The Statesman.
London, England, 1809-08-17 00:00:00

Pliiil..l.lll 11,. I%

LONDON:
THUZSUA T. AUGUST 17.

Tim resistance of Fleshing is at length snr.
mounted.—Several letters were received last night
from the British Lines before that place, and
alsts from 3liddkburds, containiug details of the
uceratinoos of our besieging Army, and, at an
early hour this morning, a letter, which will he
found in the succeeding coining's of this Paper,
nas received, which leaves no doubt that
Flushing is in our possession. All ac.
cuttats from this obstinately defended place,
eote.oir in stating it to be reduced almost to
reins. It appears, that some difficulty had arisen
to settling the Terms of Cayitulatien, in rousse •
quince of some specifically favourable renditions
brine demanded by the Governor, for the Irish
Ile igade. The wars that have arisen out of the
R of France, hare, iii many in4ances,
given birth to preettcos more offensive to Huila.
nity than these of even the dark ages of Europe.
What On be more savagely creel, this, plaeine
,nee in situations, w hive, to.the ordinary chancre
of war, they have in addition that of being put nut
of the protection of these laws of humanity, by
which, in modern earls. e, she conduct of ill.• tic.
tor lesson's his prisoners is always eriv..rned.—
The but -Peery of the French IMigrants at Quibe.
roe, and the manly, affecting letter of the gallant
e..ent de Sossaneute to Lent hleeett.t.r, then
Mr. Dveress, are events that can n. ver be
erased from our rec•sllection. Of a el, tree-
ter precisely parallel is the conduct of the
French in shutting up the Irish Driest& in
Fleshing. But, hamoily for humanity, the cap.
sure of these miserable men is under cireutnstances
so different, that it may he confidently eeileded
no suctf savage measures will be resorted to by the
British Government as those whirls marked the
iitoial.stained progress of the French Revolution.
Among the various preparations fur the lava.ion
Englund, the organization of a Corps of Irish,
was understood to have been included. That in the
character of Inraders of their Native 5.. it a angle
individual should have Lscaped instant death, if
captured, it were madness to suppose. In the
instance of the Irish Brigade being present at the
defence of Flushing—merely on the drfrnvive—
a very inferior degree of turpitude will obvious.
ly be admitted to mark the crime of 'miring
arms against 'tie k. ono country. There is too,
another important consideration, which neces.
sarily indices a belief, that these unfortunate
Etiles aro in no danger. The armies of N.t.
renews are composed of the natives of every
country on the Continent of Europe ; and, what
is perfectly unacrountable, the greater proportion
lof those Foreigners e lei fill his ranks have been
forced into the service of Fratic. The garrison
of Fleshing is said to be crenpused of Germans,
Prussians, Hanoverians, Poles, and even of those
Si,aniareis whose escape with their gallant leader,
ROMJNJ, was intercepted. That suoh a number
of Aliens can he male to co-operate so vigtoons-
ly in the cause of Franre, appears at the first view
of the subject secretly credible. But when it is
recollected Of what a motley description are the
crews of some of our men of war—Danes, Nor.
%miens, Dutch, Swedes, Americans, in fact, all
nations—the difficulty vaosi.bee.
The nest operation to be undertaken, is the
reduction of Fort Lillie To defend the passage of
the Scheldt at this point, the French Admiral is 11
said to have brought down a strong force of fri-
gates and gunboats. If, however, the navigation
be practicable for our vessels of war, strong ask
Fort Lille, the passage will, in all prebability,
he forced in less time than has beets consumed be.
fore Flashing.
The ultimate success of the Expedition against
Antwerp, must, however, finally depend upon
the strength of the army that ;nay be collected
for its defence. It must be remembered, that
whilst our army is neces*arily and inevitably di.
minishing—that of the enemy will he howls in.
creasing. The skill of the French engineers,
and the power of their artillery, have long beet,
knowne--but the indefatigable attention that has
of late years been paid to this branch of military
beieoce-..has at length conferred the paln, of su-
periority on England. The British Artillery is now
admitted to be the most efficient of any in Eu.
rope—nor can this be matter of surprise.—
lbe practical application of the mechanic
powers is, in this country, almost universal—and
the incessant construction of machinery of every
description, has produced a degree of perfection
ill practical mechanics, which has aver bees