The National Register.
London, England, 1813-05-23 00:00:00

TUE NATIONAL REGISTER.

409

Y

pose an unprincipled man should be a Member, whose ora-
tory has generally the effect on the House, produced by
the eloquence of Mr. CREEVEY. When this Member rose,
supposing eighty Members to be present, is it net reasonable
to imagine fifty of them would think this a favourable oppor-
tunity fur getting dinner. Of the remaining thirty, it may
fairly be concluded, that fifteen would soon be adeep. The
fifteen left it can hardly be supposed, would all be attentive.
If then we take the greater part of them, that is, if we take
eight of the fifteen, to have so littleto occupy their thoughts,
as to listen to the speaker, shall we not pay him as great a
compliment as, without gross flattery, could he paid Com
any quarter? But, if the sad Member should give notice of
a motion most important to the privileges of the House, a
tolerably full attendance, say two hunched, might Le expect-
ed, to bear what it was about. if it should then come out,
that he bad been prosecuted for a libel, which be declared to
have been uttered by him in hia, place, on the day when
eight persons attended to bim, who is to contradict him or
disprove the fact ? Those who listened to him, and who
heard what lie really said, will admit that something might
have fallen from him, which escaped them, and those who
did not at tend him, will take it for granted, that his state-
ment is correct. It is hardly to be expected that the eight
listeners will all pia! itively deny it, and if they should, their
evidence will be lost, from the diffidence which the other
twenty-two must have, while speaking on the subject. Here,
. then, it is clear, that if the principle contended for by Mr.
CREEVEY be admitted, a bad man will be able to grat;fy the
malevolence of his disposition with impunity.
We are very far from thinking Mr. CREEVEY would, for
any earthly consideration act in the manner above described
We have merely supposed a possible case. Having stated
this, we think it unnecessary to say more. We therefore
quit the subject; but may probably return to it, when we
see what course is taken by the Honourable Gentleman. At
present we know not what proposition he has it in contem-
plation to submit to the House, but, from the sound discre-
tion, wisdom and constitutional knowledge, which generally
mark his conduct, we suppose he will move that the Jurors
who tried, and that the Judges who presided at the trial, and
who passed sentence on him, be all committed to New-
gate. We, however, beg to submit to him, whether it
would not he better to move for leave to bring in a Bill, " to
exempt from the punishment of the law, those who make
laws which they expect others to obey."

FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE.

HAMBURGH PAPERS.

PARTICULARS OF THE BATTLE BEFORE HAMBURGH
ON THE 9TH OF MAY.

Marshal Davonst had, on the 9th of May, drawn a part of his
troops, which had till then been statifaled along the Elbe, from Lune-
. burg to the month of that river, and concentrated about .5500 men
on a line from Hamburg to the Custom Store house. With this f4ec.
at one o'clock in the night of the 9th, he made an-attack on the is-
land of Willielmsbnrg, and on Oclisenwarder. He had left about
1500 men at litaburg. We had on our side 1100 men, infantry, at'
Wilhelm,,lat:g. and 600 at Och'euwarder.
The Litt'My) who took advantage of the ebb-title for landing, cross-
ed the river in mass at several points, under a smart fire from all
bis batteries : he pushed our advanced posts, and caused them to fall
back, and gradually gained sonic Oolitic!: ut nu sooner had the ad-
vanced posts and the smaller detlehments joined the reserves in
their rear, than the enemy was attacked, and a brisk fire of musketry
commenced 't all points. A battalion of Meckleriblirghers was now
sent to -the support of Willielmsburg, and a regitnent of Hanoverians
midi a battalion of Lubeekers, advanced from Ileigedore and the
Custom Stores against Oehsenwarder, and the enema.'.. right flank.
hiihiL
The enemy could not long withstand this new and impetuous at-

MA .Y 93.

. •
tdck hi grudiii iziet e A.‘ „y eit.a3 _us retreat by
burning some bowel: and Oi.r.l;•:iip piir‘uPii him elosely..ariti
made sultry pri mier-. enemy then re.* moarke4l. under pro-
tection of his omicrons ()Arteries on die oleo shore. His loss

amounts to about Son limn iu kiiieti. vonnoit mill prisoners; on
our hide the lose iy idiom t5O 4110111 Ai I' I 1 dicers..

HALLE, MAI 4.—We have had it di eadfol day: on the tt6th of
A. 61 it was repw t ta st a Frew e..t tiros .ipirctiele. ing our city,
Mid thaeatentsd it with an attack.

In the mean tine the i'russiee. General Von Kir ist arrived with the
Russian and Prussiim troops under his coon', and ureon to make
:he nect•sary preparatioe, fur decree: . The pastes of the Skittle
ere oecupied, and, on the west side ot the loAn esp. cialiv utfore
the Schifferthure, entrenchments. bre& t- eoev nix &e.
:ere placed, and cannon planted. This work w.e, rot vow eiy
completed. w!.en, ou the of April in the :kilt --ll' on, il,e Fienelt
:roops were ,eon rapidly ad.elneing. At flat e ilegnu
.lie attack with 'm levees of canuoil on of e tem.: Mel/ e• then
be only defrnded with live. At length, Iv.. eve , t.olu mot e were
brought up but the French h:W still he a Set ..t svpilioriry of
artillery, though the coolness NWl;11 %Weil Oileb was Wi Veil •by our
brave di tender., dismounted and rr ntered ;ageless seveial of their
pieces.. The French could penetrate at no point, but felt bet ,re
:oar well-theeted tire in great numbers. The sharpshooter,. endea-
voured to gain the left bank o; tie Saute, and their at tiller) to dis-
mount cur pieces, but they could not succeed in either of these
attempts. At le:10th, a vigorous attack was made with two Has-
Sian and four Prie•si.in pieces of fhisig a:tinery, me the left
flank of the eneiry, behind (Ilimmriss, greatly conduced to the
-nceessful decision ot this contest. The battle lasted till rii.tht in
the evening. The loss on our side was very smati, considering ti e
itryorta ,t consequences; but teat of the enemy inn-t have been
very cousideraule, since he was so long t sposen to out tire, artt at
lengiltooligt ti to obandon the adv4otages he seemed to bay: eioned.
On the t. 911, every thing was quiet here : the French retreated
to tit it tio suer position.
About tin ee in the morning of the Stith of April, we heard a great
trampling ot horses and noise of carriages. and af:er‘v ards we loud
that the Russian and Prussian troops had left the town had taken
the road to Leipsic.
It wa, now reported. that the French were :As:sump to corer
the town on the west side. 'this accordingly took 'niter ; and about
eight o'clock they came over the long bridge of fie Soak., gut over
the paliiiades, and entered the town. At this time. it was said,
that mote divi-ions were coming, and that, probaoly, toe Emperor
Napoleon himself wound arrive ia the evening. Howevero. more
troops ; those who were here remain(' quiet, observed
good discipline, and Saturday (the Ist of May) passed vt ithout any
disturbance ; only a heavy and incessan caution:ole w.;, heard,
during the whole afternoon, from the swath, in the vicinity of
Durenberg.
The night preceding Sunday (the 2.1 of May) aho passed quiet-
ly, and in the anorniul it was said that the troops would tiepa.t in
the afternoon, am! march for Lettish: In the mean time entrench-
ments were thrown up, mid planted on the noith-side of the
town, the gates were shut, and every preparation male for de-
► fence.

About eight o'clock some num( melds wt re observed among the
French troops, and the thunder alt C[lll.lllll MO. ancouneed the 'be-
glutting of a battle. His Ewefleecy Geretai lialow ary..ett un-
expectedly in the town with his co, v., ald te French were stir-
ot•ibed, though not wittily imexpecteally, as it appeated, yet notch
boolier than they thought they should sit.
A satigninary batt!e now bugan ; first in front of the gates, called
the Galgthor, the Steitith .a, the•Newntarklior, etc.
lit foie the Galgtlior was a French half battery of three pieces
of cannon and a howitzer. The battle had scaicely lasted half an
hour, when he saw one of these cautious cotiveyed from the Galg-
thor, through the town to the market-place, and spoil atter under-
, stood, that the two other pieces of Ciiillolll. anti the howitzer had
• been taken by the Prussians. Tile Fri .c:, before the Gulgthor
retreated into the town, and through toe street cl.iled Ga!gstiasse
to the Markt t-place. Tile Prussian cktvr.iry and sino'p-siteeters
rushed in after them, under a constant e, throng!: the streets.
The contest thus continued to the gre.ii blanket-place. anti *in•tigh
the French several times endeavoured to make a stand, they were
evei.y where driven back.
In ail the streets of this quarter of the town, and particulaily in
the great Marketplace, the tiriug was incessant.
A like sanguinary contest took place at the gates calied tie
Steinthor, the Newmarkthor, and the Geistho..• The PruSsions
rushed in every where ; climbed over walls, leaped ditches, made