The National Register.
London, England, 1813-05-09 00:00:00

SUNDAY, MAY 9, !Sl3.

No. 2SO.

POLITICAL DIS2U.LSITION.

MINISIERS AND 'THEIR OPPONENTS.

It is an old observation that, a bye stander can see more
of the game than a player," and it is in no small degree
amusing, to mark the pains which some of our contempora-
ries take, to prove it to be a true one. The wisdom, vigour,
and foresight of the out, is quite gratifying; but it must be I
generally felt that inasmuch as these qaalities so displayed, I
are honorable to the country, and calculated to raise it in the
estimation of the world ; it is desirable that these sages
should abstain from taking office, as Were they again to get
in, there is but too mucli reason to fear they would sink to
their former folly, inability, and blindness.
The present Ministers have been incessantly taunted as
weak and incapable, and it must be admitted that they have
not that self trumpotting skill, which distinguished the me-
morable adminiAration of 180(1. If they do not display that
dazaling constellation of talent, which was once seen at the ;
bead of our affairs, they have (or at least they give the
country) one advantage (and it is not a small one) civet.
some of these boastfully strong adMinistrations. They have
not that arrogance which has !mmetimes marked the conduct
of the government of this land, and which would not
permit them to suppose, that any thing on which they had
once resolved, could by.possibility be wrong. The present 1!
Ministers, when serious objections are raised to their plans,
do not disdain to re-cousider them. If inconveniences are
pointed out as likely to result from them, which did not
occur to them before, they have felt it their duty not to
turn deaf car to such ois ; but. have in more
than one instance aba.lcioned the designs they had formed,
or so modified them, as to obviate that which was a • subject
of complaint.
This conduct is characterised by opposition candour, as
!narked by weakness and indecision. From such a quarter it
could not be expected that a disposition to correct errors
should be overlooked ; but the nation at large must derive
from it much rational satisfaction. They must feel that
their voice was never more attended to than it is at present.
The administration of the day, often as it has been called
weak, is in truth uncommonly strong, for that Government
which, without compromising the interests, consults the
feelings of the nation, may boast the strength of its whole
pspulation as its support.
The best proof of the strength of the present administra-
tion is to be found in the feeble opposition given to their
most important measures by their avowed adversaries, and
in the peevish eagerness with which mere chadpws are caught
at to. arraign their general policy. A short time since The
Morning Chronicle stated the paLific overtures• of Denmark,
CCLXSX.

PRICE 9(1•

to have been rejected, in consequence of a previAus agree-
ment entered into by Ministers to assist the CROWN PRI KCE
of Sweden in subjugating Norway. The Aforning Chron;(...re
repeated its assertion as one which it was impossible to
answer, and in a few days its correctness was placed beyond
all doubt by the arrival of the Danish Ambasodor
lip to this period we bad been dolefully told of the awfal
consequences whirls might be anticipated, from that crooked
policy which went to dismember our natural friend Dennruk
(who was at war with us) to aggrandise t-wealen, our natural
enemy. (who was not only at peace, but in alliance, with us'.
These reflections were rather unpleasantly interrupted by
the arrival Of Count liceNsTortFF. It wan 3ainit"ea that a
hope might be ent'r'ained that all yet would be repaired,
but still a strong. impression was left that Ministe:s had done
too much to eeneiliate and gratify Sweden. ks.e, however,
are told by tlae Chronicle of Thursday last that " we are
now, at the beginnieg of lay, without an ally ; that there
is no such thing as a common cause against France, reelueei
by treaty into any detiti4te meanieg that we hey? lost an_
chance of engaging /`,.tistria to take lent with us; and that
we hese so bewildered ourselves With crass negoclationi, and
contradictory propceals, between Sweilen and D:.nerat.k,
as
to have disgusted the former, and pethans last her co-opera-
tion for some months, and (Liven the Leer; for her own de-
fence, absolutely into the arms of France:"
It will, perhaps, he news to some of •our reamers " that
there is no such thing as a common cause against ..11-atice."
We shrewdly suspect the Editor of The Mareing-Clieenicle
(Ulcers.. materially from the g;eat olject of his adelhation,
13e ON AP A RTEI on this point. It is also a pieced intelli-
gence communicated exclusive y by this Journal, that " we
have lost all chance of engaging A to trAe part with ua ;'
but surely those who are so eager in the puh.suit of knewleclee
as-to seek it in the columns of The Chrnuic.'e, will be Asto-
nished to find, af;er the recent language of that Print, that
we ha‘'e "disgusted" Szreclcal Why did not-the writer of the
article ‘vc have quoted, say how we have disgusted Hweden ?
Have we disensted her by pnrchasieg her. friend: ilp at too
high a price ? or leive we refused to pay that price which it
had been stipulated we should give ?. have we refused to sup-
port her in her clesigus on Denmark ? but this cannot be'
because We are told in the same sentence, that Denmark
has been driven for her orcii dc:l;,ncc, alemlutely into the
arms of France." What pity it is that this talent is nut at
the head of the diplomacy of the nation, for who so fit to
reconcile clashing interests and contradictory propoAtions, pis
the writer who gave this article to the lierniee Ch,nnic!c,
provided he can also reconcile the apparently iuconsistent
statements it contains, awl make that which W.' have quoted
any thing but a mass of incamprehensible alrurditv.
The asiumptien that Sweden is faithless., is founded os

THE N

the account that BERNADOTTE has re-embarked his' troops, '
and deserted the general cause of Europe. We wish but
to show the shifts to which the adversaries of Ministers
are driven when they attempt to prove them weak and in-
competent on such flimsy grounds as these. The king of
DENMARK, who has been ludiciously called " the most sen-
sible Monarch of all the old Governments," this sensible hero
prefers war with England to war with BUONAPARTE, and in
consequence sees his capital burnt, his fleet and stores taken•
He `refuses proferred peace, when he might yet have ob-
tained good terms and saved his country, and, when re-
duced to the greatest distress, he knows not how to continue
the war any longer, and feels_ himself unable to secure, even
with the friendship of Bpor:APART E, Zealand from the Eng.
lisp, and Norway from the Swedes ;—thus circumstanced,
this most sensible Monarch constrained to sue for peace,
insultingly proposes terms in the reign of G Eor,o E the
THIRD, which.could hardly have been listened to in that of
ETHELRED the SECOND. These are stated to be inadmissible
by the English Government, and this is frantically caught
at by their adversaries, as a proof of weakness and incapacity !
Such conduct becomes them and is worthy the men who
teem d'ooosed to taunt Ministers with not having sent a
battering train to demolish the Prussian fortresses in the
bands of the French, when BUONAPARTE was advancing to
Moscow.

FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE.