Star.
London, England, 1810-11-24 00:00:00

MONITEUft.

" (1) If you are desi'ous that your countrymen
should be released, there is but one way, that is—to
be just, and exchange the French against the English,
Portuguese, and Spaniards, man for man, and rank
for rank. Thi: is the sine qua non of every cartel of
exchange, now or hereafter.
" When a negotiation for peace is proposed to you,
you say, that you cannot enter into it except the Spa-
nish insurgents are admitted as a party. When a
cartel of exchange is in qnestion, you will not allow
those men to be i.lcluded in it who were taken in the
ra.ks of your armies. What! the soldiers of the
Spanish army of Galicia, who were taken in covering
the retreat of General Moore, are not to be exchang-
ed for the French who were taken in the same or
other actions ? What ! the soldiers of the army of
Cuesta, who at the battle of Talavera formed' the
right of the English army, and were taken at the pas-
sage of the Tagus, when they formed the rear-guard
of the English army ; those men taken for your safe.
ty, who sacrificed themselves for General Welling-
ton, and enabled him to secure his• retreat, are to
be expludvd from the exchange, and not considered
as 'the English themselves ? What! the Spaniards
taken before Cadiz, engaged in sorties with your
troops—you will not exchange them ? What ! the
garrison of Ciudad Rodrigo, that of Almeida which
you shut up in these fortresses, on a promise of com-
ing to their relief—who covered your army, who sa-
criticed themselves for it—you disown them ? It is
Impossible.
46. An army is an army. Since these men fought
by your side, were armed with your arms, paid with
your money, and clothed by you, they should be in-
cluded in the exchange of prisoners, whatever their
country might be.
Throughout the whole course of the negociation
The English Cabinet had perpetual recourse to subter-
fuges; the result of which was, that they would not
admit the exchange, man for man, and rank for rank,
and consider the French,. English, Germans, Portu-
guese, Spaniards, upon a footing of equality, and com-
posing two belligerent masses. Mr. Mackenzie, after
having twice applied for his passports, with an inter-
val of a month between each application, hasat length
left Morlaix.

Besides, he was sent over by the English Go-
vernment rather in the character of a spy than a ne-
gociator. It was impossible for a person to conduct
himself worse than he did. He abused the liberty
which he had of making excursions in the country to
Elie distance of eight or ten leagues :—he had his
Correspon-dents ; he pretended to be above the Police
of the prirvince ; and gave way to all the imperti-
nencies of a young man—without experience or mo-
deration.

" Mr. Mackenzie was employed in the Cattaro
business, at the close of the war 1805. He was after-
wards one of the agents in the horrible affair of Co-
pcnhagen. He is, in short, a man of the same kid-
ney with the Drakes, the Wickharns, and the Jack-
sons. When the English really wish to zegociate,
they know what kind of men they should employ.—
When they wished to make peace at Amiens, they
sent over Lord Cornwallis, whose character alone
sheered the sincerity o" their disposition.
" England abounds as much as any country in the
world in men respectable on account of their infor-
mation, and the excellence of their characters. It
also abounds in hideous characters, in political Figa-
ro:, in brokers of intrigue, spies, and incendiaries.—
When it wishes to negociate sincerely with France,
it will kg manifested in the choice.of the negociator.
Whatever kind of treaty England may 'be desirous of
entering into with France, should be founded on jus-
Ace, good sense, and candour. It is possible to de-
ceive some ignorant Nabobs in the East Indies—but, i
Ita enlightened Government is not to be imposed
upon,ff