English manufactures and produce into the dominions of France, he will not be supported by the people of America in a demand of England to cease to violate the known and acknowledged rights of America. The President is not asking for any indulgence at our hands: he is merely asking for what is due to his country; he is merely insisting upon our ceasing to violate the rights of America; and, if what the public prints tell us be true, we say in answer: "We will cease to violate your "rights; we will cease to do you wrong; "we will cease, to confiscate your vessels "in the teeth of the law of nations, but "not unless Napoleon will suffer the con"tinent of Europe to purchase our manu"factures and commerce." If my neighbour complain of me for a grievous injury and outrageous, insult committed against him, am I to answer him by saying, that I will cease to injure and insult him, when another neighbour with whom I am at variance will purchase his clothing and cutlery from me? The party whom I injure and insult will naturally say, that he has nothing to do with my quarrel with a third party. We should disdain the idea of appealing to America as a mediatress, and, indeed, if she were to attempt to put herself forward in that capacity, indignation and vengeance would ring from one end of the kingdom to the other. Yet, we are, it seems, to look to her to cause the French to do away regulations injurious to us, but with which America has nothing at all to do. As to the disposition of the people of America, your Royal Highness should receive with great distrust whatever is said, come from what quarter it may, respecɩing the popular feeling being against the President and his measures. The same round of deception will, doubtless, be used here as in all other cases where a country is at war with us. It is now nearly twenty years since we drew the sword against revolutionary France; and, if your Royal Highness look back, you will find, that, during the whole of that period, the people of France have been, by those who have had the power of the press in their hands in this country, represented as hostile to their government, under all its various forms, and as wishing most earnestly for the success of its enemies. The result, however, has been, that the people have never, in any one instance, aided those enemies; but have made all sorts of sacri fices for the purpose of frustrating their de-. signs. On the contrary, the people in all the countries, allied with us in the war, have been invariably represented as attached to their government, and they have, when the hour of trial came, as invariably turned from that government and received the French with open arms. After these twenty years of such terrible experience, it is not for me to presume, that your Royal Highness can suffer yourself to be deceived with regard to the disposition of the American people, who clearly understand all the grounds of the present dispute, and of whom, your Royal Highness may be assured, Mr. Madison, in his demands of justice at our hands, is but the echo. The Americans do not wish for war: war is a state which they dread: there is no class amongst them who can profit from war: they have none of that description of people, to whom war is a harvest: there are none of those whom to support out of the public wealth the pretext of war is necessary: they dread a standing army: they have witnessed the effects of such establishments in other parts of the world: they have seen how such establishments and loss of freedom go hand in hand. But, these considerations will not, I am persuaded, deter them from going far enough into hostile measures to do great injury to us, unless we shall, by our acts, prove to them, that such measures are unnecessary. The public are told, and the same may reach the ear of your Royal Highness (for courts are not the places into which truth first makes its way), that the American President is unpopular; that the people are on our side in the dispute. Guard your ear, I beseech you, Sir, against such reports, which are wholly false, and which have their rise partly in the ignorance and partly in the venality of those by whom they are propagated. It is a fact, on which your Royal Highness may rely, that, at the last election (in the Autumn of 1810) the popular party had a majority far greater than at any former period; and, it is hardly necessary for me to say how that party stands with regard to England; for, from some cause or other, it does so happen, than in every country where there is a description of persons professing a strong and enthusiastic attachment to public liberty, they are sure to regard England as their enemy. We are told, that these are all sham patriots; that they taste. In common life, if we find any one The are demagogues, jacobins, levellers, and men who delight in confusion and bloodshed. But, Sir, the misfortune is, that these persons, in all the countries that we meddle with, do invariably succeed in the end. Their side proves, at last, to be the strongest. They do, in fact, finally prove to form almost the whole of the people; and, when we discover this, we generally quit their country in disgust, and, since they will not be true to themselves," we e'en leave them to be punished by their revolutions and reforms. In America, however, it will, I think, be very difficult for any one to persuade your Royal Highness that those who are opposed to us are sham patriots, and men who wish for confusion. Every man in that country has enough to eat; every man has something to call his own. There are no baits for sham patriots; no fat places to scramble for; no sinecures where a single lazy possessor snorts away in the course of the year the fruit of the labour of hundreds of toiling and starving wretches; none of those things, in short, for the sake of gaining which it is worth while to make hypocritical professions of patriotism. As an instance of the sentiments of the people of America with regard to political parties. I beg leave to point out to your Royal Highness the circumstance of Mr. Pickering (who is held forth as the great champion of our cause in America) having, at the last election, been put out of the Senate of the United States, of which he had long been a member, being one of the Senators for Massachussets, his native state. The people of the State first elect the two Houses and the Governor of the State, and these elect the persons to serve them in the Senate of the Union. Thus Mr. Pickering was, then, rejected, not merely by the people; not merely at a popular election; but by the deliberate voice of the whole legislature of the State. And this, too, in that part of the Union called New Eng-given for such achievements as those of land; in the State of Massachusett's too, which State it is well known takes the lead in the Northern part of the country, and which State has always been represented as disposed to divide from the States of the South. If we had friends any where in America, it was in this State; and, yet, even in this State, we see the most unequivocal proof of disaffection to our cause. It is useless, Sir, for us to reproach the people of America with this disaffection. They must be left to follow their own I am, &c. &c. WM. COBBEtt. State Prison, Newgate, SUMMARY OF POLITICS. SPAIN FIGUEIRAS. Another fortress has fallen before the French, after a long, and, seemingly, a most gallant resistance. But, 3,500 men, amongst whom 350 officers, and many of high rank, are a part of the victor's prize upon this occasion. Our public prints scarcely notice this event. It appears nothing at all to them, who belong to a nation, where City Swords and Parliamentary Thanks and Peerages are Barrosa and Albuera and Talavera. Three thousand five hundred prisoners! Do you hear that, you venal men! you crowd of base hirelings! And you greater crowd of dupes! Do you hear of the three thousand five hundred prisoners of war, suṛrendered at discretion? Let me ask you, now, what you would say, if such an achievement were accomplished by the Lord Baron Douro and Viscount Talavera and the Conde de Vimeira? What would you say? Where would you begin; and where would you end? What firing of cannon, ringing of bells, illuminations, bonfires; what paragraphs, what poems, what columns of doggerel from the pen of the pensioned poet Fitzgerald, what nauscous stuff upon the stage, what a singing and what a shouting! There is no forming the most distant idea of what would take place. I should be afraid of the whole nation's going mad: drunk I am sure they would be. And yet, no more notice is taken of this achievement of the Duke of Tarento than if it had been the mere intercepting of a convoy of provisions. What a compliment does this silence contain! How eloquent it is in eulogium on the French army and its commanders! For, what will history say? Why, that such were their famous deeds, that the capture of a fortress where 3,500 men, including 350 officers, was passed over by their enemies as an event not worthy of particular notice. On the other hand, what will history say of our deeds in arms, when it is recording the subjects of our endless boastings? It is very painful to have to make such remarks; but they are true, and they are called for by the occasion. There is nothing more injurious to the character of a country than boasting without good ground; and, let it be observed, that our army will never be the better for our shutting our eyes against the truth, whether as to their deeds, or to the deeds of the enemy. It is bad policy, besides being unjust and false, not to speak of both as they deserve. The fear of censure is as necessary as the love of praise; and, if praise on our own side is, in all cases, to be bestowed; if we are thus to go on praising our own army through thick and thin; and are to speak contemptuously of all the victories of those to whom it is opposed, where are we to look for the motives to great and gallant deeds? I am for giving to our own army a full measure of commendation. I would deprive no man of it of his due, from the highest to the lowest; and, I would rather over than under do my duty in this respect. But, I would not overlook glaring faults; I would not be silent when I saw Brennier march out of Almeida with a thousand men in the face of the English army. And, on the other hand, I would never suppress a fair account, a candid notice, of the successes of the enemy. This is the only way, in which, as far as relates to these matters, the press can be useful: not pursuing this course it must, indeed, be mischievous. Mischievous it has been dur ing the whole of this long war against France; but especially, during the war in the Peninsula. Who, to read our public prints, would not imagine, that our army had lived in a continued series of victories? Who would imagine, that the enemy against whom they have to contend was not to the last degree contemptible? In short, such a press, a press so conducted, is the vilest imposture that ever was practised in the world. As to the effect which the fall of Figueiras will have upon the affairs of Napoleon in Spain, it is not an easy matter to settle; but, that it will have a great effect is pretty certain. The state of things in Spain is such as to promise a result by no means favourable to us. There is a talk of treasons at Cadiz ; and we know what treasons, in such a state of things, always mean. The feeling of the Spanish government is pretty clearly evinced in the recent appointment of General Lacy to a considerable command; for, it will be recollected, that this was the gentleman, who, in so able and spirited a manner, answered the charges of General Graham. This is an act of a nature entirely unequivocal; and, with this act before them, if there be any persons in England who expect to see harmony restored at Cadiz, all I can say is, that I wish them joy of their happy state of mind. GERMAN DESERTERS.- -In the meanwhile, however, we have, for our comfort, a new freight, it seems, of German Soldiers brought into England from Spain. "The desertions," says the Morning Chronicle of the 3rd instant, " from the "French armies have been so numerous "since their entrance into Spain, that "Government found it necessary to esta "blish a depot for them at Gibraltar. "From thence they are conveyed to this country, and distributed among the dif "ferent foreign corps now in our service. Upwards of 1000 German recruits have accordingly arrived at Portsmouth in the "course of last week; but it is uncertain "whether they are to be formed into a se"parate corps, or drafted into the several foreign regiments."These are not the Polish Lancers, I suppose. Not those 66 savages," as the letters from officers in our army are said to call them. Not those murderous ruffians, who think no more of the life of a man than of that of a dog; and who run their lances into a carcass without the smallest consideration for the muffs and tippets and gloves and furbelows by which it may be enveloped. | no longer expecting relief, they had determined to make a desperate attempt and break through with the bayonet: but Figueiras was surrounded with a formidable line of circumvallation, more than 4,000 toises in extent; this line was formed by a chain of strong redoubts, connected together by entrenchments and protected by a double row of abattis. For some nights an increased vigilance took place; the Generals spent these nights in the lines; the Duke of Tarento had taken the most effectual measures for depriving the enemy of all means of escaping his fate. Having exhausted all his provisions and ammunition, Martinez, on the night of the 16th, attempted to force the lines at the head of all his garrison; he had advanced near the first abattis, when a terrible fire opened upon his column, killed 400 of his men, and compelled him to re-enter the fortress. On the morning of the 19th, he surrendered at discretion, demanding only that life should be spared. The garrison defiled, without arms, upon the glacis; it still consisted of 3,500 men, and near 350 officers, of whom there was one Field Marshal, several brigadiers, and 80 superior officers; this garrison arrived at Perpignan on the 21st and 22nd. Two thousand men perished in Figueiras by our fire, or by disease, since the commencement of the blockade, which lasted four months. The place not having been attacked, and all the operations having been confined to those of a rigorous blockade, this important fortress remains untouched. The perseverance and activity displayed by the blockading troops cannot be too highly praised; the artillery and engineers, in their immense labours, have rivalled each other in zeal. Letter from the Duke of Tarento to his Excel It would be a good thing to catch these people deserting. It is curious to observe how the above-mentioned German deserters became "recruits" all at once when they are taken up by us. But, if they were at Gibraltar, why send them to England? Why send them into Hampshire? Why not land them at Lisbon, whither we are sending so many troops from England? Why bring them to England from the Peninsula, at the same time that we are sending Englishmen thither? Why do this?" And, why "do you ask these questions?" says the Morning Chronicle. "You know, as "well as any body, why this is done." How do you know that I do? At any rate, it is for you, who have stated the fact, to account for its having taken place.--Indeed, I do not believe this fact. I do not believe, that these Germans ever were in the service of France. It may be said so at Portsmouth, and they may say so themselves; but I do not believe it a bit the more for that. The French armies do not desert. The war in Spain and Portugal has proved that fact. There has been every temptation to desertion, and every opportunity offered; and, yet, where have we ever seen any official return of deserters received from the enemy? If his men did really desert, we should not fail to have the proof of it laid clearly before us, to which there would be such powerful motives; and, as we have seen no such proof, common sense, if we have any left, bids us reject a belief of the fact. But, whence, then, came these "German Re"cruits?" I do not know; nor do I know, that there are any such people in exist ence; but, if there are, my firm belief is, that they never were in the service of France. WM. COBBETT. State Prison, Newgate, Friday, OFFICIAL PAPERS. SPAIN. FIGUEIRAS.-News from the Armies in Spain, dated Paris, 29th Aug. 1811. Official News from the Armies in Spain. CATALONIA.-An aide-de-camp of Martinez, the commandant of Figueiras, deserted on the 8th of August, and announced that the garrison was in a frightful state of destitution, and reduced to a few ounces of bread and a little water; that, lency the Minister at War.-Camp before Figueiras, August 17, 1811. MONSIEUR DUKE; I have the honour to inform your Excellency, that the effective part of the garrison of Figueiras, to the number of 3,500 men, last night unsuc cessfully attempted to make their escape. This general sally took place on the side towards the piain, but the fire of our advanced posts having given notice of it, the enemy was received with so warm a fire of musketry, accompanied with shouts of Long live the Emperor! and by so many shells and chain-shot, that he precipitately retired in disorder to his ramparts; day-break discovered to our view the field covered with dead, wounded, and shattered remains. From the account of several superior officers taken this morning, their loss in wounded was numerous; not a man was able to clear the first line of abattis; and they had besides other obstacles to surmount before they could reach our bayonets.-For two days the Spaniards had been employed in breaking and destroying that which they could not carry off or burn; the ovens were destroyed. They had distributed a double ration of brandy and three days' bread. Such is the account which his Excellency the Colonel-General has sent me this morning, at the same time begging to be authorised to take advantage of the confusion and terror which the above reception must have produced in the Spaniards, by summoning them to surrender at discretion, on pain of being put to the sword. Though I place little dependence on the success of this summons, which would hasten, by some days, the surrender of the fortress, yet I have given him authority. My advanced posts at Liers were attacked yesterday by the Miquelets; I ordered a general beating up, which dispersed them all. It would appear that 7 or 800 of these people were endeavouring to favour the evacuation of the fort.-Every thing leads to a belief that the fall of Figueiras is near at hand. I have the honour, &c. (Signed) The Marshal Duke of Tarento, M'DONALD. LETTER II.-Camp before Figueiras, August 19, 1811. fire, or by a natural death; 1,500 sick remained in the hospital, and there are 200 non-combatants, who shall be dis missed. The army of his Majesty braved more than 60,000 cannon-shot, and two million rounds of musketry, without much loss. It has borne, with a constancy truly exemplary, labour, fatigue, and the inclemencies of the weather during a blockade of four months and nine days; and since the 24th of July has spent 25 successive nights under arnis.-The works of the lines of countervallation and circumvallation are immense; his Majesty will be able to judge of them, should he condescend to look at the plan which I transmit to your Excellency. The engineer department directed them with constant zeal and activity.-The artillery department has been excellent, as it always is; the General of Division Tamil commands it, and General Noutry erected and pointed all the batteries, some of which were boldly placed at less than 300 toises from the fortress.The redoubts of the 37th of the line, of the 8th light, 16th and 67th of the line, 32d light, 11th, 81st, 60th, 93rd, those of the Imperial Gendarmerie and of the Westphalians, received the names of the corps which constantly worked there; the first mentioned were within musket-shot of the covered way; the 3d, and 23d light, also laboured a great deal.-These corps under the orders of Generals Quesnel, Clement, Palmarole, Plansonne, Lefebvre, Colonels blockade or reinforced it every night. Lamarque and Petit, formed the line of Chasseurs, the squadron of the 24th draThe squadron of the 20th, and 29th goons, and the lanciers gendarmes, were also in horseback in part.-In fine, a select reserve, consisting of the foot-gendarmerie, and of detachments from different corps, commanded in turn by Generals Favier, Nourry, and Prost, and Adjutant Commandant Nivet, was destined to sup Monsieur Duke; I have the satisfaction to inform your Excellency, that the valour, the zeal, and perseverance of his Majesty's army in Catalonia, have triumphed over the perfidy of the traitors who delivered the fortress of Figueiras to the enemy; they are in irons. That fortress is this day reconquered, and in the power of the Emperor.-The Spanish gar-port all the points that were threatened.— rison having in vain attempted to escape in the night of the 16th, and with a loss of 400 men, has been forced to surrender at discretion, and the only favour granted is saving their lives.—It came out of the fortress this morning without arms, 3,500 in number, and about 350 officers, of whom are Field Marshal Martinez, several Generals of Erigade, 80 superior officers, &c.; it was marched in three columns towards Perpignan, where it will arrive on the 21st and 22nd. This garrison ist, during the blockade, more than 2,000 men by our His Excellency the Colonel General was every where. He displayed very great activity; in general every one has perfectly done his duty. I feel pleasure in doing this justice to the army, in the hope that the Emperor will deign to cast a look of favour on these brave men,-also begging your Excellency to cause his Majesty to remark, that his army of Catalonia had nothing to do with the event which brought them under the walls of this place.-I have just displayed the Imperial flag upon the walls; it was saluted by an hundred |