The Statesman.
London, England, 1809-08-24 00:00:00

THE STATESMAN.

some ancient and ruinous ; others recently formed,
and wanting consolidation ; and she itiviws not whc- 4
ther those will ever rise from their ruins, or whether
'these will ever be organized, to become the war.
' thy protearws of the laws. Laws ! yes, Spain
has laws, but her citizens arc ignorant of them,
and human life scarcely suffiets to understand
them : she has laws, but they lie hidden in thou-
sands of volumes, and are buried as under hops
of rubbish : she has laws, but many spring from
ancient ignorance; many from modern caprice.
Spain has an immense revenue, but scarcely any
one can be found who is able to develope Its prin-
ciples : she has immense resources of Snance, but
nn one knows how they arc to be collected or ap—
plied ; no one is acquainted with their proportion
to our wants.
" Finally, this vast monarchy is tottering on
a foundation of sand : how then can it sustain the
violent shocks which every day threaten it?- Were
we insulated, like the happy inhabitants of Eng..
land, it would be necessary to apply an univocal
remedy to our internal evils: but how great is this
urgency, when we have for a neighbour a rival
nation, with whom we can never have peace pr
ante, if we are to preserve our independence ? Aru
we then so delirious, as to fancy it possible for
us to maintain numerous armies for a consider-
able time, while the State remains in the (Moro,
nization in which it is placed by this unbroken
series of evil ? Do we imagine, that, because in.
dignant at the injustice we have sustained from
the common oppressor of Europe, we have roused
up among us the energies of despair, that these I
alone will preserve us ? Equally mad would that ,
enfeebled and wounded man be, who should
fancy himself enabled to pursue a journey of
' many miles, because he found himself enabled
to take a few steps, invigorated by rage, or the
' Fear of an impending danger : wretched would he
be, .were the danger to be removed while he re-
' mined uncured !"
,ere

of the 2d inst.—“ The French are not men,
4f except token they find no resistance"—is an
assertion in the seine document. And yet the
Frene are abused for gasconade I—Can a man, who,
after so sanguinary and bard-ciiintestLd a battle
as that of Talavera—promulgates notions so ridi.
culouslbe fit for the command of*y army ?—itur
British and French can correciffillrecreffiiit
respeot each other's valour. The detperatcly fss-
rime: charge of the gallant, immortal 23d Dra-
port s, and the steady immoveability of tiiiiAolumn
ilf French infantry, are alike illustrative of the
litravery of the nations. What folly, what in.
justice it is te undervalue an enemy, of %hose
bravery and skill, proofs so unequivocal have
been given ! The absurd spirit of boastfulness
displayed by the Spanish General in this document,
addressed to an army, which has more than once
showed its back to that enemy which he affects to
despise, is net calculated to increase our hopes of
success.--The Supreme Junta has created Sir
ARTHUR W ELLESLEY Generalissimo....whether,
in this capacity, he will be vested with a sufficient
power to correct the military imperfections of the
Spaniards, we know not; but he has found it ne-
cessary to retreat upwards of 80 miles—and to break
down the Bridge. of Altnaraz, to prevent the enc-
my from following him.-.-Such is certainly the
present posture of affairs---and if such it be while
NAPOLEON is engaged in Germany, what pbssihle
hope could be cherished, should he. ones/ be r:_
leased from the labours of that cingeot,? In our
statement yesterday of the forest'
.%lain, the
French troops are coveted liseillore than
100,000—from circumstantial' talieve since come
to our knowledge, we havb VW*, to believe that
the numbers 'or the 'Freed' • Writhe Peninsula
treatly exceed that statement. The batik of 'n-
avy.* induced us to think that Sir AitTU t: it WLI.-
LtsLET, so far from advancing, cosh' nut maintain
4 his position..-that opinion is justified by his last
movement ; and, as the final event of the contest,
Ore anticipate the retreat of the British army.
Gerona still makes a gallant defence.

Arrived.

Malls.

_ D. r

. .
1 Diiiie
o. Watevaint ......... .....
o
1 lAN* 0
O MaAls . 1
. _

---TIE STATESMAN:,

PROPt/SITr TIINAI.

LONDON:

THURSDAY, AUGUST '24.
ST. n A BTIIn LO SI Erl.—HoUritty at the Public Qffices.

WitETtiLit any advices have been received from
Sir Anviva WELLESGET by the arrival which has
brought Spanish and Portuguese Papers, we have
not -learnt ; but theso communications, which

come down to the lith instant, are by no means

Fact* the Expedition we have no intelligence
of importance.—Th• time wasted by the cedar.
tion of Flushing, in .the first instance, has de-
feated the grand object—the destruction of th;.
French nary at Antwerp. Had Antwerp been
the first point of attack, Flushing was still as-
sailable, and might, with perfect safety, have
been left for an ulterior operation.

of a favoarable complexion. The consequence
of the victory at Talavera, for which the Park
and tower pins were fired, is the retreat of the, .
at . .
was reported yesterday, that our Ministers
British Army to Delcytosa. This place is to the had had a proposition Made to then to send a Nli_
South of the Tagus. SOULT, whose corps was said sister to a General Congress, to be held at FL fah,
for the negociation of a Gaaeral Peace, -sad abet
lob .aonihilated,being joined by NtyandMoserite,
they had given a direct negative kr the proposition.
by a movement to Placentia, threatened to cut off •
By the Spanish Patriot, Dome etiestio• vilich
the retreat of our army, which design was fres.,
left Cadiz the 2d instant, we have received 410(01.
treed by the retrograle movement of the comb'. lowing communication i— •
ned armies. In making this retrograde movement, 44 A British Officer of rank, who was in the
Province of Gatefold*, sounded the disposition of
"' they did not fail to take the precaution of
" burnin the bridge of bouts which had been the inhabitants on the subject of the public de-
g
fence. Ile had .scarcely imparted his sentiments
gg constructed at Almaruz. Virron insmerliatelY before he raised 700 Ave's, and in a few days 7000
" turned suddenly upon Talavera de la Reyna were collected round the standard of FERDINAND.
'4 —unfortunate town !" Thus circumstanced, be wrote to Seville, request-
ing that twelve or fourteen Field Officers should
These statetnett!s are contained in letters from
be scut to organize this hew levy ; but his letters
Bailajiii and Lisbon; and aWiough, from the in- were not:attended to, and for want of leaders the
numerable falsehoods and exaggerations of the recruits disbanded."
Spanish and Purtuguse Journals, we have long The last letters received fcom Holland refer to
ceased to pay the least attention to their contents the rapture of the negotiations fur peace as to a
—yet when we find these very Journals announc. known and admitted fact ;and state, that, in con.
sequence of that event, colonial produce badman,.
in; this gloomy intelligence—we thlok that there siderably risen in value.
must be some foundation fur statements, which The same Dutch letters states that an Americas
militate so strongly veinal themselves. vessel, which had arrived off the Teach for ta
purpose.of giving information to all America
To us, the victory at'Talaeem appeared the pre.
vessels, bound to Holland from distant parts,
hole to retreat—and if the intelligence in these the present state of political relations between
Journals is not utterly false—the combined armies America, and France and England, as affeCting
are now absolutely on the defensive—they were the cuwmercc between those countries, was itnine-
attacked at Talavera--from whence, by the move-
diately ordered to sea.
Nu official intellig.tice arrived yesterday from
ment of the combined corps of Souur and NEY, the coast of Holland. A Dutch letter was re-
they have founi_it neceisary to retreat. The beaten ceived, stating, that 200 of the Irish brigade had
army of VICTOR has advanced...the-Canny now escaped from Flushing by the way of Cadsand.
possessea the town of Talavera, foe which it con-
Of this number we are told that the half were
Officers. Five of the fugitives had been brought
tended. Marshal Beazer() RD was in the neighbour.
back prisoners to Flushing. We suspect that this
hood of Cieatad Rodrigo on the 7th. The corps of is an unfuended rumour.
SOULT and Ney having moved in the direction of The inveteracy of the Danish Government has
Placenti the communication between the combined recently sheen itself in the rigour observed by the
a,
commercial police of Norway., The following is
armies and that of Marshal Beateroan is therefore
an extract from a letter by the Master of a vessel
suspended. Of Sir R. Wiesom and his legion wa , just arrived from that country :—" All ships car-
have no intelligence by this arrival. The lust ac. tied in are condemned, as well in ballast as with
count left him at Escalona. If he is yet there, his cargoes-3 English, 3 Pappcnburgh, 1 Prussian,
communication is also cut off by the advance of 1 Oldenburgh, 33 Americans, have been carried
in. Several Oldeolsurgh and Pappenburgh vessels,
tNiCTOR to 'Talavera de la Reyna. In fact, if these
which were loaded at Mandahl and got oto, were
statements are true; the communications between afterwards captured, and taken back again, and
Marshal Britecroev, Sir Rotten? Wiesoe, and are expected to balcondernned."
'the combined armies are,actually intercepted--no Two vessels Jarrlted at Grimsby oo Monday
two of them can communicate. from Archangel; they arc said to belong to 100
•. sail reoeotly captured off that glare.
General YENEGAs,. from his head-quarters at
'rteodkpatching of the 6'6.yr/china packet for In-
.Ugatba, which is to the South of Aranjuez, an. die Is postponed to the beginding of next neck.
amiamee a successful repulse of the enemy on the A fleet of 300 sail is arrived from the Baltic,
laden with ti:ober, deals, and naval stores. They
bailie of the Tagus at A mlllillk, 44- when being :
I are destined r but have ees: "
three lini.o attacked by the enemy they repulsed
obliged to pet f
towo Harwich, an►pOrts, d other harbb
ours
`• them as often." Thels lit every instancy lire ito the northward, by contrary winds.
/reach seem sow to be this assailants. By i The Stamps have been uncilahnotsly ptoductive
what name then shall cc' designate that spe-1 this year; and the Legacy Tao in particular re.
ems of folly which col endeavour to persuade ! tkulies the appointment of 30 or 40 additional
( 'leeks. It produces,
the people of Spain) '• that the French soldiers hod it is erdenl ,
atm that,
t 107.: refuse to i'laCr idle. aCOOPS 7"....-Y4 such is the fee.simple of England
the a:.s.2stion of Coors.) io his Order of the Day pass through the hands