The National Register.
London, England, 1809-02-19 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTER.

P 25

midated by these appearances, immediately dispatched General
Vincent to discover the object of the meeting at Erfurt, and to
avert the impending storm. For the latter purpose he was
probably vested with authority by his deluded Cabinet, to
make concessions, and offer sureties f:sr keeping the peace. Un-
fortunate delusion ! Besotted governments ! The resistance of
the Spaniards, with its train of popular ideas and feelinzs, was
more momentous in his ()pillion, n I more formidable .to the
wary, plausible, designing, and intelligent tyrant, than a con-
federacy of all the Cabinets of the Continent. In order to
complete the last act of this eventful farce, he dispatch ed Messen-
gers of Peace to our Government ! But his object was now at-
tained, and the great slight of hand man having amused and
confounded for a time the spectators by his masterly dexterity,
did not even condescend to wait a-single day to see what effect
it might produce on our intelligent Ministers. They had also
the honour of being most egregiously entertained and duped !
Thus an unexpected respite was granted to Spain; and store
simpletons in this country ministerial and anti-ministerial, un-
able to account for the uncommon inactivity of Bonaparte, and
the mystery in which his designs were conce4led, solemnly as
sured he would not prosecute the war against the Spaniards;
hut would leave them to themselves, in order not to irritate
them with resistance; and then turn his whole strength against
the house of Austria. Ah ! the cunning rogues! It is a pity so
much discernment and judicious observation should have been
baffled by occurrences. Did our Ministers display the same pe-
netration ? Did these great and intelligent statesmen, by means
of their emissaries, or by intuition, discover the same import-
ant secret? Yes, they did; and in order to prevent JUNOT,
at least, from escaping across the Pyrenees, and to give Austria
some opinion of our vigour and friendship, detached Sir AR-
THUR WEL LESLEY to take that gentleman and his party pri-
soner,.; that they Height not also assist one day in overwhelming
Austria.

Extravagant as this idea may appear, we can acsign no oth r
reason fur the conduct our Government displayed during that

propitious interval. Instead of landing, as near as possible, to
the scene of action, a sufficient army to dislodge the enemy froto
the Ebro, instead of securing Pampeluna and Barcelona. and
thus oppose almost insurmountable obstacles to au invading ene-
my, they sent Sir ARTHUR, W I. EIL EY on- a wild goose chase
to Portugal, where he fell in, however, with a fox; awl, with a
modesty peculiar to trauscendant merit, instead of consulting
their own judgment on the most expedient means of carrying otr
the war with vigour and success, apply for information and ad-
vice to a Junta composed of ignorant, at least inexpeAenced„
men, residing in a remote corner of the Peninsula! Admirable
Politicians!—incomparable modesty ! How deplorable and
mortifying it is that so much virtue and genius should have been
so cruelly disappointed. These were partly the cause of the re..
vernes of the Spaniards. Want of plan awl fixed object on our
part, ignorance of the real res:nirces, character and numbers of
the enemy, a vacillating, puerile, contemptible policy, marked
' all their measures since the commencement of our alliance with
Spain; and nothing was performed, worthy of this country, her
army, her navy, and almost inexhatoible pecuniary resourtes.
The fortunes of Spain, of Great Britain, of the universe, were
confided to very weak and very incompetent haudit. The pro-
pitious opportunity tvas disregarded; and the cheering
shouts of freedom, wafted along the shores of the Atlantic and
so congenial to the feelings of Englishmen, were stifled and
deadened in the damp, unfeeling, unresponsive breasts of our
Ministers.

INTERCEPTED CORRESPOND-ENCE..

SARAGOSSA, Dt:c. 31.—Our Gazette of this day contains
copies of several letteri, fottml among di‘patches addressed to.
Boottparte, arid intercepted oa their way frost► Parit to his head—
quarters.