The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1810-11-27

itis,srue. that ifhcr allies on the Peninsul;
had txhini;vd an anshrinking determinatio,
trti,e orto BE- free. there might have been
some hopes of snatching them out of tn,
bends of her enemy. Their independents,
ad alliance would have proved some equi
valent for the sacrifices she has made 4
preserve them. bat their heroism wa
suas beneath the torpor of centuries, thu
tyranny Of their government. and the su.
pers,ition OF the monks. The fall of ST,
John Moore. and his Instructive dispatches
were sufficient warnings OF The spirit of theii
allies, the perils of their enterprize, and its
final result From that moment, the effor,
should have been rehnqnlshed. continental
expeditions should have BEEN abandoned. &
England should have devoted herself to
the extension OF her resources. and the in
crease at her strength. She should have
borrowed from her enemies the maxim oi
"ships, commerce and colonies" She should
have reduced the islands of her enemv-
employed those means in establishing the
independence of the 5. American colonies
which she has exhausted upon the mother
countries--;ind cut out new branches Of
commerce to her own suffering merchant
men. This is. the true line OF policy which
G. Britain should have pursued if she had
really been intent on the prosecution of /.
wild and wasteiul war.
What isit to her, whether France was a
few days, sooner or later, in overrunning
Spain and Portugal In certain cases, in
deed, time is fosuer. But what were the
purposes, which England was to gain by
representation Ii has not contributed to
snat'h the colonies of South America from
the grasp of France -her navy would have
been adequate to the accomplishment Of
THAT ohjcct.-IT has not decided The
0fR ri heI
IlrIoN against France. Russia has m ni
Tested no new signs of hostility and her
Court is as firmly cemented as ever to the
views OF France.
England must now perceive how mad are
continental expeduions--that her sword
Is not so long as that OF her enemv-t hat
nature never Intended her for a Land Animal
and that she must be content to reign the
14eyiathan of the waters, & not the LION Of
the woods
Much may now depend upon the issue of
ahe contest before Lisbon various interests
are staked on the encounter-W,. ourselves
are not unaffected BY 1.-THE British army
contend for their iUes the Ministry, per-
haps, for their hiaces--and Cadiz for its
masters. For such an awe NAV be struck
upon the mind of its inhabitants by the sue
Cesses OF the French so little hope of ulti-
mate relief may present itself, and so much
terror inspired by the superior skill of the
assailants, as may lead TO the capitalization of
the city.
En- fassant-On this subject we must not
overlook those astonishing pieces of ord.
nance, which have been cast at Seville, BY
which the French are enabled to discharge
30 h. balls, 1000 toises OF 1000 yards-and
thus to cast their balls from Fort Matagorta
into Cadiz -Ot course. they will prove able
auxiliarIes in the Siege. They remind us
OF those wonders of antiquity. which are re-
corded by the historians. They remind us
ot the great cannon, with which Mahomet
2. besiesed Constantinopie in 1453. It was a
piece OF brass ordnance. says Gibbon, of
stupendous and almost Incredible magni-
tude; measure of IL palms is assigned to
the bore; and the stone bullet weighed a.
Dove GOODS. The explosion was felt or
heard in circuit OF 100 furlongs; the ball.
by the force of gun powder, was driven a
bove a mile and on the spot where it fell
it buried itself fathom deep in the ground
The modern improvements of artillery
prefer the number of pieces TO the weight of
the metal; the quickness of the FIRE to me
sound, or even the conseq dence OF single
explosion" What, however. would tend TO
shew the probability of such narrative
IS the accoun; given us by the Lively though
romantic DE Tort, of the Turkish cannon
which still guards the entrance of the Dur
danelIes " A stone bullet OF eieuen hundred
pounds weight was discharged with 330lbs.
of powder; at the distance OF 500 yards it
shivered into three rocky fragmeats. traver
sed the streight and on leaving the waters
an foam, again rose and bounded against
fhe opposite hill" But, we must confess
with Mr.. Gibbon, that this adventurous IRA
weller does not possess the arc of gaining our
confidence.