The Rhode-Island Republican. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1809-1841, 1810-11-14


vents, with some honour in tire field Of bat
lie, when the armies OF the coalitions main
tained tho contest with France. During those
memorable campaigns, there were twenty
occasions in witch 10000 English, landed
III Italy oil Germany, might have created a
diversion truly beneficial. But then the
English ministry were employed only in such
expeditions as that OF Copenhagen. They
ihought less of serving their allies than OF
weak enne all OF them, and OF destroying
even The very shadow of maritime and COM
mercial power. Their conduct have disoo,-
cred their secret. They became sensible OF
their error, when the unexpected victories OF
France deprived them Of all hope OF repair
ing il. From that moment, as a war by land
they ought only TO have taken defensive al
itude yet, all of sudden, they assumed
the offensive, when they had nothing else TO
expect but the useless loss OF men and mon
cy. Out OF one error they brve fallen into
another, and put to hazard their internal Sc
curily. without accompanying the military
honour they had lost. The same spirit ol
absurdity maze them undertake and miscon-
duct the expeditions to Spain and Walche-
rem They will exhibit hearty the same re-
suits in the history OF the war. Hitherto the
English army seems only TO have kept its
ground because there were no French to
contend with IT, But the ministry themselves
have no serious intention of defending
Portugal when it shall be regularly attacked
Soon they will only be embarrassed as to the
means of saving the fragments Of an army
that would have been better employed in the
defence OF their own territory.
= n oC
tina. of having given to France all the allies
that England had al The commencement OF II
having augmented the direct 6ominion OF
France nv "a population Of from 25 TO $4,000,
900 pt notwithstanding given her an eX-
tent OF more than 200 leagues OF coast, ma
ny maiillme ports OF the hrst rank, aud sew
eral new dook yards on the North Sea, the
Ocean, Med!t' rranean, and Atntic--bav-
ing given her continentai commerce, which
the whole British navy cannot obstruct-aD
influence which nothing can hencctorth d-
ninish. As to England, the result Of eight
years of war has been such an increase o! her
debt and expenditure, that she can no longer
do without paper money, the first step to-
wards bankruptcy-the~ augmentation ot d
maritime establishment, which is out OF all
proportion to her population, and her de-
mands for the defence of her colonies---that
of being left, as to heI foreign concerns, in
the same insulated state In which she wished
10 place France, with the loss of all her com-
mercial relations with the continent of Eu-
rope /; (for the alliance she still retains with
Turkey will be as short-lived as the aiIiance
which prolongs the caiamites of the Spanish
peninsula )--that OF soon having to watch
5000 leagues of coast, and sixty maritime
ports, whence, in defiance OF bcr, will sally
forty numerous fleets, capable Of disputing
with her The freedom OF the seas when tha,
moment shall have arrived, England will be
struck with terror at the abyss dug by sue
ccssion OF weak or perhdious ministers.
III the present can supply any certain da-
Ia for calculating the future, this war must
gradually produce the absolute ruin OF THAI
once flourishing nation. Hitherto she has
supported her financial system by uncommon
efforts and extraordinary advantages that are
daily diminishing. She has supported the
maritime and military establishments by the
divisions she has iostered among the CONT
mental poweis-by the treachory and dsser-
tion of foreign soldiers and sailors, whom she
has taken into ner p0y. She has, for time,
prolonged the existence of her commerce by
smuggling. She had no fear of her coloaies
owing to the necessity to- which she reduced
France of attending exclusively to the affairs
of the continent. But, at length. general
tranquility is on the point Of being establish
cd and England. which hitherto has had to
defend Only foreign interests, is onthe eve of
hghtins---hro aris ef focis and then il is that
her weakness will become manifest. The
actual superiority of her marine, and the vast
extent of her colonies cannot save her. We
have Just shewn, tha, she viii be compelled
to augment her naval expenditures, to which
the profits of her commerce will be made
qnate. Meanwhile, she will neither have
tcreign scamen, nor ship-timber, nor iron,
and the other materials, which she has hth-
rrto procured at low price from the north.
Ii she designs to follow up her system of