Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1809-06-24

the inferiority OF the confedcrates in point
of number, madeit unequal. The corrup-
ton Of some of the leaders Of the combined
army. rendered it still more unequal, and
the determination of the allies to stake their
existence on the event of a single battle
proved fatal to their cause. The campaign
in Poland was contested more vigorously.
E.ylatt and Pultusk will not be remembeFs
with much exultation AT Paris. The vicQ
ries gained there, were more dearly pur-
chased than the friendship of Alexander
and while he lives, it will be less hazardaAs
to caiole the Carr of all the Russias n
cabinet, than to measure swords WITH sn NE
Cossacls in the feld.-General BeniiQ
sen, by far the ablestleader that BonaPz
has had arrayed against him, since the
of Sir Ralph Abercrombie, was dlscaroSp
at the.momeut when his bold and nnmerotS
army, undismayed by disaster, BID tar
under his superior guidance, to re-lnstafs|
the liberties of Europe. But AlexancsF|
was fated to be the dupe Of French ssslAe 81
ton. Russia is fattening for the sacrltIge,
and the deadly tranquility, that relgns e.
her remotest borders, is but the Preludeadi
a temper that shall mingle earth with hea-
ven.
The war in Spain, commencing with an
act of atrocious baseness, and prosecuted
for the acquisition ofan object at which the
heart of every real Spaniard rises IN revolt,
meets with but few points OF resemblance
in the wars that have swallowed upthe re-
nnbIcs and Frustrated the monarches or
Europe. The causes which led to their
ruin, operate less forcibly in Spain. In
stead OF promising deiverance, Bonaparte
threatened annihilation. Instead OF assum-
ing the character Ola protector, he troWns
with the forbidding aspect OF tyrant. | nc
Standards behold In him anotherPolyphemr,
imoatient even to madaess, that his
uncloyed appetite should for moment DC
DELAYED its victim. Their hopes and tears
therefore combine all their force to delay, II
they cannot prevent the sacrifices.
In prosecuting his schemes Of aggran-
dizement in the south, Bonaparte must find
many obstacles presented by the lace OF the
country. The mountains and dehles OF
Spain are less favorable for the array OF
two hundred thousand men, than the plains
Of Bradenbusg or Silesia. They subtract
something from the pre- eminence OF French
discipline. They afford the native soldier
onDortunities for successful sklrmishng,
and security from regular engagements
They enable HIN to pFotrsct che, { arart.'5sr
without haZarding decisive battle, and TO
check the impetuosity Of his enemiesoy de-
lay. Access to Spain IS rendered difficult
by the PYrenees, and reintorcements can
not pass them easily, if they could be spared.
Perhaps the Bavarian l,vies do not care to
meet the indignant Spaniards i'll the field.
But neither the mountains OF Spain, nor
the struggles of Austria can secure from the
efforts of Napoleon. The court after all
must depend upon the spirit and unanlmity
of the Spaniards, for to the soldiers OF Tho
tyrant it makes little difference what may
be the nature of the war, or its causes
Our information from the interior of the
country is confined and doubtful. There
are not facts enough detailed, to enable us
to form correct estimate Of the spirit by
which the collective mass of the people are
animated.
If the war is one Of the mobiles and cler-
gy only, and the people esteem 1t to be snch'
the contest is hopeless one for SPAIN
Overrunning the country, is then but ano-
Their phrase for conquering it. ! he people
only change masters; and when the new
woke is on, they will not perseveringly ex-
pose themselves to hazard and to death, to
get the old one replaced upon their necks.
Sccond-handed interests Gf you may use
the expression will operate too languidly
TO excite the holder passions into action -
Fear will stiae the revoltings of pride. The
love of ease will supplant any transient at
tachments to the house of Bourbon, and the
people Will be persuaded that a second effort