Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1816-01-06
RICHMOND, (vA.l JANUARY c.
TO THE PRINCE REGENT.
FOR THE ENQUIRER.

monies arc unknown, It may be my mis-
fortune to address YOU in language no.
suited to your Prncely earl Shall speak
the truth to you, and ! beg you to believe
that l do not design 70 nd..--You will
therefore have the liberalty & good sense
| hope, to appreciate what shall havs
written, by its substance and not its stvl.
1t has been your peculiar fortune to liva
and to reign at the most interesting crisis
OF tic most eventFul period of the human
history; ut a period, whsn intellectual
improvement is higher than it has ever
been before. and when poets and histori-
ans without nupber, are ready to transmit
to posterity the deeds Of the times It is
natural 70 believe, that you are DESTROYS o.
appearing on these future pages in fair Coz
lours.
Your nation has been greatly distinguish.
ed. She has stood forth for FIVE &c twenty
years, as the proud and unbeuding adyer.
sarv of that power, before which all Ear.
rope besides has trnckled and cowerefl.-.
Not only has she resisted it, but FIN lly by
yer arms anil her arts, she has more than
anv other outrlbnted to its downfall. Int
your people aye -Yes-altho' here
such freedom would be spurned and hocte0
yet IN comparison with the slaves of AN A.
lexarder, Francis or Frederic, vorr
people may well BE- termed fre-. The cor.
sequence of this, is. tnat they proudly ar.
rogate 30 themselves the honour If the
lite evcats You indeed IIaye declared
war, but they have psii your fleets and
ARMIES, and they have fought your battles. :
foW have not even the merit of which
some of The other Royal actors in III,
Dram my boast. You have been safs
and snug in your palace OF ST.. Jamess,
whilst Alexander. and Francis and Frsde-
re, have 6ioouaerd on the field, and buf-
frtted the st runs of war 1t c.unot. the e.
fore, be- concealed, (pardpn the freedom
of the remark) that hersonal2y YOU have
acted but N ms gnihcant part on the great
theatre.-Your Generals claim the honours
of the iield, and your Ministers those Of
The Cabinet. But, sir. yu have no right
to accuse fortune. She has placed within
your reach an honour more unsquivocaI
and more purely personal, than that of
any tyour compecrs. The crisis ceTtain-
y existed, whel il was for Yourself to
have proven to the world and to posterity
IN You possessed soul commensurate.
th the events Of your regency, or on the
other hand, to condemn youlsef to tie
scorn Of present generations, and TO the
reppaches AMI exeCrations of future. It
is remarkable, that the great enemy Of
Your house, after having unsuccessfullg
warred against il in the meridian OF MS :
power, should yet in his fall, have beens
able to fix on it SO deep and indel bic q
stain.
Your own feelings, I dare say, sufficient
ly indicated. that l aliude TO the impri- {,
sonment of Napoleon. Such are the fears
and the prejudices, the passions ard the
tcrrors, which this most wonderful of men
has excited. that the minds of the larger
part Of the world, are not vet free to
weigh and estimate his character But
there is an inconsiderablc par: only, who
10 not unite in the opinion, that Napoleon
is the greatest and most splendid man that
ever appeared on the gl0be.-preiudiced
men ind nnumerable defects about him.
They even descend from defects TO we K
ness, from weakness to neanness, ana from
meanness to crimes, until they would rank
hiia with the worst and basest OF his sDe-
cies. But the fame Of Napoleon, rests on
basis as imp-rishablc 2 s the Alps, or the
Amdes-and the ass aults of such enemies,
can no more impair his glory, than the
scratching of a child would undermine the
pyramds.--lt IS by comparing him with
the heroes, to whom toe voice OF fame has p
awarded immortality, that we must Judge
Napoleon. The gracious Alexander, thefI
royal Frederic, the imperial Francis. or
(pardon me, sir) even your Princely self,
form no standards ~ which TO Judge this
man. There are no points of approXima-
ton between you, off there are. they are
to BE- ind. alas only in the weaker parts
OF his character. You and your Imperial
and Royal Allies have, I doubt not, no n~
siderable opinion of your own Political in
por'ance and who will deny it, since YOU
have been bic to snbdue to your purposes
the fairest, rhs richest, the most warlE5
and most eni gre ned quarter Of the globe
Now, although n the plainness of my ke-
publican sincerity, must reject your I'M
perial and Royal persoDages, as proper
standards with which TO compare Napoleon
yet may be allowed to test his greatness,
by the importance and holiness Of your
stations. To these you were born. To
greater he assembled. How and from
whence! From the humble condition OF
military Cadet, without friends or fortuse'
through thousands of bold aspiring compel
TORS, the greatest men Of the age, and a.
mid people, who having Just thrown a.
CALLING AMI oppressive yoke, we're pant,
ing high ~ pursuit of Iiberty-And how dil
he acquire Empire? Not like Darius, ~
the neghing Of his horse, nor ike Cesar
over the bodies Of his slaug tered couh-
tiymen nor yet ike the English Oliver, DT {
winning, canting, Psalm singing and hypO
crlsY--nor even, sir, ike the first ofyout
own most ilustrious house. by beng inc
ninety-ninth cousin Of King. But by the
majesty Of his mind, the splcndor OF ns
achievements, and the magnitude Of h'
ssrvces.-l have not adducei this ~
stance Of Na90leon's greatness, rs fhs
strongest IN nv own cstimation-far TO"