The National Register.
London, England, 1808-12-25 00:00:00

SiS THE

'AT,

as we carried on evea the appearance of a negociatiou svith I
France. Whatever the intentions of the Court of Vienna
had been previous to thr meeting at Erfurt'', there is every
reason to presume, that these overtures must hate con-
firmed her in her system of neutrality, if that had been her
intention; or deferred, for more than three months, her
adopting a more vigorous system of• policy, if she was
willing to resist the encroachments of the tyrant.
• The only justifiable excuse-Ministers could have in de-
ferring this Declaration, was their wish to reclaim Ilexall-
der, and to know his sentiments relative to Spain. Their
repugnance to believe him so totally depraved, as not only
to acquiese in, but to approve. a, the usurpation of the
Spanish monarchy, is a high panegyric of their feelings;
though it furnishes no proof of their penetration. " It was
" difficult for his Majesty to believe, that Ihe Emperor of
" Russia had devoted himself so blindly and fatally to the
" violence and ambition, of the power with which his lin-
" perial Majesty had unfortunately become allied, as to he
" prepared openly to abet the usurpation of the Spanish
" monarchy ; and to acknowled.re and maintain the right
" asouned b'y France to depose and imprison friendly so-
" vereigns, and forcibly to transfer to herself the allegiance
" of independent nations."
How could Ministers entertain a single doubt of the weak-
ness and infatuation of that besotted prince, after he had
been guilty of the unparalelled meanness to quit his capital,
in order to compliment, or rather do hoMage to, the very
ruffian who was guilty of such atrocious perfidy against the
Royal Family of ;:pain. When all Europe expressed abhor-
r once, even Frenchmen appeared astonished at the
baseness of the action, this very Alexander made a journey
of. I'2oo miles to embrace Bonaparte and assure him of his
a ..quiescence. After such revolting indifference to his own
to the feelings of his subjects, and to the outrage
c,,einiitted against another sovereign, it would be inure
than silliness to expect any thing honourable or great from
such an individual. We therefore read with no surprise,
that part of the Declaration, which says ;•-•44 With asto-
" nishment, as well as with grief, his Majesty has received
" front the Emperor of Russia a reply, similar in edect,
g• although less indecorous in tooiw and manner. The
" Emperor of Russia :•Iso inatiws liaNurreetion, the
gloriOns effor:s of the Spanish people in behalf of their
legitimate Sovereign, and in defence of the independence
Sg of their country thus giving the sanction of his Imperial
" Majesty's authority to an usurpation which has no par-
" allel in the history of the world."
Notwithstanding the astonishment expressed at the
meanness and folly of Alexander, we are convinced that
Nr. Canning possesses too much penetration, too solid an
understanding, to be surprised at any weakness in that
infatuated prince; but he wiThed to expose to Europe, par-
ticulary to the Russians, and that with a tone of moderate
but dignified reproof, the sliameful and ruinous vassalage of
the Russian ~fidacrat. There is net one of his subjects,
who roads this Declaration, but must blush with shame and
degradation, at th,r unexpected transmutation of a descen-
dant of Czar L'cter into a vassal of an obscure adventurer
from the small town of Ajaecio. It is an extraordinary
change ; and the most unjaftifiable and unnatural event in
our revolutionary age. This priuce, if he possesses less
intellects, has more good fortune, than his predecessors, if
he escape the effects of' the indignation, which his present'
conduct must raise in the breasts of his subjects.