The National Register.
London, England, 1808-11-27 00:00:00

NoV. 27.

.re this extraordinary mpg fey clesPgdehq In Tumours
which the ingenuity of sotte,•the Maleviident curiosity of
others, mid the credulity of all, have greatly eitaggerated.
That BLAISE's arMy, ' far. inferior in mimbers; discipline,
of service, and in the requisites for carrying on
elfmsive operations, should have yielded •to ie fire im-
Cluous shock of Nov's army
Would have betrayed a total
Vieuorauce of the vast resources of the invader, not to anti-
cipate. But ourmin s we re made •up for these first reverses;
aeause re, know, from an attentive observation of tbein-
-.Aces • character, talents, impetuosity, and Witiatio7l,
not he would have collected all the ree.eurces he had at his
disposal, in order to insure snecess•at.the coMmenternent
a campaie,n he has opened himself. For bad he been dis-
cenititted iu the first operationS; not only would the fate
of Spaiii cease' to be precarious ; but according to human
clilculation, the French • army would not be able to main-
tain a footing, for six weeks, to the south of the Pyrenees:
wilat2ver opinion we entertain of the. tyrant's principles
and feelings; he- has given urno Caust to form a contemp-
tible opinion of his understanding, prudence, and fore Sight.
Row is it possible then that arty man of Only 'ordinary cern-
irehension, should have been inconsiderate enough to sup-
pose, that Boivispinrs, after the prodigious success h..s has
had, after the • exploits be has performed, and the con-
quests he has achieved, purchased, it is true, with great
flames, but ilkewise, with talents of the first order, should
impievident, so insensible. to the consequences, as to
neglect the first •impressioti ; as not to s'eture sUcCess at
least, in the onset. The men, who judge that dangerous
individual in this manner, arc grossly mistaken ; and their
conjectures deserve very little weight or consideration• in
the scale of po;itical calculation. It is euriousto attend to
reasonings on-tilis subject, if one *had *patience enough to
folio's• therm up the first place our. political reasouers
unanimously acknowledge that liosiArAwre is a soldier and
‘tatesillae of the first-rate abilities ;' and Oat the most
prominent features in his character ace prudence and
promptitude. After having estahlished these premises, they
then, draw the very extravagant cosietusion, that his first
operations in Spain must betray imbecillity, 'negligence,
and incapacity ; for how could they otherwise be guilty of
the absurdity as to imagine that with the immense accession
he brought with hinvto reinforce tho armies he had already
in that country, he should not:succeed- against the Patriots
in the first instance. Hither BONAPARTE must be the
greatest driveller, or the most consummate blockhead that.
ever intrigue or mismanagement placed at the head of an
army (and this concession these ilentlemen are unwilling
to make),—or the Spaniards must be more than men ;
and, whatever high opinion we entertain of the gallantry,
patriotism, and magnanimity of that distinguished coin-
teinity,• we are not so bewitched iu their favour as to eon-
side: them in the light of Demigods.• They have done much,
lkowever--the generous penple ! and more than the most
enlightuicd and ardent admirers of their cause could have
ventured anticipate
; and considerably more than their
new advocates,
who are so easily disconcerted at the first re-
verse, had tbe.courage, or the sanguine disposition to' etc
pent. We bevsech them, however, to tranquillise themselves;
fur the *Anse .in which the Spaniards are engaged, were it