The National Register.
London, England, 1808-09-19 00:00:00

SEPTEMBER 19.

11,. I; •till in the viznur of life, but most vulgar and uncouth in
iris appearance; his face is seamed with scars, and his manners
are bnari4ii, rule, and obtrusive; he is ignorant of all learning
except the mere rudiments, but he has always been reckoned
remarkable for his quickness of judgment and decision, and cer-
tainly his conduct since the binding of our troops in Portugal
fines not cow ►diet the general opinion. His skill in negotiation
has been even superior to his tactics in the field, and he has con-
quered with the pen those whom he could not touch with the

POLITICAL. DISQUISITION.

NUMBER THIRTY-EIGHT.

PROJECTED INVASION OF SPAIN BY BONA-

PARTE.
-.■r-

To the cause of Spain are irrevocably attached the des-
tinies of Europe. On the successful resistance or subjuga-
tion of her inhabitants depend as incontrovertibly Our own
preponderance and security. Let us then consider with all
tile candour, impartiality, and judgment, which this great
e,nestion so imperiously requires, the means she possesses of
vlitaining ultimate success, and how we can mostetheaci-
01141V assist her. This disquisition acquires additional in-
terest from the late official declaration of the enemy ;—an
enemy till now in the habit of executing his menace;—
whose dreadful fiat, with few exceptions, has been attend.
ed with almost instantaneous effect ; and whose irrevocable
adherence to his purpose Italy, Germany, Spain, and Por-
tugal unfortunately attest. Let us consider the man, his
genius, his resources, his crimes, and his inflexible will !
Let us then contrast the united efforts of Great Britain and
Spain, the sacredness of the cause, the calamities and de-
gradation that await them in case of discomfiture ;—and
having done so, let us examine what cause for apprehen-
sion, or motives for encouragement we have. In the an-
nals of history there is, perhaps, not one question which
outweighs the present in importance. There never has
been one, whose interests were so comprehensive, and its
consequences so decisive. Under this impression we ought
to enter on the examination ; and whilst we treat it with
that seriousness and temper, which the magnitude and
awfulness of the subject demand, we will communicate our
suggestions with freedom, and propose measures, which
appear to us conducive to the exigency of the times. The
crisis is awful ! Every individual. who feels the faculty and
the will, should contribute his mite to the general fund.
Every talent will be thus brought into circulation, and the
result of this general interest and participation will be,
that the energy of the community w id be wound up to that
pitch, which, as long as it lasts, renders their etrorts supe-
rior to Occurrences, and forms a new and glorious era in
their annals.

Doubts and apprehensions, discreditable to the public,
have been manifested in consequence of the eirmciation
uncle in the official journal of the Tyrant, " Thol nnt n
" village in Spain would he in a state of insnrrectiln, nor
" an English soldier on the Continent before ;he close (!f the
"gear." These fears were magnified by the ncoontit of
the numerous armies which were hastening to thy Pyrenees.
in order to support this menace. Some from le% it e• and
some from iv''norance, others, to crive a proof of their fore-
sight, and a few worthless individuals, we are afraid, from
a desire to depreciate the efforts of their country, and to
extol those of the enemy, have contribut?il to nromnote the
alarm. Three inontlis ago this anxiety v.-oAI have been
justifiable, when an army of a hundred thousval Fren7h
veterans was in possession of Madrid and the principal ci-
ties and fortresses of Spain ; when warm a cirps was or-
ganised in that country- to resst that tremendous fore:.!;
when the very man, woo had oyerrin and soh:mated Eu-
rope, in the course of three Nears. was on the frontiers :
Under those circumstances apprehensions would have been
excusable and even Just. But after the Spaniards hare

595

done every tiling to command our esteem and veneration;
atter they have given unequivocal of their resoiu-
tion to bury themselves under the ruins
of their LIJUat y,
sooner than submit to ignominy ; utter tiwy ua • e l'Cliug r-
ed, by the extirpation of their invaders, the seiz.ire of the
fleet, their bold and just delineation of the perfidy amid
atrocity of the enemy, every idea of compromise impossi-
ble, anti submission itself unavailing ;—after having armed
a considerable part of their male population, and put iu re-
quisition the whole mass of talents and virtue in th • r
try ;—after having done acts of heroism, manifested a de-
irree of perseverance and patience, and given a sublime ex
ample of patriotism, unequalled in modern times, and el-
an wiut a parallel in the most vaunted ages of Greece
d Rome;—after such proofs of magnanimity, we did not
expect that an insolent declaration from the Tyrant whom
they discomfitted, and whose brother, and whose partisans
and soldiers they chaced from their capital, would be-suffi-
cient to depress a British public. What renders this dis-
conramement the more unpardonable and criminal, are tho
victories of *Vimiera and Rolcia. Though our generals
have not known to avail themselves of these brilliant
advantages, our soldiers are still the same, and are ready to
engage the enemy on Spanish ground. New Expeditious are
fitting out, some have already sailed to augment their force ;
and the whole regular army of the United Kingdom is un-
der orders for the same destination. With such vigour on
our part, and incontestable resolution on that of the Spa-
niards, we would entertain no fear of ultivirrte success,
were the enemy at liberty to send his whole army beyond
the Pyrenees. The character of this war is (la rent, as we
have tiequently observed, from every other Ile has been
engaged in. 1:e may be successful in the coma encement.
He may conduct his brother once more to MArid. Ile
may commit the most unhe:ftd of outrages in several of
the provinces, erase their cities to the very ft.undation,
and exterminate a considerable part of the r pulation ;
but we wilt hazard in like manner a conaterlrophecy,
" That at the close tif this sear not an finned pare an of' the
" Bonapartes will be in Madrid." We hazard this pro-
phecy, because we entertain a very high opinion of the
energy and capacity of the present Cabaret, as hvourable
an opinion of Spanish prowess, and the most smigulne hopes
from the nature of the contest.

We have left out of consideration the rest of he conti-
nent. We will give as much credit to the deelara!ion rela-
tive to Austria as Boaaparte himself coald wish. We will
believe his solemn assurance of the acquiescence of Russia
in his system of usurpation and plunder ; we wid suppose
that every Cabinet on the Continent consists of tools or
knaves, we will allow that every particle of virtue, that
every spark of liberty, that every national sentiment, from
the Neva to the Hay of Naples, arc extinct. We will at-
tempt to forget his former declarations previous to the
Austrian and Prussian Wars: vv c: Mill acknowledge the ar-
rival of two Savaish Cabinet Niessengers in Paris, the sub-
mission, acquiescence :Ind debasement of Italians, Aus-
trians, Prussians, Poh.s, Danes, Russians and even of the
magnanimous Gusiavas. .After all these concessions, sup-
posing all these statements were tone, we should be far
freni believing the cause of the Spaniards desperate;—We
should still indui2:e the opiuicn that they would finally
sacceed in spite of the sui:ilerfuges, treachery and power of
their daring cut agooist.
Hut convinced as we are that Ibis flerlarnlion was made
to deceive great Britain, delude his vassal States, and im-
pose on i‘ustria ; that it was made without wisdom and
tores'ght, as a miserable shift for the moment, we then
perceive the extent of his einharrassmcnt aial the ineffi-
cacy of his nvetuvs. Ilis armie3 are in irotioi!; bat he is
micertain how to employ than. He appreheads Austria 4
he distrusts the Confederacy of the 111:inc, and is wholly
aware of the magnitude 914hca,clart:,,,w that threatens him
in the South. I war ketweet..H t'..nixt:Austria is unavoid-
lble ; and it is by tiwniaans jn.t. , iqe Oa'ithe part of the
I+o
latter to defer the con) 44 n.t4i'l . edisidatable part of his
. .

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