The National Register.
London, England, 1809-06-11 00:00:00

:37s

is pit ly obscure, and studiously concise, seem to brio
been as I( flow
The agent garde of the French army, commanded 1))
BONAPARTE in person, and with alibis best Generals, eros-
the Danube on the night of the 20th, and on the 21st
established themselves in a position. On the same day the
Austrian army attacked them in their position, and a ge-
neral battle took place. The battle lasted all the day, and
according to the French Bulletin, in the evening the French
remained masters of the field. The battle, however, is ac-
knowledged to have been very severe, and two French Ge-
nerals are mentioned as having been killed at the head of
their troops.

In this twntier, accortihy; to the French Bulletin, passed
th; day of the 21st, the French retaining- their position,
and the Austrians retaining- theirs. On the followin;,
miming, intelligence is said to have been suddenly brought
to Bovse.tnxv, that the Brit4ze over the Danube was bro-
ken down, and that h't front and rear, with all his re-
nt-lining ammunition were separated. This cl'..v-orerv.
'' :11:n tinfors..-en event, this shocking accident," threw :he
French into confusion. The enemy soon perceived it,
arkil inimedi•ttely commenced a most tremendous at-
lacl; wi:h two hundred cannon. In this attack, according
to the 'French Bulletin, the enemy failetl,--and the result
that [he French a2;aiti or the 22d remained masters of.
the field. 'rite Ins: on this day is stated to have been very
cousitlerahle intlced..--lhe Bulletin acknorded;fes 11.000
killed and 2000 womided. We have no doubt frotn
number nf Generals, slated to have hecn killed and wound-
el, anion whom ir, Marshal I. %sip: es, that the real 1053 of
Freurh exceeds five times this a!mount. On the 23f1
rather as it It mild seem on the night of the 22d, the,
FiTnclt army took up a rasitiun, that is to say, retreated
t,) an Island of the Danube, sertrated only by a small
stream from the left (tank. In his retreat he was confessed.
It played upon by .10,00 pieces of cantle:land 40,000 muskets,
tit:lt from a sepa..:ttion from his own ammunition he
could 1-.)t reply. The slaughter upon this occasion muse
have h-en inost pro,li;4inis, whilst the Austrians in com-
parative security could have sta.-rc..-tl nothing.

Such is the French narrative of this affair, from which
the inference is direct and oc;:e3sary,—that " fioin the
fortunate breaking down of the bridges, and the consequent
1/Cii:HatiOil of the rsoNT ,fad REAR of bis 'army, together
with 'ais aminunition, the .Austrians have obinned ;A mos!
advanta4e, and executed a slaughter and havee in
the zuost probably crippled it hoer
nay future important operations.
;e see m r,-.:740.1 to question any or the French state-
ni.!nts, except where they evllentty diminish or dis,“Lise.
The accaleut of the bridge is natural, and mentioned in na-
tural term:.

There is here one mall) question upon which all reason-
ing must be fo:indtd—What has been the decree of the
Fi-ench loss? ['or as to the fact of their compnrz:tive su-
periority of loss, it is elta'Aihed beyond ail possibility of
doubt by the aiAlowledgments of Ch. shocking acci-
deA," and of the trench army being &aye,' upon by 200
pieces of cannon, aud 19,009 muskets, to which it could
not reply. The fict, therefore, of the 64 defeat of tip.
Trenc,)," (no twitter how cilected, wht2ther fortunately or
otherwise) being established, the inaia question is, what
hns the etz-:...e of their loss ?

~TUN t If.

The French Bulletin acknowledg,s most expressly and
directly to a very serious loss, and in the incidental mention
of the Generals killed and wounded, necessarily implies
that the loss has been still greater than is acknowledged.
Int accorditig to the Bulletin there is one circumstance of
importance ; the French are still in po.ssession of an island
on the left bank, separated only by a small stream from
the bsnk, and the French arc unmolested. It would seem,
therefore, from this, indeed it almost necessarily follows,
that though the French had suflerA very materially, still
that they were not wholly overthrown ; that. they Ns ere
still strong enough to maintain their position, am) to
repel the Austrians. We think it necessary to obsor% e this,
that the public may not build too much even upon this most
undoubted and most considerable victory. It will he a most
advantageous circumstance if the French shall so have suf.
"red as to humble the excessive pride of NAPOLEON, and to
Bieck him in that career of conquest which menaces to
Jlerthrow every k iugdom in Europe.—lt will be a most
unhoped for advantage, if this success of the Austrians
4110nld animate the Patriots in Spam, and produce its
expected effects on the German Confederates.--The hest
ort of success is the effect which it has upon the minds of
teen.----The wisest of us are but too touch the slaves or
..(mtutte. The Austrian cause has long stood in need of
I,onesevcess to re-animate the almost extinguished hopes
lifthe soldiers and peasantry. If the current superstitious
that BONAPARTE: is invincible, could once he re-
moved, we should have no apprehension of ultimate
success.

In another part of our Paper will be found the Austrian
an!;din in full, giving a detailed account of the most
portant Victory which the Austrians have obtained in the
whole course ot. the wau. If their we7e any pre% ions doubt
of the actual eNient of this video', it must ItOW The
Austrian Bulletin is as cic-zr a narrative as the French,
' Indeed it is almost extraordinary that the two accounts
should so nearly resemble each other. The cause of this
resemblance must be sought in the nature of the victory :
it was so important, and attended with such substantial
consequences, that the victorious party had no motive for
exaggeration, and the vanquished had it not in their power
to disguise their loss. The success on the one side was coma
ple'e, and the loss on the other side too visible for con-
cealment. The French, therefore, were compelled to ac-
:snow ledge ; and the Austrians, in the plenitude of their
actual sneces,i, had no room for invention, It will be scea
in the Austrian account, that the narrative inhslantially
the same with that contained in. the French Bulletin. Both
accounts represent the French as having crossed the Da•
nuke without molestation on the 19th ainl 20. h, and luo.
.ng marched to the attack of the Austrians on the morn-
111'rb of the 21st. Both accounts concur in Ma ~lin that Ile
•
!ImpecorNAPointox endeavoured to penetrate the Austrian
centre in the attack of that and it may he intermit,
from both accounts, that he most completely tailed in this
eifort. If he bad penetrated the centre, the Austrians
%you'd net have been able to make head against him on the
following day. This is an important fact, and a most im-
portant inference, On the other hand, however, it must
1)l confessed that the Austrian account, in this part of the
narrative, has likewise some air of exageration. If the
French were driven up into a corner of the Danube, he
could not have renewed the battle in the manner described

IL

379

JUNE
as havipi
of fact It
complete
their pus
Tice e;
both siet4
point of
other.
'immense