The National Register.
London, England, 1812-11-22 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTF.R.

72

Russia, viz. that of ensuring good winter-quarters before the
winter should come and surprize him."
Flom this it should seem that a wise Captain at the head
of an immense army in Russia, for the purpose of ensuring
good winter quarters, could have no end but to give up to
" envious rivals the immense resources presented by the con-
quered country ;" to quit " the provinces incomparably the
most
,fertile, of any in thoss clinics," which produced " in
such abundance all the necessaries of life, that from that
city, as from a general entrepot, they were spread over the
whole empire. Ile could have no end but to let St. Petersburg])
renew its communication with the ancient capital, which was so
necessary for the supply of its incessantly returning wants.
It is, however, somewhat remarkable, that as the French
entered Moscow on the 14th of September, that this was
not discovered till the 10th of November. To ordinary
understandings, it appears possible that it might have been
found out in time to be mentioned in the artible of the 18th
of October, from which we will now make another extract.
Having condemned the Russians for firing their city, it
goes on to ask

" Have they prepared our certain ruin, and purchased at
the expence of their antient capital the safety and the ho-
nour of their empire ? No : they have uselessly ruined one
of the finest cities in the world. While inflicting a mortal
wound on their country, they have done us little or no harm.
A few observations will be sufficient to prove this double
truth.

" Three-fourths of Moscow are in ashes. Doubtless we
must deplore this frightful calamity, the effect of bat barism
without example; but this misfortune falls entirely upon our
•

enemies, and cannot endanger the existence of our legions,
as some persons, adopting an opinion totally drßtitule of
foundation, might for a moment believe. Suppose Paris
burnt, could the army, which occupied the Beauce, the Or-

leanais, and Picardy, in short, the provinces from which it
derives subsistence,—could this_ army want provisions? Cer-
tainly not. 'Very well : our position is exactly sinil'ar to the
case we have now put. But there is one essential remark,
which modifies the comparison to our advantage : almost
all parts of France are rich and well peopled, consequent-
ly two hostile armies could there find abundant re-

sources. The same cannot be said of Russia. The central
territory of that vast empire alone presents the adcantage.s
of fertility; the remainder is comparatively a deeit, as

►►nproductive of men as of the means of subsistence. Our
entrance into Moscow, and the position of the enemy, driven
from all his internal provinces, sufficiently teal how little
we have to fear from the threats contained in his ridiculous
Proclamations, of reducing us to the most serePe pri;:ations.
Far from being ourselves exposed to them, we ale even likely
to famish St. Petersburgh this winter; and our army, inter-
posed between the enemy and his two capita's, already closes
the channel of all those supplies, which arc indispensibly ne
cessary for its support. But while, amidst resources of every
kind, our soldiers enjoy' repose from their fatigues in Mos-
cow, partially saved by their courage, the Russians, thanks to
the skilful manoeuvres of their Generals, will want every
thing in their own country."

The Journal dc l'Empire of Nov. 10, says, " the move-
lty th( army it )ed in the 25 th Bulletin,
private letters from Mos-
iy upon that city. and the
d have ensured the con-
'he rage and despair of a
d to him the fi ightful re-
n bands, one of the capi-

NOV. 22.

NV hat di fferet, ce (IA this make ? If the wi iter had r- fen ed
to the article ( f ;he 1 th October, he would have found that
the effects of that conflagration fell entirely on the Ilu,s;ao.,
and did the French 'ilt/t or no harm ; the opinion that it
might endange their legions, was " totally desaite of
,foundation." They could no more want provi•ions, than,
supposing Paris burnt, that army could which was in ros•es-
sion of the licauce, the 1 ificriais. and Picardy. The Prrela•
mations of Russia were ridiculous, which threatened to !e-
-duce the French legions to the most severe privations."_
They, on the " contcary, were likely to starve in St. Peters-
burgh, while their soldiers, amidst mources of every hied,
enjoyed repose. at Moscow." All this was after the burning
of that city.

Whai. then ought we to suppose that to be which induct!
Buo NA P ANTE to quit this Paradise ? What does the .foqrnal
de l'Empire mean by telling us, that " it was requisite that so
considerable a mass of men should breathe upon an extent
of territory capable of nourishing them." sutely this might
have been known before the 10th of November. What, after
the statement of the !Atli October, ca.. 4 be meant by that
interesting piece of intelligence, which is given with be-
coming gravity in The :Tournal de t Empire, that " all the
movements the army shall make will only have for their ob-
ject, the ensuring of as tranquil and abundant winter-quar-
ters as possible?" Where can he find in those climes more
tranquillity, or so much abundance, as was described to exist
in Moscow ? We can easily believe what follow:, that "to
say that the EHPEROR has left Moscow, is only to say this
father of soldiers marches whei ever great operations demand
his presence ;" but what great operations demand the pre-
sence of this foliar of soldiers at present. Perhaps his ob-
ject was to lessen his family. If so, he has succeeded, for
he has not so many to feed now as he had while in Moscow.
But the last Bulletin tells us, " Moscow is distant from St.
Petersburgh 180 leagues of bad road, whilst NVi:epsk is only
150 from Petersburgh;" and this will enable our iibera/ and
vagarious party politicians at once to account for the move
ments of BuoNA PARTE. It will at once appear clear to
them, that having now, for the first time, by good fortune,
discovered that St. Petersburg!' is fifty leagues nearer to
Witepsk than to Moscow, the crafty NAPOLEON has deter-
mined to march round by NVitepsk, in order to get to St.
Petetsburgh by a short cut. This may satisfy them, but
%%awing their liberality and sagacity, we can only see disas-
ter and defeat to the French in what has lately occurred, as
we trust our readers can only see falsehood and contradic-
tion in the French accounts, too infamous and glaring ts,
call fur farther exposure.

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