The National Register.
London, England, 1809-10-08 00:00:00

oCT. 8.

na, and under WELLESLEY at Vimeira and Talavera. If
those hardy and intrepid yeomen, who once triumphed at
.Agincourt, were once.more recalled to life, and habituated
to our mode of discipline, they would have been discom-
fittei, and, , perhaps, sacrificed, (they were not in the
habit of turn'ng their backs to Frenchmen,) had they been
employed in the late expedition. We cannot, therefore,
comprehend this silence on the part of the P:thlie. They
can attach no blame to themselves, or impute the disgrace
to want of bravery and discipline on the part of the army
or navy. There is nothing so imposing, or awe,inspiring
in the minds, and persons, and services of Lords Cu&rIIAM
and C.tmertesen, which should prevent inquiry.
Millions have been expended ; the lives and health of
our countrymen uselessly thrown away; and, what is, •in
the scale of moral calculation, of more fatal consequence,
the honour of the country has received a deep incision,
which the balsam of time, which cures most things, or
our former reputation, may not be able to close. Silence
upon questions like these is not humanity, iior is it loyalty ;
and certainly evinces no respect for the Sovereign. We
have waited, with the most painful anxiety, to see what
measures would have been taken in this unfortunate busi-
ness. We did violence to our feelings, in order not to de-
prive his Majesty's Ministers of the merit of originating
the investigation. For a time we. were willing to impute
the delay to the dissensions in the Cabinet. Again we were
inclined to impute it to the new Ministerial arrangements;
all this.time not entertaining the remotest Suspicion of any
intention to screen the delinquents. • But the disunion and
the arrangements are now concluded ; and no offer of ex-
planation, or satisfaction to an outraged and insulted peo-
ple, has been plqposed as yet. What does this silence
mean ? Does it imply a future precedent, that.the people
have no right to interfere in such matters; that it is be-
yond their evisiiirebension and jurisdiction ? .Thisis a very
coavenient gooteleoe to some persons; biltit is unconstitu-
tional and unprccedcatcd.

Cerman Papers were received yesterday. They guard the
most scrupulous siience relative to this neguciations at
Altenburgh ; nothing is permitted to transpire. It would
ke presumption, therefore, to hazard a decided opinion,
when there are no data upon which to found one; and folly
to waste time and paper in conjectures; which the seat
arrivals from the-continent may prove to he false. There
Arc reports in ahundanc9 ; but they are vague cor.tradic-
tory and unsupported even by an air of probability.. The
publiC have been so frequently disappointed.by speculations
upoh this subject ; so often Juisled by the passions and pre-
judices of the retailers thereof: so much nauseated by the
dogmatism and self-importance of these Cabinet-secret-
mongers; that they would not owe us much thanks, were
we to entertain them with ingenious conclusion drawn
•
• perhaps from the falsest premises.
An article from Vienna, of the 2d Sept. says, " Our
hopes decline. The French Bead-quarters have been re-
moved from Schoenbrun to Presburg ; and the French army
is collected, prepared for action, on the line of the armis-
tice." It appears, however, that the armistice, which

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• •