The Statesman.
London, England, 1814-01-11 00:00:00

object of
- - from

Now,
of

Sceptre the Seas , _ England by
The object was openly and unequivocally proclaim.
ed; and he immediately began to act upon the system.
Though he could nut shiny a sail upon the face of
the Ocean, he declared that the British Islands were
in a state of blockade. The Decree was a Cued of
infinite merriment to the Newspapers of the day,
and to the Parliamentary orators. They toughed
the folly of the man and his paper blockade, lar
began t• utter things vastly wise and witty upon

these Decrees.

From this period, a new principle which Bona. comical ciecasion; nay, they hesitated not to pro.
parte had [tote Ito concealed, or which was con.' pound, that the French Emperor was stark asid-e
trnuled by citcornstances, began to appear in his quite. as insane as the be
character—from this period he seems really to have longed the Kings and .
locked to the unlimited controul of the Cnittinent. his MuScovite Majesty
The Emperor of Austria had been previpusly corn- combat.
peiled to resign the most magnificent title in the If he were madi
world, and all the power and circumstance with perceived that there
hich that title was accompanied. Napoleon had madness. They slaw
already formed his cordon. of kingdoms round Old Decree was calculated . prod
Fratice—Lnd secured Italy and-Holland to his family issued the retaliatory Order
—given a French Constitution to Switzerland, and ; Bonaparte perceived
rendered himself the Arbiter of Europe. bly—that the Cabin
But the facility with *which he beat down the most bait which he had
renowned army in Europe, after those of France, already operating on the other bank of the At.
headed as it was, by the last and favonrite soldier of !antic.
Frederick the Great—the tide of glory whiCh rushed The people of England began to perceive, that,
upon him, seems, for a moment, to have intoxicated the Berlin Decree was not such an absolute about..
VI imagination. There is a haughtiness,,a fire, a dity, in point of annoyance, as their Parliamen.
'heartlessness, in his Bulletins at
.this period, that- tary and Literary instructors taught them to ex.
subdues and startles. Hitherto the glory of France, pert. Their trade with the Continent was soon re.
the grandeur of the Great Nation, were the themes duced to a contemptible contraband; their dispute
of his Manifestoes, and the burthens of his Speecites ; with America was embroiled they really, dens',
but heerefurward the glory of the Emperor, the.de. pite of all the wit and humour that was lavished I
fence of his rigi!ts, the vengeance with which he Me. on the °cession, began to feel considerable *mbar..
tiered his enemies—these were the topics of his dis. rassmeait.
course-T.-these constituted the subject matter of his We dilate upon this point, for a reason that
Addresses to the Senate and people of France.— must nppear obvious to the thinking Reader, for
Theyiwere not empty expletives coining from Botta. the Berlin Decree is the grand point upon which
parte, -like the Pooclamations of other Princes. Ile the policy of France, and the state of Europe,
carried his views into substantial operation—he has tented, since its promulgation. This will bra
made his brothers and relatives Kings, Cardinals, rendered unquestionable by the statement wsck
and Princes : he had already rendered himself re. follows.
nowtted as a great. Monarch, and a mighty warrior. I In the mean time Russia was arming. She MIN
He had give,' France a code of laws which is a para. on, and, after a dreadful campaign in Poland, she
gon—his sword had given laws to Europe. Real was Gaily beaten into a peace at Friedland.
iicry trositts. =hut he shou'id hase.the tinsel and the By the Treaty of Tilsit, she had bound herself b
trappings. He had assumed the iron crown of the the most solemn engagements, to observe-the roW
Lombards--but he was not content with the naked tinental System, and to exclude England frost' :ail
and simple dignity of the soldier and lawgiver.— commercial intercourse with her subjects. Nepoieess,
With all the power of Constantine, he sighed for the after a most glorious and difficult campaign, • Wises..
gorgeous paraphernalia with which the Eastern Mo- ed in triumph to his capital. ' He looked around
rut rch surrounded his throne. Not content with the him, and saw the Continental System working tat*
pare glory of a Titus, to which, even at this pe. extent against England, and with an inveteracy empty
rind, he might be justly entitled, he ambitioned more complete than his sanguine and'elodittive
the barbaric pride and massive magnificence of Cherie. per could have calculated—he saw England
magne. in a war, either commercial or politic, with ail *di
If, upon a subject of this kind, the word Male Powers of Europe, Portugal excepted...Om' 114, 111
could, with propriety, be introduced, we would say storm rising against her in America—he was It partr
that this ambition of Napoleon betrayed bad taste— to the operation of a Non-Intercourse Bill, passed I
most certainly it nit* bad policy. It is neither philo. by the Congress of the United States—he saw that
Sophy nor nature, to maintain that Kings should her colonial produce was rotting in her stores, and
!not feel personal affection, or indulge in the domes. that her manufacturers were driven into the navy,
tic charities of private life. But a King, consulting or into outrage for want of employment—he per.
his own interest atone, or at least-postponing that of ceived a rapid depreciation occurring in her circa-
his not he a family man. Favour. lating medium—he perceived the multiplication •of
itlsm has often been as fatal to' the Monarch as it is bankruptcies which his system had produced, and
Injurious to the 'Nation. The history of our court. he saw, for he could not but have seen, that all
try will supply many
,examples. That of France, men, except the giddy crowd, and the dishonest:,
entrticularly tinder Louis XV. it still more striking gang, who administer to the public credulity, front
atitd characteristic. The mistresses of that Monarch the public press of England, perceived the em..
inade Generals, Archbishops, and Ambassadors.— barrassment to which she was reduced, and eppre.
The affairs of-France were never so wretchedly con. headed the approach of the danger with which she
ducted—not even in the madding time of Jacobin. was menaced. .
ism, than under that inglorious and contemptible A man less impetuous that Bonaparte, less rest- t
Prince. less, would have allowed this tremendous system to
It is true, the materials of which Napoleon made work. Instead of threats, he would have intrigued
Kings were infittife'y superior to those of which with Austria—instead of intrigue, he would hare
Madame Pompadour made Generals. Even the con. threatened Seam . The Spanish Peninsula, with the
duct of his own flintily demonstrates that they are exception of Portugal, was his, to alt military and I
throverr.e level which, in our day, nature has political purposes. He hid, at the very moment of
assigned to the old Kings of Europe. One of them the violation of the Spanish territory, the Armies or
baspreferred a philosophical and poetic retirement, ' Spain in the North of Europe. He possessed a con.
end even exile, to the cure and duties, and hollow trout, certainly an influence, in the Escurial, as COM*
grandeur of a throne. Another. rather than be plete as that which he exercised at St. Cloud. The
the instrument of his Brother's ambition, .chose miserable King of Spain was his slave, his miserable,
so resign the scertre with which he had been Son was his pensioner. He had all the substantial 4
Invested. Ills Crither.in-Law, who ills the power, all the real authority; but he sighed for thal
throne of Napes, is an Officer of the first shadow—he panted for the harness—he wished WI
rank ; and the Viceroy of Italy has displed no see the arms of a Bonaparte emblazoned on the:
ioldinary talents in the field, as well as the Cabinet.' Royal Coach, and, forthwith he seized Father, Son,
it is not against the men we object, but the princVe Queen, and Paramour—having extorted from each
of favouritism and selection is bad. Relations, even the most infamous calumnies on the other, and*,
allowing this cleverness, are not always the bistro. them, without even the pretence of justice, as poi.
mews which wise men would choose to accomplish soners into France.
their designs. Thsy rely- too much upon the bonds i This was the first grand error of. Bonaparte, s'astl
of blood, and imagine that their consanguinity trill this error was the parent of all his misfortunes I
justify their errors, or even excuse the non.perfairm- I [To be Continued.]
ance of the duties which have been prescribeil to
them. No French General but Bernadotte, would
have acted as the brave Prince of Sweden has:dorm—
and his Royal Highness would not have turned-his
arms against his former Master, had he not actaent-
ally happened to be married to the sister of Jsoph
Bonaparte's wife. But the strongest instance ofo the
folly of trusting to the friendship of relations, in dif-
ficult and doubtful affairs, has been furnished to Bo-
naparte by his own tither-in-taw.

in our anxiety to illustrate this position, wt have
anticipated a topic that might naturally fall into a
later period—but we 'wished to desigmste accurately
the rise of the principle in Napoleon's character, to
which he may trace his present misfortunes.
After having effectually humbled the House of
Brandenburgh, he issued his celebrated Berlin De-
cree against Great Britain. From this period, the
war assumed a new and portentous character. The
Decree was levelled directly against what England
calls her Maritime Rights. Those rights are em-
bodied in the Navigation Act, and are described, by
Jurists, as not only forming the foundation of En-
_

ilia power, but absolutely embracing the principle
of her existence as a state. Whether this be an
ex iggeration we shall not pretend to say ; but it is
*certain, that the Navigation Act not only legislates

TATESMAN.

THE

w: ~

..

. _
Tisfeasikwt: i‘oletiketr 11, 11114.
:; Dub* and Cadiz Maus and Bremen Papers were
veadvod this morning, of which we insert the most
Important part of their contents :
TIUMUNTICS, DEc. 26.—Yesterday` morning, at
French made a sally with about WO
from Delftail on Wilwerd. !As soon as the
stationed et" Borgsweer, Olerdam,
received this intelligence, they broke
inland of Capt. Von Blatiken berg.
' tit first from Wilwerd, back to ,
,wards marched with his whOle
Dyke, in order to fall on our
engagement took place between
were 'strengthened by about 40
Dutch Volunteers, ander the command of Capt. Lave.
lette,the'French being driven back. en all sides, and it
was only from the heavy artillery fire from Farmsum
that they were indebted for their safety. Although
they increased to at least 400 infantry ate 50 ca-
valry, they were nevertheim repulsed, and driven ;
under the walls of Delftzyl, whither they retired in

•
the greatest disorder.
The 'result of the engagement, which continued
till four o'clock, was six Frenchmen killed, and at
,suet-20 *minded. On the Prussian side one ser-
Met, 5 teen were wounded, but not dangerously;
leketre. hussar's, hots's. The Embden landstutni
ittakin reaervnin sight of the enemy. The enemy's
ineintion of plundering the neighbouring villages, to I
withils measure he ivai forced; by the lomat of pro-
* tees in the feitteas, Was therefore loftily War
IhOskol. • - • • •
.11)4us, a5t..1.—.0.11 Germany hai rbooltO.
Pe1414 ?map by forte of arms;
eralliNwers et kiwis, .Rah, Pros*,
.6mibijklifispoon Princes,rrilt bring forOfed
1111010110 toolo by the Ist. of Febroioy. BaUarkilar.
sillies 3141:60 men, besides the landicehr ; Obcitil44
64601 Of Olden will bring 10,000 men andovortinf:4
tfoosover, Pesse, Brunswick, notooLthatiodiig alt
they have suffered by the calls on thee in this War,
wilt.bring more troops into the field than they have
Mg' done aotaire• All the. Princes and nations are
convinced, thaenew is tire time for striking the great
mike, which Is for a long time to secure peace and
blisenillity, and restore the disturbed balance of
itnietes; to Eetipe.. There are 'no sacrifices so 'great
Obit that all are ready to make them, to prevent the
horrors of a French &minim, in future, end render
it impossible ; and close industry, commerce, the
arts, end civil and religious liberty again to revive,
and establish their blessings for ever. The hand of
Almighty God evidently assists us in this work, and
shall we suffer ours to ley idle ?
All the high Allied Powers have given orders for
the release of the Dutch prisoners of war, and their
i return to their native country, which they herewith
make known, with a warm participation in the joy it
will occasion to their hitherto sorrowing parents and
relations.

YLVAITEN, Dec. 30.—A. Conscript, who, at the
last drawing was marched, away from here, has re-
turned to-day from Arras, from whence he deserted,
on the 16thinst. with 32 other men, all Hollanders.
This man relates, that an insurrection of the inha-
bitants took place at Arras on the 12th inst. they
having become disgusted with sacrificing themselves
and their children to Napoleon's ambition and
thirst of conquest ; that on this occasion they
had plundered the house of the Prefect, who
thereupon lied from Arras) but returned again on
tranquillity being restored. The same spirit of din.
content had appeared all round in the towns and
villages through which the said Conscript. had passed,
and: they looked with the greatest impatience fer the
slowwfal of the tyrant. The dread of the Cossacks
was very great in the open country. They are in
-
)ice by the English,
11 Brabant was in
inhabitants only waited for
)wing •o$ the iron

THE STATESMAN.
'veiciasammismasigio
_ .
for England, but for the world, Qui teat insperum . Arr. Mall. Doe
Camila .. 0
1 Pelagi necesse eat reruns potiri, is an asiom as old .11 .
Wl* 0
as the days of Cicero. Whether it be tree, the cow- 1 Helloed 0
I parative condltioh of England and France may serve .
to demrstrate. lhat, like mnitlenereti *Sickles it PRICK OF STOCKS THIS DAJ AT ONK O'CLOCK.
***; liOte in its.application; there is no deobt—bei, HMS 94 5 6 Indio Hoods par
after a war of twenty years, the triumphant posi- 3 Per Cern- itedv, • 6:434414, tier Hid. Ad.
MbeilSed• 5 7 p I
Lion of England will prove that it haa-lts basis in :I;7= —l6s. Xew isimaies.l4_l7 1
political science. 5 per Celle. Plavs ilyi Off Cowls be Kea. 57 61 •
Now, the object of Bonaparte was to wrest the sit.' Aall' 16 16!16_ - 1

le Rustier; Czar, when he cba1,..1 Tssigurnew, DEC.
id Ministers of Europe to meetl 11 o'clock, the Frenc
deity and Ministers in single thiraotty, from Delfts?
however the British Cithboas Prassian troops, • Mal
was considerable method in *Cr "
eexha
w the mischief that the Berilit‘ under the comma
hl to produce, and they forthw tPttf enemy retreated
) Order in Council. FaAnsum, but after
veil that his .theme bit 141404 over the Sea D
int.( of .Erifilind sitallenvoll
An obstinatel
thrown forth, and that it "woo
m the other bank of tho• At, ir prossians,who /