The National Register.
London, England, 1813-02-21 00:00:00

No 269.

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~~

The declaration of war issued, some weeks since, by' the
PriLNCE REGENT against America, had clearly exposed the
unreasonable nature of her enmity, and the perverseness of
the party by whose unrelaxcd exertions during a series of
years, the advantages of peace had at last been sacrificed for
the disastets of war. It clearly strewed that every concession
had been rejected, and that in their blind hostility, the Go_
war and conquest,
Aural consequence
In a rupture, with-
the real interests
. to their presiding
have since occurred,
rtisans in America,
They had no sooner
role northern Con
stir heroism. The
conquest of Canada and Nova Scotia was so easy in imagina-
tion, that it was considered as a party of pleasure, rather than
4 serious operation. Friends invited each other as to a sport.
lug excursion when the shooting season is come, and as the
inconsiderable number of British troops, still further weak-
ened by the extension and division necessary to defend a vast
territory on a variety of points, diminished the probability- of
danger, ho‘ts of volunteers sprung up to gather cheap laurels.
The Government, deceived by their zeal and apparent spirit,
trusted their courage and perseverance, and instead of seeing
them masters of Montreal and Quebec, beheld those
brave warriors led captive on every side, by half their 'rum-
bas, and all their anticipated triumphs vanish amidst the
gloom of repeated disasters. Had, at that period, a similar
fate attended their vessels, it has been supposed that general
despondency would have prevailed in America, and the call
for peace would have become so loud and so unanimous, as
to make itself heard and obeyed. But the interests of our
trade, joined to the hope of preventing a final rupture by ex-
tending our conciliatory disposition to the utmost bounds
of forbearance, induced our Government, although ap-'
preltensive of war, to suspend its last tremendous effects un-
til our opponents should have lost every plea to assert the
justice 'of their rause. A blockade by notification, enforced'
by the presence of various squadrons at the mouths of the
chid' rivers and at the most important points of the Ameri-
can coasts, would have called forth an immediate and unani-
mous declaration. of ‘var from the United States, which, in
the circumstances of our trade and the situation of our West
India Islands at the time, would have been highl
to war interests. Merchaudize to the amount
Vat. VI. No CCLXIX.

:ern - the United States, bent on 1
1 ,I i
•mr.
ants
_4‘..,. , the latter, by land, as a nal
of t N.-I?
-,.... ,
out the , I yen for
' of the peogo ivfiose welfare wal trusted
widom and pitriotistit The: , • ..
. have. erne Gaff..
... .iit ha
ar par
. . - oft - mitt . ons. T
Uffbltt the 10.44
tinent wnu d fall an unresisting prey to the

trade and the situation of our West ' benefits which ought to ue iasiu If, • -
would base been highly prejudicial outcry .raised by inconsistent politicians, anticipating tiic
iaudize to the amount of several mil loss of our naval supremacy, will appear what it really is, ar
X.

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effusion of party spirit, unsanctioned by true wisdom or sin •
cere patriotism.
The American Government, disappointed by the disas-
trous result of their land operations, were equally surprised
at the advantages which their Commanders obtained at sea.
Where they had anticipated triumphs. they had met with
disgrace and defeat 5 where ruin, with success, The latter
destroyed at once the fair equipoise of their judgment. Too
blind to perceive, in our forbearance, the real cause of their
momentary successes, or too proud to attribute them to
any thing, save their own growing superiority in skill and
courage, they immediately aimed at the empire of the
waves. They re-echoed NA.s.oLLost's declamations respset-
ing the freedom of the seas, resolved to maintain the inviola-
bility of their flag, under every circumstance, and to make
the abandonment of onr right of sovereignty over our own
subjects, the only condition on which they would ccnde-
scend to treat with defeated England ! Their acts, however,
proved that their confidence in themselves was but assumed.
Whilst they exulted in their triumphs, as shedding the
brightest rays of glory over the American arms, they had
"secretly recourse to dishonourable practices, which proved
'that they were conscious Of their own national incapacity,
and that to conquer England, whom they affected to despise,
they were obliged to seduce her sailors into their service.—
They marshalled Britons•against Britons, and then gave the.
palm of victory to America. Nay, it is to this conviction of
the inferiority of their men, of the impossibility of their en-
countering our cruisers with any chsuce of success, and of
the necessity of employing English seamcn to enable them
to carry on a naval war, that may be atti ibuted the impor-
tance they have attached to our suTending our right of
search. They wish us to leave in their hands the 16,000
Britons, whom it has been stated in Parliament, they have se-
duced and naturalised. They want us, by such a concession,, to
openly encourage treason. against ourselves. On the oath of
an old woman, knowingly obtained by the low bribery
of half a crown, they turn Englishmen into Americans,
and then make it- a ground for war, that we do not ac-
knowledge their transmuting power, and claim and impress
our rightful subjects. Impunity has made them bold: but
the hour of forbearance is past. It is no longer our interest
to spare. They have cncrcased the storm that will untimate-
ly burst upon them, instead of removing it ; and the blockade
of New York and their chief rivers, has already taught them
to expect the full, tremendous, and decisive discharge of the
British thunder.

A Leeward Island Mail arrived on Wednesday, by which
the following information was received:—" The Paul Jones
American privateer, of New York, was cruizing on the sth
of January, in sight of St. Michael's, and had taken twelve
vessels. The Gloire, French frigate of 4 tguns, was at the'
me time in that station, and hld captured reveral Brazil ships
some of them American vessels bound to the Peninsula with
grain. This frigate had sunk a large American from St.
Übes. Two of the ships 'she had taken were afterwards ran-
somed•.. The Iris, CASTANOS, from Havannah to Cadiz,
was plundered of 9.4,000 dollars and a large quantity of gold
and silver by the Revenge American privateer, near the Ba-
hamas, on the 253 th of November."

R.

FOREIGN IA TELLIGENCE.

LISBON FEB. 8.

13.
,

EXTRACT OF AN OFFICIAL DISPATCH PROM THE MARQUIS OF WEL-
LINGTON VI HIS EXCELLENCY MIGVEL FEREIKA FORJAZ, DATEF)

HEAD QUARTERS, TEEN .DAB JAN. 27.

" I returned hither on the 27th instant.
" It appears that the enemy has nut made any essential alteration in
the position of -the armies during my absence.
• The three armies of Portugal, the Centre, and the South, are
united in Castile, under King Joseph, whose head quarters are now
in Madrid.
The army of Portugal is uAler the command of General R
who Litcly came from the army of the NOlth, and has his head-quar-
ters in Valladolid.
" The army of the Centre is uneer the orders of Conde D'F.rlon,
who was. formed!, -r.lployed in the army of the South, and com-
manded for a short time the army of Portugal, atter the allies retired
from the Tonnes. His head-quarters are in the vicinity of Msalrid
and the army cif the South is under Marshal Souk's orders, ivhosc
head-quarters are in Toledo.
" The army of the South was lately drawn towards the neiAhhour-
hood of the Tagus, having moved towards Toledo the divisions of
that army which were in the province of Avila, and having them re-
placed in Avila by the first division of the army oll'ortuga.l.
66 I have not receives
idea of the state of aft

rears to be activd)
s well as General L

destroyed 600 men, al
the enemy on the ;30t
44 My. last accout.
cember, at which tim,
ted from Sicily had ar

was expected.
" The allied Engii
tonments in which t

" The Spanish troo)

CAN!, Tan. 2°.—'
that thorc had betin

rival of a great convoy, .
and Sicilians ; that on the 15th, the enemy entered Yecla, and took
prisoners :3O infantry and 12 horses ; and that Whittingham's division
was corning towards Granada.
MANftv.S A' Dec. 31.—They talk of a glorious action of General
Mina's near Barhastro.
ALIcAs r, Jan. 16.—Suchet, in order to prevent the news \N hiCh
lately arrived from France from being knor.n, ordered the mail to be
burned in Valencia, ‘vi:hout allowing the Ic!tcrs to be delivered to
either Frenchmen or Spaniards, after having read the official dispatches
addressed to him. _ _

The French in Madr;►l say that Soult has been called to France IN ith
30,01 U men, of whom 15,000 are to remain in France, and 15,00 U pro-
ceed to Italy. Soult with his staff; was still in Toledo on the `'24th
of Jamiaty, with 10,000 infantry, 8,000 having anteriorly marched for
Cuenca. _ .

There appears no doubt of many French families having taken re-
fuge in Navarre, to, avoid the persecution of Buonaparte, ai well
many youths, to avoid the conscrirtion. General Mina, to whoin
these unfortunate victims of Corsican tyranny presented thcm..elvt.s,
is said to have applied to the Spanish Government for instructions hers
to act.
Si,.vit.LE,, Jan. 29.—Yet-tcrday, at three o'clock in the afternoon,
arrived here the of the Andalnsian army of reserve;
commanded by his Excellency the Conde de Bibbed:

iveci any recent accounts by which I can form an
flair!: in the North of Spain. General RSina app-
employed against the enemy in • and, he
Longa, have caused him grg . ••-•*.#•-• ;latter
• • -‘440). I.k
and n;ok two pi: - . • •
~. • 'WWI
th of N:)v - •
ints fro '•.• • ... of
title pa •.•t • • . ,••• ; •; 4 Were ex
.•;.
tit feral..Si Loni.Wm-.' Bonnie •
A- • -t
' • AW:4)-;, . .
lish a> xiltttevoccupy the (lame can-
. -
they 11;1. ~t TOr ..e. ••
pops . ; • ton • • ";.•
•
. Yft
-They write •. ;
repeated salvos in a ,on a • • o the ar.
with a reinforcement of more than .500:) Engl;sh