The National Register.
London, England, 1809-06-11 00:00:00

311)

more probable, and coheres better with the parts (ii
the dispatches. The French narrative appears to us, in
this part, to carry truth on its fare. The statement is at.
once simple, circumstantial, and probable. On the other
band, it is not very conceivable, how • a bridge, like the
one described in the bulletin, a bridge of boats and barges,
(unlit be so rapidly fired, or bow the Austrians could be
sufficiently in possession of the channel of the river to have
the necessary force in ships or boats. As to the term,
66 fire-ships," it is almost as absurd as fallacious. A fire-
ship could not be brought to act upon a boat or barge,
three parts sunk in the water, and without masts or rig-
ging.. We are almost compelled, therefore, to say, that
we do net believe a word of this part of the Austrian state,
Meat.

The tivb aecounh being thus reconciled, be Aus-
trians claiming the advantage, :IA the French implicitly,
at least acknowledging it, there remain two important
questions—the degree of this Austrian victory, and the
consequences which are to be expected from it. With rc-
epect to the degree of the victory, we shall discuss this
point in another part of our Paper, and therefore shall here
only briefly observe, that the Anstrians dispatches Lave
nearly as much exaggerated on the one side, as the French
have disguised and falsified on the other. if the saperio
fay of the French loss is evident from the mere circum-
stance of their comparative defenceless state, the Frencii
being exposed to a most destructive fire, to w hicii they
would not reply, it is equally evident on the nth!: side,
from the mere circumstance of the French having retained
their position, and re-established their bridges, that the
Austrians have not been able etVectively to follow up their
advantage. If the Austtiutt accounts were true, not a
Frenchman could h:Lve recrossed the Danube.

With respect to the consequences which are to be ex-
pected from this check to the French in their full career,
xve have repeated!y bad occasion to say, that in the state
of affairs, as respected Austria, even one, instance of suc-
cess would be invaluable. 'NINA PARTS is in the condition
in which PHILIP of 'Macedon is represented by DEHOS-
•fiIENES. 44 This man," said the orator, "is only kept
lip by his success: his good fortune is the cement, by
-which his allies arc held together. It is with the fortune
of PHILIP as with the human body in a state of external
health." There may be innumerable bad humours beneath
the surface, and they may remain hidden, secret, and .inac-
tive, as long as the health continues. But no sooner does
any disease break out, than there is then an cud of the
constitution, and the man dies not by the. immediate dis-
order, but by the complication which ensues on it. In the
same manner, if any very serious reverse of fortune was to
occur to BONAPARVL, it would not fail to operate on the
confederates. Their jealousies, their secret indignation,
their disguised hatred, would then begin to shcw them-
selves, and he would no sooner cease to be the child of
fortune, than he would Jose her appropriate train and ap-
pendages.
Thr blii ist

,t expect too much. BONA..
the consequences of a re-

every nerve, every pos-

Austrians and himself are
same situation. Both are
If the Austrians lose the
'Austria lis an independent

The public, however, must not
PARTS is A;;z ;.,At to know
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