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every thing in his power to fulfil his part of the contract, and to promote the views of those powers or parties, to whom he owes these great compensations, if not his original elevation. Let us consider then, whether, on this ground, Bernadotte be a person, whom England especially, or any of the high contracting parties, is bound to assist in the conquest of Norway. Of the man himself, I know nothing but what may be collected either from irresistible evidence on record, or from common uncontradicted fame. The authorities I appeal to, are Sir Robert Wilson, Marshal Blucher, and Sir Charles Stewart, who are above all suspicion. The first of these most honorable and credible witnesses, in his Sketch of the Campaigns in Poland in 1806 and 1807, gives an account of Marshal Bernadotte's military exploits in the service of Buonaparte, which does not indicate a high opinion of his skill as a general officer, or even of his personal resolution. But it is still more extraordinary that he is the only officer promoted highly by Buonaparte, whose character in this respect has been open to suspicion. They were all sufficiently brave in action, whatever they were else; and courage in a soldier is not only an essential ingredient, but, like charity in other people, covers a multitude of sins, in which Buonaparte's officers were not at all deficient. In page 106, Sir Robert Wilson says that, notwithstanding the treble superiority at least of the French at the battle of Eylau, or at that part of it where Bernadotte commanded, the enemy were compelled, after half an hour's combat, to yield the ground, and abandon between 3,000 and 4,000 killed or wounded. Thus was Marshal Bernadotte beaten by 5,580 men. About the same time, an occurrence took place, which need only be stated in Sir Robert Wilson's own words.

"In General Bernadotte's baggage, the money levied

on the town of Elbing for his own private use, 10,000 ducats, exclusive of 2,500 for his staff, was recovered; and there were found, to a great amount, various pieces of plate, candlesticks, &c. bearing the arms of almost all the states of Germany. The marshal's servant was so ashamed of this plunder, that he would not claim it, when purposely desired to point out his master's property; but, as the articles were taken in the marshal's own quarter, and in his trunks, and were in such quantity, they must have been there with his knowledge." (Page 85.)

But perhaps he conducted himself better, after he ab tained the command of a Prussian army, and, from that time at least, did heartily and manfully co-operate with the allied powers on the continent, against his friend, his patron, and in fact his creator Buonaparte. When John Duke of Marlborough deserted James the Second, and went over to the Prince of Orange, it was said of him by Hume, that "this conduct was a signal sacrifice, to public virtue, of every duty in private life, and required for ever afterwards the most upright, the most disinterested, and most public-spirited behaviour to render it justifiable.” What sacrifice of private feeling to public virtue Marshal Bernadotte had then to make, is no-where intimated. He has had his consolation however, and has no claim to a kingdom here or hereafter. But is that ground to be taken, in defence of his desertion of Buonaparte, at the time when he deserted him? or did he redeem his former frailties by subsequent vigor in the execution of his new contracts ? Has he been faithful to any body but himself? Without the help of a military pen, I cannot venture to enter into military details. But some things are visible to common eyes, and may be understood by any man. About the 9th of October last, Buonaparte made a demonstration, which Marshal Blucher knew to be a feint, of quitting Dresden,

No. VII.

Pam. VOL. IV.

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and marching upon Berlin. Bernadotte, the moment he heard of it, determined to retreat with the whole force under his command, of which but a small portion were Swedish, for fear, as he said, of being cut off from Stralsund, and from his resources in Pomerania. Marshal Blucher sent repeatedly to tell him that such a step would defeat the otherwise certain success of the campaign, that no military man could think it possible that so great an officer as Buonaparte could take so absurd a resolution, as to remove a great way farther from France, and cut himself off from all his reinforcements and supplies. At all events, it is time you should show yourself, and you must do it. In what terms these messages were conveyed to him, I cannot presume to state; but I affirm with certainty, that they did pass, in substance at least, and were not very complimentary in the form. It is also well known that Sir Charles Stewart paid him a visit on this occasion, and urged him to join the allies near Dresden or Leipsic, by arguments not often used to princes, and which a man of spirit could not very well hear without resentment, insomuch that it is universally believed on the continent, that Sir Charles Stewart, at the close of the conversation, what ever it was, thought it necessary to make him a tender of personal satisfaction, which the other, still sacrificing his private feelings to an heroic sense of higher duties, thought it equally necessary to decline. Speaking only from report, I may have been misinformed as to particulars, though not in the main. One thing only, I think, may be safely asserted, that Sir Charles Stewart is of all men the least likely to spoil or defeat a resolute communication by a feeble delivery. This difference of opinion appears to have been reconciled, and the Crown Prince advanced to cover Hanover. .On the 28th of October, his Royal Highness published a bulletin, praising Sir Charles Stewart, and

wrote him a letter, saying he had advised the King of Sweden to decorate him with the cross of the order of the

SWORD.

A proclamation was published last night in the Gazette, which I never heard of 'till this morning, for a strict blockade of the ports of Norway, for, it seems, merely starving an invaded country into submission is not an operation of force or compulsion. It is a service of no great difficulty or danger, and has nothing of that character to recommend it to a British seaman. The Norwegians have no ships of war, and can make no resistance on that side. A fleet of luggers and row-boats, manned by custom-house officers, to prevent smuggling, would have answered the purpose. It was not necessary to employ the navy of Britain in so base an occupation. We talk of the honor of the flag, and this is the care we take of it. One serious reflection more, and then you are released, on an integral part of the subject, which wiser persons, better bred and longer practised in the school of courts than I have been, will affect to shudder at. Knowing and confiding in the rectitude of my own mind, I have no difficulty or reserve about entering as freely into such topics, as into any other.

His Royal Highness the Prince Regent holds the honor of the crown and the administration of the government not immediately for himself, but in the name and in trust for the king. Now kings, while they are alive, or while they retain the power of giving, have many friends, and certainly no prince has enjoyed more of such friendships than his present majesty. Will they, or any one of them affirm, from a personal knowledge of the king's character, or any other source of information, that if his majesty were capable of judging and acting in his own behalf, he would level himself, he would lower his personal dignity, as well as the honor of the crown, by submitting to treat and con

tract, on even terms or any other, with such a man as Bernadotte, taking it for granted always that the account of his performances, given by Sir Robert Wilson, be as certainly true, as that it has never been contradicted, and that it was faithfully made known to his majesty. I pass by all the crimes of a higher order, imputed to Bernadotte and his comrades, which have any appearance of elevation of character, and may, by some perverted estimate of human depravity, be attributed to a barbarous mistaken ambition, To make the moral measure of crimes exact, the scale must be graduated according to their rank, quality, and complexion. A highwayman is not a footpad. The idea of an assassin is not included in petty larceny. The vices of some men are ignoble. Their crimes are contemptible. Their society contaminates when it cannot corrupt. My own immoveable conviction is, that his majesty would. rather have resigned the crown than have written to this Crown Prince, and given him the title of Sir, my brother, and subscribed himself, your good brother, cousin, and friend. Unless the contrary be maintained and can be made probable by some of the king's quondam friends, whose names I should like to know, were it only for the curiosity of the fact, I am entitled to conclude that the Prince Regent, were he so disposed, could not fairly and honestly do that, in the name and behalf of his royal father, which that great person would have thought the last dishonor to him. On the 25th of December, 1799, Buonaparte, then First Consul and chief magistrate of France, wrote a respectful letter to the king, which his majesty refused to answer. On the 28th of October, 1808, the king would not answer a letter from the Emperor of Russia, because it was also signed by Buonaparte. The present question is not whether his majesty was well or ill advised on those occasions, but what was and must have been his personal feeling and resolution on

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