The Rhode-Island Republican. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1809-1841, 1813-09-02

It
EUROPEAN .fFF.3IRS--In our last we gav.
the amount of the Foreign News recently received,
announcing complete victory in Spain over the
Ercnch armies OF the South and Centrc by the troops
under Lord Wellington. Many persons who are
i"rgetful unlnormcd Of the state of the mil
itayy affairs OF Spain, consider that event as at
deciding her fate, and terminating the struggle
which shc has SO long and gallantly maintained
,against the forces Of France. The opinion must be
an erroneous one. and certainly does not result from
full anG fair examination of the question. We do
at all discrcdt the English commanders account
OF the battle 1t is undoubtedly true that the army
OF King Joseph, amounting to fifty thousand men,
attacked by force It eighty thousand of the Allies,
has sustained great defeat, suffered immense los
ses, and been compelled precptatey to retreat into
France 1t has, however, LETT another powerful
my uader suchet still in Spain, and many fortified
places, with strong garrisons to defend them. In
this state OF things it is exultngly proclaimed that
the triumphant Wellington has passed the lines and
is urging his of conquest to the very walls CT
Paris.rhat General is too prudent so to sport with
fortune, and 10 throw away the aurels he has won
He is too jus; so to abandon Spain and too wise so
20 expose himself Bonapartc has by no means strip
ped France of its soldiers. An immense body still
remains there IN reserve, and would soon be collect
cd. The tide of success would probably again be
turned, and the Allies, with the army urging the
rear and disputing their passage in 'front.' would
have good reasons 10 repent their rashness. II is
most probable, on the other hand, that Wellington
will make It his immediate object to complete the
lclivcrancc Of Spain, by hunting out those of the
invaders who still remain there, before he will think
Of making foreign conquests. In the mean time it
is possible that Joseph may be recruiting his army
and furnishing it anew with the munitions of war.
for the purposes of recovering his losses and saving
what yet remains to him. With what other view
could he have left behind him tho garrsons at Bill,
boa, pampeluna, &c. which, it not supported, must
inevitably be compelled to surrender In what other
way can he prevent Suchet and all his troops from
yielding to the concentrated forces of the Allies
We can conceive OF none. The victory, however, is
not to be considered as of small advantage to the
Spaniards In of negotiation for peace il will
prove TO them OF immense value. II will give weight
to their claims and tend to produce more favora.
bic disposition in Napoleon towards tie acknowl-
edgement of their national independence However
Just il may be that the re.es,abshmet Of that inie-
pcndence should take place, yet one consequence
must result from II which every friend to humanity
NUT shudder at II is the possible reduction of
Spanish America to that despotsrn, from which il
has been recently making such powerful excrtions
20 einancipate itself, as to promise success. The
colonial government of the Spaniards has been ie-
gulated by more rigorous policy than that of any
other nation. The subjects of It have always been
kep. in a state Of the most abject slavery They
hsve been preserved BY priya,oas and oppression TO