The Statesman.
London, England, 1823-08-09 00:00:00

By the arrival of a mail front aland thiewsorning, we
have received Hamburg papers to thi 2nd of 'August, and
Dutch papers to the 7th. An article, dated St. Petersburg,
July 19th, announces, for the eneourageatent of foreign set.
tlerd,an tmperial Ukase,of the 14thiaddressed to the Senates
to the following effect :
We, Alexander the First, Ac. &r. &c. declare that hereditary
and other property, of foreigners settled in our Empire, which
bas hitherto been subject to taxes, to the benefit of the impe-
rial treasury, shall be and remain exempted from those taxes,
If they should choose to send it out of Russia. In this rage•
lotion, We mean to include only foreigners from those coun-
tries where similar measures shall be adopted with respect to
Russian snbjeets who shall have property there.
Another Ukase states that his Majesty, for the purpose of re-
lieving the Nobility in the Governments which havesuffered the
most byihe bad harvests of late years, has ordered the sum of
five millions, token from the Loan Bank, to he advanced to
persons who shall desire it, on condition of their mortgaging
their estates in those Governments, as security for the repay-
ment. No greater.sum than 30,000 rubles is to be lent to any
030 person.
The only other articles of interest in these papers, are the
FRANKFORT, Atm. I.—Her Royal Highness the Princess
Augusta of England, came hack yesterday from the visit
which she has been paying to the Queen Dowager of Wurtem-
burg, her sister. His Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge
has likewise paid her Majesty a visit. This Prince will go to
Berlin to be present at the grand autumnal reviews.
Ilnusszzs, Au°. 1. In a letter written by an °Meer of the
Staff, in one of the French corps in Spain, it is affirmed that
King Ferdinand had, in the molt forcible terms, and of his own
accord. disapproved of the conduct of Generals Abisbal and
Morillo. His Majesty expresses the highest respect for his
Royal Highness the Commander-in-Chief, but does not seem
very favourably inclined towards the Regency, whose various
proceedings have excited the greatest dissatisfaction in him.—
The King and Queen both et•joygood health. Their Majesties
are constantly the objects of the respect and attachment of the
inhabitants, and of the regular troops forming the garrison of
Cadiz. To this lettee was addressed a postscript, written with
a pencil to this effect:—

Mistrust the helespapers.

American papers have aimed to the 11th July, but do
not contain any news. •

The news of the " fall" of Corunna yesterday, (which
was in fact the news that it had not fallen,) has quite en-
livened the Bourbon scribe of the New Tinos; and, of
course, we have not this morning one word about the ex•
pretest negotiation. All is " exaltation and confidence" at
II
Paris, lie says; and the news of yesterday came " like
" a thunder clap on many honest, but credulous friends of
" the Spanish cause." Now we are very free to confess,
we do sot like the news, as it is; but we must remark that
Corunna had not fallen, when the accounts came away;
bat that on the contrary, the Spanish heroes still left in the
town, kept up the defence in the most gallant manner.
Wisest we dislike of the news, is the coming of General
Quiroga, and General Romano, to England. What
business have they here? Sir Robert Wilson, and General
Vigo, are said to have gone in the first instance to Vigo ;
and, that finding the place incapable of defence, the Spanish
officer had gone to Bayona In Galicia; and Sir Robert was
endeavouring to reach Cadiz. As his wound incapacitates
him from personal exertion, this is probably the wisest plan ;
but with so many ways open for Romago and Quiroga, why
were they there? and, more particularly, why is the latter
here? The Bourbon scribe Is so delighted with their abandon-
ment of their post, that he says they have acted wisely in com-
ing away. They will feel all the bitterness of this reproach.
The New Times triumphantly exclaims, that there Is now no-
thing left of the war in Galicia, " but the frantic and hopeless
struggle of a few hundred militia." Well, let it be so; the
treason of Morillo has prevented the due defence of Galicia ;
hut it is not yet conquered; it is not yet bound In the Bourbon
fetters. There are yet " a few hundred militia" in arms ; and
though the slaves, who cannot appreciate the glory of atrug-
sling for freedom against a superior force, may call their re-
sistanee "frantic and hopeless," yet there are who think other-
wise ; who deem that he who falls last in defence aids hom2 and
his country against the murderous invader, is the last of a
race of heroes, whom the historian shall consecrate to the
admiration of future ages. America, in her memorable
contest for liberty, bad many darker hours than Spain has
yet encountered; but she triumphed, because there were
" a few hundred militia" determined to continue a contest
which was for years called " frantic and hopeless." Our
slavish scribe, says, the intelligence gave bins no surprise.
This is false! It did surprise him. We are certain that
be actually capered for joy, and threw up his wig, and
toasted success to the infernal principles of despotism in an
extra bumper. He must have been surprised. The slave
could not have hoped that Quiroga would have been in
England, instead of falling gloriously on the ramparts of
Corunna. He could not have hoped, in his wildest dreams,
that "a few hundred militia would .have been left to perish
without their leaders. And, above all, he must have been
surprised that the vessel which brought the news of this
desertion of the office's, had not brought the news of the
fall of the town! This cunning fellow says, "a bare in-
spection of the snap had convinced him that Corunna could
not hold out long. He is like an eel in slipping through
your fingers. His position was that Corunna would not be
defended; and he has been constantly insinuating, in the
absence of direct information, that it had fallen. Against
a reprice siege, with an adequate force, no one imagined

that a long defence of the towu could be made. We only
calculated upon the disposition of the people to resist. of
which we wanted the evidence that they would defend it
to the last possible moment, and destroy as many of the

enemy as they could. We expected no more; and
this evidence we have had from the Scribe himself, who
proves all we expected, and much more; for he really dr
mutative, that " the few hundred of frantic militia" have
done more in the defence of the place, than Sir John Moore
with as many thousands of British veterans would undertake

to do. He quotes Sir John Moore, Sir John Hope',
and the bulletin of Marshal Souk to the following effect
Sir John Wore says, " My position in front of this place
"'(Coronas) is a very bad one: this place, if I am forced
" to retire into it, is commanded within muskd got ; and
" the harbour will be so commanded by cannon on the
"coast, that no ship will be able to lie in it." Sir John
Hope, in his despatch of the 18th of January, 1809, says.
" The enemy pushed his light troops t,wards the town ;
" and shortly after occupied the heights of Santa Lucia
" which command the harbour." Lastly, the 31st French
Bulletin says, " On the 17th, at day break, we were masters
" of the heights which command the harbour of Comma.
"and our batteries played on the English convoy. The
" consequence was, that several vessels could not escape,
" and were taken on the capitulation of the town." Our
readers know the result at that period. After a murderous
repulse of the French army, the English troops effected
with difficulty an embarkation, and the French were mas-
ters of the place, though defeated before the walls, in some
four-and-twenty hourr; though it was then possessed of
every possible means of defence. On the present omission.
the French, are led by treason to its very gates some months
before they ought to have been expected. The means of
its defence were scanty ; time was wanting for the or-
ganization of what means they had;.---they were not
numerous enough to take up positions before the town ;
and yet they held the French at bay from the 14th
to the 31st of July ; and the place had not then been sur-
rendered. The French force has been materially decreased;
and, upon the whole, though we could have wished for a
more exemplary result, in favour of Spanish perseverance.
and though we blame the retreat of the officers, while the
soldiers were disposed and able to resist, even for soother
hour, we are satisfied with the defence of Corson.. It
was the first check to the regular progress of the French ;
and will form a subject of exultation to every Spaniard con•
cerned in it. Besides, we cannot overlook the fact. that
we have yet no intelligence of its fall. It may still he de
fended.—lt is not the first time that the spirit of the Span.
' ish peasantry has prevailed, when the nobility of Spain
who now bend the knee to a Bourbon, bent still more ab-
jectly before a Buonapart.—
When •LL was NOBLE, UDC nobility!

None hugged a conqueror's chain, save Linen chivalry,

Tie slavish print alluded to,which would call the Spartans
who bled at Thermopylae, " frantic and senseless fool',"
mays" the poor senseless creatures left behind at Vorunna,
" are probably too ignorant to know the whole extent Of
" their danger." Does he mean to insinuate that the ban.
ditti which assailv will scalp, or eat them ?—or that they
will lie gibbitted like felons, because they have dared to
defend their country better than their leaders ? If this is
not meant, in what can their ignorance (insist ? We pre
some, that as soldiers, they know that balls will kill, or
wound, if they happen to strike them :—by their use of
arms, they know that their enemies are no more involver•
able than themselves ; and perhaps they recollect that the
more they destroy, the Iris there will be left to keep them
in captivity.

We have now looked as close as we can at the worst
aspect of the intelligence, as it darkens the hopes of the .
Spaniards. We have now a more pleasing task to girl
from the Spanish accounts, their own view of the nature of
their situation. From tatters direct from Corunna down to
tiro o'clock on tire 30th of July, we are informed they had
no fears for the inamediale bartender of the town. The
French had made no impression upon the works. It is
admitted they might do so, when their batteries were mount•
ed; but there were still the fortifications of the old town to
retire upon, which were beyond the reach of the batteries '
on the heights. The greatest enthusiasm prevailed among
all classes; and so little were the attacks of the French fear
ed, that the very women refused to leave the town. out
of any 'dread of them. The loss of the French
on the 14th and 15th discouraged them so much,
that they had done nothing more than fire at a distance,
and waste their ammunition to no purpose, except to produce
some casualties totally useless to their cause. They bare do
murder of two female children by the recoil of a ball, to add
to the laurels of Prince Hilt. On the 234 General Board(
made an attempt to induce Quiroga to surrender the tows,
to save the effusion of blood;—which was answered
by an indignant retort that the blood of the unoffendieg
Spaniards would lay upon the heads of their unprincipled
invaders. On the 24th, Gener-I Quiroga issued a general
order, in which he expressed his eetermination to remain;
and though his departure is not satisfactorily explained 0
us, the statement current this morning, that he has bees
ordered to Cadiz, to command the reserve in Andalusia:
and that, under the circumstances of a French blockade, it
was the readiest course to come by the steam-boat is -
England. and embark from hence to Gibraltar,—gives es
reason to hope that neither fiat nor treason instigated his
conduct. A morning paper states that he reached
London, and has agaio left it for Falmouth, to embark for
Gibraltar, and by that means reach Cadiz. The Muncipsl
Diary of Corunna, of the 30:h July, has an energetic std•
cle on the state of affairs, in which no allusion is •
made to Quiroga ;—but had he left it without es•
tiafying the Authorities there, he would doubtless
have been blamed. General Vigo and Sir Robert Willa
went to ascertain the possibility of the defence Ole
against a threatened attack by Morillo ; and found that ii
was not defensible, except, by a larger force than it em
deemed wise to lock up in the place. General Vice the'
went with tire garrison to Rayons; but whether Sir Riled
will accompany him, or not, is not ascertained. We hart
omitted to state an important circumstance, that provisiesa
are not yet scarce in Corunna; and that the Magazines we "
untouched. The blockade consists only of 1 ship; sad a
I. tter;of the nigh, anticipates no possible impreasion upon the
place, unless the French obtain very oonedable reinforce
manta; and even then, not without a determined s
de-perste resistance. May HOW* prosper the raion
which it inspires in so good a wive: Tile nomnoind of ' b
garrison has devolved upon Werra' Novella. tinier I )