The National Register.
London, England, 1811-07-28 00:00:00

NATIONAL REGISTER

eur timg, trongitutipn, anb

SUNDAY, .11

POLITICAL DISQUISITION.

No. 173.

BUONAPARTE'S NEW DEVICES, OR THE BUBBLE
OF INVASION NEWLY BLOWN.

The greatness of the check which BuoxArium's
ambition has received from the seriet of victories
obtained by our arms, may be ascertained by the
efforts whiclyhe has made to collect powerful armies
and dt ive us away from the Peninsula ; and, on the
repeated failure of these, by his exertions in other
quarters, to compel us to recal our troops in defence
of our own possessions. For that purpose, he
lashed, soothed, and flattered into a complete ac-
quiescence with his designs the American Govern-
ment, the weak pusillanimity, or rather corrupt
subserviency of which has lately been fully exposed
by one of its own Members, the late Secretary of
State, Mr. Smrru ; whose breach of trust, however,
in producing documents, copies of which he must
have kept with a view to such a disclosure at the time
he was, by his own account, the intimate friend and
confederate of the PRESIDENT, can never be deemed
honourable. The consequences of this triumph ob-
tained by NAPOLEON over the pretended indepen-
dent Legislature of the United States, have not,
however, hitherto answered his ends. We have re-
'ceived from America, it is true, provocations equal
to a declaration of war. Nay, an act of open hostility
has already been committed on one of our cruisers,
and sanctioned by the public approbation of the PRE-
SIDENT. But the apprehension of an approaching con-
test in America, and of an attack on the vast pro-
vinces vs.'hich we still retain on the Trans atlantici_jon-
tinent, has not induced us to abandon our European
Allies. BONAPARTE had so frequently represc:qed
us in his official fulminations of impotent ven-
geance, as led by the sole impulse of egotism, that
he had written himself into a belief that his Asser-
tions were true. Self-deceived, he fancie,!, that we
had no other view in rescifng Portugal from his
grasp, than to keep his armies at a distance li•am
our shores, and that the least appearance of cto)ger,
threatening any part of our dominions, would con-
sequently he deemed by us of far greater import-
ance than the territorial integrity of Powers, whose
cause interested motives alone had, in his opinion,
induced us so warmly to support, and Ivo'
Pro!. IV. CLX..X.XkII.

I,Y '2B, 1811.

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attended by the immediate recal of cur troops.
He now finds that this hope has failed. Wehave sent
a squadron of .ships to erten the pride and bursting
enmity of America ; but instead of withdrawing
our men from Portugal and Spain, fresh embarka-
tions of cavalry and infantry daily take place, and
cur army in the Peninsula, which now so effectually
checks the collected might of France, will shortly
have lest the only inferiority under which it la-
boured throughout the campaign, that of numbers,
and be able once more to resume offensive opera-
tions. Aware of the fresh p::riis that gather against
his Brother's usurped throne, and conscious of his
inability to meet and repel the storm much longer,
either in the fich.s of Estramadura, or those of
Leon, llooNAPArcrE has at length publicly be-
trayed his military weakness. For some time
a total alteration was remarked in the tone in which
he spoke of the Spanish war. At the commence-
ment of the contest, from the height of his imperial
throne, he thundered forth prophecies of instant
subjugation, denouncing no less than sudden and ir-
remediable annihilation to our cohorts, should they
dare to await the approach of his veterans. When
a year had elapAid, and we had compelled Ancor to
evacuate Portugal, be unblushingly continued to
predict. our ruin, and attributed the delay that had
occurred, and the disappointment of the expecta-
tions which he had awakened, net as he ought, in
truth, to the genius of cur Cormnander and the
valour of our troops, but to the power of our
gold. Another year did the Bruish colours fly
undisturbed on the towers of Lisbon, whilst al the
South, and nearly the whole of d.e East of Spain
remained in the possession of the Patriots. Yet
the Imperial Prophet did not change his strain.
Our geld and intrigues had again checked the
course of fate. We had raised Austria in arms
against him, and he was forced to delay the c;:m•
plete subjection of Spain, to wrench the thunderbolt
from the Austrian Eagle. The last struggle for
indepei.,.!ence of the Emperor FRANCIS was ener-
getic but short. Despoiled of one of his kingdoms,
and of many valuable and xtensive'provinces,he ttiij
balanced the destinies of war on the banks of the
Danube. His capital was in the hands of his
encmy, and witnessed the last tremendous shocks
of the coi.flict. Ess'iug filled her with hope;
q-ram with sorrow; for on that gory Leld

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lay the Chosen warriors, the Midi, and the inde.
pendence of the Austrian , empire. Peace, how.
ever, sprung amidst the wrecks of war. The con.
queror's sword, which no shield could check, was de-
poi ited at tlit feet of youth and beauty. The daugh-
ter of the haughty house of HAristuto became
an Usurper's' bride, and for the first time, in the en-
joyment of connubial delights, the vain prophet's
voice was hushed. He, who till tl en, seemed to
take his chief delight in the ravages of war, relin-
quished its guidance. Flattery became his food,
and flow to please his bride his study. Enervated
and inactive, .he scarce followed with his eye the
operations, Successes or defeats of his Marshals
in Spain, and in order to give up all serious thought,
at last invested MASSENA with the chief command
of the army intended to invade Portugal, and with
the character of Prophet, which he had ceased to
wear with honour, but which recovered no credit
in, the hand of izs new possessor. For a few weeks
atter MAssEsik had, from the tr.,wers of Ciudad Ru-
ch igo, revived the old and almost forgotten predic-
tion that cur army should be driven into the sea,
he experienced at Busaco a most st.vcre and san-
guinarv'repulse from that very army whose destruc-
tion be So confidently a nt:cipated. A few months
later, he sunk both his military and prophetic cha-
racter into still deeper dishonour, wi,e:l he fled hack
through wasted Portugal before our pursuing legions.
Untaught by the mortification and teat. of his
. colleague, SOULT also ventured to predict ; and,
when leaving Seville, informed his soldiers he led
them to certain victory ; but on the red hills of Al-
bucra learnt the vanity of boasing,, and proved the
' keen edge of the British sword. Such defeats awoke
• NAPOLEON from his lethargy. He looked abroad ;
but his means were wasted and his treasury
, empty. Cornpeled •by his own practice et for-
mer ) ears, to introduce the subject of war into
• his :1111111:11 Expose, how charged was Lis
guage. Unable to claim a si:,g-le triumph, he could
• only state that several actions had been fought ho-
nourable to the French arms : an artfully equivocal
expression, since a defeat may be honourable to
the congtrred, when the victory has been bravely
contested. As to the duration and issue of the war,
he vainly called perversion of truth and reasoning to
his aid. He vainly told his people that he puipo3e/y
protracted hostilities in order to exleurq our blood
and resources ; they saw C-grough the thin veil of
his deception. They perceived, not only, as lie
• told them, that we had be come principals in the
war, but that we, whom he used to represent
as unable to contend single-handed with France
had now ail the advantage of a series of land
campaigns on our side. They laughed at his
threat of conquering England on the Peninsula,
where his armies, repeatedly defeated, were scarce-
ly able to retain their footing ; and in his fresh at-
tempt at effecting the recut of our troops, whose
expulsiwz he finds impracticable, by forming a camp
at Boulogne, parading the harbour with a fev: rot-
ten boats, and renewing the unsubstantial show of
invasion, they will only see a public acknowledg-
veakness and inability to cope with
n Spain or Portugal.

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