The Statesman.
London, England, 1809-11-01 00:00:00

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ILMANGLI)4IYON of SPANISH et.IIERIC.d.
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if the possession of the Netherlands, the li.
snits of the Rhine, and the navignisir of the
Scheldt, were, seven years boob,, ealleblenel by
Mt. Pitt es threatening the eery ezestenee 'of this
coalt94. That shall we say now that Bonaparte,
gull& gwie-,1.0ril of the whole Continent, may,
whena, he pleases, realize his threat of the to.
tat ceelasion of British vessels sod goods from all
Ibe Cunt/, tad harboars from Constantinople
=round foabe farthest limits of Russia! Nobody
doubts his power of doing it, and,few will deny
-determined will to do every thing he can to
accelerate !bends of his only rival. The sites-
don of" tibia country is truly critical, and may be-
Come desperate, if effectual retketly is nut spee-
P _ dily adopted, which, however, drum the present
state of .our Government, we can hardly ex.
pect.
Superficial calculators, I well know, maintain,
that even the total loss of our European trade
would have little effect on oar prosperity and
finances, it forming only a small fraction of thei
grand' amount of our wealth; but these gentlewl
*es do not seem to be aware of the immediate atid
remote Consequences of even a small diminution
• of our riches, while our expenditure is constantly
and inevitably increasing ; they totally overlook
the baneful effects of such a a!iminution of nor ex-
porti on the West India island.,
.and the infallible
decrease of their consumption of our montane:
tures, many of which would he sensibly affected
by the sudden cessation of all intercourse with
Spain, Portugal, Sweden, and the North of Ger.
many. Titre is not a single branch of our indus-
try that would not eventually suffer from such a
state of things : the taxes would necessarily be.
" come less productive, the course of exchange still
more unfavourable, the price of corn much higkr,
and, its short, this country might be brought into
such a crisis as to force any Ministers to accept
a peace almost on any terms that Bonaparte chose
to offer ; and this he will most certainly attempt,
because peace is as desirable to him, as it is likely
to prime fatal to England. We have still, howe-
ver, the means of averting impending ruiu ; but if
much time is yet lost, it may be too late, and we
shalt then have no choice left us, but must quietly
submit to receive the law from our ambitious anJ
enterprising enemy.
the Continent of America alone can save us
from the gigantic power of Bonaparte ; there we
have a rich market fur our goods, and which,
bath fr.;rn its extent, and the nature of the returns,
is far more profitable than any from which the
probihitive,pollicy. of Bonaparte may exclude us—
e, market 114.,0e1y highly advantageous for the
preseat,,but ,whesta importance must increase with
incalculable rapidity, with the gm ing prosperity
pod popelation which cannot fail to fallow the de-
St,ruction of the monopolizing tyranny of the must
gppreisivo despotism.
incistence of a new power in America will
niet.be of less advantage to Great Britain on a po-
lities! view : it is the only counterpoise to the un-
paralleled political influence of the new dynasty
In Europe. The free intercourse with ititlependent
Spanish America will not only enable England to
carry on the war fur an indefinite length of time,
but the establisnatent of a flee government in the
New World will greatly facilitate the final adjust.
totettorg general peace. Bonaparte will be forced
to Fllceignize the independency if a country cuts-
plitely beyond his grasp; and if he wishes to pro-
cure to hiasubjeets the advantages of trading with
its inhabitants, he must grant the same privilege to
the Etiglisk in ,Europe. The erection of this new
power Will serve at °lice as a compensation for the
immune acquisitiens of Bonaparte, and as a
pledge for the duration of peace, which I consider
otherwise as ruinous, and almost impracticable.
These truths are so evident, that they could on.
ly be overlooked by selfish and nal row Ministers,
with whom the solution of the country was but a
secondary concern.
We have therefore seen them lavish our im.
Incluse resources, of which they have been more
completely masters than ally of our predecessdrs,
in the prosecution of objects of little or no va-
lue, and the attainment of which has even been
frustrated by their incapacity. The Spanish war
has not saved the House of Austria, but it has ef.
fectually prevented Great Britain from reaping im.
nierue commercial advantages, which must neces-
sarily have been derived from a free intercourse
'sift ti e Spanish colonies ; and I cannot engem_
plate without indignation, that while the precious
blood of our countrymen is flowing in Spain fur
the ie.-pert or a Junta, m,w acknowledged to
have been composcal of very (annum' intlivi.
duals, the agents olthese tyrannical munopnEzeri
should be at the River Ls Plata, maintaining the

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