The National Register.
London, England, 1809-02-19 00:00:00

FEB. 19.

very excusable,—for no man in Europe dreamt of resistance,—
was scattered in different corps throughout the Peninsula. The
first events are ktiown.—T he generous efforts of the inhabitants
of the Capital ;—T he defeat and reheat of NIONCEY from Va-
lencia ;—the noble stand made by the city of Saragossa ;—the
defeat and surrender of ()CPO N Ti—and the flight of Josr.PH
from Madrid,—these occurrences excited a degree of applause,
hope, and enthusiasm in this country which furuished unequivo-
cal proofs that we were not prepared for them. The perform-
ance of all this was very practicable, and completely within the
circle of Spanish resources, local, moral, and political. Every
province acted for itself. The natives were not forced to absent
themselves, to a great distance from their homes. The appa-
ratus of a regular and protracted Campaign was not necessary.
The invaders were in small corps of from ten to fifteen thousand
men; unacquainted with the country and destitute of provisions.
Under these circumstances the provinces, even with their con-
tracted means, had it certainly in their power to overwhelm
the enemy. But a new scene immediately ensued. The invad-
ers sensible of the mistake they had committed in dividing their
force, retreated, and after collecting their whole strength in one
body, took a strong position behind the Ebro.
From that moment the plan of operations was totally altered.
The provinces, calculated only on their individual resources.
They had their respective interests, their leaders, their Juntas,
and their armies ; but there existed no unity of action and con-
cert of will in the whole Body ; and as there was no individual,
or Junta, who possessed any power, influence, or confidence
beyond their own province, it was impossible, all at once,
to reconcile the different interests, to efface provincial
.jealousies,
and to impress the importance of unanimity. The abominable
corruption, impotence, and favoritism of the late government,
'the treasonable practices of the Prince of the Peace, an: the
exactions of the subordinate minions, left the Arsenals without
military stores, and the public coffers without money. AU
these deficiencies were to be supplied; and the poverty of the
inhabitants, in consequence of a detestable system of govern-
ment, the annual war contributions to the French, and the
remaining out of the usual supplies from South America, on
account of hostility with this country, prevented their perform-
ing this requisite service. These remarks will, we trust,
ac-
count in a very satisfactory manner, for the relaxation the
Patriots she wed, after they had been liberated from the pre-
sence and exactions of the enemy, and the latter had concen-
trated themselves behind the Elks•
BONAPARTE either desired, from motives of consummate
prudence, to give the Spanish enthusiasm time to evaporate; or
he wished to sound the intentions of Russia, and to reconcile
that court to the act of atrocity he had committed ; or alarm-
ed at the menacing preparations of Austria, and wishing to ob-
serve the effscts which the resistance of the Spaniards might
-produce on the popular feeling in France and the rest ef the Con-
tinent ;--or all these circumstances united, probably induced him
to deviate from his usual vigour and celerity. Not wishing to
rely implicitly, in so alarming a crisis, in which his very exist-
ence was at stake, on the tteclarations of his agents, he wished
to see ALEXANDER face to face; to see if he could confide in
his protestations, and in order to exact new promises, before
he would come to a resolution ef withdrawing his army from
Germany. hus the journey to Erfurt was resolved on. To
conceal his intentions, and to give them even an air of Generosi-
ty, this consummate politician acted the sublime farce of getting
the simple unsuspecting EMP tam,. to intercede for the evacua-
tion of Prussia,---the very measure Bo NA PARTE wanted, and
which the situation of Spain rendered Imperiously urgent. In
the mean time his armies were ordered to break up from their
different cantonments, and to make menacing demonstrations on
the frontiers of Austria. His agents had previously got inserted
in the German papers articles ad vertin to the probability of war
between France and that power. The °Meet of Vienna intl•