this fact is admitted, is indeed extravagant. | participation in the rights, privileges, and Where, let me ask, is that depression, when immunities, of the British Constitution. it really does take place, most sensibly felt?-3. That the Petition signed by the RoBe informed by the butchers and bakers man Catholics of England, for the repeal of France, when the assignats began to of these statutes, be presented to Parliaaccumulate on their hands, how differently ment.-4. That Earl Grey be requested to they treated that customer, who came with present the same to the House of Lords, a petit-ecu, from him who presented a six- and that the Right Hon. William Windlivre-assignat, in exchange for the same ham be requested to present the same to article?To conclude, Sir: the differ- the House of Commons.-5. That the Engence of exchange is a perfectly distinct lish Roman Catholics, in soliciting the question, and the very circumstance of attention of Parliament to their Petition, our having a paper currency at home, are actuated, not more by a sense of the will at all times, give us the opportunity hardships and disabilities under which they of reducing it the more easily because, labour, than by a desire to secure, on the in all cases, difference of exchange can most solid foundation, the peace and haronly be affected in two ways: a fund must mony of the British Empire: and to obtain be established, either by merchandize, or for themselves opportunities of manifesting by money. If by money: then may we, by the most active exertions, their zeal with safety, drain ourselves; which if we and interest in the common cause in which had not Bank notes, we could not do to their country is engaged, for the maintethe same extent, and the difference would nance of its freedom and independence; become still greater. If by merchandize: and, that they are firmly persuaded, that then have I my proof at hand; for since adequate provision for the maintenance of the communication has been revived with the civil and religious establishments of the continent, the exchange has positively this kingdom, may be made, consistently fallen. And let this communication con- with the strictest adherence on their part, tinue but for a few months, and I am per- to the tenets and discipline of the Roman suaded it will do more to the establishment Catholic Religion. And that any arof this point, than all the reasoning, how-rangement founded on this basis of mutual ever specious, and however well directed, that the most able advocate on either side can advance. I am, Sir,

Your most obedient, Cheapside, Dec. 19, 1809. J. V.

ENGLISH CATHOLIC MEETING.
London, Feb. 1, 1810.

At a numerous and most respectable Meeting of English Roman Catholic Noblemen, Gentlemen, and Clergy, held this day, at the St. Alban's Tavern, the following Resolutions were unanimously adopted :-The Right Hon. Lord Stourton, in the Chair;

satisfaction and security, and extending to them the full enjoyment of the civil constitution of their country, will meet with their grateful concurrence.-6. That the Thanks of the English Roman Catholics be give to our Secretary, Edward Jerningham, Esq. for his unabated zeal, persevering assiduity, and distinguished prudence in the management of our cause.-7. That the Thanks of this Meeting be given to the Right Honourable Lord Stourton, for his conduct in the Chair.

STOURTON, Chairman,

OFFICIAL PAPERS.

HOLLAND . . ... BRABANT. Decree dated
Paris; Palace of the Thuilleries, Jan. 20,

1810.

Resolved, 1. That the Roman Catholics of England are subject to several penal and disabling statutes, which have the most humiliating and depressing operation Napoleon, Emperor of the French, King upon them, and by which they are redu- of Italy, Protector of the Rhenish League, ced to a state of political degradation, high- and Mediator of the Helvetic Confedera ly injurious to their country and to them- tion:-Desirous to provide for the security selves.-2. That arrived, as the United of the northern frontiers of our empire, Kingdom is, at the crisis of its fate, una- and to place out of danger our dock-yards nimity among all classes of his Majesty's and arsenal at Antwerp, we have decreed subjects, is most essential for the preser- as follows:-Art. 1. An army shall be vation of the Empire, and that nothing formed, to be called the Army of Brabant. can produce that unanimity, but an equal-2. All the country situate between the

of the English ministry, it will be suffi cient to read the Treasury Journals, and the numerous articles in which they express with exultation the hopes they had conceived, when Austria published her Declaration.

Maese, the Scheldt, and the Ocean, shall | lessly mocked? To know the true opinion compose the territory of the said army.3. All the French and allied troops, whether naval or military, within that compass, shall form a part of the Army of Brabant.-4. The fortresses situate be tween the Maese and the Scheldt shall be placed in a state of siege.-5. The Military Commanders and French Authorities in Holland, are required to conform to the present orders.-6. The Minister of War is charged with the execution of the present Decree. (Signed) NAPOLEON.

Proclamation. [Army of Brabant.]— Inhabitants of Brabant, of the islands of Zealand, and of the islands situate between the Maese and the Scheldt.-His Majesty, the Emperor Napoleon, having ordered me to take military possession of the country situate between the Maese and the Scheldt, I have ordered some steady and disciplined troops to march thither, who are instructed to respect your customs and manners. I hope in return they will meet with a reception worthy of their good conduct, for which I have no hesitation to pledge myself. (Signed)

The Marshal DUKE DE REGGIO. Breda, Jan. 28, 1810.

NOTES of the French Official Paper, the MONITEUR, on the KING OF ENGLAND'S SPEECH at the opening of the Parliament. (Speech.) His Majesty commands us "to express to you his deep regret, that "the exertions of the Emperor of Austria, "against the ambition and violence of France, have proved unavailing."

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(Speech.)" An attack upon the naval "armament and establishments in the Scheldt, afforded at once the prospect of destroying a growing force, which was daily becoming more formidable to the "security of this country."

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(Moniteur.)-It was not then to succour Austria that you undertook this expedition ?

(Speech.) These considerations de"termined his Majesty to employ his "forces in an Expedition to the Scheldt." (Moniteur.)-Excellent logic! if you had wished to excite revolt in the north of Germany, you should have landed at the mouth of the Elbe, and not in the Isle of Walcheren. But there were no ships and arsenals to burn at Hamburgh. Your Expeditions are only incendiary Expedi tions. What success could you expect? It did not require much penetration to feel, that, at the moment when you attacked the sacred territory, millions of arins, Germany, were always ready to be raised which could not be employed to fight in in defence of their homes, and would rival each other in courage and enthusiasm in their defence. To attack France was not to prevent the Emperor from disposing of his troops to conquer Germany, it was to give him a new army of men, whom, once enrolled, he might retain under his stand(Moniteur.)-What grossness of style! ards as long as he should judge proper, If Austria had been victorious, and her The British Cabinet knows little of France armies had arrived at the banks of the and as little of the Emperor; it has not Rhine, we should have heard England yet been able to appreciate actual circumboast of having restored the Austrian mo- stances. If the Emperor had been asked narchy, and re-established its power. what England ought to do to promote his England alone would have done every interests, he would, no doubt, have adthing. But the enterprize of Austria had vised her to attack the territory of only calamitous results, and the British France, certain that the result of this exCabinet now disavows it. It follows the pedition would be to give him an army constant practice of England; and soon completely equipped, which, after having we shall be required to believe, that Eng-driven the English into the sea, might lish frigates did not come to Trieste to march to the Weser, to the Rhine, or to bring subsidies from England; that the the Danube. If the war with Austria had Cabinet of London had no knowledge of continued, the 100,000 national guards, the projects of the Court of Vienna; that collected in Belgium, after having repulsed while it sent an army into Spain to main-the English, would have taken the direc tain the war in the peninsula, while it excited the Porte against France, and Sweden against the North, it had no thought of Austria. Can a nation be thus shame

tion upon the 8th corps, and have joined the army destined to act against Bohemia. Nothing could have been more easy than to profit by their enthusiasm. A proof of

this is, that many of the national guards" Flushing. This important object his having once left their homes, and returned "majesty was enabled to accomplish in to the military life, have not been willing" consequence of the reduction of the to quit it, till they had tempted more "Island of Walcheren, by the valour of glorious hazards, and have entered into "his fleets and armies." several new regiments, called "regiments "of National Guards of the Guard," regiments which will only be composed of men taken from the national guards, and who will march to Spain. The men who conduct the English Cabinet must certainly be very ignorant, since they do not know the difference between the spirit of the French Monarchy, and the spirit of the French Empire, between the Royal Court, and the Imperial Court. The times are changed: the whole world knows it; the English alone remain in blindness. But what is most particular is, that this attack, by creating to France new military forces, has procured her new resources of finance. The centimes de guerre, which had been suppressed several years since, have been re-established voluntarily, and by a simple patriotic decision of the general councils of the greater part of the departments threatened; and have sufficed for the expences of this army, raised, as it were, by enchantment, so that nothing will be added to the expenditure of the budget. The French have reasoned thus: The Emperor suppressed the centimes de guerre, when the motives which caused them to be imposed no longer existed; the enemy now approaches our frontiers, it is therefore just to pay them as before. These resources, given by patriotism, and the good sense of the departments of the North, will be definitively authorised by the law relative to the finances of the year. You wished to prevent France from sending her troops to the Danube, but you know not the resources of the empire. Know, that to cause all your Expeditions to fail, the Emperor need not employ a single man of his troops of the line. The 16,000 men of gendarmerie, which form the finest cavalry in Europe, and a cavalry five times more numerous than any you can bring by sea; the departmental companies, and the national guards, are forces more than sufficient to frustrate all the operations you can undertake against the French territory.

(Speech) His majesty confidently "hopes that advantages materially affect"ing the safety of his Majesty's domi"nions, in the further prosecution of the war, will be found to result from the "demolition of the docks and arsenals of

(Moniteur.)-The mischief done by the English, in the island of Walcheren, is estimated at 2,000,000 francs; but they have repaired the fortifications of Flushing, on the land-side, and left them in the best condition. The expence thereby incurred, is estimated, by our engineers, at 600,000 francs. They have left behind batts, bombs, and pieces of ordnance, and suffered a great number of their ships to be taken; several of them were laden with clothes; 15,000 coats were found on board of one of the said ships. On calculating the value of these different articles, and taking every thing into account, it will be found that our losses are nearly balanced by our gains; at least the former do not exceed the latter by 300,000 francs. The mines made to blow up the sluice of the large basin of Flushing, were constructed with such a degree of ignorance, or precipitance, that they did not effect their purpose; they have not damaged the ground-beams, which makes a difference of a million. Had they injured the ground-beams, two years' labour, and an expense of two millions, would have been required, to render it possible for ships to enter the basin; while now, 300,000 francs, and six months' time, will be sufficient to put the sluice in a serviceable condition. On hearing this speech, should we not be induced to think, that the arsenals and dockyards of Flushing are the arsenals and dockyards of Brest? The dockyards, the arsenals, and part of the Scheldt, are at Antwerp, and not in Flushing. But one 64-gun ship, and one frigate, were on the stocks in Flushing. The English have taken these ships to pieces, but left us the timber. The expe dition of the English has produced one favourable result; it has removed all manner of doubt on the possibility of ships of the line, completely armed, sailing up the Scheldt. We have now such an accurate knowledge of that river, that our squadron has arrived at Antwerp, completely armed, and has come there to moorings, perfectly safe. The basin of Antwerp will be finished in the course of this year, and 30 sail of the line can be afloat there, perfectly sheltered from the ice. Our ships will, in future, set sail from Antwerp, completely armed, and having

a King his ally, his duty to himself at least required that he should avert his eyes from it, and in case policy had led him to ratify so authentically that extraordinary event, his tears should have procured pardon for the calculations dictated by policy!

(Speech)-"The expulsion of the French "from Portugal, by His Majesty's forces "under Lieutenant General Lord Viscount "Wellington, and the glorious victory

obtained by him at Talavera, contributed "to check the progress of the French arms "in the Peninsula, during the late cam"paign."

(Moniteur.)-This is excellent! It was not the war declared by Austria which retarded the conquest of Portugal; it was the battle of Talavera which arrested the progress of the French army; whereas our troops were long stationary, and the result of this battle was to lead them several marches forwarder than the position which they had orders to occupy.

(Speech)" His Majesty relies on the "aid of his Parliament, in his anxious en"deavours to frustrate the attempts of

to the throne by the unanimous wish of the Nobles and the people, of the Court and the town, as it were, from a hatred of your principles and of your alliance? And the late King, on the contrary, was he not your most faithful friend and your firm ally? Has he not sacrificed to you his crown, his policy, the blood of his subjects, and the wealth of his people? Did he not support you in your infamous expedition against Copenhagen, and did he not approve all your piracies in the Baltic? Did not your colours sail in company, and did not the most intimate and most friendly relations exist between his Court and yours? And yet, when this Prince was driven from his throne by an act which was necessary but violent, which was useful but illegal, which may save Sweden, but which has been, and ever will be, a dishonour to you in the eyes of all Europe; you acknowledge the new King, who has mounted the throne of your friend, and who, for the first act of his government, has concluded peace with France and Russia, has adhered to the continental system, has shut his ports against you, and has placed" France against the independence of himself in a state of war with you! You "Spain and Portugal, and against the. shew at least a great deal of complaisance" happiness and freedom of those loyal and good nature! Unfortunate Gustavus! "and resolute nations." if, in thy banishment, thou readest this speech, what will not be thy astonishment and thy grief, not to find in it the slightest expression of regret? England, to whom thou hast sacrificed thy throne and thy family, deigns not even to honour thee with regret thou hast been abandoned, denied from the moment when thou ceasedst to reign. They disown thee, they conduct themselves towards thee, as if they had never known thee; they would almost have it believed, thou hast been their enemy! And it is they, who, by their fatal friendship, have drawn thee to the precipice, that treat thee thus! History will see in this conduct, the true character of English policy; a policy destitute of feeling, which has no other spring than gold; and do we not know, that the thirst of gold banishes every generous sentiment from the human heart? We find in this paragraph, we are bold to say, a proof, that the King of England no longer exists as King. A King, who would preserve the august character of royalty, and, above all, a King, who fills the throne stained with the blood of Charles 1, would have avoided speaking on such a subject. If circumstances prevented him from openly censuring a revolution which had dethroned

(Moniteur.)-There is in this paragraph much bad faith. At the very moment when the King spoke thus from his throne, his troops were abandoning Badajoz, and the left bank of the Tagus, to throw themselves on Lisbon, leaving uncovered the Sierra Morena, and all Andalusia. If you had wished not to have to regret that Sweden should find it necessary to purchase peace by considerable sacrifices, you should have landed 40,000 men in Finland. If you had wished to succour Austria, you should have sent 40,000 men to Trieste or to Hamburgh. And if, when you knew that the battle of Ratisbon had fixed the fate of Austria, you had wished to succour the Spaniards, your army at Walcheren should have been on the field of battle at Talavera. But the fame of the success and glory of France excites in your hearts a rage so violent; a shock so tumultuous of all the feelings of hatred and fury, that they rise, as it were, in clouds of smoke, which obscure your sight. You no longer think of what may ful to you, but only of what may satisfy your rage. You must have murders and conflagrations. Thus it was that when, at Tilsit, peace came for the consolation of Europe, and caused tranquillity to succeed

be use