Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1810-02-19
:. A
lie T TIE r
ON THE T..
GENIUS It DIsPosI7YoAcs
n.,> OF THE - =,
FRENCH GOVERNMENT, sc.
[eoNTINUED.]

VI, The elements of union are irrevocabty
gone. BY the destruction Of Prussia and
the recent disasters Of Aus.ri., the North
is broken into TOO many fragments ever to
be again consolidated. Il is not Russia
that can breathe vivifying and elastic
spirit into this Gisjoia,cd mass. Holland
can never be what she was--Switzerland,
that remained free, by kind Of prescrip-
ton, under the old system, is now but ian
entreuehed camp" Of France, and must,
from hsr geographical position, continue
enslaved. Germany is open on all sides
The French armies march without any i'm.
pediment into the heart of the German do.
minions. The arehduke Charles may fight
a successful battle bu. the fate Of hs un-
happy country will depend, no. on the issue
of a singl. encounter, or Of single cam.
paign-Is hangs upon the competency OF
the Austrian power 70 Withstand the whale
weight Of the resources Of the French en-.
pirs.
"This mode of reasoning leads me also
to despair Of the success of the Spanish
contest. The subjugnion Of Spain was not
rashly resolved, nor will it he i-yesolutely
executed. Austria will be too much Grip.
pied to suspend second time the progress
of the invader. There is no politician so
sanguine as to imagine that the English
alone will wrest the prey from his talons,
unless they can infuse into the Spaniards
another spirit, and call forth other Energies
than those which have been hitherto dis
played. Could the contest be Pro,racted
tor any length of time, there woaid arise,
perhaps, some great leader to unite, organ
ice, and direct the means Of the country
whose strong divinity of soul" might re-
STORE the fortunes of his nation, and avenge
the fall OF those who, now shed their blood
in its defence. ...
Exoriare osiquis nostrises 0ssibus uhor.
But, when we consider the character of
the. enemy, this hope vanishes, together
with the whole train OF visionary encourage.
ments, which the field Of conjecture will
always furnish TO those who vehen,en,ly
desire the accomplishments Of particular
end.
. Should the life Of the invader be sud-
denly destroyed, the fate which he DOW me-
ditates for Spain might be averteel; but she
would soon relapse into the same species of
vassalage 10 France, undel which she has
hitherto groaned. This event might, in
deed, plunge France herself into civil war,
but would not, according to my view of
the basis of her power, alter the des.inies
of the continent. A civil war would EN-.
I,loy bu, portion of the French force and
as far as my observation, when at Paris,
enables me to judge, would not endure
long enough to afford time tor the formation
Of a general and etficacious league without.
The struggle would terminate in the estab-
lishment Of military chief, with the same
views as the present, and armed with equal
DOW er over people, whose military pro.
pensities, whose lieentious habits, and
whose servie spirit, would only he height.
ened by the state Of disorder and insubor-
tlination into which they would be thrown.
They would become, If possible, still more
formidable to Europe than they are a. this
moment. During the domestic contentious
Of Rome, and the civil wars Of Italy, the
business of conquest was pursued wirh more
rapid success, than at any other period of
their history. There j. a passa &c in the
Grandeur ct Decadenee, Of Mon,ssquieu in
reference 70 this subjecs,which I shall quote
a. the BIS, illustration Of my opinions -
" I, should be REMARKED" Gays he, "that
during the civil wars, which lasted for 20
long time, the foreign influence Of Rome
was constantly on the increase. Under
Marius, Sylla, Poppey, Caesar, An, hony,
and Augus.us,-Rome. became more terri.
bic every day, consumma.ed the ruin Of the
surviving kings. There is no s.sAe which
so seriously menaces the world with con-
quest, as one which is afflicted with the mi.
E.~~. ANN tbe 0on/.