The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1809-07-28

success to reward those who ventured on so USE
less an enterprise, instead Of calling them TO
instantaneous and severe account. All other OBJ
Jects of subordinate importance, he leaves in like
manner to themselves. The Swede is allowed
TO strut his little hour ofsquibs, manestoes, and
bulletins. The Turk is unmolested-except by
his allies Egypt is occupied by none but Eng
fish forces. Eager for ships, colonies and com.
merce, he dcfers all trading speculations till the
season of victory and peace; nor envies us all
the plumber and the rajahs of the east nor once
throws away thought on all the sugars of the
west.
But his game is not the less sure for being
more contracted in its sphere. He singles out
the vital part of his whole adversary, and that
point of it which is most exposed In that vul.
nerable heart he plants his dagger and he knows
full we'll, that the remotest limb will quiver with
the shock. He sends forth his host, in the pie
nitude OF its array, to sweep over the inter-
regions, and to pour itself in one grand deep, but
contracted, and therefore irresistible torrent, in
tothe centre OF the strength of Europe. Here
near Berlin and Vienna as he can, he fights
his battle and while you are menacng the Yves.
tern departments-or landing and re. embarking
in ltaly-or captivating in Holland-or idling in
Portugal and Egypt--or butchering your friends
IN the north-or burying your own men, & plan
ting the slave trade in the West. Indes-he is
playing that great game which must place in his
hands, the sweep of ali those small stakes for
which you pretending to throw Do YOU
doubt whether he shall win the game he plays
Tor 1t you do, why then don't you send your
men there to meet him Think you that he ever
doubts of his success 1t may be. that he does
but he knows that the only way to gain it, is TO
think ofnothing else but victory, and at any rate,
70 think OF no other contest than this ;-aboye all
he feels the folly of being either victorious or
varquishcd in little way. He knows that ;fhe
conquers the imperial or the Prussian arms in the
centre OF the empire, he shall find no difficulty
IN carrying all the other points--no trouble but
IN preventing the escape Of your forces from the
little posts which they have been senselessly oc
cupying; and if he should be overcome in Ger,
many, he must make up his mind, not merely to
the loss OF those petty objects, but to being over,
come IN Ce,many--to the utter ruin ofhis FOREIGN
power. PLAN and simple as this consideration IS
and constantly Us we have seen him act upou it.
we have never yet been able to profit by his ey
ample. and by the sight of those victories which
he has achieved, to alter, in the very least
degree, our own fatal policy towards all our al
lies.
Alter SO much experience of tho errors of our
way, and the uniform proofs of the enemy, bea
ting us by an opposite line of conuct is il not la
mentable to see the very same blunders commit
ted, and within the past three months the very
last chance OF saving Europe from the grasp of
france, III all human probability, is sp,landered
away The Spaniards were struggling against
the French armies and from the latter being oh
Viousiy unprePared 10 meet their resistance great
hopes OF success might have been entertained.
provided some important assistance could .ud
denly have been given to the common cause
Seeing the uDprepared state of the French for |
ces, and their inadequacy to the crisis and aware
that so unusual a state of things could oniv last
Tor moment, Our business was, to have strained |
every nerve 70 pour large force into Spain, as |
near rs possible to the seat of tue war lad sucb |
a force as England could raise-had AN army az |
on or 10000 men, the best equipped and best |
hearted III the world, been ready to land in Spa;n
at the moment when Dupont surrendered, and !
Joseph fed III confusion from MadFid-who sb Ill !
say that the whole remains of the French army |
an SPAN, would not most probably have been a. |
empowered and the peninsula went clean .of;,.
invaders J But no such thing.--Thc t,.ly Pyi !
ffSh policy was steadily persevered in A fine pr |
my OF 5000 men was sent to Portugal-as far
as possible from the scene of real action II ham
pens, unfortunately, that this army has been |
brought TO shame ythe conduct, say the friends |
OF government, Of its commanders the nm
skiitul arrangement OF the expedition, and choice
OF those commanders, say their enemies But i, |
signifies little, wIathas become of the enterrrise
or 10 what ITS fate is owing, in our view of the !
SUBJECT The dishonor Of the British arms and
the conveyance Ola large army to fight apains;
our allies, are doubt most dreadful apor3y.ti
ems OF our loss; but we objected to the eXpcditi
ON from the beginning. We demand the reason
Tor locking up our army in the southwest corner
OF Portugal, when the great battle was fighting
All lsie hoiih east extremity Oh SPAN We ask,
why SO silly measure was theue Int If, as turn. |
ing away our force TO conquer army, necessa-
riiy IN our power, should our allies be slccessfnI
and the conquest Of which was worth nothiu,
Should our allies be beaten We ask what ;,s
fiicatlon can be offered offs dastardy a conduct. |
as avoiding The hazardous part of the contest
the struggle with the cnemy's main body-for The
poor temptation Of attacking an inferior and in
suatcd body oil his men, and making sure of bea
ling tbc1n IS a miserable kind of brdee in case
our real aud only game, The game of our allies.
should he lost The Spaniards are fighting the
battle OF Spain and Portugal, as well as of al
Europe, iii the north: they are almost oyerwheI-
nied by their enemies: reinforcement Of their
strength may decide the day Tor them Bat, TN
fortunately, there haPpers to be detachment Of
tie French cooPed up in Portugal; cut Of. from
all supplies hemmed i'll every side and Ut.
terry unable to escape 1.-THE SpaBiards are sue
cessul, tins httie force must fall they are bea.
ten, 1t weighs not as one grain ofduat in the swift
~ mounting balance Of their fate what happensl
TO tie French in Portugal Nevertheless It ia fol
this wretched outpost of the French power that
all the efforts Of England are pointed +, and in
stead OF succouring our allies, or, as w. term
1T, "1Jore proceeding TO succor them, !" we must
be 1Ginpg away To seize hold of 4 few thousand
prisoners, in a hostile coun.
Try Suppose the utmost success had attended
our folly, we should have taken those troobs de.
layed our mach for three critical months of The
Spanish campagn, and left a large part Of the ar
my III Portugal, which was so much wanted in
Spain. If VIC had wholly failed, VIC s. .rjfced
the powerof helping allies, for the chance
OF doing ourselves some little good, gaining lii
tie paltry eciat, without the rtmotcst possibility