The Sun.
London, England, 1807-03-31 00:00:00

1, 0 1V I) 0 N,

TUESDAY, MARCH 31, 1807.

trxis Morning a Mail from Denmark arrived, and
last night we received Paris Papers to the 23d, and,
Dutch to the 27th inst. They bring no intelligence
of importance from the Airnies',:. it is stated, bow-
. .
ever, that on the 3d inst. the French got possession
of a Russiaa Magazine at Guttstadt,
.and " having
giventhe Russians this new lessbn,,the French Army
is-immediately to go lito winterquarters." The Spa-
nish Government have, in obedience to-the orders of
;•TAPARTE, adopted the Decree issuedbyßosrApAßTE
against the trade of this Country: all British property,
dough in-Neutral bottoms, is to be seized, and the
cargoes of Neutral Vessels, bound to this Country, or
any of its Colonies, are also liable tb seizure. It would
be idle to comment upon the absurdity of such a De-
cree; the Spanish Government must be in a state of
.the most slavish submission to BONAPARTE when it
could be induced to adopt such a measure.
Since writing the above, we have received some
further extracts from the Mail, which state positively
that the French General Dußoc had set out for St.
Petersburgh,.no doubt forthe purpose of attempting
to open a Negotiation. The reports of Austria hav-
ing commenced hostilities against France are repeated
from various quarters, and with great confidence ;
.but we entertain very strong doulAs of their truth.
Government, we have the .strongest reason to be-
lieve, have not received any accounts to that effea.,
We received this morning the following Letter
from Dover, dated yesterday
."DovEa, MARCH 30.—8 y a S upwhich arrived in
the Roads this afternoon from the Texel, we learn,
that accounts had reached Holland of the. Anstrians
. having taken the Field against .the 'French, and that
the latter were .retreating out of Poland in all direc-
-'t ions.. It was as"certaMed tb,4,the Diplomatic Corps
of TaLLEYRAND had already arrived at Berlin, and
*had brought- miserable accoUnts. of the state of the
French Ariny ; the Russians- had. cut off all their
supplies of provisions, and were continually taking
prisoners, and a' great deal of baggage had fallen into
the hands of the viElorions Armies."

THE more we consider the circumstances which
led to. the dismission of
.the late Ministers, the more
, .
' are convinced, not only of thejustice,but of
the indiseen,iible necessity of the condua which
.Hls
MaJEsTy has thought proper to adopt The.
late Ministers had first, by bringing forward a mea-
sure uppn which- HIS MAJESTY; was known to enter-
tain the strongest scruples, founded upon the most
pure and conscientious motives; an& afterwards, by
expressing their determination to give their support
to that or any measure of a similar tendency when
.
ever it should be brought forward, reduced.ffis MA-
JESTY to the' alternative either of employing as his
confidential. Servants men who bad expressly avowed
their intention, not only of .acting in 'opposition
to his wishes and sentiments; but of supporting
•
those' measures to which be could not 'give hiS
sane ion :cithour .a violation of that sacred obliga-
.
tion into which he entered with his People upon his
accession to the Throne ; or of calling to his Coun-
cils men of. whose abilities he' had had long expe-
rience, and in whose principles he knew he could
repose the fullest confidence. We have upon a for-
mer occasion stated, that we do not blame, the late
Ministers for resolving to adhere to the principles
which trey entertained, but we are, we confess, -at
a loss to find an excuse for their condud in endep-
youring to defend themselves, at the expellee of
their Sovereign, by concealing-, if not
.by nnsrepre-
.
stnting, a part of those transactions which led to their
dismission' from office. It was. generally believed at
first that Ministers bad not brought in the Bill until
tfiey had taken Ills MAJ IiSTY'S pleasure upon the sub-
jeet ; that they had 'afterWards withdrawn it in con-
formity to his wishes ; and that, notwithstanding
this compliance on their part, they had afterwards
he'en disMisSed froM office. But this appears, by
the..explanations given by Lords GRENVILLE and
Howlett, as well as by some documents which Have
since been made public, not to have been a fair or
accurate state of the case. The extent of the Provisions
of. the Bill which was brought into Parliament, cer-
tainly were not explained' distinaly to HIS MAJESTY.
\Ve must' here repeat, what we stated On a former

oCCas:en, ;hat we cannot for a moment suppose that

Lord GRF:NVILLE. would attempt to deceive his.
SOyereign upon any point, much less upon one of
such high importance; but there must" have been
an extraordinary and unaccountable degree of arn-
biguity in the Resolutions of the'Cabinet upon this
.for not, only His IVIAJ,FAI4- misunderstood •
the extent of the intended Concthisions, but also Lord
SMMOUTH and Mr. ELLiot, the forrrier a Cabinet