Star.
London, England, 1802-12-09 00:00:00

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army, and the pelffeffion of Belgium certainly
gives new facilities. But then if an army were land
ed, all fuccour would be cut off, and the whole
muff be either taken or detiroyed. When 5 hear
it laid that we know not whit lb defperate a people
may do ; in the fir(' place, I do not fee that the
French do fuch defperate things. -In all the laft
war, when they may be fuppofed as defperate as
they ever were, they never did think ferioufly of
an invafion. The Expedition to Egypt was not a
defperate enterprife—for till the glorious viltory
of Lord Nelfon, the French thought they could
cope with us in the Mediterranean. Some may
fay, let the French come, we are ready to meet
them. Now I confefs I neither with the French
had come, nor that they would come ; though I
have not a doubt that the fpirit and energy of the
nation would quickly have decided the fate of the
invaders. They would do mifchief, to be fure ;
but furely ten millions of men attached to the
conftitution, and all are In, would have (hewn
that whatever mifchief they might do, they could
not fubjeet us. Thofe who chufe to exaggerate the
courage, ftrength, force, genius, or defperation of
the French, cannot think there is any danger that
we (hould finally be fubjetted by any force the
French could Real over to this country. Do they
really believe, as has been Paid to-day—(no, I be-
lieve not this day, fufficient for the day is the_
evil thereof), that there is any danger of feeing
the tri-coloured flag flying on the Tower of Lon-
don? Is it potlible that a people In numerous, how-
ever daffardly (and I think the people of England
as brave as any nation in the world), could be
fubilued by 40,000 men—the greaten number that
could be conveyed over to this country in the
relative Rate of the navies of France and Eng-
land ? It is ridiculous to think fo, if any thing
.conneted with fo ferious a fubje& can be thought
ridiculous. Indeed, thofe who paint our fitu•
ation and our profpeas in the moil gloomy
colours, do not want good humour enough to
enliven the canvafs with many ludicrous touches
—fo that if they defcribed us as ruined, it is in
the temper of the man in the play, who is told,
" if you are an undone man, you really are the
merrieß undone man in Chriftendom." But an in-
vafion, though it would neither deftroy our Laws,l
our Government, nor our Conftitution, might do
ferious traifchief I confefs. It would perhaps de-
!troy or fufpend 'that credit and that wealth, of
which Come Gentlemen (peak fo contemptuoufly, in
comparifon of guns and bayonets. But if we are
not vulnerable by invafion of the foil of Great
Britain, there are vulnerable points in our fituation.
Arewe not vulnerable through our finances ? Might
not the French think that to harafs this Country
by expenfive Eftablifhments ; to divert in ufelefs
and cumbrous forces the refources that might be
employed in accelerating the extin&ion of the na-
tional debt, was no very unfuccefsful way of car-
rying on war with us ? It was lately Paid, that the
gresteft part of the population of Ireland was
difaffefied ;—but without afcribing great effeas
tO the Union—nay, unlefs we fuppofe the Govern-
ment outrageoufly bad, the people of Ireland mum,
in a few years, be much lefs difaffefted than they
now are. Thus a few years of peace and mode-
rate eßabli(hment would enable us to throw off a
ccmfiderable part of that debt which in war was
called the belt ally of France ; while peace would
equally tend to fortify us in Ireland—a point
where it is evident we now are vulnerable. Is
not France then much more likely to dire& her ef-
forts again(' our finances, than to invafion, in
which, at any time, there is fo little profpeft of
fuecefs, and in which, for Tome time, there can be
no profpeft of fuccefs at all ? The funds, by
the late war, fell from 97 to 47-5 o per Cent.
—They again have rifen to 67 ; but fuppofing
a new war to take place, what would be the
confeqoence of the funds lofing so, or even so
per Cent. on the price of 67 ? Inflead, how-
ever, of .fuch a lots, if peace is preferved, and
our refources, increafed by economy, be applied
to the extinaion of the public debt,. I atn almoft
fore that the funds would again rife to 97. I
have already remarked that the ftrength of France
and England is different their offenfive and de-
fenfive lyftents are different ; the credit of this
country is a main fpring of. its greatnefs and of its
wealth. In France there was no great deal of cre-
dit before the Revolution, but the utter deftruftion
of it by the war, and the events of the war, though
it fpread much mifery through France, did not un-
nerve that country.—lt rather contributed to fwell
the armies of the Republic, and to the conqueßs
they made. In England the demotion of credit,
though it would not be attended with the lots of
the independence of the country, for we might Rill
peel's mcn and arms, yet it would fpread infinite
mifery over the land. Let us therefore ward off
from our finances and from our credit every danger;
becaufe, though not fatal to our exittence, their
overthrow would be fatal to our well being. I
confefs that I never could enter fo far into the fen-
timent, common in ancient times, of being able to
love my country, independently of loving my coun-
trymen,andllhould not be glad to fee us reduced to
a Rate of things in which the country alone (hould be
preferved, and every means of happinefs and corn-
fort finally torn from its inhabitants. High efta-
bliihments would form no fecurity againft the
danger which has been held out to us. Wife ceco-
nomy is the refource from which we (hall draw the
means of defending ourfelves again(' every danger.
If we have 25,000 lefs, we (hall in return in a fhort
time have z 5,000,0001. more to apply to our de-
fence, and to enable us to repel any aggreftion.—
Hitherto I have argued the queftion upon the
ground that war was an event which we might
ewe' in no very diarist period. But I do not
think that we are obliged to anticipate a fpeedy
war. Again, at the hazard of mifreprefentation,
I muff declare it to be my opinion that it is for the
interelt of the French nation, of the French Go-
vernment, that it is their will to cultivate peace,
and that with good management, without any
particle of fubmiffion, peace may be preferved.—
Though this he my opinion, I would not rifk
one iota of the public fafety and interefi on that
which mutt be very vague and loofe fpeculacion. I
have Chown, however,that in regard to your finances
you would, by economical euatglihroents, fortify
Tow nadir- and
,calans_ioar telources for any ,