The National Register.
London, England, 1808-06-27 00:00:00

404

menaced by an expedition &Wady on its way, thus rendered
fruitless, and which, on its returning voyage, capturing many
considerable prizes, braved' ll storms, and exercised the crews
during a difficult voyage of three months—if all these advantages
have been gained, they mit be partly ascribed to the incorpora-
tion of Genoa, which numbers many of her sons among the good
seamen of that squadron.
" The Sons of the Arno are invited to the glory, his Majesty
having decreed that Spezzia shall be a military port ; the docks,
the works of the arsenal, and the forts, both on the sea and land
side, are already marked out, and before the end of the present
year, six ships of two or three decks shall be put upon the
stocks.
" It would not be proper to establish such considerable
works at the extremities of the empire, if a foreign power were
placed at the very gates of that arsenal. Spezzia shall become
a second Toulon in the Mediterranean; on the whole coast
there abound iron, timber, provisions, and useful hands s the
provisions, the iron, and the men surrendered up, must become
French. France and the continent, which are desirous of re-
storing the balance of power on the ocean, have the self-same
interest in the prosperity of the new maritime department of
Spezzia. The incorporation of Tuscany is a necessary conse-
quence of that grand plan.
" This union is also the interest of Tuscany, which, under
the sway of its little poinces, was governed without system,
without vigour, and was perpetually infested by the Barbary
powers. Men can now no longer be governed in a capricious
and fantastic manner. There must be a certain rule, the Go-
vernment of the law, protected by a Prince sufficiently great
and elevated above the passions of men, and inflexible, as the
law is necessary for this purpose. The time indeed is passed,
in which it was believed that people were made for kings, not
kings for people. Lands, pastures, and forests may become pro-
perty, but no person can possess a kingdom as if it were a
farm. These disastrous consequences can no longer take place
in great states. It is in vain then that objections arc made to
the great extension of the empire ; the communication by land,
now that neither Alps or P.iipenines oppose it, is as easy from
Leghorn to Paris, as from Paris to Nice. It has been the po-
licy of European states to subdue the most distant countries, in
order to obtain new commercial and maritime resources : why
then should we neglect those resources and acquisitions Iv licit
are so valuable to us ? The territory of the Mcdicis, the coun-
try of the sciences and the arts, must form au immediate part of
the French empire.
" The dukedom of Urbino, Camerino, and the mark of
Ancona, lying on the coast of the Adriatic, fall ,inder the influ-
ence of Venice, and must necessarily be united with the kingdom
of Italy. This is also accomplished, and the considerable works
in the port of Ancona will afford the opportunity of fitting out
there ten sail of the line, to secure the ft eedotn of the Adriatic
sea, of which Ancona shall be the harbour, and Venice the
naval arsenal. Before the end of this year five sail of the line
shall be lying in the roads of Ancona, in that dangerous sea,
which to the English presents only hostile shores, and where
they will he obliged to maintain six ships of the line, if they
attempt to counter-balance our power. No, the war shad not
be eternal, in spite of the blind fury which cherishes that in-
human and senseless principle in the cabinet of London. Every
where French squadrons are forming, find our naval power in
the Scheldt is already considerable. In a few days there will
be in the roads of Flushing and Antis erp a fleet of SO sail of
the line : that on the coast of Brittany svill be still stronger.
Besides that, we have the allied Russian squadron at Lisbon,
where there are already a division of several new ships of the
line in the best state, which the rapid advance of the army under
General Junot placed in our hands.
" The events in Spain have converted a declining and badly
conducted monarchy into a constitutional and energetic govern-
ment; the dock-yards at Cadiz, Ferrol, and Carthage= have
felt this already. Toulon, Spezzia, Venice, all the resources
forthcoming from Holland, Spain, and Italy, arc in operation;
we must have ships, and these last named countries have no de-
fciency either of iron or of timber and hemp, for building or
rigging them.
" A decree has been issued from the Emperor for the incor-
poration of Tuscany, on the principle of the necessity for corn-
plating the system of the great empire, nod for rendering the
naval administration of France harmonious throughout all the
members of the great confederacy. Without the incorporation
for Tuscany, there could be ao immediate communication with
araples, and our relations could not be maintained with her, but
toilet tht itcdiwa of states oubsiitin under ober govvrnmcou,

JUNE 27.

from which it might be feared that the guidance and influence
might be lost, which must be exercised towards such states, to
place the coasts and sailors in a state of opposition to the com-
mon enemy."
(Then follows the Decree of the Senate, passed in conse-
quence of this exposition.]