The National Register.
London, England, 1809-10-22 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTER.

plausibility, and some ingenuity in these observations;
but they can neither dissipate our apprehensions, nor
induce us to abandon our former opinion : not that we are
indifferent to the occurrence, but fear to foster a delusive
hope ; to inspiresimaginary security, when every hour, each
eastern gale Might expose the futilily of our wishes, and
the baseless form of our conjectures. The following com-
munication upon this important
,aubleet, corrobor ates,. or
rather establishes beyond a doubt, the solidity of our appre-
hensions.

FROM THE AMSTERDU COURANT EXTRAORDINARY OF THE.

IITH INSTANT.

" We hasten to inform our respectable readers, that the Bur-
go-Master of this city received, at an early hour this morning,
by express, a letter from his Excellency the Minister at War,
slated at Leo, on the 10th inbt. containing an official notification
of peace havipg-been signed between France and Austria ou the
3d Of this nOnth.

" The above important intelligence was immediately announc-
ed to the citizens b 3 the firing of the cannon on the city walls,
the ringing of bells, and the playing of the chimes.
" We.cordially congratulate our readers upon this intelligence,
so joyful to humanity, and hope that it Will he speedily follow-
*ed by a GENERAL PEACE."
We are not ignorant, at the same time, that the Dutch
are as great dabblers in stock jobbing as we are ourselves;
nor do we forget the forged communication from the
Foreign Office, sent some years ago to the Lord Mayor;
but we still think it impossible that the Dutch Government
would allow the account, were it • false, to circulate from
the llth to the 14th without taking- measures to coup-
teract the delnaiou. A Government, sopeoenpletety autiaet
dent, in a state of such helpless minority as that of Louis,
must consent to whatever infamy orduplicity. the mazy, dark
perfidious character of his brother might suggest ; but
even BUONAPARTE, villain as he is, will not expose himself
to the imputation of a palpable alsehood, without some
great advantage. That is the very thing we are not enabled
to discover. What benefit was to be derived from the cir-
culation of a falsehood, the detection of which was una-
voidable, and could have ..no other result than to expose
the authors to confusion and disgrace. We apprehend the
account is but too true; thongh we hope the conditions
may be less galling to Austria than report has stated them.
if a change does not take glace fundamentally in the Ca-
binets. of North ; if the court of Vienna submit to a
nominal Sovereign, a miracle alone can prevent the
establishment of an universal monarchy upon the Con-
tinent. It is an alarming and awful crisis! Imagina-
tion cannot paint, or history furnish a precedent of the
revolution in thinking, and feeling, which such event
would operate amongst mankind. The progress of selfish-
ness is alreatly too visible—of an increasing repugnance to
endanger private possessions for political rights ; but
what is now a rivulet, confined by banks and dykes,
would swell in a short time, to a boundless inundation,
destroying every generous and noble sentiment, which
distinguishes the freeman from the slave ; the modern
inhabitant of Europe, from the passive, wretched victin,o4
of oriental despotism. This is the moral change which
we tremble at. This is the spectre which haunts our
minds, whenever our thoughts are fixed open the present
and possible aggrandisement of NAPOLPON. His name, his
ambition, talents, and crimes, should be impressed upon
the minds of the rising progeny, as objects of peculiar eve-
cratiou ; as conveying every thing that is repulsive, hostile
and execrable to the feeling of a youthful patriot. It is
thii intensity and concentration of sentiment, strengthened
and ;natured by custom and instr4iction, which can oiler
any chance of our opposing the future 'hostility, the col-
lected and undiverted means of that dangerous and reAless
man. Should Europe lie nrostrate at his feet ; or its in-
habitants' like so many galley slaves chained to their
benches, be compellel to tug as his ambition and rapacity
,;hall suggest; it is then impossible ta calculate the extent
4thieli such an individual might employ their coltwted

67$

moral and physical resources. Unanimity of sentiment wa
the part of the people of the United Kingdom—an enlight-
ened, vigorous, and conciliatory disposition on that of go-
vernment—are things of course, the urgency of which pre-
gents itself immediately to our thoughts; hut these are not
adequate alone for the contest iu which we shall be engaged.
The people must accustom their minds and hearts to the idea
of a protracted,and in point of violence, unprecedented strug-
gle ; to sacrifices, (if efforts in favour of freedom can be so
denominated), of life and property in the defence of their
country and Sovereign. When these sentiments become
prevalent and universal, encouraged by example, and en-
culcated in conversation and writing, we may look frota
our white cliffs, unmoved and undismayed, at the demon,
strations and menaces which may be made upon the op-
posite consts. A storm may dissipate our fleets; the
dock-yards of Europe enable the enemy to construct a fleet
more formidable than our own in puint of mustier ; but
when our shores are lined with iron, and defmded by as
unanimous and intrepid population, the storm may then
ra7e, and myriads of the enemy land; but our destinies
will be secured against the elements and the invaders.

The fairest pakrtion of Europe lies prostrate, mangled,
aiid breathless under the fangs of a savage monster. Akis;iia,
torpid as her chinate, appears insensible to the dancer of
leer own situation, and to the misery of her neighliOurs.
Denmark, blinded by her resentment, and innit:tsned
the remembrance of her plundered fleet. horned ceil4ai,
and our
.winateno unnecessary, unprovoked aggression,
plays the part of a 3ackall. Sweden, pressed by .fainitie,
broken down•by‘disasters, and terrified by the appro,ictlieg
winter, has no other alternative lint -submission. Spain
alone resists; alone displays the will and the courage to
maintain her independence. But how. long will she be
able to continue the generous struggle; is the anxious (foes-
tion that now forcibly presses itself upon the mind and the
heart of the patriot. We can never advert to that:unfor-
tunate, -but respectable people, without expressing regret
for the past; dissatisfaction with the present, ;aid uneasi-;
ness, bordering on despondency, for the future. Wnat a
subject for exultation did the Peninsula once present!
How replete with hope l—Eut now—lt is distraction to
pink thereon. it was [h? last ray of light, the last float-
ing plank, that shone upon, and was offered to, the be-
nighted, shipwrecked inhabitants of Europe.
When the Spaniards began the present contest, the Con-
tinent lay prostrate, as it does now, at the feet of a ruth-
less conqueror. The terror was so unisersal, that most
men were preparing to accommodate themselves to a
thraldom, which they thought it vain to oppose.- Its con-
tagion was wafted even to our own shores, and began to
spread rapidly among men, icho pretended to magnanimity.
Statesmen and Senators already hinted at the inefficacy of
resistance, recommended reconciliation, and began to al-
lude to concession. Negeciation, a milder and less' repul-
sive word for submission, was strongly enforced; and tins
current of public opinion inclined imperceir ibly to an ac-
quiescence in the insulting pretcnsions.of the enemy. But
Providence suddenly rased a damn to oppose the invading
torrent. When the word liberty was expiring; on the lisp
of her most ardent votaries, it was repeated with a voice
of thunder, by a people who had slumbered, neAr three
centuries, in stupid indaerence, from the narcotic influ-
ence of tyranny and superstition. We likewise heard the
invigorating sound. It was wafted to us along the shores
of the A!lantic, and our -Virtue started from the momen-
tary s'upor.
Shrill we recal that thee ? It was a splendid and a cheer-
ing moment ; but transitory and baseless as a vision. It
was the last struggle of expiring life—the sudden blaze of
an almost exhausted taper. The enthusiasm it created,
!leoduced, in the social body, a flush resembling health ;
Out, alas! it %TR'S the symptom of approaching dissolution.
Those splendid hopes are buried; and we tread,. v.itit. •

~" L

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horrid apathy, over their fresh-raised grave. But are they
really dead ? Is there no charge of precipitation in the
ceremony of interment ? Shall we, with barbarous le-
vity, abandon as morally extinct, without an effort at re-
suscitation, a cause we revered and loved so ardently ? It
would be an example of apathy, of which, Heaven be
praised I our history presents but few. We have loved the
cause, as we did Le independence of our own country.
But our affections are not biassed by the whim of occur-
rences. What was dear in its propitious state, becomes
douhly so, when it, has to contend with misfortune.
The first efforts of the Spaniards, wheu patriotism ap-
peared to nerve every arm, opened such a vast train of
eq.ering speculation, that it is impossible to turn, at pre-
sent, our eyes towards the Peninsula, without feeling. sea-
satioas similar to those will] which a suscept:hle mind is
assailed, ai beholding the rapid decline of a beloved fe-
male! What has been, or what is the cause of this fatal
consumption ? Is the evil to be traced to the bad stamina
of the nation itself; or have the prescriptions of a Junta of
ignorant quacks emasculated a body naturally sound ? The
decision of this question must determine whether there be
room for hope, or cause for despondency. If the people
be, as we are strongly inclined to believe, still sound in the
nobler parts; if their present debility be traced to the
qu Ickery, ignorance, and presumption of the Junta, a re-
tnedv is still at hand; and, by the substitution of a more
vigorous regimen, the choice of an abler government, the
introduction of popular ideas and liberal policy, the Spa-
niards may still recover their vigour and independence.
But if the present debilitating regulations be adhered to, or
their spirit, under any form, either of Junta or Regency,
preserved, it would be madness to expect any other result
than tho extinction of Spanish freedom

It is with the deepest concern that we have received an
account et the most melancholy nature from Weymouth,
relative to 4 late Illustrious Visitant at that place.
Parliament is prorogued to the sth of December.
Mr. Barker, Private Secretary to Mr. Adair, arrived nn
Thursday cvening at the Foreign Office, in Downing-street,
from Cen,lentinople. We understand that Mr. Baker is
the hearee of the ratification of the treaty of peace lately
concluded between Great Britain and Turkey. Mr. Baker
beard on his journey, that Sir Ilarford Jones had signed a
treaty of peace with Persia, and succeeded in obtaining
the disiniss;on of the whole of the French Legation from
that country.
Our readers wil! gather, from the subjoined letter, writ-
ten by en Officer in our army in Spain, an accurate idea
of the correctness with which Marshal Mortier has fulfil.
led his engagement to Lord Wellington—of taking care of
the British sick and wounded left behind at Talavera.—
There is probably policy (and, if so, it is to us a dangerous
police, as well as humanity in this. But what kind of
management must that have been, which would have lett
our brave men to perish upon the naked floors ead they
not been relieved by their enemies ? The arrival of the
French must have been, to the sufferers, a must desirable
event. We inteeat the British Government, as soon as we
have got one, to look at the danger resulting from oc-
currences of this nature, and the notions they will inspire
and diffuse :
TA LA V ERA LA EtrAL, SEPT. 19.—" I am not able to fur-
nish you with the least news from this quarter. not even our
destination for to-morrow, thouzli I believe it is probable the
army will remain here for some time longer ; and on our quit-
ting this ground, it seems quite uncertain, amongst the lower cir-
cles, w hether we are to retire, or advance. lam sorry to say.
that fatigue and sickness have much diminished our force since
the action of Talavera, and ;tin Old by the surgeon of a regiment,
that many men iu t:it, hospital have die.l, and continue to die,
merel‘.. from weakoeF,s owing to the fatigue they have amler-
aone• poor fellows are obliged to lie on the brick tlo:sc,
(far I have nit Leen a Wt4Odell Ilaor since we have been in Spain), '
tv't how ;19N thine lrt: their regimental cloathing to cover thew,
sett ....veil a bed or blanket.

" It may not be uninteresting to you, if I give a trait of the
humanity and management of the French on a similar occasion.
When Marshal Monier moved down to Placentia with his corps,
the Senior Surgeon of our Hospital (which was pretty conside-
rable there) went out to meet him, in hopes of making sume
terms favourable to the sick. Marshal Monier agreed to all
his requests; that the medical men should not be considered as
prisoners; and then asking how many sentinels he required, or-
dered a competent guard, and on entering the town visited the
hospital, and on seeing the men without beds, told them to sup-
ply themselves immediately from the natives, to the complement
ofone bed for each man ; it was immediately done. tie next
ordered his Commissary to issue a full ration of wine, bread,
and meat, to our sick every day, which was accomplished with
as little difficulty ; though before; the arrival of the French,
they were on the brink of being starved."
The following letter, after our disappointments in the
North of Germany, will be read with a degree of interest
proportioned to the mortification it produces :

WESTpTIA Lie, SEPT. 26. You may form a tolerable idea
of the'miserable slate of oppression the people of this kingdom
groan under, by the subsequent anecdote :
" Some time after the war against France broke out in Aus-
tria, the people of Hessia, and the officers and soldiers of the
armies, indignant at the tyranny of the Government of Jerome,
entered into a plot to overturn his throne. The officers were
to wear a particular mark worked on the coat sleeve.—
About two miles from Hesse Cassel stands a convent, for the re-
ception of ladies of high rank but of moderate circumstances.—
One of the noviciates was in love with an officer who had join-
ed in the conspiracy, worked the badge of liberty upon his
sleeve. The peasantry were armed with scythes and other de-
structive instruments, and the eve of the breaking out of the re-
volutiou bad approached within two days: A traitor to his
country and his freedom disclosed the plot, and many of the offi-
cers concerned in it were seized and executed, among whom
was the lover of the young lady. French cruelty did not end
here. The beautiful girl herself was dragged forth and public-
ly decapitated. The Abbess of the convent and her nuns, who
had furnished the conspirators with money, were thrown into
the common bridewell of the city, and compelled to spin for a
scanty subsistence."
Among the Spanish heroines who have so much contri-
buted to the defence of the country, and the honour
of their sex, Donna Susana Claretonna, wife of D. Fran-
cisco Felonch, merits a distinguished place. By her ser-
vices in • the companies of Somatenes, she, some time
ago, acquired the rank of Sub-Lieutenant of Infantry. By
certificates from the Justices of the town of Capellades and
Pobla de Claramunt, and by information from the Com-
mander of the division in the Lllobregat, transmitted to
the War-office by Lieutenant-General the Marquis of
Coupigny, it appears, that Donna Susanna has served,with
her husband, in the. Sematenes, from thc very commente,•
went of the war. She has been present in a nuinber of
actlons, and on one occasion being surrounded by the ene-
my's cuiramieurs, she fought her way through them, and
after killing several of her opponents, rejoined her com-
pany. The reputation.of her valour procured her the ap-
pointment of a Commandant of Somatenes, in conjunction
-,v;th her husband. On the 14th of March last, she pre-
vented the enemy from entering the Capelboles, distin-
guishing herself by her steadiness, and the repeated IIIS•
dlai*ge of her blunderbuss, which occasioned the disgraceful
flight of the enemy, with the loss of several killed, wound-
ed, and prisoners. With the same intrepidity am! coolness,
she continued to serve in several subsequent affairs, until
that which occurred on the 21st of June, when she received
a severe contusion, which has confined her to her bed.—
His Majesty, attending to the distinguished merit of this
pdriot, and the recommendation of the Marquis de Con-
pi!;ny, has been pleased. to grant to her said husband D.
Francisco Felonch, the pay of a Sub-Lieutenant of Infan-
try ; and to order that these traits of valour and loyalty,
of which the Spanish females have given so many exam-
ples at this epoch, should be published in the Government
Gazette.
Remittances in specie to a large amount have recently
been made from Spain to this country.

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