The National Register.
London, England, 1809-09-24 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTER:

SEPT. 9.4.

• •
1,4, r
the fatal trust 01 po.c ea. :t itout 1 .4x wift aci en. evergic,

that give a title to it, we congratulate the nation upon i.l“.
developemen,. And it is of importance for us to learn
whether ambition or avarice have jostled these genii,:
men from the straight line of (hay. We hope and truss:
that it will not turn out to have arisen from a degradiN.
scuffle for power or emolument.
We are.not certain: at the nightly confusion at the nev,
Theatre does not claiM more firm an equal share of publii
atteotion with the Duel. BUONAP.RTE is forgotten, Slum
and our brave army are unthought of, and nothing fos
many years has so completely
.occupied a certain class of
indi-viduals am this disgraceful scene. The great plea which

the Proprietors of this Theatre urge for raising the price,
of admission, is the necessity of so doing, or of being ru-
ined by their speculation. But what obligation are the pub-
lic under to pay 5 per cent. on any given per centage for
the capital they chime to expend. The Proprietors have a
monopoly, and yet cannot make it answer without an in
crease of price ? What price of admission would have made
it answer. if the other Theatre had not more unfurl unatek
been burned at the sanie period. It is not sufficient to
prove t hat the Proprietors have spent 50,000!. more than
they ought. If they have expended their money foolishly,
they must consent to abide the consequence.
When societies of men ask for a monopoly, as in the
case of canals, Etc. there is a stipulation, in favour of the
public, that the monopoly shall not be used to their preju-
dice by encieasing the price beyond certain bounds.
Here there is no stipulation, and the proprietors insist
upon more than they ought. !t would be easy to prove
this if it were necessary. It has been proved indeed over
and over again, and the only auswor that is, or can be
given, is simply this: We have spent so much extra money
in building the house rapidly. Whose purpose was this to•
-answer? We have given such extravagant prices to per-
formers.—True, and you ought/to surfer fur it. It is beyond
all decency ! And we expend so much in dresses and specta-
cles, that we cannot afford to do otherwise. The answer
of the public is equally simple and to the point. What
have we do with your speculations? We neither can afford,
nor will we pay 7s. for admittance to the boxes, or 4s. to
the pit; besides you have driven us from the cellar, without
leaVing room for us in the Barrett, and we will not submit
to it by 'The language of the public is very
plain and intelligible, an if Mr. KEMBLE does not, nor
will not understand it, he must be very unfortunate in his
intellects; and as Lord E. said of Sir RICHARD, if it he so,

he must certainly be one of the weakest. men that walks
about this great . city without a keeper. We cannot but
notice the stupid, effrontery with which the Managers en-
deavour to cram the busines down the throats of the pub-
lic: JOHN BULL is like that animal who, the more he is
taught to do what he ought, becomes the more refrac-
tory and [intractable; and will, at length, when his pro-
verbial patience is exhausted, both winse and nica. .8111
there are other parties in this dispute who, had big been
once wiong, will always be wrong, anti seem to claim some
merit from being consistent in error. You may as well at-
tempt to drive a Goiise straight forward as to make such
men tread the path they ought to follow. Blindly presump
Nous and opiniated, they become perseveringly obstinate,
continue to steer the same devious course, and think an
attempt to bring them into the right track, an affront to
their understanding.

013

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If is were not for these considerations we would venture
to advise Mr. Kest tux not to betray such au indifference to
he up!nioo of that public which has made him ALL he is.
:Hid which would resent continued effrontery even from kg
Ch,, f :ttagi.itrate. It is not by publishing the observations
4' !Av.(' MANSFIELD, or by pushing the law upon this
;Abject into all the public prints, that the people will be
ci:itifird. Mr. KEXBLE may be assured that with the
people he may be every thing he wishes, without them he
will be nothing.

If the mountain won't come to MAROMME D. why Ma-
40MMED must move to the mountain, and the sooner the
better. Those who subsist by the public, should consult
their decided feelings, and even cheerfully gratify their
humours.—We are all of us a sort of children that must
he soothed and managed.—Opposition and violence are in
their nature obvious and revolting, and put people upon
their guard.—Gentleness saps the understanding, and
seduces the judgment. Air. KEMBLE might have carried
ills point by and bye, but for his imprudence, he might,
have safely talked a little more about generosity, liberality.
and enlightened principles; and by apparently ascending to,,
or descending from his stilts occasionally, might by an im-
perceptible thread have so thoroughly insiuuated his pur-
poses, as to have required the touch of iTH KIEL'S spear to
have discovered them before they had been interwoven
with the expectations of the public.—We caution Mr.
li-vmat.t: against the employment of meuace or threats.—
The police of a French theatre has not yet been grafted
upon an guglish one; and we trust that the name of the
man who occasions it, or who even makes it plausibly ne-
cessary, will be gibbetted to eternal infamy.
Mr. WARDLE'S threats against Mrs. CLARKE have. at
length assumed a legal form, not in the shape of an Indict-
ment for Perjury, no thank ye, the" he dared not do, but of •
an Indictment for a Conspitacy with the W RIG RI'S. 01
wretched Mr. WARDLE, have you found a Lawyer at last
with a rag of a gown to his back, with a single tic to his
wig, who could gravely advise this measure And do you
believe, Sir, that when you have shewn • upon what proofs
.71011 think a .Conspiracy may be established, that the same
measure of justice which you meet to others, will not be
meeted out to you again. This is the law, Sir, aye and the
prophets too. The Duke of Yoga has at least Lite rights of
a subject. It were easy enough with such Coadjutors as are
known to act with Mr. WARDLE, it were easy for a man of
Mr. WARDLE'S own description to put just proof enough
before a Grand Jury to find a Bill. The evidence is ex-.
pate and uncontradicted—but 'tis another pthe sort of
thing, to prevail upon a Jury, though a patriot be the sup-
plicant. Really this course of law will sink the patriot into
the petyogger.—But we understand this Gentleman him
hereditary claims to the latter title. He is nut the first in
that line who has discovered to his cost, that

A little learningl, a dangerous thing.
Whatever vices may attach to Mrs. Et falsehood is
not one, maugre her long acquaintance with Mr. WAkDLE.

Dispatches from Lord WELLINGTON have been received
as() l,tft a date as the sth inst. but their contents have not
been communicated to the public. The leports which pre_
rail as to their contents are contradictory and incimsistent.
The British army is stated at less than 25,000 men, and
that of CUL•'STA as gill Inure 'diminished, and 3:et we are

614

aid to have taken up a osition at Badajoz. From this
movement we should infer, that the war in Spain is still to
he prosecuted. We see nothing to alter the opinion we
have so often expressed, that it is not in our power to save
that nation. A Statesman will never send an army with a
view merely to take the chance of success; be will look at
his object, and take into his reckoning- the probable exitec-
tation of gain by the experiment, and nut wautonly ex-
haust the resources of the country.
It is likewise said, that the possession of Schowen is ne-
cessary to our security at Flushing. If this be the case,
and knowing that our men are destroyed by the climate,
mare than by the sword, let us give up our present
as veil. as ulterior objects, and bring our sickly sol-
diers home to tight our own battles upon our own
shores.—Let us have some definite object if we must
send our population abroad, and not perform the office of
3nere gad-flies to teaze and torment the Continent with
ineffectual attempts to nibble at the little islands which arc
attached to it. In the opinion of many great military
characters, Walcheren is altogether untenable, and if it
were otherwise the expenditure of men would be enor-
mous; we wish, sincerely wish it were otherwise. We have
aio objection to havittg a force always ready and near, our
old allies—but we fear it cannot be done wisely, or safely.

Spanish Papers to the 4th inst. have been received in
town; they contain two very interesting documents—the
order of Ferdinand the Seventh to the Marquis Itomana to
repair to Seville. The Royal Order states, one of the
greatest objects which now claim its attention, and which
might to occupy it with the greatest activity, is the con-
vocation of the Cortes, the must impo..-taot object ivhich
ran or ought to occupy the Supreme Junta." This ought
to have occupied their attrntion long since, was it neces-
sary for those who have so ill managed the energies of the
Spliiiish nation to view the miseries of their co:nary before
that al earls ought to have been done at first, was reluctant-
set alma at last ? What enabled the French to resist suc-
cessfully all the attempts made upon their territory by
Austria, ..I'russia, Russia, and England, at the commence
rnent of their RevolutiOn ? It was the enthusiasm which per
vaded every rank (excepting perhaps the highest orders) ;
the people became identified with the Governmeel,
and fought for their own liberties. Urged by oppo-
sition, and events they rather anticipated than pursued.
progressive measures to establish their principles, their
means, and their conduct becoming more and more
decisive in proportion to the:r danexr. Events, it is
trne, led the way, but they followed them with sagacity
and vigour.
. lii proportion to the pressure of external pressure, the
vast mass of the French Revolution descended from time
to tiine in order to seek ...he base ii hit would best bear the
enrreasing weight, and it saccessivdy passed by all those
milers of men, all those actors in the ;great strugg:e who
Were resolved to mhintain their original stat ions. It re:ited
at /ast, and at last triumphed from being identified with the
liberties of the people, which enableal it to animate Ole
most hearts, and to arm the mos!. hats in its defence.
We are reluctantly obliged to repeat what we have re-
peated so often, that the two Zinperors have not vet made
up their minds upon the important question of peace or
war. it seems impossible to conceive that the mere ques-
tion of terms between the two powers can have occupied so
wach time, at such a period of the year, eor can we he-
here that BVONAPARTE would have sutured the negotiation
he so long protracted, if ulterior interests which require
active genius to develope and sc.ttiv, .13t. ! DOI engrossed
the attention and mened the persons of the two rmperors
the spot upon which they are to be aettlod. It is very

SEPT. 24.

, .
i nconsistent with the conduct of Buosi APA RTE Who. , U.- to
iiffer his enemy to gain any advantage or security by delay.
This must be the case, if by losing the season for action, he -
suffer autumnal sickness, resistance, or even a success which
calls for garrisons to secure conquests to procrastinate his
progress till winter brings its protection to the Aus-
trians, who are in fact at home, whilst BUONAPARTE
must in that event depend upon convoys for his sup-
plies. We argue, therefore, that, BUONAPARTE is de-
tained by some ulterior arrangements, which in all•
probability will find occupation fur the Austrian troops
in the event of Peace with France. And we fear the
Turkish dominions are the bait which he will hold out to
the unprincipled cupidity of the Austrian Emperor. It is
too fatally true that Treaties of Peace have other objects
acrd other sanctions besides integrity.—They include the
calculations of an adversary as to the probability of success
in continuing the war; the comparative expeuce of it, and
the concurring zeal or obedience of the Na'.ions which ars
to support it. The war of comprom4e and indemnity seems
to have been added to the list in modern times, and it seems
to have been assumed in the great lines of military morality
that might makes right. BUONAP•RTE it would appear
has said to the Emperor FRANCIS : " We have fought and
vit. nothing but hard blows, you have been injured, but I
have not been benefitted. An easy prize more valuable
than that for which you struggle offers. It belongs indeed
to another, but if you find resistance I will assist you, but
remember though I offer you my assistance to procure this
indemnity for ‘shat 1 propose to rob you 0f,.1 claim a part
of the spoil, not only to meet you upon equal terms if we
should quarrel again, but because part of what 1 want will
enable me to get at my bosom friend ALEXANDER if he should
prove refractory by and bye," In a matter so doubtful as
politics, it would be inexcusable to think that events are not
to happen, because they are in their nature surprising; at
the same time that the present age has, perhaps, been
more prolific in extraordinary events, than any period of
the world which has preceded it. There are many of us
who have viewed the progress of Russia from her cradle.
The declension of Turkey, and the revolutions of Ame-
rica and France, are events of the present day ; the de-
struction of Poland, the subjugation of Italy and Holland,
the annihilation of Prussia, the fate of the Catholic reli-
gion, the magic of modern artists and natural philosophers,
—all these are circumstances which ought to render us less
incredulous upon subjects respecting which we cannot
argue from any data with which the philosophy of his-
tory is able to furnish us. The French papers have not
failed to gratify the vanity of their nation by the details
which they afforded respecting the retreat of Lord WEL-
LINGTON ; they represent the British army as abandoning
its baggage, artillery and sick. The correspondeaee
between his Lordship and General MORTIER respecting the
wounded is published. Every liberal mind will be pleased
hana,tti althouJi some of the French Generals in Spain
appear to have beet removed for discovering symptoms of
returning humanity, as Englishmen we cannot but applaud
feelings of. this nature even in au enemy. SUch feelings
cannot make any considerable progress under the reign of
BUoNAPARTE. IiTJONAPARTE like some animals who pos-
sess simi:ar dispositions, can never be tamed—he may
perhaps have his nails pared, and his teeth drawn, he may
be rendered innoxions, or indeed safe to look at, but hu-
manity can never dwell in the bosom of aTy rant,—a Ty-
rant by nature, rendered more ferocious by success.
There has been .a bloody engagement Nvith the army of
VcNneas. The French state the loss on the side of the
Spaniards to have been 8000 in killed, wounded and pri-
soners, S 5 pieces of cannon, 300 waggons, &c. The battle
took place ;it A lmonacid, on the 1 Ith of August. JOSEPH
BuONAPARTE hal returned to Madrid, where Te Donn was
celebrated. Ile boasts of having decided the fate of Spain
during his absence of 22 days. We fear this boast will be
realized. Every thing depends upon the detennination of
the negociations in Germany. The French are expected.