The National Register.
London, England, 1812-09-20 00:00:00

354

FRENCH PAPERS.
The fifteenth French Bulletin, and Moniteurs to the 14th
inst. have reached us. They do not contain the alarming
intelligence of another battle having. taken place between
Smolensko and Moscow, in which the Russians were stated
to have lost 13,000 men in killed and wounded. Indeed
sve have heard that the rumour was cleated in town by
some patriotic men, who wished to damp the public hope, and
lower the public fonds for purposes of the most disintere4ted
nature. By the Fifteenth Bulletin, which is dated Slawkovo,
about 80 miles beyond Smolensk°, on the road to Moscow,
it appears that the French had then pushed their advanced
guard to Viasma, thirty-seven miles further, and one hun-
dred and sixty-five from Moscow. The loss of the Rus-
sians, at Smolensk° and Valentina, is now swelled to from
23 to $O,OOO men, and the French ►
maintain that in the
battle of Polotzk they obtained a complete victory, but they
do not bring forward any considerable advance in that
quarter to corroborate their assertion. VICTOR (000 Dukemen,. of
Belluno) had set out from Tilsit for `Vilna kith 30,
to form the reserve.
The French papers contain nothing of importance, and
fire chiefly filled with descriptions of the country about
Moscow, and the abundance of the supplies furnished by the
Country.
The king of Piwsst A has been made to give the following
answer to BARCLAY DE To Lit's appeal to the Germans :
" The ties that attach Prussia and her Monarch to the Em-
peror of the FRENCH, in the %vat- against Russia, are sacred.
His Majesty may confidently promise himself, that each will
go beyond his paternal intentions, and not suffer himself to
be misled by the false reasoning of a foreign policy.

Dispatches from Lord WELLINGTON, dated Madrid, the
6th inst. were received last Monday. Their contents ale
not of great importance. His Lordship notices the advance
of the remains of MARmoNT's army to Valladolid, and
states, that the blockade of Cadiz has been resumed by Ge-
mere VILLA TT E. On this point We should think his Lord-
ship must have been misinformed, as SOCLT would not
have destroyed his lines and batteries, had he been able so
shortly after raising the siege to re-occupy them.
Accounts have been transmitted to the Commander of our
squadron off the Dutch coast, of very great agitation pre-
Nailing throughout Holland on the new double conscription
which is expected to be immediately announced. We be-
lieve it will he the conscriptions for 18 16 and 17, 2o large
have been BUON A P ARTE's anticipations.
The army from Sicily lately landed in Spain, under the
command of General M AIT LAND, is 7,000 strong, consist-
ing of a division of the 9.oth Light Dragoons, the Ist batta-
lion of the loth foot, the Ist battalion of the ststh, the Ist bat-
talion of the 81st, the 4th and 6th battalions of the King's
German Legion, and the regiments of Dillon and De Rolle,
at Minorca ; the above forces were joined by about 4,000
more, t.o that the whole strength landed amounts to about
11,000 excellent•troops.
Nlarshal BEREsFOitD, it is said, is so exasFerated with the
late conduct of the Portuguese caviry, under that gallant
office' General D'URBAN, that he has is,ued orders that
they shall walk beside their horses, with their swords slung.
on the pommels, and their jackets turned; but en the
enemy appeer. they may mount and charge, andw h
retrieve
their character, •
Goveintnent is using the most expeditious efforts to send
out reintweements to the Peninsula. The 91st regiment,
11,000 strong, is to embark at the Nore, to I, oceed to Co-
runna, there to receive Lord WELLINGTON'S orders,

SEPT. 20.

Government have received dist atches from Lord W
LIAM BENTINCK, our Ambassador at Palermo, communi-
cating the agreeable intelligence that the Parliament of
Sicily had consented to abolish vassalage, vitlainage, and all
feudal rights on that island, and to form a new Constitution
on the model of the British. This determination had dif-
fused general joy among the natives of Sicily, who look for.
ward with eager hope to the benefits to be derived flora
those measures, under the, protection of the British Govern.

men%
A letter from St. Andero, of the 41st ult. states, that the
French bad made another attack on Bilboa, with 8,000 men,
and had succeeded in retaking possession of it. The .to ength
of the Spaniards consists of 10,000 men, but it is widely dis-
persed among the mountains in the vicinity of Billma,
on
which they meditate a fresh attack, as soon as the d:ffeient
corps can be assembled.
Among the articles left by the French in Madrid, were
40,000 pair of shoes, a great quantity of wire and brandy,
and rations for x,OOO men for three mon.h,.
The siege of Cadiz by the French commenced on the fith
of February, 1810, and .was raised on the 25th of last menth;
a period of two years, six months, and nineteen days, of at-
Ack and resistance.
Letters from Paris state, that 4,1,000 troops are actually on
their march for Spain.
An exchange of prisoners has been establi,hed betwte
the United States and Great Britain.
It is expected that the French privateers will soon renew
their predatory excursions in the Channel, takitp. advantage
of the long dark nights. There are now 18 of them ing in
Calais harbour; 15 at Gravelines ; many also at Boulogne,
and the other adjacent ports, ready to put to sea as soon as
the favourable season for their cruizes shall commence. A
number of British seamen, prisoners, who have been in.,
duced by threats and promises to enter into their service,
are said to compose part of the crews of these privateers.
By a vessel arrived from Quebec, which left that place so
late as the 21st ult. accounts have been received, stating, the.t
in consequence of the revocation of the Orders in Connell
being known, an armistice had been concluded betmeen
Generals BROOKE and liver., for thirty days, on the suppo,
sition that the repeal of the Orders in Council must lead to
the immediate restoration of peace. The American seas
swarm with privateers, which annoy our trade exceedingly.
—They have been particularly active off the coast of Gua.
dalou
Letters from Cuellar and Madrid of the 27th ult. are said
to mention, that " the Alarquis of W et.t.n•tc•rost had rein-
forced (31;•neral CLINTON, at Cuellar, with the 42d and 6-2 d
regiments ; and no doubt was entertained of the General
being ahic to keep the remains of M A RMONT'S army in com-
plete check. Our troops, from the great exertions made,
wanted a little rest before they recommenced very active
operations ; but that part of the enemy' G
s army which they
had driven before them, required rest fully as much. he-
had
HILL was at his former position OD the 24th ult.-
the
-
Colonel STIRLING, of the 42d, has been appointed to
command of a brigade."
Olber accounts which we have seen, state that BONNET
had crossed the Pisuerga between Palencia a
nt. Valladol
till
and was watching the force under General INTON,
MASSE NA should join.
It is said that the object of the late meetings of the French
Conservative Senate was to consider of the means of carry-
itt,4 effc%-t a decree issued by NAPOLEON, from oto-
lenskO or Witepsk, for calling ont a double conscription,
'that is, 160,0.00 men instead of 80,000.