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and experience, but to one, who never appeared to possess the confidence of the army, of whose achievements in the little service he had seen, the public knew nothing; and whose principal qualifications were, that he was the brother of the late. WILLIAM PITT, had long been in possession of a valuable place,—a ministerial, and a court favourite!

The first of the proposed objects, the possession of the Isle of Walcheren was obtained with little difficulty, and with as little honour. The vast superiority of the British forces over those of the enemy ensured success: the resistance shewn at Flushing although brave, was ineffectual. The Hollanders gave no indicacations of discontent with their own government, or of desire for our assistance to enable them to effect a revolution to restore the old, favourite government of the English the STADTHOLDERIAN; and the manner in which we conquered Flushing; bombarding and firing the town, reducing it to a heap of ruins; and burying thousands of the inhabitants, men, women, and children under the ashes of their own houses, has, we may rest assured, served to increase the hostile disposition of a people who, as our ministerial writers vainly flattered the nation, were anxious to receive the British forces with open arms.

The introductory object being thus obtained, it was generally and naturally expected that our fleet and army would proceed to accomplish those ulterior and most important objects, the possession of the forts up the Scheldt, the city of Antwerp, and the French fleet in that port; and of consequence, to gain the complete command of a river by which the enemy would have been materially injured, and Britain as materially benefited: but the delays which were too soon apparent, gave rise to suspicions that there was something defective, either in the arrangement, the progress, or the execution of the grand plan; which suspicions were confirmed by various letters from our officers naval and military; but the ministerial prints endeavoured to keep up the spirits of the people by strong assurances that our commanders “were pro"ceeding without loss of time to the accomplishment of the " ulterior and most important objects of the expedition." The following instance of the delusion endeavoured to be practiced on the people on this occasion, even to the last moment, by one of our ministerial prints, is well worth preserving: it may serve as a specimen of the gross impositions so frequently practised on their credulity; and of the miserable condition to which the writers are reduced, when the clear and strong light of truth breaks forth, dissipating the gross and thick mists of delusion.

[From the MORNING POST, Friday Sept. 7.]

INTELLIGENCE FROM THE EXPEDITION.-We have been favoured with a letter from an officer on board his Majesty's ship L'Aigle, which in the

absence of official advices, must be deemed of considerable importance; inasmuch as it serves to contradict the MANUFACTURED Communications from the Scheldt, which occasionally appear in some of the papers, and which would give us to understand that all idea of approaching Antwerp has been given up, and the ulterior objects of the expedition abandoned. So far from this being the case, it will be seen that a part of our force was off Antwerp on the 22d, and that the landing of our army was expected to take place in a few days after, with every prospect of being joined by SEVERAL THOUSAND DUTCH TROOPS. For these important FACTS we have the authority of an officer belonging to one of his Majesty's ships engaged in the enterprize, and of whose letter the following is an extract :—

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‹ His Majesty's ship L'Aigle, off Antwerp, Aug. 22. 'On the 13th we sailed up the River Scheldt, with nine other frigates, ' and arrived off Antwerp on the 16th, where we still remain. Our troops ▲ will land in a few days, to take possession of the forts on the main land, 'which protect the enemy's ships of war. There are eleyen sail of the line French, and three Dutch; but the information we have received is, that 'only three sail of the line have their guns and men on board, the rest being nearly in a dismantled state. The enemy are said to have 30,000 men, most of which, however, are Dutch undisciplined troops; and whó, 'for the greater part, have been forced to take up arms by the French. 'It is said that about 10,000 of these will join our army on its effecting a landing; and there is no doubt of the Dutch, like every other people subjected to the domination of France, being heartily tired of the galling yoke they are made to bear.-The inhabitants of Antwerp are anxious that the ships of war should be entirely removed from that port, as the 'meditated attack would not fail most materially to injure the town.'

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[From the MORNING POST, Saturday, Sept. 8.]

ABANDONMENT OF THE ENTERPRIZE AGAINST ANTWErp.

Contrary to our expectations, and predictions, founded upon the wisdom of the project, and the extensive means employed to affect its success, as well as the information we were in the habit of occasionally receiving from intelligent officers attached to the expedition, it is with infinite grief we understand that advices were yesterday received from Lord Chatham, stating, that from the information he had received of the numbers which the enemy had been able to collect for the defence of Antwerp, and the extensive inundations they had effected, his lordship, in concurrence with the opinion of the lieutenant generals, had decided not to advance from South Beveland against that city; so that the medituted attack upon its arsenal, and the French fleet is altogether abandoned. -Never certainly was an enterprize more wisely or judiciously planned; and we cannot dissemble that it rends our heart to contemplate its failure in any particular, satisfied as we are that the most ample means were provided to ensure its complete success. The most formidable and best equipped armament that ever sailed from the shores of Britain was upwards of a month in the Scheldt, and instead of its projected operations being simultaneously carried into execution, the greatest part of our force remained inactive during the whole of that time in sight of the enemy, who, from the unfortunate delay, were enabled, not only to collect numerous corps from various quarters, but effectually to inundate

the country to prevent our approach. The contemplation of so unex pected a result grieves our very soul; nor can our grief be alleviated otherwise than by our commanders being able to give a satisfactory explanation upon the subject;--this explanation, we trust, they will be able to afford; and resting upon that hope we shall not attempt to prejudge the question."

That there will be much crimination and recrimination on the part of ministers and commanders, those who so eagerly contrived this famous plan of operations, and those who so voluntarily engaged to carry it into execution, may naturally be expected as the result of that discontent felt by the whole nation. Some sort of inquiry will certainly be instituted; but the evidence already before the public is sufficient to convince 'impartial persons, that the plan itself was of a piece with that system which has consisted of little else than blundering attempts to obtain objects in themselves of comparative indifference, and by no means answerable to the vast expenditure of blood and treasure lavished on such occasions. Is it possible that men possessed of common sense should imagine, that to treat the inhabitants of Flushing as the British cabinet have done, could have even the remotest tendency to conciliate the Hollanders, or induce them to overturn their present government; to place themselves under the protection of Britain, or convert them from enemies, to friends and allies. What rational ground was there for presuming, that when all the different objects of the expedition were publicly known for months before its departure, that the French government would not be active in their preparations for defence, more especially at the forts up the Scheldt, and at Antwerp, on the possession of which depended the security of a considerable part of the French navy. The official dispatches fully demonstrate the lamentable ignorance of both ministers and commanders of the nature of that resistance they had to encounter. "Most happy should I have been" (says Lord Chatham in his letter to Lord Castlereagh) " to have announced to your lordship, the farther progress of this army. Unfortunately, "however, it becomes my duty to state to your lordship, that " from the concurrent testimony from so many quarters, as to leave "no doubt of the truth of the information, the enemy appears to "have collected so formidable a force, as to convince me that the "period was arrived, at which my instructions would have directed "me to withdraw the army under my command, even if engaged "in actual operation, I had certainly early understood on my "arrival at Walcheren, that the enemy were assembling in consi derable force at all points; but I was unwilling to give too «much credit to these reports, and I was determined to persevere, “ until I was satisfied, upon the fullest information, that all fur

"ther attempts were unavailable." His lordship then proceeds to inform the war minister, what undoubtedly much surprised him, that the city of" Antwerp, so far from being in the state which "had been reported, is from very correct accounts, represented to "be in a complete state of defence; and the enemy's ships had been "brought up, and placed in security under the guns of the "citadel . . . . . Under these circumstances, however, mortifying ❝ to me to see the progress arrested of an army from whose good conduct I had every thing to hope, I feel that my duty left me no other course than to close my operations here."

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But it is not only the want of success, but the dreadful condition of the British forces on the Isle of Walcheren, which marks this most calamitous expedition. The French and English accounts agree in stating the number of the sick at from 14, to 16,000 the number of deaths are further stated to be so considerable, that in order to conceal them in some measure from public notice, orders were given that the funerals should be conducted in the most private manner, early in the morning, and without the usual military ceremonies. Letters received from different officers give the most melancholy details on this subject. One extract will be sufficient for our readers. "We have at length received a supply of medicines from England. You will not perhaps at first view credit it, but I assure you most faithfully, that I myself, have seen the diseased "lying in the streets here" [at Flushing] " and on the stairs and passages, without beds, or any other covering than their regi"mental cloathing, and that, so offensive from the inability of those unhappy sufferers, that nothing but mortality could be expected. "Indeed our streets for some weeeks past, daily present to the

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no other view but the removal of the dying and the dead. The greatest medicinal want was in the article of bark, so necessary "to impede the progress of fever, and alleviate the paroxysms of ague, the two prevalent disorders here. The chemists of Middleburgh, the great medicinal depot of South Holland, said, when applied to for this medicine, that it was owing to our own act of "parliament that they could not supply us."

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Although great caution is necessary in attempting to interpret the dispensations of Heaven, more especially as they relate to that retributive justice which visits guilty nations, it is scarcely possible on the present occasion to avoid serious reflection on that inhuman act passed by a British senate to prohibit the exportation of bark, at a time when it was in every sense of the word, a drug in this country; but the hope of increasing the miseries of France overpowered every humane feeling. From the manner in which this subject is now brought home to us as a nation, let us learn the important lessons, that justice and policy are in union with each other, and that acts

of inhumanity so far from being necessary, as is frequently main tained by modern statesmen, are not more unjust than they are impolitic.

Thus have the resources of Britain been again wasted, and the lives of our countrymen again sacrificed, in an expedition productive of nothing but calamity and disgrace, and which so far from having the tendency to humble our enemies, has on the contrary afforded them additional cause for confidence in their own snperiority, and exultation over our weakness and folly,

*

AFFAIRS OF SPAIN.

The modern Marlborough," as he has been styled by his panegyrists, the Viscount Talavera, Baron Douro, and Lord Wellington, has been compelled, after boasting of his "brilliant victory," to make a precipitate retreat, in which he left a considerable part of the sick and wounded of his army to the mercy of the enemy. We are happy to find that at the moment our hireling writers were beaping their calumnies on the French armies, and were publishing reports of their cruelties in Spain, as stupid as they were false, the British commander was doing justice, not only to their humanity, but their generosity. In reply to the letter of his lordship to the commander in chief of the French army, the latter in very civil terms promised, "that every possible care should be taken, and every attention paid to the sick and wounded British officers and "soldiers; and that he should do himself the pleasure of supplying "the officers with what money they might want." This promise appears to have been carefully fulfilled, as the assistant commissary reported to Lord Wellington, that "the wounded are well fed and "taken care of,-indeed preferably to the French troops." It is finely remarked by the French general, Marshal Mortier, in his reply to Lord Wellington-" These acts, General, are debts of justice which two brave nations owe to each other." It affords some consolation to the friends of mankind to behold the horrors of war softened by the exercise of the milder virtues, and the best feelings of human nature.

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The official dispatches of Lord Wellington, describing his retreat from Talavera, appear to be written under some degree of anxiety; his lordship seems to have been somewhat puzzled how to extricate his army from the hazardous situation in which it was placed,

* Some of the Editors of our provincial prints seem to vie with the London Editors in the art of lying. One of these wiseacres, the editor of the Bath HERALD, lately gave the public an account of French cruelties in Spain, in which we were gravely assured," that they impaled naked women, and butchered children-by thousands !"

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