The National Register.
London, England, 1809-02-12 00:00:00

' SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 1809,

PRICE M.

perils they subdued ; we will repeat to them what Britons for-
merly achieved, and bow they, by euarage and persevelaoces
triumphed over difficulties wore trying and periloos thau those
we are e posed to. These are the sentituents fit to be ex preasect
to me hire annals CORtaio so many splendid examples of
what o . lury and love of freedom rare capable of iuspi ring
and perfor ag ; whose country his been invariably cosisidered
as the natural sojourn of morel and politic al independence, and
whose fathers have always appeared in the conspicuous characis
ter of avengers and deliverers of outraged and oppressed noticing.
But if their feelings are become so torpid as to be insensible to
the call of honour and freedom, an appeal to their WES oleos
and avarice is unasiailin, because a people, animated only *with
such sentiments, are Incapable and unworthy of bcitig saved.
We have thus thought proper to preface the follow log obser-
vatious, on the conduct we ought to pursue relative to Sp. A...—
Heaven knows, it is mortifying enough to be obliged to employ
so many arguments in support of tneasures, wliose urgency we
consider as self-evident; but the alarming iudiffereece which Las .
succeeded, within a few weeks, to the Alaimo and zeal previously
manifested by the public, is sudicient to justify any degree of
apprehension we may feel in recommending the necessity of
energetic memurea in support of the Spaniards, in support of
Europe, in support of ourselves. A cirouinstance, which in-
creases our anxiety, is the fatal opinion which begins to grtia
ground, that even the full display of our streugth, directed by
i the most consummate wisdom, is now insuflicieut to secure e.en
a single village of the Continent the enjoyment df inclependeore.
How variable has the public opinion been on the :aloe .i.!, r• t
in the sport space of six mouths ; but we kousa the revuliiag
cause of this inconsistency and vacillation- .it lies in the iet)-
m4eagenient, weakness, awl ignorauce, of the individuals v. iso
had the inauicezneco of our eVactrot:. We o.•ul.ladvise, how-
ever, the public nut to abaudou a good c0a,..., too to zrhie..don
themselves, and the future interests of their chil.lren, in coat-,
quence of the incompetency of this, ur preceding; admioistrat ions.
A mass of talents, virtue, and energy, are surely to Le fi..ii.d
among sixteen millions of iallohitatits, adequate to the caeca.
Lion of more arduous projects than we are called upon to accom-
plish ; and the British character Las never been thought defi-
cient iu those qualities, which enable a people to act a dl.fieult
or even proinioeut part.
The utility of al-sisting efficaciously the Spaniards, is so ob-
vious, and has been so frequeatly urged, that it i.; sul.efl.i.or., to
make any new observations on that subject. But doubts, it ap-
pears, have arisen as to the practicat.ility of doing it. If disc
gust at reiterated disappointments, al - :he improvident Dud in-
adequate use which has been made of the national resources,
have caused this unwarrantable despondency in the public ; we
hope their good sense and :.rinness will finally triumph over these
obstacles, and counteract the delusive soggestions of iudolence.
A little reflection, a recurrence to forcer event:, some know.
ledge of the springs of huiran action, and an attentiea to the
effects of popular feeling, wou'd point out the a1,?;41,t tu.ttro
mountable difficulties BuNA.I-AItTE has to encoulitcr, before
be obtains undisputed poo,e:ssiou of the !et:bifida. Vague and
undigested theories are not sufficient to overtlirost the exves
rience of ages ; and nothing is more absurd and errotieous than
the idea that proinises and a ambiance of inioie•afto are awe
to reconcile a people to the yoke of a cotiqu,”Or. Generations
'bust pass away, and every vestige of the injustice he effaced.,
before a cordial and voluntary iubmission can be t x protest. To
she* the-trutb of Usti racsaris Its lb more übviap light, ant ma