% Ito he considers that people as have
big originated in Asia IN! ',nor, and.runregnently as agreeing
in character and ernotitut ion with the natives of the Soot%
of "Eiirope. it ought. however, to be tediembetcri, tbs.'
M. Lure, is himself 4 Sant ben,"

6 Of ibis divisive, eunirdanded h 7 Omen! I.stoon, whirls
ndredineil of It,ollll torsi at their deperture faun Wilma, Ally
360 gut Mick to Frasier. Tbry !veil prpecipelly very poling
then.
t Out of 1,707 Ddtchinen in the grettainees of the rased,
nut more Mae 41, including ot6crie, tellersedr 'NO Feu*
afterwards, to Frasier.

PRICE 7d.

LINGA D'S rIYGL4ND.

Al, we sometime* diversify our Cislimos and nary
the tatertainment of our readers by extracts Gina
tevent publications, we shall embrace the opprnte-
nity which will be afforded us ditriiig the prii;o-
gation of Parliament, of occasionally a
selection of passages from the valuable add ',a."
which Mr. Litt 4ard has lively made Id the stork of
our historical literature. Mr. lingard's Ileadry
of Eniflawl is cuiciilitted to supersede all its pie.
ifecessor,, as n work which may hr pot loin 1/.r
hands of both vexes, wilhout oily danger of a
wrong hiss piten In their relig• of poi's
tieal ernlimentl. The author never forgrt•
office or the histisiati. in miler to yuplyo.l the t
of the cold sceptic, the enthusiastic theologii,. sii
the factious politician. Though lir. I.liigirit
Catholic. lie has none of the bigotry isloch
some periods have characterized the tn!istber.
that chirrch,.and which belongs to the violent owl
uncharitable of All creeds and communions; bu!
Mr. Liiigard never views coy of the transactions of
English history through the distorting medium of
Catholic superstition. lie is not a philminvlnri,l
sceptic, but he is by no Meting a prejudiced reli-
gionist. fits sentlaients are liberal, and his tiro
are comprehensive. Those ttllo will carefully pe-
ruse those parts of the history, in which he has
traced the progress and delineated the spirit of the
constitution, will not only be impressed by the re-
search which lie has displayed, but will be con-
vinced that he is do enlightened friend to civil aril
religious liberty. IVe shall now commence our
extracts; and, in the seleciimi, shall endeavour to
contribute at once to the instruction and to the
amusement of our readers.