The National Register.
London, England, 1809-10-29 00:00:00

699

of uversprending the' shores of the Baltic, the Bosphores,
the Ocean, and the Natlt Pacific, with its mighty
branches; instead of beholding its scions sprout in Greece,
Asia Minor, sad Persia; instead of giving Kings to Po-
land, and laws to Denmark and Sweden; it will wither
tentless and lopped upon its native soil. It is impossible
to think of that infatuated and presumptuous government, .
without contempt and, indignation. An overweening con-
frdence in its own importance; as impotence of sight, feel-
ing', hearing, characterise its conduct, and issarL its helpless.
'defective policy. The Itnuian Nobility are the vainest,
the most riejudieed, and, consequently, the most ,isosant.
in BUrnpe. They ace still the same half-savages they *ere
in the tinie'of CZA*Prvest, in every thing that to to
real irstollectual improvement, and enlarged:pulley. Their
views are equally conflued; their-attachment, to their ens.
turns equally obstinate; and the only marked discrimina-.
tion between them, and their ancestors, is the difference or
hesirn. A man sickens in contemplating such a groupe of
beings. Sunk n the rudest pleissures, they fed only that
Mind, instinctive, gross attachment for their country,.
which is peculiar to the Esquimami, and Laplanders. But
they have no st:pie of that high, ennobling, affection,
whose oLject. is not the soil, but the honour and glory of
the sacred parent. Fran such men nothing Ilan beexpected.
unless Providence raises up another Fovea, or aiCATHAVINE:
French cooks,' mistresses, botfuons, !idlers, pimps, daecing
masters, valets, and actors, ors- so indispensible to the gra-
tifscation of 's Russian grandee, that he would feel less
pain at a decree n hick annexed his country to the empire
of BooNAPARTE, than at one which expelled from it these -
vermin. No change, founded upon reason, or iuggestekbr
1 policy, can take place in Russia. The sentiments of the
Court may vary; but this revolution, should it occur, must
be attributed to capriCe, or the !nye of novelty, peculiar t•
barbarians, and not to a sense of expediency.
We cannot help alluding upon this occasion to the vaunt-
ed gasconade addressed by BUONAPAUTZ to his Bavarian
vassal, at the beginning of the late contest. If we do not
forget, he then promised to reduce the territory of the
Emperor FRANCte within so small a compass, and to enlarge-
in a contrary proportion, that of his vassal, that the king-
dom of Bavariailsotild be able to eope alone with the Aus-
trian Empire. The tyrant,- it:appears, has not kept this
promise;

t

• •

Spain oilers a moat 'afflicting appearance in the preweet
crisis.—A sound, vigorous, active body ; with an unsouid
bead. The great mans of the people evince. .the .sant•
'pour and subbiui devotiOn.whicktbey displayed eighleen
months .ago ; but the Government is crazy, aud its re-
solves and measures betray the' et4tinessi of the source
they emanate from. Me must be lioweveri.how
we believe every aconnt'which is Miiiired,:a**( qt
,ir
Papers, relative_ to that cowitry. Extravagance, pailio-
lily, and misrepieientatine,*arit ihnOst every article .of
.intelligence relatingto the.,Ntitiulit.!. pat we may admit,
though with ionic canti*,Ailitbitie.'syitiptums 'of an itp.
proaehing convulsion hilreillii,ll"iipaiiiiited-in that devoled
country. Private rorteapOtaduce'exiitiemes 661y' the 01)4'
scrvatiens, or rather. the seutiuseats of w single ledividual.
-t •ao many orreapwastiss actetViii. *Ate variates-quair.

. $

•
ter. allude to the ferinentatiou generafly,pnevailingamong
the great. mass of the Spanish population, that we are
inclined to. believe that a great poliqat 146%10 in dies
executive is near at hand.
'loli'less inauspiciouk, or more settled jthicture,ave shoult
rigrei these appearance's; init.,' in the present desperate.
state of the Penithitila, some strong convulsion, bordering
on revolutionary niovenients, can alone reject the extra-
neous scum which corrodes its-surface. The voice, the di-,
'tine energy of freedom.can alone produte a degree of reac-
tion sufficiently-strong to counteract the concentrated sio-
lance of Be° NA PA RTE. We would rather see the Peninsula
a pray to the wildest anarchy. labouriug under . revoluti-
onary thiroes, thaa behold it manacled at the feet of a
loathsome tyrant, The breath of tyranny is pestiferous ;
it seizes the noblest parts,. and leaves behind an incurable
lethargy pf soul and body. We know not, in the mean
time, what our army are performing, where they arc 'ata-
timed, or whether they are preparing to, return to our
shores. Could we attach any credit to a number of ac-
counts we heard on thiisubject, we should be the first to
advise their immediate regal!, or gelid' them out on some
spice-island expedition. Lord 'WELLINGTON is an enter-
prising and experienced officer. The inaction of our troops
cannot, therefore, be imputed to him, unless the marshes
in the neighbourhood of Badajos have invorated the usual
vigour of his mind, or damped the glow of his ambition.
We are informed that our army has made a retrograde •
movement towards Lisbon, where Lord WELLINGTON
bad previously arrived, and where his Lordship was
to be installed President of the Regency, with al-
most all the powers formerly possessed by the Sove-
reigns of that country. We acknowledge we rejoice
at this intelligence. This extraordinary authority could
tot have devolved upon a more competent character, It
the preservation of Portugal be among practicable things, •
we know of nothing which could contribute to it more
efficaciously than this nomination. But we forget our-
selves ; we shall incur an imputation of Quixotism, should
we incline td such a train of specUlation. Pretentions to
political acumen and foresight, are now allowed only to ,
those who are too frigid to feel, too languid to know, the
influence of a generous sentiment. The hoarse croaking
of the crow was considered prophetic ; and our journal-
ists, in proportion to the harshness of their tones, pre-
tend to a similar distinction. Be that as it may, we
should not entertain a very exalted opinion of our feel-.
ings, however flattering it may be to our 'under-
derstandings, were we to anticipate, as Unavoidable, the
'speedy extiiiction of Spanish freedom. The contagion of
opinion is inconceivable. Twelve months ago, when
'VONAPA ATE approached the. Pyrenees, a general conviction
.was prevalent , then, that he would execute, within the
appointed time, his menace of planting his eagles on
the towers of Seville and Lisbon. Re did neither; but
'the tinpression was so strong, that .he would
.perform his
-threat; tivit the experience of his disappointment, the un-
abated efforts of the Spaniards, have not been able to
weaken its effect. Such is the..folly of human opinion !
such the instability of political reasoning. Arguments are
not founded upon fact, but passion and system.

l

New York Papers, were received during the course of
the, week. We have made some extracts, which refer to
3ir. JACKSON'S mission and, reception in that country.

P
• ••• , A •A.
TAE' .T 161.14.
4..4.1P • • 44, 4

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