The Alexandria herald. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1811-1826, 1823-05-23
From BeRs Weekly Ms..enp.r.

we Tear upon good authority that ou,
government has received an intima.
lion that the emperor Alexander n.
tally disahhroves of the conduct of the
British government in its recent pepo,i.
alton with France in regard 10 Spain
and, being ofopinion that such neroci'
alton has direct tendency to weaken ali
the efforts Oh France, and TO confirm wba,
he is pleased to deem the audacitv .,
theSPanish Cortes, (,he emperor Alexah.
der) deems il necessary to notify, that he
shall support the French king with the
whole forces of his empire and to that
end, has ordered the march of a Russian
army towards the Netherlands. A corps
d'armIe OF eighty thousand men is i'm.
mediately to be assembled at Dahtzic !.
and II Is understood, that this corps will
De instantly marched forwards. The
emperor Alexander expresses it as his
decided conviction, that the French
cause IS the cause of all crowned heads !:
and that, unless common effort be
made to extirpate revolutionary princi-
Piles u practices there will not be mo.
narchy in Europe.
We understand, that the effect of the
Spanish Revolution upon the Russian do
minions in Poland,have led to this deci-
sive step on the part the Russian Empe-
ror and that, under the panic of appre-
hension ofthe result Of these doctrines, he
is resolved to make direct alliance. and
an avowcd common cause with the king
OF France in the war against Spain.
Now, 1t is impossible no, 10 forsee,
that this measure of the Russian despo,
may lead to the most important results,
and that it becomes the duty of the Bri.
tIsh government to take deliberate sur
vey OF its own situation, and OF the proba>
bic cost and possible issue OF its neutrali-
'y under such condition Of circums,sn>
ces. The question, in word, consists
OF two points :--the FIRST, what would il
cost us in our own immediate sacrifices
to go to war and whether the possible
good of such war be equivalent TO this
cost The second point is, what will be
the possible result OF our remaining al
peace-how will it affect our future con-
ultioD.
AS 10 the frs, of these questions, W.
have no hesitation in saying. that the
country cannot go to war on a great scale
without most enormous expepse-an
expense both IN money and suffering so
great, as to rendor it point of prudence
to avoid II at every event short of Incur,
ring greater peril in future We can
not afford war for mere principles. Ne
cannot afford warfrom sympathy or gen
eros,ty 10 brave and free people suffer
ing under oppression. Three years. war
would tx us with three or four millions
additional taxes upon the peace which
should decide it and where and whence
are those taxes to comet We may Dor.
row the principal and the expenditure
Of the principal amongst us, so long as il
lasts, may invigorate trade, commerce.
and acknowledgements mechanics will
be employed. and there will, IN every
hing, be larger consumption. But
his will necessarily cease with the peace, !
and then the community must pay the
reckoning-must pay the annual interest
sf the one hundred and forty millions by
which the debt will be augmented =
This will be the cost of war the re-
placement of the taxes which have been
recently removed, or of others still more
Un the other hand, let us leok 10 the
second question-what will be the event
d our remaining at peace! The even,
VIII be this: first, that the Spaniards
Will De overwhelmed; secondly, that
most abominabie and atrocious principle
will be established-so far as the CONT
1ent is concerned--iD the law of nations,
namely, that 1t is the right and duty Of
kings to superintend the interests of mo-
narchy IN all neighboring nations and to
put down any reform, or attempts at re.
form, which menace to abridge the pie.
nary power of kings over their subjects
and, thirdly, that the power Of Russia,
already so enormous as TO excite a just
apprehension tor the balance of power,
Will be further confirmed and augmented,
as such triumph over popu
lar principles must necessarily CONSOLE.
date the Russian power. 10 Poland, on
~ has Russia any thing to fear, and Eu.
rope any thing TO hope as respects the
SUBDIVISION of the Russian empire and it
IS the unquestioned policy Of every nation
IN Europe, not to stop the moral effect
THIS cause, by the course Of which, alone,
Russia can be reduced within the due Ii
mts OF the balance Of power. Russia,
as sne rests at present, is an immense,
cumorous, an overwhelming physical
lorceI overhaDging free Europe and it