The National Register.
London, England, 1814-07-17 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL• REGISTER.

459

Among our extracts from the 'French Papers to the 14th
will be found an.important exposition (if the state of France,
submitted by the King's Ministers to Pailiament. It will be
seen on whata system of delusion, as well as oppression, the
financial schemes of Buonaparte were conducted.—Every
year furnished fallacious views, and while the expenditure
exceeded the receipts by nearly two-thirds, it was made to ap-
pear as if the expenccs of the year nr.ere met by the income
of the year. The result has been the anticipation of revenue
to an enormous amount. In nine years the expenditure ex-
ceeded the receipts 1,645,000,000 limes. In 1812 and is
the excess, independent of all arbitrary taxes, &c. amounted
to near forty millions sterling !!

But the waste of treasure is still qxceeded by the waste of
blood, and it should appear that since the opening of the
Russian campaign, 1,300,000 men have been levied, 630,000
of whom only remain ! Add the of what other countries
have sacrificed, and Lord Castlereagh's Treaty requires no
other more powerful culugium.

Vire are hitherto without any authentic particulars frorts
Spain, but no doubt remains that the ancient system, has
been restored, and will be acted upon so long as, the most
desrotic decrees are professedly received with enthosiasr.2 and
gratitude. But we are much mistaken if this state of thinns
will continue—or, if the yoke of a few Nobles u;ill he
always received as the voice of the people. Spain has had
a taste of something liko freedom—she has the principle of
many valuable alterations—and we shall be glad if such a de-
mon.,trat ion of public sentiment takes place, as may intimi-
date these tyrannical designs, anti lead the King to adopt a
more liberal and wiser policy.

In the mean tialltalarox, the intrepid dvfender of .Sara-
gossa, has been appointed Captain-General of the SpaniAl
armiQs ; but we can augur nothing from this, as men of the
eatest bravery have been occasionally found in the ranks of
Tyranny ; and, if"Ve recollect right, Buonaparte paid him
some t distirprt ished attentions, which were received with um-
..
neces,ary complacency. One stroke of the pen would satisfy
us more than a thousand swords, that should impart to the
linnymede of Spanish independence the principles of sound.
policy and constitutional freedom.

Since our last the Irish Prevention Bill has undergone fur.
ther discussion, and we differ much with some papers on the ar-
guments adduced by those who were for further inquiry ; the
more so, as Ministers candidly admitted that the clanger was
rather negative than abstlute, and we ai-e so invmcratelv at-
tached to the " Trial by Juty," that we are enemies to all
suspensions that may hereafter be brotOtt into precedents
dangerous to the liberty of the subject. For of r part, do
not understand the conduct of our ci-e!eoant Dish patrio:s :
the Giattans and the Ponsonl
.)vi are no lon:4er fc:t Lti our
system, and if we were to judge of the state of kcland from
their silence, we should —think it had indeed, and

were upon the evei of new convutsiow-in that

countey.

• I

that we
unhappy
•