The National Register.
London, England, 1813-01-03 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTER.

4 ,

vary to shed the blood of men who are always brave, since your armies
arc marching on all sides."
" I again repeat to you," replied the PR !NM " you of course will
ad Ipt such measures as you can, in order to get oft—and we, to pre-
vent you For the rest, the time will come perhaps, when we ma y
arrange in fitters for your departure, should that be the only subject
of diacussion."
l/ R 9 rON still tittered complaints with regard to the bitterness
and, fury which had been excited in the people, in h
orde
conflagration
r to banish all
hope of accomintidatin, by attributing the Frenc the
and rum of Moscow, while the inhabitants themselves we..e .the
authors of that calamity.
The PRINCE replied, that it was the first time he had ever heard
ti
of complaints being made artiost the enthusiasm, and to
their country, of a whole people who defended thur homes against
on enemy by Ivhom they were attacked, and who, by so doing, had
excited that animosity and fury now complained of, but which. on
the contrary, could not be too highly appreciated and extolled.
" With regard to the burning of Moscow," said the Prince, " I am
too gild--I have had too much experience in war, and
to possesse ily and tod
o
much of the confidence of the Russian people, not be da
hoorly intermcd of what was passing in Mrocow.
the arrivall
ysel
of the
f or-
dered tl:e destruction of some magazines from
French at Moscow, the Russians deatroyed nothing hut the stores of
the cartwrights, I.V hen you adopted the resolution of seizing them,
by distributing the carriages at your pleasure : the inhabitants caused
v;:ry few conllagrarions. You proceeded systematically
min the de-
struction of that capital, fining file particular days, and arking out
the goartcrs which were to be bet on fire at fixed periods. I have
iutd in exact io:contit of the whole ; it lras been followed with pre-
cision ; aid one proof that it was not the inhabitants who route.:
Moscow is. that you &stayed with cannon-shot the houses, and
other ectfice, built with too much s,dolity, hulling balls against them
amid,t the. flames. Undoubtedly eve shall endeavour to revenge our-
selves. Our confererence is closed."
Certainly LeUR:c to N had no re%:SOll to be satisfied with its issue.
-r he French hail ht.:en long accuslcmed to arrange matter; m
of this
t.ort in a tetc-a-tete, or by an aancab;e interview ; but he mole
than thirty p=eso t; w.:re .v..tnesset, oh the one hand, of the
dignity of. the Rto:slan Marshal, and on the other, of the crioging
meanness of a k fcltow, commissioned by a Brigand.

Sr r.Trn of th Concersatirn ?,:tirrin Murat awl General Miloradiniitch,
which tool: pla..e nt t advance,' posts if the Russian and French
Arrniz.s, apt th,! 11th t!i- October, 181'2.
After the usual compliments,
?1-tit A T.—A re you informed, General, of the excesses committed
by your Cossacks They tire upon the foragers who
I t hem send out in
rhilerent thioetions--even your peasa,its, supported by , mas-
s,2cre our insulated hussars.
:ttTt oaanov la cu.—l am delighted that the Cossacks strictly obey
the orders given them. I: is also most satisfactory for me to learn,
from your Majesty's mouth, that our peasants slim themselves
worthy of the name of RuiSianS.
M oRAT.—It is CJiltrii:y to all the hitherto received rules of war :
and !loin this harsh state of things. I shall be compelled to send out
columns to the r;glit and left, to protect the foragers.
MiLt-taan.—So nacch tlie better, Sire: my Officers complain of
baring been three weeks in inaction. They burn with impatience to
take cannon, colours—
MeRA T—But why seek to embitter two nations, formed to esteem
each other in so many respects'
AI troika O.—M y Officers and myself arc ready to give y u
o all possi-
ble marks of our esteem; but, Sire, your forage rs are always taken,
and the columns which you may scud to the right and lett, to protect
the:n, shAll be beaten.
NI cR ar.—You are passionate in words, General, but words do not
beat an memy. Cast your eye on the map ; you will there see the
country we have conquered, and how far we have penetrated.
rhlttostAD.—Charles XII. penetrated still farther; lee reached
Pultowa.
AI eft AT.—The French army has been constantly victorious.
Al tuna AD —l3l.lit we have never fought except at Borudinow.
Al (7 R ha- —That victory opened to us the gates of Moscow.
ill I 1.01 AD.-1 beg your pardon, Sire, Moscow was itbandoned
to you.
MuRAT.—At any rate, we are masters of your ancient and immense
capital.
Al LoR AD. —Yes, Sire, and it is an afflicting thought to every Rus-
sian, to myself in particular; I did every thing for the salvation of
Jvloscow. Rus,ia has made to you an inhanense sacrifice; but she al-
reidy begins to reap the advantages attached to it.
uR AT. —How ?
NIILoR perceive that N/ipoleon has sent Lauriston to our
General in Chief, to treat of peace. I know twhith at what so,diers are re-
duced to satisfy themselves for sixty hours, is scarcely suf-
ticirot to support a man s,r twenty-four.
hl cif A r.—The passports that we asked were a farce.
MI Col< . (COn nutlig)—l see that the King of Naples has come to
Gr.,. NlitoradJvitch to he quarter) tor hisioragetst alul ta set on foot
a sort of negociation to calm tlas soldiets.

JAN. 3.

•MURAT (oiqued)—My visit was purely accidental; and I meant only
to inform you of the abuses committed by your troops. Want
of discipline is a great misfortune to an army ; it has often been
its ruin. -
NI ti.oitAn.—But in that cue you ought rather to enccurage it.
—Precious want of discipline, which makes us shoot the French
foragers ?
NI u R AT.—You greatly deceive yourself with regard to our position.
Moscow is abundantly supplied with every thing : we cxvect immense
reinforcements, which are already on the road.
Mr LOR AD. (laughiny).—Do you, then, think us far.lier removed
from our reinforcements than p.m are front yours ?
MunaT.—l have a!so to cciapFin Oki a very e-sential point : 1 ap-
peal, General, to y Our justice, and year sense of eqtrty —you have
tired twice on our flags of truce.
lUzt.oß A D.—Sim, we want not to hear of parleys: We want to fieht,
and nut to neeotiate. Take your measures accoruingly. .
Illunar.-lAliat ! a! that late I ant not safe even here.
1111LortAD.—Y,u would run a great risk, Sire, 11 coming a second
time; but to-day I >itali have the honour of accompanying you myself
as far as your vita ties.
The G : neral 11, re c..lled f,:r his horse ; and Murat. struck with what
pinged, observed, that he had never heard of st.vh a made of snaking
war. The Geoer:A replied, he must have heard of it in Spain ; and
Ithis unexpected re,,Art induced Murat to chant;, die conveisation, and
Ipolitely ask the General, where he had fast se: yeti in '.i. A capacity.
Mi LORA D.--!-.urcly France must still recollrct the camp Up' of Su.
%yarrow, in Italy. 1 had the honour there often to connuand the ad,-
Ilvall‘7l;dri-tgtturdurtil otfl'ietii(ltieteteurea'laitilsist;tittn°;eparated, after shortly conversing
about the death of Prince Bagrathion. .

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TUESDAY'S LONDON GAZETTE.

ADMIRALTY-OFFICE, DEC. 29,
Copy of a Letter from Captain join Surman Carden, ::ite Commander
of Ifis Majesty's ship the Macedonian, to John Wilson Croker, Efq.
dated on board the American ship United States, at Sea, the Ott
Oct. 18t2.
Sir,—lt is with the deepest regret I have to acquaint you,
for the infotnation of my Lords Commissioners of the Admi-
ralty, that his Majesty's late ship Macedonian was captured
on the 25th inst. by the United States' ship United Sates,
Commodore Decatur, Commander ; the detail is as follows
A short time after daylight, steering N. W. by W. with the
wind from the southward, in latitude 29 (leg. N. and longitude
29 deg. 30 min. W. in the execution of their Lordships' or-
ders, a sail was seen on the lee beam, which I immediately
stood for, and made her out to he a large frigate under Ame-
rican colours : at nine o'clock I closed with her, and she cool-
.menced the action, which we returned ; but from the enemy
keeping two points off the wind, 1 was not enabled to get as
close to her as I could have wished. After an hour's action,
the enemy backed and came to the wind, and I was then ena-
bled to ht ing her to close battle; in this situation I soon. found
the enemy's force too superior to expect success, ualess some
very for..unate chance occurred in our favour; and with this
hope I continued the battle to two hours and ten minutes,
when, havingthe mizen-mast shot away by the board, top-blast
shot away by the caps, main-yard shot in pieces, lower masts
badly Wounded, lower rigging all cut to pieces, a small pro-
portion only of the foresail left to the fore yard, all the guns
on thesivarter-deck and forecastle disbled but two, and filled
with wreck, two also on the main-deck disabled, and several
shot between wind and water, a very great proportion of the
crew killed and wounded, and the enemy comparatively in
good order, who had now shot a-head, and was about to place
himself in a raking position, without being enabled to retina
the fire, being a perfect wreck, and unmanageable log; I
deemed it prudent, though a painful extremity, to surrender
his Majesty's ship ; nor was this dreadful alternative re-
sorted to till every hope of success was removed even be-
yond the reach of chance, nor till, I trust, their Lortishipt
will he aware, every effort had been made against the eneury
by ulyseg , my Wave officers and men; nor should she have