The National Register.
London, England, 1808-02-28 00:00:00

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derationof our Readers. In the debate on Mr. Fox's Judie
ou the pith of Nov. 17ti3, that lamented Statesman
sAid, 44 it 'ryas true the Bill was said to be founded on we-
" eessity; but what was this 1 Was it not necessity which
" had always been the plea of every illegal exertion of
" power, or exercise of oppression ? W 43 not neceisity the
" pretence of every usurpation l .I'eccssity was the plea foe
" every infringement of human freedom. It was the
" argument if tyrants : it ices the creed of Warm"—
Of much human calamity has the plea of necessity been
the detestable cause. It is therefore a wretched excuse
which Russia has to Air in her own behalf, to talk of the
necessity under which the injustice of Britain placed her to
imitate that injustice.
Condemning, therefore, as we thus do, the War of It us-
sia
against Sweden, it is with the deepest sorrow that we
contemplate the cahonities Which it will too certainly in-
flict upon that feeble and unproductive country. ,v% eden
is perfectly unable to stisi tan the pressure of a Russian War.
The people of this country may delude themselves as they
please. They may fancy that the Swedes will resist the
Russians, as they fancied, in persevering succession, that
the Austrians, then the Prussians, and next the Russians
would resist the French. They will find, toe, plenty of
hireling writers to flatter them in this belief, and to abuse
the persons who would lead them into the path of reason.
Unfortunate it is that the event, it is far too probable,
will deceive their eximictations. The whole population'it'
Sweden is scarcely more than three millions of souls. The
revenue of !tried= is computed at about a trillion and a
hall,which leaves but little for the ordinary expences
vernment, after paying the interest of a debt of 10,000,0001.
This debt, too, is chiefly incurred at liumburgh, where
she has at present no opportunity of borrowing. The
whole amount of the fortes, both native mind foreign, is
generally computed at 45,000. The exaggerations which
we receive in our Newspapers are ridiculous. We have
been told that the troops in Swedish Finland are 25,000,
and that '20,000 more may be raised from the population ;
whereas the whole population of Swedish Finland is only
7,000, as was found by the enumeration made in 1784.
The amount of the force which it may be deemed ad-
viscable in this country to send for the protection of
Sweden, is not. as et determined. It is a matter of im-
portant deliberation. Whatever can serve to protect her
high-spirited Sovereign, we seem to owe to his perseverance
in the contest which has engaged us to so vast an extent,
But it is a sacred obligation ou the Councils of this cowl.
try, to examine deeply what is really for the protection of
that unhappy Monarch and his people ; and to distinguish
it from n hat can serve only to precipitate him and then*
into inextricable calatnities. Whatever is fur their pro.
tection, let us do, But if we encourage them, beyond our
means of alrurding them support, to bravo the resentment
of their powerful antagonists, and to sacrifice the occasions
of rualiini; 0+44 Vettoc, Iva sb4Jl perfnreu the othee of Um