The Statesman.
London, England, 1814-03-26 00:00:00

a!, the rest of France:l ',Tito destiny of Frances—of
Fogland—of the world,—the happiness and tram.
quillitys• or the misery and devastation of Europe, is
to depend on the shouts and acclamations of. the
merchants of Bourdeaux ! Is Bourdeaux One-
twentieth, patt, soppesing its population to be unit-
mimeos, of that part of France which, by the advance
of the Allied Stoops, has been allowed freedom of
choice ? We are, however, much inclined to doubt
whether the disposition of the people of Bourdeaux
has been expressed, either so geo.erally, or so spon-
taneously, at it has been attempted to persuade us.
If net Government really intend to avail themselves
of thit contemptible pretence for breaking off•the
IlegOCiations, who can doubt their power to have
pkoduced some commotion at Bourdeaux, in order
to provide themselves with an apology ; or their
ability in employing all the instruments of exaggera.
tion to augment its force ! Who has forgotten the,
enthusiasm, the pretended enthusiasm is Holland,
which immediately produced a real enthusiasim in this
country ? Who' is so ignorant as not to know, that
with respect to the general state of Dutch feelings,
the people .if England were most egregiously im-
posed on f. Where hire we seen the glorious efforts
which ti* artlent feelings of Dntchmen, and the
universittArtig: Orange Boren, taught us to expect ?
Dtsr wholltinhilie Dutch bad no ardent feelings,the cry
Oetssisletmossvras not universal,—we were grossly
one • /Ova were so deceived then, we may,
patelilliveoilit4:•be deceived uow. On that oega.
sfon Otit Geternment bad no immediate iina'
'4
TA
I object in view, at far as we can discover,
It deceive vs. No temptation existed
Aim* except the gratification of the general habit'
*Oftst 'appetite of deception; and yet we were de-
A
- Of Ired .. . - fle w much more ought we to suspect de-
ttion, in the present instance? The Vive le Barra-
" yof Bourdeaux is a matter of much greater im-
v
' pprtante to our Ministers, than the Orange Be-
lioltof Amsterdam; if, indeed, the report be cot,-
r,,
' 11104: that it is to be made the pretext for
*Setting off the negociations. If this report be tree,
-imam -. sorwiimievecy possible artifice has been,
4,0 i; • 'l.-A--.. to, to make us, the good peo-
ple of .', ifeileve that BoNApARTE'S Govern-
.`i
.. .
11Nst . , in the South of France ; and if we
irioasideration must greatly reduce the
41*.
'Paten „ ;.weaken the firmness' of our faith.—
Whilst on.: dills subject we cannot forbear to
Rodeo an iipitilon which has been advanced by
some of the edentates of interminable war, viz.
that even if Preliminaries of Peace were signed,

the occurrences at Bourdeaux would %arrant our

Corernment in refusing to ratify them, on account of
:the change thereby effected in the relation in which
NAPOLAQN Stands tafarits the Franc:swat-4m -Tilde
-opinion is attempted to be sustained by the authority

of VArellf.' VATTEL sanctions no such opinion; if
be did, his aethority, as a writer on the law of na-
, dons; would be at an end. The opinion, if pushed
tb it consequences, is this : that any Government,
it Wing itself encumbered with an inconvenient
tivrity., need only find secret means to excite a commo-
tiOu in any province, city, town, or village, belonging
'to its Ally, and it will at once, by this commotion,
be released from its obligations. An admirable re-
cipe for preserving the integrity of Governments
and the tranquillity of nations ! flow is the British
(government degraded by the nonsense its daily ad.
vocates pour oat ! The conduct and intentions of
Austria still remain enveloped in the mystery which
has so long hung over them. If 'any decisive change
rif policy on the part of the other Allies is displayed
In consequence of the events in the South of France,
the conduct of Austria will not long remain equivo-
eal. Our confident expectation is, that in such
taircumstances Austria will unite her forces to
those a NAPOLEON. We will go further,
snd d say, that If she should do so, she - would
not be to blanse.--7-411.the miseries which Eu-
rope
would have, in all probability, 'gain to ander-
Ago, must,in that case be ascribed to those who, when
la secureand honourable peace was within their reach,
disdained to embrace it. If war should not now,
tease, we see no reason to doubt that it may be con..
timed for twenty years longer. Let sober ara-
thinking Englishmen compute the present amount of
qnr national debt, sad the burdens of our taxation,
and then seriously ask themselves, what must be the
consequences of such protracted warfare ? War or
peace are not mere questions of taste or expediency
—oar strength and resources are not unimpaired.—
We caonot'argue the point with as little concern as
if we still possessed all the fullness of our original
vigour.

A Dutch Mail arrived this morning, by which we
have received the fallowing :

' Bitusaus, MARCH 17.—We have news front the
16nd-quarters of Marshal Blucher, up to the 1211),
at noon, at which time he still occupied the strong
'minor, before Lion, while his light troops node
exclusions far and wide, eren to the neighbourhood
of Paris. The army of the Duke of Rsgusa had re-
treated ten miles after the bloody battles of the 9th
and 10th.

Since the affair of the 12th, the errison of Bro.
has been considerably strengthened with cavalry sod'
infantry. A strong detachment Ii posted at theilwat
i • sluice of Siijkeus, to make eicarelisos on the read to
Ostend. This place is now threstsuotl is its turn,
• ,
I slid will saim,be seriously attacked. Tbs serrhon
1 consists of IltlO Meet -fir Csosieral- biateeke that
of Nieuport is 1000 strong; but. 410,411farlilliilier,

•

. _,