The National Register.
London, England, 1812-11-01 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTER:

676

01110111COMMIIIar ablyin-comp the most 'ladle of any in those climes. The more
n ••• . distriets consist almost uniformly of. taSi MArshes, impe-
net ebe...ferests, and sandy ;steins. The duration and excessive rigour
of the winters condemn this portion, of the Russi.an States to nearly
absolwe stirility. In the more sr uthern proeleces, on the other
hai'd• we find steppes or boundless deserts. whose gravelly soil
impicgeated with salt, and tetallY.desritute of wood and water. Ti•e
p •.f Moscow and its adjoimeg Goeernments, situated lye e.
cut
.
three extremes, produce in such ant:lel:tee all the necessaries of life,
ilia :role that large city, as a sort of general entretior, they were
sptead oece all whole surface of the enteire. A siegle glance at
the etap will les sufficient to stew, that front Moscow issue all the
great reads of Rassia. We rely distinguish nine wincipal ones, ei-
vv-ging in all directions ; aod their numerous ramifieations establish
an eesy attercourse between t his central point :eel the extremities,
wiech hence receive.!nett!). all their stbsistence and the materials
fey their industry, In exchange for the partial supplies with %ilk):
they furnished it.
hot to St. Petersburgh, above every other city, is a constant com.
muritettioe will the ancient capital necessary for the supply of its
incessantly retutning wants. I.ct us again cast our eee upon the map,
and we shall see that only tour great reads issue from the city of Peter
the First. Two of them ascend towards the north: comely, towares
the marshes of. Finlarcl, or the steril and froecn goverements
rf
Olonetz Arehengel. A third Toed leads by Riga to Prussia and
Polsn ' ; it is imercepeed by a French corps. There 'vilins a fetal h,
the only n > :ions Ot communication between the two cap hats ; anti it
'sin like magner cut oft' by the Grand Army hself ! What means,
then ere left to St. Petersbergh of renewing its supplies of prnvi-
se -, e.• hits, iesulated as it now is from Moscow, it has lost all its
to earc t:ons with the provinces whit h supplied it with subsistence ?
By sea ? But is not the Baltic shut by the ice for eight motelts in
the year ? The first of these rigorous months has eommeeced. That
proud city, which still re-echoes with empty menacts againe: our ar-
mies, and the chauntirg of imaginary victories, must, at once, cx-
eerience a failure of all her resources. will awake to a terrible
cestainty ; her frighteeed inhabitants will doubtless calculate, that
the belt ks of the Nava are 60 leagues nearer the head-qcarters of the
ceequeror. than the banks of the Niemen from Moscow *.
Hut is it Petssia alone that has to lament the deplorable fruits of
her folly ? Will not the intiduous ally who sedirced her, also sutler
teem the errors which that Power has commbted ? While Russia is
thus stitte..l: to the core, we corm ot doubt that the shock must Ire felt
in Lsndon. The Englishman will sulks in what is deereet to him—
•iii• euercantilei speculations, and his gold.:
But the It nssiees, in aiming so cruel a blow themselves, in !estrev-
. ing the very focus of their commerce, and throwing beck, for more
than a century, the still imperfect work of their civiliz ition,—have
. they' re tetene us some ranch of that may balance their own enormoes
tosses ? have they acted like the wounded soldier, who courageously
sacrifices a valuable limb to save the rest of the body ? Have they
prepared our certain ruin, and purchased at the expense of their ant lent
capital the saesty are! the honour of their empire ? Ne : they have use-
lessly ruined one r.t l'es. finest cities in the world; they have, without
:try advaerage to their cause. treated their own country with more
barbarity than Attila ever displayed against an enemy who had pro-
voked his fury. White inflecting a mortal wetted on their country,
they have done us Litt: or no harm. A few observations will be sufli-
eieet to prove this double t: nth.
"Uhree font ths of Moseew are in ashes. Doubtless we must deplore
this frightful calamity, the etket of barbarism whitest% ceatni,le ; but
. this misfortune falls entirely upon our enemies, and cannot end: nger
the existence of our legions, as sonic persons, adopting an opinien to
tally destitute of tourelaticti, might tor a moment believe. Supeose
• Fuels burnt, could the army, which occupied the Beauce, the tor.
le:mais, and Picardy, in short, tic provinces from which it derives
eubsistenee,—could this army Went urovi-ions ?—Certsinly ere
Very sell, •us position is exactly similar to tile case we liaie ;env
put . But there is one essential remark, which modifies the .compa-
rison to our advantage : almost all touts of France are rielt and well
peopled, consequently two hostile armies could there find aburdant
resources. The same cannot he said of Russia. Theeeterel testa ter s
of that vast empire alone presents the advantages of fertility ; the ri-
m:tinder is comparstively a desert-, as unproductive' of men as of the
r. esti, of sehsisteece. Our el:loci:cc into Moscow, and the position el
t'le eoeeiy, driven from all his internal provinces, sufficiently tell how
.ve &lave to tear from the threats, coutaieed in his ridulous pro_
elenietions, of reducing us to the most severe privations. Far hum
belles ourselves exposed to them, we are oven likely to famish St. Pe-
tetsburgii this whiter ; and our army, interpos tetWeCn the enemy
and his tyro cepitels, alrc:.dy closes the channel of all those supplies
which are indispensably necessary for its support. But while, :Amidst
resources of ev.ry kind, our soldiers enjoy repose from their fetigues
• From Moscow to St. Petersbuqh there arc 25 post-stations, of
which the principal are Jilin, Tver, Torjeck, Novogoted, &c. The
tbtal distance is 698 versts, or 202 leagues, conutine 25 to a degree.
Eneiish companies and English warehouses were established in
Moscow fur the ergnmerve of the Carpi: n, which is extremely va.
Pious and productive. The hemp, flax, sail-cloth, kc. which
land obtained from Russia, were brought frosu tille central prtnincue
.possesinn of our army.

••

NOV. 1.

in Moscow, partialio s.,vetl by their cocrage, the Ructions, think; to
the skilful nun muvrcs of their Generals, will witt.t evety thi. g ;;;
their owl) country. 'fl: enemy is fiyiug to C:IS:111,
St. Peter:.bllt;:!l. ai.d [1.1.) from Nioacow : the hitter city :h ,u;.?
beat the bt:!w.trk of the einrite, the rampart of hic 4tl:lV,
f.f his notes, the cct.t re (I his continuo:sea' ioNc, am! the Lt.it+nry cl hi;
suhsisten:e ; and i:i it our army, tnAtter of all its inovc:titi
riving ',cm/ strength to on the conlis.es As;a, tltr.:;
those barbarixi!. whom it hal ni:lrcited to combat froAt the extre;!ii.
tic- of Ettrwe
Ciro grvot smn of the 19. th century, b1::Inefl arothcr empl-,..;!.s
hie pen in writing the hitaory of Russia.
not apply to him who shall contitire It to that periocl ‘N•11•,•:1
achapter in our annals. It must alwnyc with the ro..ht 1;7c1•:(L,-
rintity that the phi:ocor,)7•.er will engitire what Cue Nlusco%i
what they wished to he, arc! wha. they arz

Never before the flag ot Frame carried to such a dist;;Lco.
+ •
In stove)- ing the tht at re of he ex ploits C rand Arun., t
he astopished In ete it at a smaller disunce front Itagla.l thin irom
Paris, and ab steer the Are of the Nrwan gulph as tht: baults of
r " Tell nw, I be you, what you propose to vnnr.ell by writicg
the hiiiury t the wolws a• 11 bears of Siberia ? What eau von
ut- the CzAr that is not to he found in the Life of Charles X 1 I. ? I nil
never quote the !lister,' of theie krbatians ; I wculd rathcr %yid: I
could torget that they inhabit our hetnisphere."—(Lcetter hum Frede•
I it.k of ussia to Voltaire).