The National Register.
London, England, 1809-08-13 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTER;

5 20

vigtor, and by the strong miracle of patriot Faith have
mo‘ed even mountaini to crush the common enemy of
giankind.

The work of peace and spoliation seems to be going on
between Austria and France. BUONAPARTE is not satisfied
with compering, but he must degrade the Emperor FRAN-
cis.-The miserable policy of receiving indemnification
from the territories of another, is the only thing wanting
to fill 'the cup of misery and wretchedness which the Aus-
trian Monarch is doomed to empty even to its dregs.--11
be consent to this, his character is gone with hid dominions,
and in our cxecratwn of his turpitude we shall lose al:
pity for his distress.—ln this gloomy picture of Austrian
politics, we receive a ray of hope from the following para-
graph, dated Vienna, July 19 :—.

In spite of the hopes which the Armistice has given us of a
speedy peace, we reawk that the French are adopting defen-
bive measures, and making considerable preparations; the work
of the redoubts which had been begun are continued, and other:-
are begun between the bridges, which are near the principal
bridge.

New batteries are placed, and similar dispositions have
been made near Simmering.
The Tyroleans continue hostilities on the banks of the
Iser and the Lech, in spite of the Armistice.
The American Neutrality is drawing to a conclusion.
BUONAPALTE has given notice that they must join either
one or other of the Belligerent Powers.

TILE EXP.EDITIO.Y.

FROM THE BRITISH LINES BEFORE FLESIIVNG.

lltnincauaGtr. AUG. 10.—Thongh the whole of the island
nfWalcheren, with the excel: tion of Flushing, has been for ahavt,
tea da)s in the possession of the British army, that fortress still
continues to hold out, and is expected to make a protracted
and obstinate resistance. The garrison, which on the first
appearance of our Expedition off this coast was com-
paratively weak, has since been considerably reinforced,
and at present consists of between 5 and 60':!0 men. The
Governor-General Monnet is determined to maintain hitmelf
in the town to the last extremity ; and, if. in the end he
should be compelled to capitulate, to make the acquisition of
the place cost the British army a vast expence of time and
blood. By some unexplained departure from the oritzitril plan
upon which the Expedition was to he conducted, a elemonstra-
tion only was made against Cadsand, the capture of which was
of so mock importance to the ulterior progress of the British
armament, that one of the divisions of the army, that under the
tjusTri;s of Huffily, was destined for its reduction. But after
every arrangement had been apparently made for the lat,ditig of
the troops, the whole were unexpectedly drawn off to the
Xort h. and directed to the East Scheid, where they were landed
upon North Beveland, in support of the division under the itn.
mediate command of Sir John Hope. There may have been,
and no doubt there were, solid grounds for this deviation from the
original course proposed ; but it is me.tter of deep regret, that
any circumstances should have rendered it necessary to leave In
the possession of the enemy the only position from which then
could throw succours into Flushing, or materially harrass the
naval part of the Expedition in the event of its being engaged in
A combined attack upon that fortress. Some dissatisfaction is
known to exist upon this point; and it is generally understood,
that the matter v. ill, at no distant period, be made the subject of
military investigation. It was not till the beginning of this
week, that the communication between Cadsand and Flushing
was completely cut off, and at the present moment the garrison
of the latter place has nothing to rely upon but its own efforts,
which, though they may retard, cannot prevent its final reduc-
tion by the very superior force with which it is invested.
The division of the British tirmy now lying before Fluslring,

AUG. .13,

consists of near!, 17,000 men, under the immediate command of
Sir Eyre Coote. There is hut one weak battalion stationed
here, the .'.26th Regiment ; and as there are only a few incon-
,iderahle patties dispersed in the other parts of the Island, nearly
the whole of the 17,000 men employee m the Island of Walcheren
occupy the lines with which Flushint; is invested, in a semi-cir-.
t-ular form, from the North-west to the South-east of that towtt.
rite trenches are already completed ; but as only two !nineties
of six gunc. each haw. been yet thrown up, the bombardment of
the fortress must be deferred until the beginsiog,.or perhaps the.
middle o next week. Besides, as the co-operating of the fit-et
is essentially necessary to the success of that operation, it •would
unavoidably be deferred, if even all the preparations on shore
:vete complete, until the fleet could come into its station for hat
purpose. Sir Richard Strachan, with a great proportion of the
naval force that accompanied the Expedition from England, has
-:one into the East Scheldt, to assist the operations of Sir John
lope's division in that quarter. The service befor? Flnshing,
t Oerefore, devolves upon the squadron under Lord Ci.4rdoer, from,
hich six ships have been ordered against Flushing. The ...• were
!ding off the East Sheldt ; and though they got under weighs
Yesterday morning tc, come in, have been hitherto prevented by
the wind, which has shifted round to the East ward. Captain
1101 ton, of the Fisgard frigate, who has been here for several
weeks previous to the arrival of the Expedition, stationing
cutters as buoys for its guidance, went out on Tuesday night, to
conduct Lord Gardoer's fleet to its station.

Thus, though the preparations on both sides are continued
with unabated activity, no decisive operation can take place tilt
the moment of a gcnek•al attack. The enemy stiffer no opportu-
Alt y to escape of annoying their beseigers, and keep up a con-.
-tont but irregular fire upon the different parse of our linetis•
.v here any prolteet may he presented of making an impression.
SO vigilant arc they in this respect, that if even an indisiduat
.tgicer were to make his appearance within the lines, at d in
reach of the shot from Ow garrison, they would not fail to hid.
upon him. Last night, a Captain,P who was reconnoitring the
works of the town, bat at srpae distance within the lines, had
his leg shot away, and a hand badly wounded. The shells front
the town often fa!l within the lines, though without doing much.
mischief. Titi irregular fire is sometimes returned front the
Imes, though not generally.
Front the first landing of the British troops in the neighbo..r-
hood of Flushing, the enemy has been confined within its walls.
The brigade of Gen. Graham,composed principally of the Rapt's,
the 501, and 36th regiments, have been most eoga,:ed Kith t he ene-
niy, and has been greatly distinguished itierers it tars^ in which
it came in contact with them. Immediately :after the land tor,
the think companies of this brigade had a smart hut brilliant
affair with some of the enemy's light infantry, advantageously
posted along the sand hills. Though at first severely galled by
the eitemy's fire, they advanced with the characteristic intrepid-
ity of British troops, and drove their opponents before them to
the very walls of the town, under which obout thirty English
seamen were made prisoners, in consequence of the inconsiderate.
impetuosity with which they continued the pursuit till it was no
longer possible for theta to retorn to their comrades in safety.
It was on that occasion, that after driving the enemy from the
sand-hills, the advanced party of this brigade, whilst engaged in.
the pursuit, most gallant;y carried hr asF.atitt a battery within a
small distance oft he town, it here they have since opened trenches
upon the glacis,seeure from the effect, though n ithin rcarh, of
shells of the town, the inclined Stlitad'e of thfs .41acis allowing the
shells to roll away before they explode. The garri-on has also
had recourse to sorties, in order to impede the pi o;Jess of the
besiegers, but without success. On Monday last they -made a
grand' effort of this description. Above 2000 men came forth
front the town, and formed under its walls, with a view to at-
tack and dislodge from its position the advanced party of Gene-
ral Graham's brigade, consisting of about five hundred men.—
The enemy advanced in a fine stile, and were most ably dis-
posed and led tat by their c,flicers; but not willuktanding their vast
superiority •of numhers, and the powerful stimulus of ardent
spirits, a double portion of which had been distributed to them
before they coma-ten- •d the ntitick, they were shamefully re-
pulsed with immense loss to their very walls by this handful of
brave men. Thr attach commenced at fcur, and the defeat of
the enemy wa, complete by six o'clock in the afternoon. The
w hole of the try oils along the line had been put into motion op
the first alarm, but the business was accomplished by the ad-
sauced guard of the right brigade, before any other corps could
he brought up to sustain it. %V hilst the enemy was approach-
ing with all the precision of a movement in review, the Bri,