The National Register.
London, England, 1808-02-01 00:00:00

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THE NATIONAL IttGISTER.
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Our Ring, Constitution, anb LatuO.

No.' 5.

MONDAY,

FEBRUARY 1, 1808.

PRICE Bd.

POLITICAL DISQ'

~ITION.

• .. •
pacificatory ; " I desire pence with England," said he to his
Senate; "no resentments of mine shall retard it." At present,
he has adopted many wild mensures against our cominerre, btrit
with a view, as he affirms, of forcing us to peace; and though
he has brought forward pretensions inconsistent with our naval
superiority, he has frankly told us that these pretensions Would,
in a time of peace, be a mere dead letter. liowever active and
keen an enemy he has been to Great Britain; he has never
shewn any aversion to conciliation; nor can we wonder that
such should he his disposition, when we consider what plans of
empire be has formed, how much is still requisite for their per-
manent consolidation, and how greatly requisite a maritime
peace is both for the satisfaction, the comfort, and the ropes
rity of his People.
But, however pacific a' dispost.tions of Bonapatte Mae he,
there are many who look upon our present Ministers as entirely
bent upon the continuance of hostilities : their politited antago-
nists brand them as a portion of the war-faction, and a similar
opinion of them seems to prevail on !lie Continent. It cannot,
however, be supposed that any Minister; would be anxious to
cautinue their country immersed in the calama ties of war, during
whisk they themselves must encounter so many 'difficulties; if
they thought that a safe and advantageous ;mace could he pro
eured,without compromisingtheir own reputations Some of oar
Ministers may, indeed, be led away by the opinion of those who
imagine that scarcely any peace could, at present, be safe or ad-
vantageous; an opinion which we shall presently examine.
Others might be very willing to waste the blood and treasure of
their country, in showy enterprises, which might exalt their own
name as war-ministers ; but no opportunity fur those now re-
mains :—the iron coast of France is secure!, and the world does
not afford another Copenhagen. We suspect, howover, that if
Ministers are really averse to negociatiou, they are so, not front
inclination, but from a dread of the clamour of ri.powerfel
factice3 at home. elinme men; from selfish iuterests, etseue front
'apprehension, some from presumption, would be satisfied with
no peace which could be negoeieted : evert were Bonaparte to
divest himself of all his conquests; :lid to reduce France within
her ancient limits, scarcely would it . appear sufficient to these
men, unless he would also consent to burn all his ships, and de+
molish all his harbours. Thelmal effects of th e keen and in-
cessant clamours of this war-faction, in harrassing and degrading
the framers of the pease Or Amiens, are still well remembered;
nor can it be expected t....t even the pacifically inclined among
our Ministers will subject them-elves to such outrageous charges
of folly and pusillanimity, nett! the public opinion has been dis-
tinctly and generally manifested in favour of peeee.
'laving thus shewn that there are no essential obstncles to the
attainment of peace, let us now endeavour to estimate hew fat
it would he safe for this country.—There unhappily exists in
this country a degenerate class of men, who have so far lost the
wonted magnanimity of Britons, as to believe that peace is
utterly incompatible with safety ; who see no security, unless
when surrounded with vast fleets and armies: and who dread
that they shall be every moment conquered and destroyed, urie
less the national bayonets are continually fixed, and the national
cannon pointed against the enemy. These men are exactly of
the same fiamne of mind with thot! miserable and suspicious
tyrants., who lived in a perpetual apprehension of death,
who never appeared in public, unless surrounded w ith
guards and leaded with armour, and who at night bare,
ceded their doors against their very centinels.---And what
was the result of such precaution's--Tyrants of this descrip-'
Lion seldom failed to perish in the manner they dreaded ; while
few monarchs, who have feared no ieiury becatea! they intended
DO harm, have failed to live and to die in complete security.—
agnanimity produces the same effect in regard to an Individual
and a nation ; and both the indi v ideals and the people who
teem always agitated by fears, never fail to provoke insult
' and aggression.
lint let us examine the foundation of these apprehensions for
our safety and peace. It is leered that Bonaparte v,lll con-
strua new tlotill:ts, that he will build ships ef wet that he
will replenish his dy:lc-yards with naval stares, and that kt

NUMBF.R FIJI
.......im.-

THE GRAND QUESTION EXAMINED;
IVHETHER ORACE BE AT PRESENT ATTAINABLE, IVITH
SAFETY AND ADVANTAGE?

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How far it is practicable to obtain the restoration of the bles-
sings of secure and permement tranquillity, is the great subject
which at present occupies the attention; not only of our own
countrymen, but of all surrounding nations. The wars of Bri-
tain and France may indeed be termed the wars of the univert-e ;
nor is there any nation so distant as that it may not dread to be
involved in the disastrous consequences of their hostilitics.—The
present question ought therefore to be considered as connected
with the dearest interests of the human race ; and should claim
our most serious attention, both as patriots and a‘ men. With
these considerations in view, we propose to give to the public the
rffult of our serious reflection ; and to examine how far a peace
with France is attainable in the present circumstances, how I'4
it would he safe for us to accept it, if it could be attained, and
how far even a secure peace would he attended with advantages
superior to those which we enjoy in a state of warfare. Party
shall be out of the question, where the subject concerus the
universe; and we shall laugh to scorn the miserable insinuations
of those men st ho may represent our senti mitts as Unpatriotic,
when they do not correspond with the views of an ignorant or a
selfish faction.

Whether peace be attainable, must depend upon the nature of
the points in dispute, and the disposition of the hostile govern-
ments. With regard to the points in dispute,, the question is
reduced within very narrow limits. In Iwo, it was
found, on opening a uegociation, Sharskasthe, ckeinOtaacess
which had for so many yearsirept the fiench and Englisli Gii-
vernments at variance, were done away. The Ruler of France
offered to give up to us Hanover, Malta, the Cape, Pondicherry
and its dependencies, to which he voluntarily added the island
of Tobago ; in return be only desired the cession of Sicily, fur
which he offered such a compensation in territory and moue,
as might he accounted adequate. Our own Nlinisters allowed
that every concession was made by France which the interests
of Britain required ; and when they broke off the treaty, they
confessed that it was solely dune because the detnands of our
Ally, the Emperor of Russia, were not gratified as well as our
own. If, therefore, there be any points in dispute, which
render peace at present unattainable, they must have arisen
since the failure of the last negociation. But in regard to our
own immediate interests, We know nothing of this sort which
has occurred ; and the Ally, whose demands formerly caused
the rupture of negociation, is now become the Ally of France,
and a proffered mediator.
Let us now attend to the disposition of the French Govern-
ment. Sizice the elevation of Bonaparte to the head of the
French empire, peace has always been his interest as well as
Lis avowed desire. lie perceived how France was exhausted
and impoverished by a Ring and wasting war, nor was he igno-
rant of the vast 'advantages which she might derive from iliter-
nal improvement : he was therefore anxious to consolidate his
empire, and to fix the affections of the people, by restoring to
them those blessings of peace fur which they so ardently longed,
and which were become so indispensable to their prosperity.
Hence we find, that all the continental -.stirs, in which he has
since been engaged, have been forced upon him ; and that he has
al ways readily entered into negociation as soon as his successes
have rendered his enemies willing to listen to terms of accom-
modation. To this country, against which his resentment was
supposed to be particularly inflamed, he Liss repeatedly made
overtures for peace, even during the present war. At the com-
mencement of 1805, he offered to negociate with us; but we
were then busy in forming a great coalition against him, anti we
therefore refused to listen. After he had broke this L6:111601)
to pieces on the plains of AUsterlitz, his language again became
10, 5.---col.