The National Register.
London, England, 1812-12-27 00:00:00

810

tacked by him after ST.CYris defeat at Polotrk,- advanced, in
trumher about 30,000, to secure the retreat of the wrecks of
the grand army, and effecting its junction with them on the
left bank of the Borisow. before TCHICH A GOFF'S arrival, once
more raised it to a formidable force of 79,000 men. Of these,
however, a division, according to the Bulletin, of 2000,
but more likely of 5000 men was cut oft, and the lest had to
light their way across the norisow, the right bank of which
vas then occupied by IrCitICHAGOF CS army. In this at-
tempt they succeeded, not however without experiencing a
loss of about 5000 men. The next day WITGENSTELN and
Tc HICHAGOFF joined and give them battle. thusI action
the enemy claim a ccmplete victory, gained chiefly by the
cavalry- brought bp by OuntNoT, and attended with the
capture of 6,000 prisoners, artillery,_Bo. Supposing their
account true to its full extent, although it is no doubt much
exaggerated, such a triumph cannot have been gained with-
out a ft csh loss of at least 5000 on their part, so that in little
more than three days this army of 79,00 men suffered a
probable diminution of 15,000. Five day.- after this bdattle,
we a. e't, the R9ssiaos had not shewn themselyes„an the'
French bad Vken up a position at Modolscheno, about fifty
miles in advance of %Vilna, without any hostile force in ariftr
rear, and 'receiving supplies from that city ; having saried
out of the 150.000 they led against Moscow, and the 46,600
that joined thrill in their retreat, about 64,000 men. Iltre,
trembling no doubt for the consequences of his disastious
retreat and repeated defeats might have on-his allies and his
subjects, especially after having been informed of the late
conspiracy, at the very seat of his usurpation and power,
Paris, NAPOLEON resigned the command to MURAT, and
in thirteen days reached his capital, stopping only a few
toms al Warsaw and :Dresden, to deceive the President of
the Polish Diet and the King of SAXONY with misrepresen-
tations of hii losses,•and his means of repairing them.
The wrecks of the French army still in Lithuania, are
composed of MAcDONALD'S Prussian corps before Riga,
which has had but little fighting. It consisted originally of
nO,OOO, and may now be rated at 25,000 men ; of the force
under M otaT, about 64,000; the Saxon corps; under
BEYNIER., originally 24, and now 15,000; the Austrian
auxiliaries, originally 30, but now, notwithstanding their
reinforcements, probably no't above 25,000 ; and the re-
serve, commanded by AUGEREAU, and which eceupied the
Baltic coasts last summer, but is now arrived on the Nie
men This corps is computed by the French Papers, at
120,000, but we shall follow the amount lately stated
in Parliament, and shall tate it at 40,000. In all,
therefore, the enemy doei not possess more than 169,000
men on the theatre of war, divided into five corps at a
prosecute the war with the satne vigour they have lately done,
notwithstanding the increased severity of the winter, it
is more than likely that they would not only drive the
considerable distance from each other. Should the Russians
French from \Vilna, and the rest of their territories they
still occupy, ..but that they would cut off and capture most
of those divided corps before their re-union renders them
once more formidable, and utterly annihilate the military
power of France.

CAPTURE OF ANOTHEIt FRIGATE,
The necessity of waging a decided and overpowering war
with America becomes every day more evident, We have
sufficiently shown our disposition to spare, we must now
display our power to crush, and not let our naval trident be
wrenched from our hands by a puny and contemptible
enemy, The Zephyr sloop lately spoke the Wolverine in