The National Register.
London, England, 1814-03-20 00:00:00

IFS

nan, ing a general overthrow. Thus far people wereynabled
to exercise their unbiassed judgment, without being influenced
by sui e,ior authority. But on Thursday. last an Extraordi-
pary Gazette was published, containing a short dispatch from
."Almital Young, forwarding, with congratulatory compli-
plants, a report from Captain Charles Ilamitton• Smith, De-
roty-Adjutant-Quatter-Master-General, who it seems is at-
tached to the army of the Duke of Saxe-Weimar, and dated
front Brussels, the 13th of March, stating that Nfarshal
Mueller, in the position of Laon, and now at the head of
90,000 combatants, with the various reinforcements he had
received, was determined to give battle to the enemy ; and
transmitting at the same time a translation of the aforesaid
bulletin, the contents of whist: so far received the sanction
of Government, that the Park and T9wer guns were fired on
the occasion. The foss of the enemy was stated at 70 pieces
of cannon, prisoners and ammunition incalculable, and
Marshal Blucher was that very evening to cross the Aisne in
',lnsult of the flying enemy. Nor was this all, in the course
i.f the night n bulletin was issued by Govequnent on the au-
thority of a foreign ()dicer who brought the above dis-
ra:ches, stating, that the successes of the 9th had been fol-
lowed with great rapidity by Marshal Blucher ; that Soissons
bad been taken by storm, that the loss of the enemy was
immense, and that Macdonald and Sebastiani were among
the slain

THE NATION.

The next Extraordinary Gazette was published on Fr!day,
March the 18th, and contains Colonel Lowe's reports of the
very same actions sustained by Marshal Blucher's army.
Colonel Lowe is also one .of those numerous military cor-
respondents of Government, and whatever may be his know-
ledge in tactics, perspicuity iscerrainly not his principal li
merit. His reports go as far back as the 3d of March, the
day on which General Blucher effected his junction with
Wiuzingerode and Bulow, and after scientifically describing
the different movements and positions, proceeds to the action
of the 7th at Craon; but in his details, the Colonel has so
entangled himself-among the cavalry and infantry of General
Witaing,erode, that we could not possibly extricate him ;
and all that we could learn from this scientific repot t is, that
the Aires had on that occasion sustained some partiA losses,
and have been obliged to continue their retrograde march
Mtn the Marne to Laon.
The battle of the oth so pompously announced by other
correspondents, forms the subject of Colonel Lowe's second
dispatch, and is there much reduced in its importance. Far
from us the idea of detracting from the meritorious, the
heroic conduct of the army of Silesia and its veteran Chief.
Th6se alone attack their glory who foolishly exaggerated
their forces and their successes, while they lessen the oh-
stacks they have to encounter. It appears, however, from
these reports of Colonel Lowe, that on the oth,Buonaparte's
right wing was defeated with considerable loss, 45 pieces of
cannon and a great number of prisoners, Sze being taken ; but
he himself kept his ground before Laon on the 10th with
his left wing and centre, continued the attack during the
whole of that day, with such obstinacy, that a wood and
village were taken and retaken five different times; night
alOne put an end to the engagement, and the enemy availed
himself of it to retreat, as it was supposed in the direction
of Soissons, evidently foiled and beaten, but not in the for-
lorn situation in which it had been represented to be by for-
mer accounts. Since this Government, in consequence of
the arrival of Mr. Shaw the messenger, published on !Fri-
day the following Bulletin
Accounts have been received from Chaumont of the Mb, and
from Chatillon of time I Att..
46 The news of Marshal B'lucher's victory had arrived at Chatillont

__.

MARCH 'lO.

Is eta the 12th, and

and that. Gen. St. Priest had
made 3;600 prisoners. •
•
" Prince Schwartzenberg, who had remained- at Troyes, was
movint-upon Chalons.
" General lii'anchi had defeated Atmercau at Mew, but the Co-
tails had not arrived:
" The Plenipotentiaries were still at Chatillon."
Buonaparte'e bulletins present of course a far different
view of the subject. Yet his second edition of the battle of
the 7th adds but little to what we already know on the suh-
ject, and by its fiequent references to ft rmer facts and ex-
traneous subjects, arrears to have been composed by the po-
lice of Paris out of materials already in hands, merely to
pacify and amuse the Parisians.
Another bulletin of the 12th, acknowledges, in the style
peculiar to the French military report 3, the repulse before
Laon ; and to divert the attention of the people from that
unpleasant subject, indulges in military and political specu-
lations on the situation of the Allies, and the disposition of
the French people represented as every where rising to arm/.
Another and last bulletin of the 14th, announces, that
; Rheims was retaken the day before by the French after a des-
perate conflict, in which Genetal St. Priest was killed, and
that Buonaparte made his entry into the town on the morn-
ing of that day. This, for want of contrary evidence, we are
forced to credit, the more so, as the French bulletins, how-
ever abounding in the fabulous, have never been found as
yet to indulge in LY,eogrophical falsehoods. The Allies, it
seems, had retreated partly to Chalons and partly towards
Rhebel. Thus it should seem, that Buonaparte has once
more interposed between the junction of Blucher and
Schwartzenbcrg, who was advancing towards Chalons in or.
der to effect that purpose ; and that all the blood shed in the
various manecuvres and engagements from the 3d to the
14th has been shed in vain, no lasting advantages having
been obtained on either side, whatever may be the share-of
glory to which the contending parties are intitled.

REPORTED CAPTURE OF BAYONNE & ROURDEAUX.

There is every reason to hope (says The Morning Post of
yesterday) that wa shall Very shortly have to annotrace offi-
cially the capture of Bayonne, which long.ere this has, we
trust, been .followed up by the still more important event
of the capture of Bourdeaux. The following article upon
the subject of the former is from a Liverpool Paper, receiv-
ed by Friday's post :
The gratifying intelligence of the capture of Bayonne, brought here
by the North Star, Captain Bryden, late last night, which will be
found in, the Ship News, his this morning received furthe, confirma-
tion by the arrival of the Oporto Packet. Captain Fonen, the Masts,
whom we have seen, left Bilboa on the Ist. inst. and states, that
about four days before he sailed great rejoicings had taken place. in
consequence of Lord Wellington having passed the Adour, and entered
Bayonne.
All the vessels that could be procured had been taken up by
Government Agents to carry provisions to the army. Confi.lont
expectation of the speedy fail of Bottrdeaux was also entertained."
Government yesterday received intelligence from St. Ma-
loes, in France, brought by the way of• Jersey, of Lord Wel-
lington's arrival with his army at Roquefort, in Gascony,
half way between Bayonne and Bourdeaux. We have not
learnt on what day his Lordship was at the above place, but
we understand the communications from St. Maloes on the
subject arc dated on the 12th instant. Roquefort, where,
according to the above accounts, Lord Wellington had ar-
rived, is generally called Roquefort de Marsan. It is Si.
tuated upon the River Done, on the great road leading from
Bayonne to Bourdeaux, from which places it is equi-distant
about sixty miles.—(Star of last night.)
The official advices of the crossing of the Adour by .tit
arrny) will be found in Tuesday's Gazette.

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