The National Register.
London, England, 1811-06-23 00:00:00

TIONAL REGISTER.

the birth of the King of Rome has fulfilled my wishes, and satis-
fies my people with respect to the future..
" The affairs of religion have been too often mixed and sacri-
fice.; to the interests of a state of the third order. If half Europe
has separated from the Church of Rome, we may atts ibute it
specially to the contradiction which has never ceased to exist
between the truths and the principles of religion which belong
to the whole universe, and the pretensions and interests which
regarded only a very small corner of Italy. I have put an end to
this scandal for ever. I have united Rome to the Empire—l
have given Palaces to the Popes at Rome and at Paris; if they
have at heart the interests of religion, they will often sojourn in
the centre of the affairs of Christianity. It was thus that St.
Peter preferred Rome to an abode even in the Holy Land.
" Holland has been united to the Empire ; she is but an
emanation of it—without her the Empire w. uld not be com-
plete.
" The principles adopted
.by the English government not to
recognise the neutrality of any flag, have obliged me to possess
myself of the Mouths of the Ems, the Weser, and the Elbe, and
have rendered an interior communication with the Baltic indis-
pensible to me. It is not my territory that I wished to increase,
but my maritime means.
" America is making efforts to cause the freedom of her flag
to he recognised—l will second her.
" I have nothing but praises to give to the Sovereigns of the
Confederation of the Rhine.

" The union of the Valais has been foreseen ever snce the
act of Mediation, and considered as necessary to conciliate the
interests of Switzerland with the interest of France and hilly.

The English bring all the passions into play.—One time
they.suppose France to have all the designs that could alarm
ether Powers, designs which she could have put in execution if
they had entered into her policy. At another time they make
an appeal to the pride of nations in order to excite their jealousy.
They lay hold of all circumstances which arise out of the unex•
pected events of the times in which we are. It is war over
every part of tke Continent that can alone ensure their prospe-
rity. I wish for nothing that is not in the treaties I have cola-
eluded. I will never sacrifice the blood of my people to interests
that are not immediately the interests of my empire. I flatter
myself that the peace of the Continent will not be disturbed. ;

" The King of Spain is come to a.sist at this last solemnity.
I have given him all that was ne,:ssary end proper to unite the
interest and hearts of the different people of his provinces.
Since 1309, the great part of the strong place;; in Spain have been
taken after memorable sieges. The intiorgv.t.; have been beat
in a great number of pitched battles. England has felt that this
war was approaching its tamination, and that intrigues and
gold were no longer sufficient to nourish it. She found herself
therefore obliged to change the nature of it, and from an auxi.
liary she is become a principal. All she has of troops of the
line have been sent into the Peninsula.—England, Scotland, ang
Ireland are drained.—English blood has at length flowed is
torrents, in several actions glorious to the French arms.—This
conflict against Carthage, which seemed as if it world be decided
in fields of battle, on the ocean, or beyond the seas, will hence;
forth be decided in the plains of Spain ! When England shall tut
exhausted, when she shall at last .have felt the evils which fur
twenty years she has with so much cruelty poured upon the
Continent, when half her families shall be in mourning, then
shall a peal of thunder put an end to the affairs of the Penin-
sula, the destinies of her armies, and avenge Europe and Asia
by finishing this second Punic war.
s, Gentlemen Deputies of Departments to the Legislative
' Body. -,
eg 1 hase ordered my Minister to lay before you the accounts
1 of 1809 and 1810. It is the object for which I haVe called you
together. You wilt see in them the prosperous state of my
ituauees. Though 1 Lave rlaccd within three manths IQO rniL.
1 .

THE N

lions extraordinary at the disposal of my Ministers of War, to
defray the expences of new armaments which then appeared
necessary, I find myself in the fortunate situation of not
having any new taxes to impose upon my people—l shall not
increase any tax—l have no want of any augmentation in the
imposts."

The sitting being terminated, his Majesty rose and retired
amidst acclamations.

Pita's, Iv Ns 18.—On the 16th, at eight at night, there was
a grand banquet at the Thuilleries. Their Majesties dined in
public. After the banquet, a concert was executed on the
Terrace of the Palace. Their Majesties afterwards, visited
the Court Theatre, and saw the Opera of Dido, represented
far the first time. The gardens and Palace were magnificently
illuminated.

The same papers also contain the first meeting
and proceedings of the National Council assembled

at Paris.

ENCOUNTER BETWEEN AMERICAN AND BRITISH
VESSELS OF WAR.
The unexpected encounter between the United
States frigate, the President, and the Little Belt,
British ship of war, has created a new sort of dis-
content, which will probably retard• the conclusion
of the differences which have so long existed be-
tween this country and America. According to.
every statement which has hitherto reached us, it
appears that the President was the aggressor, al-
though this is said to be denied by ker Commander,
and, in this case, the right of complaint lies clearly
on our side. That the Americans feel themselves in
the wrong, may be easily concluded from the cool-
ness with which they reason on the occasion. Had
the first shot been really fired by a British vessel,
we should have once .more heard of " atrocious
aggression," " tyrannical usurpation," is violated
neutrality and insulted independence." The outcry
for war with Great Britain would have been re-
newed, and every demagogue would have glowed
with military phrenzy. Instead of this, we find in
most of the American papers dispassionate obser.
vations on the subject ; on which, it is evident, no
charge of blame can be founded against Captain
BINGHAM, as the P4triots, for America also boasts
that amiable race, who, as usual, strenuously en-
deavour by the perversion of truth, to revive the
spirit of hostility towards us in all its full force, in-
stead of availing themselves pf this unfortunate
event, pass it by in silence, and renew the charge
against our naval Commanders of impressing na-
tives of the United States. An instance of this
nature is given, we know not with what truth, in
the case of one HALLET HAMBLIN, impressed from
the schooner Eagle, HAWES, from Alexandria. Tie
is stated to be a native of Barnstaple, in the pro-
vince of Massachusets ; and the boarding officer, on
being asked the name of.. the frigate, and_ of the

Captain, is said to have replied, that 4g he did not
tell names."

From the moderation displayed by the political
hunters of America, on the subject of the encounter
of their frigate and our sloop, we therefore, although
Capt. BINGHAM'S statement has not yet beea
received, cannot hesitate to conclude,, that be was
the attacked party, not the . aggressor, and has dis-
played, although vainly, agaist a vastly superior
force, that British spirit which, in all the seas, and
at all times, flames forth unquenched and unquench-
able. We cannot help thinking, however, that had
the issue of the contest proved unfavourable to the
President, the blind impulse of national vanity, for
it is too shallow to deserve the name of national
feeling, which but too frequently hurries the Ame-
ricans into inconsistency and injustice, would have
caused them to disregard ;he truth of the case, and
thus to make, not the hostile act, but their &feat,
a ground both for impertinence and war.
The contents of the private letters, as they gra-
dually transpire, vary, respecting the vessel by
which the first gun was fired. We apprehend it to
be nearly certain, that the British officer disavows
this act of aggression ; and such disavowal is, at
least, sufficient to falsify the principal account
which has yet been received ; wherein he is stated
to have acknowledged the firing of the first gun, and
to have justified it upon the suspicion that the vessel
which he was speaking was a French one. Capt.
BINGHAM is, we believe, not a man who will be
found in two stories. A person who lays claim to
impartiality, and who has taken considerable pains
to ascertain the truth, writes to England, that he
had conversed with the officer who had been sent on
board the Little Belt after the action ; and that this
officer, when the question of the first shot was there
disputed (for it appears to have been disputed even
on' board the vessels engaged), heard Captain
BINGHAM declare, that it did not proceed from his
ship. The officer of the President, it is proper to
state, is understood to have asserted the direct con.
trary, both on board the British sloop and to the
writer of the letter which we quote.

ATIONAL REGISTER.
?I . .