The National Register.
London, England, 1808-11-21 00:00:00

NA 11[61+4 i;

746 ._ .

We have given in another part of our Paper some of the
Proceeding- of-the Court of Inquiry ; and our Readers will
see with satisfaction, that they completely refute an infa-
mous calimny which some vile miscreants, in the hopes of
acquiring the protection of a poWerful family, got inserted
in some of the Morning Papers, for tile purpose of asper-
sing one Officer, in order to screen another. We cannot
conceive bow the Editors of these Palters could have
consented to have their columns . stained with these
abominable paragraphs; and as there is no other man-
Per .of accounting for the levity or such conduct, than
that they must have been grossly deceived by the
wretches who gave these articles fur insertion they are
called on by every sentiment, of justice, by a respect for
their own reputation, and by the consciousness of having
we believe unwittingly, contributed to the circulation of
the most injurious and defamatory charges against an ab-
sent Officer, to publish the names of those men who were
the base Authors of these unjustifiable attacks, in order to
expose them to universal and merited reprobation. Sir AR..
veva WELLEncv, as became a soldier and a man of honour
rejeeted with indignation any share, either Oil his part, or
Ilutt of Iris friends, in the base attempts made to throw
ail the odium of the Armistice and Convention on Sir BEw
Dscitysrvi.E. lu refutation of this atrocious falsehood, he
expressly stated, 46 that he assisted in drawing up the
‘• treaty—having subscribed it by the desire of his superior
•4• officer, without ben compelled, or even ordered, arid
44 most cordially coactirriag in the opinion that the French
46 should he permitted to evacuate Portugal," Sir IIEW DAS,
Rif Mimi'. likewise made a declaration in favour of the pro-
priety of the Convention, and said, " that he scorned to die-
" claim the ohdre he had in making the Armistice ; which,
44 the more it is considered, the more it will be approved."
We admire this candour ; there is something manly id such
conduct ; and when. contrasted with the cruel and dastardly
j.:silMatiOnS, foisted ou the public by the protest,makers,
we feel respect for the courage and rectitude of the man.
notwithstanding our hearty detestation of the Armistice, as
well as the Convention.

The distinguished action fought off L'Oricut, between
the Amethyst, of 36 guns, Captaia ::,LYVIOUH, and La
Thetis, a French frigate, pierced for 44, though mounting.
60 guns, is one of the most glorious on our naval records.
Lesides the extraordinary complement the French have, in
general, on board their vessels, the Thetis had a hundred
soldiers, who did, aa may be expected, great execution
among the crew of the Amethyst. But nothing could re-
a.st the intrepidity of our gallant seamen and their brave
commander. The engageinent was fought within sight of
the French coast ; a circumstance, which must have had
great influence in exciting the coucage of the enemy. We
most do them also the justice to observe that they fought
ith the most obstinate perseverance, - and did not strike'
milli more than half their crew were killed and wounded.
When La Thetis was taken possession of, she literally re-
sembled a charnet-hone'; her decks were covered with the
mangled bodies of the dead and dying, and the' scene of
slaughter and havotk she prosetsted, is indescribable. The
tire of the Amethyst is said to have been tremendous. The
action lasted three hours and a half, one• hour and 1v half
of which they were grappled by the.anchor of the Ame"
thyst sticking in the bow of the Thetis. The French Cap-
tain was killed and we are happy to announce the pleas-
ing intelligence that Captain SErvoint, who, dtiring the
whole of this sanguinary engagement; discovered the most
imperturbable coolness• and. presence of Mind, did'not re-
ceive the slightest wound.

re.. , great,— rantage.
la engagements on life and &Mil, as this really was the
cool, determined courage of a people shows itself; and we
vauntingly say it, that no nation, antient or modern, po,-
sessed this kind of bravery in a more eminent degree Unto
our own. With seamen and soldiers of this mettle, ai'
there is a sufficient, store of it, we may look at the oveu!.
• rences of our time without dismay, and look forward I„
ftaktrity with well-founded confidence. There is nol
subject of the United Kingdom, whose heart does not sw
with triumph, whenever he reflects on the character of VW'
seamen. This unrivalled courage extends, through
.ditierent gradations of the service front the Admiral down
'to the cabin-boy ; and there exists an esprit dc corps, a
sense of honour, a steadiness of courage, a consciousness
of superiority, a contempt of danger and difficulties, so
prominently in the naval service; that it were to be wished
that some of our Generals had served the two, or three
first years of their military apprenticeship on board our
ships of war. The men, who command in the army and
navy, arc of the same stuff; there must be something ex.
tremely detective in the direction or administration of the
;former, which prevents them from rivalling the glory and
success of the latter. We do not recollect, in the whole
course of the present war, a single example where a naval
commander had been accused of not having done his duty ;
one solitary exception, and that a very don .ttful one. And
alas ! how many flagrant proofs have we had, during that
time, of misconduct, to say, the least of it, in the other
quarter. The deficiency, nobody will dare assert, lies in
our soldiers ; if the regulations for the appointment of
Officers in the navy be worthy of imitation, why is not
their advantage extended to our land forces? This is cer-
tainly uorthy of more consideration than has been as y, t.
bestowed on this subject ; in particular as the consequences
appear evers day inure and more prominent.

We have given in our Paper of this day CRETET'S FI•
1)001011 of the internal State of France. We never rea;: a
report. ol a French Minister of the Interior, on a similar
subject, with greater satisfaction and triumph. On refer•
inb to the different Expositions, for a series of sears, and
particularly since the beginning of the present war, we
rind the tone so completely altered, though the acrimony
of the laegnage and the hatred of the sentiments hale
sidiered no diminution. To this ebullition of frenzied
rancour we can have no objection ; for we are conscious of
hat rug deserved it. We have, by our single exertions,
weak and paralyzed as these Orators have been formed) in
the habit of representing them, done more to stop the
Fumy in their wild, eccentric career, than all the nations
of E
in their
put together. The change we advert to con-
sists their present manner of regarding the strength and
resources of this country, There is not one of our read-
ers who does not probably recollect, that, in the preceding
Report of this very Mons, CRETET to the Legislat‘e
Body, as well as in those of his predecessor, with the in-
sp.iration of folly, or madness, the immediate overthrow
of the British Empire was prophetically denounced. our
insensibility to the accumulating. danger of our situation
was so very great, that these Seers pronounced us a nation
devoted by the Heavenly Gods themselves to destruction
They considered onr blindness as the surest prognostic of
our approaching destruction; and that there was even no
possibility of our resisting what Heaven itself decreed
after we had filled. up the full measure of our iniquity !
The French Statesmen could account in no other manner
for the infatuation of our councils, or the madness of our
projects. The, were so convinced that our ruin was
inevitable, that. eve* in holding out to us the olivehranch
they could not refrain from that insolence, which the
consciousness of security, joined to superiority, on Boa
one side, and the belief of an approaching catastrophe on
the other, naturally inspire,. This insolent brutality Ras
carried to such an, excess, that the slightest communication

Mthkii.
onsuessaisamomememmallMill
It is on splendid and decisifie akaidans of this kind that
3 ltritish character displays itself to greatest advantacre.
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