The National Register.
London, England, 1811-08-04 00:00:00

SUNDAY, AUGUST 4,

POLITICAL. DISQUISITION.

No. 174.

RUSSIA A %I. FRANCE.

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Rumours of war conimue to assail us from the

north of Europe, and begin to aFsume a more cre-
ditab'e shape. Yet it becomes evident, what we
anticipated many weeks ago, that should the long

threatened storm at last burst out into actual hos-
tilities, Russia will have but reluctantly engaged
into a new contest, the issue of which, whilst she
attempts to regain the independence she has lost,
must prove decisive of her national existence. In-
formation which, we are told, may be considered as
nearly official, has been very lately received from St.
Petersburg. It states that Russia has " 7ZO tvish to
renew the contest if she can maintain her independence
tvithout it, and that the intentions of the Emperor
ALEXANDER are certainly to act upon the difensive
only:" For that purpose he is represented to.have
formed three lines of troops extending from Riga
along the banks of the Dwina, and consisting of
one hundred thousand men each. Conscious of
the total inability of his neighbour, the- Icing of
PRUSSIA, whose territories he contributed to spoil
and reduce, after vainly defending them, at the
peace of Tilsit, he is said to expect no assistance from
that quarter: and as "the free commerce of his domi-
nions is one of the first objects for which he is con-
tending, he naturally feels kindly disposed towards
the only State with which he can enter into any com-
mercial relations, but is positively understood to
want no money from England. For Russia seeks
to stand by her own strength ; expecting, certairly,
to profit by the war in the Peninsula ; but calling
for no foreign supplies of men or money, to enable
her to support the conflict in her otwr dominions, if
there she be at last ob.riged to support it." Now
what is all this, if, as we are assured, it be a faith-
ful portraiture of ALEXANDER'S intentions, hut a
weak and timotous attempt at bullying a dreaded
and encroaching neighbour into forbearance ? That
Russia has the most just grounds for war, no one
can pretend to deny; that she ought to have declared
it long ago, before the union between Austria and

France had grown so intimate, we have frequently
expressed our firm opinion ; but that her tardiness

the present occasion proves that she possesses
little confidence in her own effective means,
but much on their. exaggera,ion. Her object,
as it is openly acknowledged, is to regain the
liberty of trading with whom, and as, she i.leases ;
and she thinks shat after years of abject subser-
viency, the show of reviving spirit will obtain for
her that boon, which her servility and negotiations
have failed to secure. Unlike a truly independent
Power, she does not at once proclaim the injuries
she has received, and demand satisfaction, or
threaten vengeance : She rests satisfied with an
armed neutrality, which she calls war ! For what,
in fact, is ds:fiwsive hostility, but an armed neu-
trality? Can that nation Isv deemed a Belligerent,
which, in order to obtain the full enjoyment of her
own rights, sends word to a distant Usurper, that
she has collected a large army, and unless he grants
the objects of her request, will keep that army quiet
'within her c,tun boi dens, without committing the least
offensivestxespass on the territory of his Allies, or
moving a single slvi'sion towards his own : adding,
at the same time, that she will accept no assistance
either in men or money from a Power, with whom
her unjust oppressor is at war, and that she will
only fight if she is attacked, and has no other
course left to her choice ? Such a declaration, al-
ways supposing that the intelligence laid before the
public by one of our most eminent morning prints
is true, far from amounting to a declaration of war,
may rather be viewed as opening several doors to
conciliation. Its terms are too guarded not to be-
tray, with a wish of appearing spirited, soMe fear
of offending. The very assertion that ALEXANDER.
will not accept any assistance in men or • !looney
from England, an assertion, which, should hostili-
ties really break out between the two empires,
would soon prove to have been totally unfounded,
seems intended to disarm the suspicions which NA-
roteoN may entertain, of a scci et coalition between
us and Russia ; suspicions which may have long
existed, and which Russia may think the ss}le
bar to the complete accommodation of her
differences with France. We ought not, there-
fore, to rely too confidently on fhe secret as-
surances which ALEXANDER may transmit to this
The termination of the Prussian war has

coun

- . .
has not removed success beyond her reach we can • sued his faithlessness to his Allies, and cast a stain
only venture to hope. Indeed, her conduc •. I. Ailif 1 onour and integrity which his subsequent
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