The National Register.
London, England, 1808-10-30 00:00:00

POLITICAL DINGIgiTiOS:

NUMiiElt FORTY-TAREk.

ARRITAL OF FRENCH AND RUSSIAN
MESSENGERS.

As we have laid it down as a rule to ftirhiah our feadets
with a disquisition on some prominent feature in the po-
lities of the week, we know of none which excited mare
lively and extensive interest, than the arrival of French
end Russian Messengers, said to be the bearers of pacific
overtures to our government. As nothing has transpired
which miOt enable us td pronounce decidedly Cm the
nature or tendency of these proposals, we are placdd under
the necessity of recurring to conjecture; in order to make
up for the deficiency of positive information. 1-111tvever
the public, notwithstanding the silence of government;
appear to be unanimous in their opinion; that the dispatches
contained proposals for a negotiation = and as we !Ave not
been able to d'scover as yet.any justifiable pretext fot dis—
countenancing this belief, we intend taking it fur granted
that such was the object of their mission. Before We pro-
ceed to any discussion on the subject; we Cannot avoid
expressing our admiration at the facility and indifferetiCe
with which Bonaparte confers on us, one week, epithets
the most insulting and proposes friendship and recoil.:
ciliation in the next. lie has either a most sovereign con-
tempt for our feelings and understanding, or, speaking
with more propriety, for those of the states he curses with
filename of allies, when he imagines, by is farce of this kind
to justify his conduct in the judgment of mankind. This
is a most curious specimen of the effrontery and boundless
insolsnce of that extraordinary individual. We have ad-
Mirc:l on this, as on prior occasions of a similar nature,
the same atrocious consistency. 111 finds it expedient, per-
haps, to gratify the weak Alexander; who, we arc still in-
eir 'A to hone has not lost, by the intercourse, every
particle of honour and principle, to sinew an inclie;ltion to
re-establish the tranquility his ambition has incessantly
disturbed ; and; as if he were willing to remove e., cry
doubt of his sincerity; he exhacsted declamation and vim-.
hare, only a few days before he sent off his messengers of
pcace, to insult and irritate the very ;government lic effects
to conciliate. To judge from the first ostensible act after
his arrival at Erfurth, he set out from Paris for the pot-
pg.se of proposing, in concert with the Emperor of Russia,
t.r-nis et accommodation to this country ; and, a day or
two before his departure; he made an unprovoked decla-
ration to his army and E...!r01.e, that he considered no
p,.ace attainable, as long as F.ngland retained her inde-
pendence: if this was vet literally his lan(stias;e his
nientfin; was sufficiently obvious. We are fully sensible
that the honourable cause we are engaged in, is not bone,
fitted by exaggeration or falsehood, we, therefore, scrvpu-
lowdy refrain from imputing to that dangerous man any
other intentions than what he MS eoritantly dump:iced..
!lad he been serious et earnest its his propoitatt $ it it pro-
table that hd avoid reader their fteeeptance inadmitsible4
NV;
,XL triar rut; le

is a most eurions spec
insolnce of that exti
Mire:l on this, as on
the same atrocious co
baps, to gratify the s
hr 'A to hope has
particle of honour an
ri-estabillii the tran
disturbed; and, as if
doubt of his sincerity
!core, only a few da3
pcace, to insult and
to conciliate. To
.41
his arrival at Erfurtli
pf.se of proposing, in
tr-ms et accommodi
two before his depart
ration to his army a
peace attainable, as
perience. if this '
niennin; was sufficiei
that the honourable
fitted by exaggeratiot
lously refrain from
ether intentions thal
Had he been serious
table that hd svould
No: X. L. ri-‘1'01: