Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1808-08-12
BANKS OF THE ELBE, Hay 9.

T.
great number of officers and seancn belong
ing to the late Danish aeet, are going oyer
to Flushing ard other French ports, where
they are probably to man the men OF war, as
well as the squadron fitting for sea there tor
the purpose ofcarrying large bodies OF troops
to Sweden and Norway. Hamburg is 50
exhausted by the passage OF troops, that IN
many houses not a crust Of bread nor bed
IS to befound and almost all Hanover IS II
the same miserable condition.
PARIS, Nay 90.
TRANSLATION Of a letter rDyitten IN Spa-
nish By King Charles ", to h:s son, the
prince Of Asturias.
MY SON,
THE faithless councils of the men who
surround YOU, have bro't Spain into most
distressing situation. The country cannot
now be savcd but by the emperor.
Since the peace Of Base, / have been al
wavs convinced, that it was the first interest
Of myPeople to preserve good understand
ing with France, and l have considered no
sacri6ce too great to aEain that object. +
ven when France was the prey OF temporal
ry governments, determined to repress my
own inclination, and be guided only by are
gard to sound policy and the welfare ct my
subjects: But when the French emperor
had restored order in France, then appre-
hension was in great degree removed, SO
that had then new reasons tor remaining
faithful to nv system Of alliance.
When England declared war against
France, had the good fortune TO remain
neutral, and thereby to afford to my people
the advantages Of peace. England, howe
yer, soon after captured four oflny frlgatsi,
and made war upon me before war was de-
clared. Thus was ! compelled to repel
force by force, and the evils OF war were ex-
tended to my subjects.
Spain being surrounded by coasts, and
being indebted for her greatest prosperity to
her trans-marinc possessions, suffered more
than any other country by the war. The in
terruption of trade, and all the evils con-
nected with that state OF affairs, were expe-
rienced By nv subjects, some OF :9hcm were
u,lcardid enough 10 throw ali the blame on
ne and nv ministers. | had, however, a.
least the consolation that tbs country was
safe, and had no reason to DE alarmed tor
the preservation Of ny provinces. At the
same time, l was the only king Of Europe
who lived in this security, amidst the con-
vulsions Of these latter times and should
still have enjoyed tranquility, had it not been
for the advice which has turned You aside
from the path of duty. You have been too
easily led away BY the hatred which your
first wife cherished against France, and
YOU have. participated IN her obstinate dis
like to my ministers, Jour mother, and nay
SELF.
resorted to the rights Of father and
king, and arrested you, when found a
naong your papers proofs of your guilt
But at the end OF my career, about to be-
come the prey Of grief, | felt for the tears
Of your mother, and forgave you.
Meanwhile, my subjects were sgitated by
the false representations of faction, at the
head of which you placed yourself. From
that moment the peace Of my life was gone,
and tothe evils which had befallen nay peo-
pie, ! had still to add that distress which the
disunion of my family hadoccasioned. Even
my ministers were slandered to the emperor
Of the French, who, thinking that he per-
ceived that Spain wished to depart from her
alliance, and seeing the disposition to disor-
der even IN my family, occupied, under vari~
Gus pretexts, my states with his troops: but
so long as they remained en- the right side
of the Ebro, and appeared destined to main
tain communication with Portugal, ! hoped
that he would return to those feelings
of respect and friendship which he had
always testified towards me. While I
learned that his troops advanced towards
my capitrl, felt it necessary to assemble