The Statesman.
London, England, 1812-03-31 00:00:00

rffE STATESMAN.

LONDON:
SVESDAY, MARCH 31, 1812.

1 All eyes are now directed towards Badajos, al-
I ready the scene of important military operations,
which are of no very recent date, but which, it must
be recollected, terminated no way favourable to the
cause of our Alliel in the Peninsula. One letter,
dated 14th inst. received by the last Lisbon Mail,
states, that the siege was to commence on the 16th.
146 That garrison," continues the writer, " we have
reason to apprehend, will not readily surrender ;
and out troops, from all accounts, will have a task of
some (It:Iliad!, to accoir plish. The streets are forti-
I tied, and the greatest exertions have been made by
the enemy to place it in a formidable state. From'
ian officer, we learn this morning, that the French
have united three armies to give Lord Wia.taNcrov
! battle. Indeed, it would be ridiculous to sappose,
that so important a paint as Badajos would be ne-
-1 glected by the enemy." In another letter it is said,
" This siege will be a work of time, as the place is
my strong, the garrison numerous, and well provi-
stoned; a supply to a large extent, both of men and
meat, having been sent in the end of last mouth.—
When the place is reduced to extremity, we expect
that the French army will advance to its relief, the
consequence of which must be a battle." A third
letter represents the whole country, in the neigh- I
bourhood of Badajos, as 64 completely ruined
by the enemy, and where the French bare not been,
the indolence and 'want of industry in the natives,
almost skew the Sarre effects. Provisions are ex-
tremely dear, particularly on the Spanish frontiers,
as a pound of barley bread(for there is net other to
be had) costs one shilling, and forage is so scarce,
that, notwithstanding the high price of barley bread,
they were often obliged to • divide the bread with
their horses." Here we have, in the first'place, the
,Iltioner of the British army, composed of our fathers,
our brothers; and our sons, about to risk theri fiveS
in attemptimr,• to possess themselves of a fortress,
which we have already been baffied in reducing, after
an immense loss of lives, and an enormous increase
of expettce to this country. In the next place, the
only advantage which we can derive from this impro
vident measure, supposing us to be successful, is
the occupation of a country. .for a • few months
longor, which is4entirely stript of every necessary of
I existence. Then we are fighting for a people so
," indolent" that •if the land is not in future
cultivated by them, our troops must either tarts bus-
bautimen themselves, or trust for supplies from an-
other quarter. These cannot be furnished by Great
Britain, because it does not produce grain sufficient
for its own population ; and if a war` with America
breaks out, which there is every appearance of, this
great source from whence all oar armi‘ls in the Penin-
sula are supplied, will be completely silk up. The
result of a battle too, which is confidently anticipated
before Badajos surrenders, may be looked td, at least'
with fear and doubt. The place is regarded by the
enemy of extreme importance, becanko the peillesOtin
of it netlstly.prevents the Allies fish leaking eater-
lions intse4sdalitaiel an other parts of Spats ad.
ioinia4likk right prove-favorable to iho `. atm.
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of the Spaniards in arms in that quartet, but it serves
1 as a rallying point for the French armies, from which
they can easily direct their operations against any
. part of the entire frontier of Portugal) or even pe-
netrate through the Alentejo to Lisbon, without Qom.
lug ie contact with our impenetrable lines at Torres
t 1 Vedres.--It cannot be doubt* therefore, that
' a position of such great magnitude will be
' maintained by the enemy tilt they are driven
out of it by actual force, or are compelled to surrender
from the want of provisions. With an army so pro-
: Tided as Lord WELLINGTON'S is, and ,no other ob-
stacle in the way, there can be little doubt his Lord-
-1 ship would soon be able to reduce the place ; but when
a . i s seen that the French Marshals MA /MONT, SOVLT,
and SUCRE; are actually uniting their armies to-
gether in order to attack the Allies, the prospect of
an approaching engagement, with a force so very au.
iperior in numbers, cannot be contemplatedlotherwise
than with the most serious apprehensions. It is true
Earl WELLINGTON may consider it proper to decline
1
tin engagement, and may resume his former favour-
able positions; but how is the cause of Spain -and
1 Portugal to be promoted by this sort of warfare ?
The continuance of an army in the Peninsula, inade-
quate to meet the enemy in the field, may, no doubt,
have the effect of prolonging the contest ; but it will,
at the same time, assuredly pi-emote the views of
lioNaeAare, who has explicitly and repeatedly de-
clared, that he has hitherto proerastinated thUwat
in the Peninsula, for the sole purpose of exhausting
the resources of the British Empire.

......IMlim..

lln the account published of the late negtoiation
between Government and the Directors of the Fast
India Company, it is stated as a point partly egreed
on, that they are still to retain the possession and
management of the territories they have,•from time
to time, acquired in Asia, through the aid and assist-
ance of our fleets and armies. Now, it will become
Parliament, before it sanction such an arrangement,
to consider well, whether men are competent to go-
vern and regulate an extensive Empire, at the dis-
tance of half the globe, from Leadenhall-street, when
they cannot make proper regulations for a couple of
paltry seminaries• at Hertford and Croydon, only a
few miles from this metropolis. Have not two muti-
nies taken place at the former, within these few
months ? Di4l not all the young gentlemen,' without
even a single exception, mutiny at the latter the sum-
mer before last? And would they not have made a sa-
crifice of the vulgar man who had charge of them,
had it not been for the accidental admonitions of an-
other person on the spot, who knew nothing of their
intentions ? Is not the one 'a scone of dissipation and
licentiousness ? and the other, which they ridicu-
lously enough call their military seminary, though
there is not a military book or officer belonging to
it, more a school for meanness, vulgarity, and low
bad habits, than for military tuition, or for instilling
into the minds of young gentlemen intended for the
profession of arms, those noble sentiments of honour
that ought to actuate'the breast of every officer, and
make him despise mean actions ? Is not the education
given at it an absolute mockery of every thing
like military instruction ? And have not some
cruelties been practised there, that are a disgrace
to humanity, and a country that calls itself free?
Can any person, who has ever been in company with
the two men, whom they have entrusted with the
care and management of those seminaries, suppose
them competent to the appoiqtment of proper indi-
viduals to fill even the most subordinate situations in
the East ? These are questions which we think it ne-
cessary the India Company should answer sadstacto-
rily, before they demand the renewal of a Charter,
which actually gives them greater power, over a more
extensive portion of the globe, than what it posscened
by all the Sovereigns of Europe