Star.
London, England, 1804-12-13 00:00:00

0? A LATTER Flom MIDRIB,

•
id The die is catt, and war between this country
and Great Britain is quite inevitable. The injudici-
ous attack upon our frigates decidedly turned the
folk in favour.of French influence ; which, whatever
Englifk politicians may affect, have for a eonfidera.
time beck been adively erercifed to ftimulate our Go-
vernment to declare againll you. that this loth*-
. dace Mould not befiire have fucceeded. may be no
matter of furprife with thole who are in the habit of
afcribing loch entire alcendancy to Bonaparte. But
the influence which he pal-ties on the condua of nor
Government, is by nu means fo uncontrouled as moll
people in your country teem to imagine ; proceeding,
as it doers, much more from a conviition of his power,
and an apprehenfionof his defigns. than from any
attachment to his power or authority, there exilic
very naturally on out part rather a debut to abftain
from any ad that fhould tend to forward his views
or aggrandize his confequence. His influence trio
=lever receive a check from the ltrong prejudices
which nom:it:may prevail among the great body of
the population of Spain again ft the name and charac-
ter of the French. From thofe prejudices the princi•
• pal members of our Government are by no means ex•
einpt. The Prince of Peace, indted, who is quite
the fpring of all political power among us. is known
LO be adverfe to all foreigners. and particularly to
the Frmich. By the bye, as this Perfonage is become
- of filch confequence, you will be naturally curious
ye learn fence particulars retpeCting his origin, and
prostate. and the casks that have contributed to his
advatiosousat.• . ~ . • . ,
H,Dato Manual Gado, do Alvarez, Prince of Pelee.
who is now about
„sy yeats of age, was born at lia•
• dajos, is the province of Eftramadura. of very poor
•Oh(emsrpmata. ;Early in life be was fent to Madrid
-With his older-brother Louis, to ferve in the King's
;Jialfa Geortts Via family not liviag,fidEcient , Means
,ho faingrart thee as cadets in the spay). Manuel re-
liaised is the guards in obfcurity until his brother's
i"4124. Which 'l9ok,plare tp confequence of in.
=
mi. ratearted-biy. the lass Pig, 'Aida induced
trl4l .ii; Nigh' Perfonage at the Sygulit
'ituf pwlcularly attachedlo him: So &rich
eeCbarlm HL alarthed by theintefligcncei that he
• - ' - • Isis to be exiled froin Madrid for life, and
• •' ' -
.Stilly byst'two hour( to prepare for his de-
' .• • • )fie iv* enjorned never to approach
E'irsind
, :Wlshiosy Ica-goon or thi tousi:-: Louis war hoviever
sputa a compaot of& Provincial Militia, in the
-pace °ibis birth, with a Crofs of die Nfilitary Order of
- Atwater*. -Duringhisaile.which continued until thq
701. es *Mb; roil teeeived many valuable prefents
-ICOM theriiisiefs of :---... There prefents were
•tuoveyed to him by Manuel, who was introduced to
• the Prince's by the Duellers of Alva; ender pretence
- ofbearinX him 'play and accompany on tbe'guitar,
. which be did, as the Spaniards term it, eon retie.—
Os the death of Charles 111. the exile of Louis ter
initiated. The carets which bore, to the dillria in
which he refided, the newt of the King's death,
• brought him his pardon, with the commifiron of Co-
lonel
in the Life Guards, and orders to repair so Ma-
drid without delay.
• " Alisoa immediately after the return of Louis,
the elevation of our hero Manuel commenced. A
new appointmeot was created for him, that of Ad-
jutant General of the Life Guards, with the rank
of Major General in the army. He had not held the
fituation long. when he was railed to the rank of
Lieutenant General, and created a Grandee of
Spain of the fira clafs, under the title of Duke of
Aleadi, the King granting him the royal domains of
Alcadia, together with the revenues of the molt va-
luable of the four military orders. His power loon
became fo confiderable. that the molt powerful
Grandees found it neceffary to folicit his influence to
obtain ordinary favours from the Court. Even the
Grand Council of Caftile, with the great and juilly
celebrated Count de Aranda at its head, could make
ino Rand againa him. At the commencement of
the late war with the revolutionary Government of
France, the opinion of the Council of Caftile was de-
cidedly in favour of defenfive operation., that the li-
ve:al pares of the Pyrenean mountains fhould be
arongly guarded, and the army confiderably aug-
stunted, before a thought fhotild be entertained of
fending any force into the French territory. But the
opinion of the Duke of Alcadia was quite different,
and his power was not to be eontrouled. The Coun-
cil of Call& was diffolved for returning to refill
it. and the Count D'Aranda was banitbed to Sara,
sofa, where that good man and able fiatefman lived
juft long enough to hear of the bainful confequence
of his opponent's councils—to deplore the defeat and

difgrace of his countrymen.
" The critical lituation of Spain, in the year 1795,,.
compelled the Duke of Alcadia to change his plans.
and to think only of the means of repairing the in
jury the nation had fuflained through his ratlines
and folly. A peace was called for by the people, As
they teemed to think it would heal all their "rounds.
Peace, upon any terms, appeared to AM fuptiNcia!
mind of the Duke of Alcadia the befl expedites' that
could be adopted. He thetefose p'recipitately cots
eluded a peace that was extremely disadvantageous;
indeed it I,ft Spain with a territory abridged. htr
refources confiderably diminifhed. her army Amon
broken down, and her (pick nearly exbaufled The
popular joy and gratitude, however, wat extreme,
and the King conferred upon the peace-maker the
title of Prince of Peace.
" The differences with Portugal afforded an op-
portunity to the Prince of Peace to indulge an am-
bition fur military honours. Accordingly, at the
commencement of the campaign again Portugal,
he undertook, with the vans of Generaltffinso, en
lead an army, although he had never before witnef
fed an engagemenT, and, from the nature of hi, eJo-
cation, could have had but a flignt idea, it any, of
. the theory of military taEtics.
" Perhaps there is not to be found among the
members of the Cabinet I any l'rioce in Lou npe, a
pet fon inferior in talent or any ment.it acrulircinct.t.
to the Prince of Peace. But :'it caucus of his eleva-
tion are wel! known. His e the (Wird of
univerial r:J;.u:e am
lipiin,and his tharae'

emr.,er.t and more rd
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his patronsge. He is entirely forrounded by his
own creatures, among whom there is not one of re-
puted ability.
" In providing for his relations, however, he is
equal even to Bonaparte. Every perfun who an
claim the leall. affinity to him, either dire& or iodi-
Tea, lenial or collateral, is lure of a good place,
whatever his capacity may be. The firit offices in
the country are occupied by his relations. His father,
who has fearcely learned the Silt elements of educa-
tion, now fik one of the bra Iltuations in Spain, and
his younger brother Dien, who is aln2oll literally
ignorant, is a Captain General the Army, with
large penfions.
I, But there is nothing more prominent in the
charafter of the Prince of Peace than his avezlion to'
the French. If, therefore, your Miniaers had not
fo wantonly offended his pride, which is extrava-
gant, and that of the whole Spanifh nation, which
is proverbial, Bonaparte would have found it ex-
tremely difficult, if not impraCticable. to perfuade
our Government to become his ally in the prelent
war. Bonaparte might, lam aware, fend a formid-
able army to over-run our territory, and perhaps
fubvert our Monarchy, it we perfiaed in neutrality
againa his define. Btu could he not with greater fa-
cility over-run the kingdom of Etruria, the Hanfe-
towns, and fume of the German Principalities Yet
thefe flates remain neutral, and continue their con-
neaiun with England."