The National Register.
London, England, 1823-04-21 00:00:00

TEF NATIONAL REGISTER

absolutely requisite fur us to remain in a state of
neutrality, while our neighbours are quarrelling
among themselves—and it appears to us that no-
thing short of a positive aggression against aut.
aelves would warrant our adding to oar already
immense debt of 860 millions—by the heedless ex-
travagance in the last war, we have so placed our-
selves in a state of distress and pecuniary exhaustion
as to make us incapable of attending to the noble
feelings of indigr.ation against the meddlings of the
French Government, and the only thing we can do
for the Spaniards is to offer our ardent prayers that
" Liberty and Right" may triumph over " shinny
and Wrong."
_

Insanity frequently chews itself by the exhibition
of groundless fears, and if it were an invariable
proof of an aberration of mind, Mr. Canning would
certainly be pronounced mad, for he appears to be
afraid of becoming too popular—his recent conduct
respecting Spain, when compared with that which
it was probable Lord Londonderry would have pus-
sued, seemed like that of an honest man, and was
properly appreciated; but his opposition to Lord
Althorp's motion for the repeal of the Foreign En-
listment Bill has withered his newly acquired lau-
rels, anti sent him once more to the abyss of hatred
and coat Nupt from which he had so recently escaped
—the original enactment of the law in question it
a damning proof of the debased spirit of the House
of Commons that passed it, while its retention as a
laW is equally disgraceful to the House that opposed
its repeal.

The annual farce of the Catholic Question was
performed on Thursday evening, and, of course, to
speak in the theatrical technicality, it was damned for
the season—incidental to the piece, Mr. Brougham,
in a strain of sarcastic eloquence peculiar to him-
self, submitted Mr. Canning to ,severe castigation,
which so closely touched the ltight Honourable
Gentleman by its verity, as to cause him to forget
at once what was due to the House, to the learned
Member, and lastly (though in his estimation not
least) to his own eliaracter as a gentleman—he air
solutely interrupted Mr. Brougham in a sentence,
fur the purpose of giving him the lie in as plain
terms as any of his female relatives (his male rela-
tions are, and ever have been, unknown) at Bil-
lingsgate could have used—the Speaker interfered,
and a Ea of accommodation was come to.

An express from Paris arrived on Wednesday Elated
Monday evening, containing a letter and Trench
papers. The most interesting news is an account of
the first skirmish between the French and Spaniards;
the former affair, having been with the French
refugees. The Spaniards, it will be seen, behaved
nobly.
• PARIS, Arum 14.—The first real skirmish, if it
sloes not deserve a bighertitle, has taken place before
St. Sebastian's. The Spaniards have behaved nobly,
tho..gh by the French accounts twice repulsed. The
officer who commands the garrison is said to be a
man of talent, of firmness, and well affected to the
cause of his country's independence. I refer you to
the Molliesr for the details of the first affair. It is
unfortunate that we have no other account. You
may rely still less on this oracle at present, than
under the time of Buonaparte. Ministers have had
the news for two days, but could not easily deter-
mine in what shape they should be given to the
public.
'• The new Junta of Government, or the new
Regency, has been installed.
" The Monileur of Monday contains the follow-
ing despatch from Guelliminot :
" The march of the army continues. The brigade
of the advanced guard, under the Marshal-de•Camp
Va lin, is half a maids beyond Tolosa, which the
the Duke of Reggio occupies with the first corps.—
The division Bourke du .cly blockades St. Sebastian.
The flag of truce of this General was received with
a musket-shot. Our troops then made themselves
masters of the heights which command the fortress,
into which they forced the garrison to return. The
impatience fur fighting was such, that Generals and
officers were unable to check it. _

" From this new position Gen. Bourke sent a
second flag of truce, which this time was admitted;
but the Governer having pretended that advantage
had been taken of this circumstance to advance, Gen.
Bourke demonstrated to him our good and his bad