LOUIS XVIII.

SIR.I shall offer no apology for laying before your readers the following article, from the Courier newspaper of the 31st ult. which, while it contains sentiments in the highest degree honourable to the head and heart of the writer, is open, as I conceive, to the observations which I shall take the liberty of annexing to it.

The article in question is as follows:

"It is with mingled emotions of regret, shame, and indignation, that we communicate the following intelligence from a Morning paper :

"In consequence of previous intimation from the king of France, Louis XVIII. to the Swedish ambassador, that it was his intention to come to England, the Swedish vice-consul was sent to Yarmouth, to await his arrival, and afford him every facility and assistance for which he might have occasion. As soon as the Freya arrived in the Roads, the vice-consul attempted to go on board, but was prevented by the collector of the customs, who informed him, that he had orders not to suffer any person to land from the frigate, or allow any communication between her and the shore, except with the custom-house. The collector immediately went on board the Freya, when signals were arranged for obtaining supplies of provisions and any other necessary accommodations. The above particulars were transmitted to the Swedish ambassador "by the captain of the frigate, and by the vice-consul also. The intelligence transpired at the Stock Exchange towards the close of the market, and the funds rose nearly three-eighths per cent. the speculators considering what bad occurred as a decisive symptom of a pacific disposition on the part of the administration! It was also said, that no application from Louis XVIII. for liberty to reside in this country, had been directly addressed to our government, who are willing to give him an asylum as a private individual, though not to receive hint in the capacity of king of France.

We scarcely know what terms to select to express the bitterness of heart we feel at these circumstances, so degrading to the country.-After having been the sport of every storm and tempest-driven from the land of his forefathers, and "forced to seek an asylum in Russia-driven from Russia because she wished to propitiate the usurper of his throne-unwilling to expose the generous monarch of Sweden to the vengeance of his powerful neighbour: Louis the XVIIIth bent his weary steps to this country,-the chosen and the last asylum of liberty and loyalty, of generosity and good faith.-How high must his bosom have beat as he approached our shores!-How must his feelings have been affected as he figured to his imagination the affecting scene that was to take place upon his landing?-all the members of the Bourbon family, and some distinguished noblemen, the representatives of his Britannic majesty, crouding the shore to greet him with welcome and with affection, with the respect due to misfortune, and with the esteem due to virtue.-He arrives, but no relative greets his arrival, and no reverence, no welcome await him. The cold forms of the custom-house are applied to him with more rigour than to the meanest lacquey or messenger from Buonoparte, and he is forbidden to land!—and the stocks rise at this atrocious want of hospitality, because it is hailed as a pacific system towards Buonaparte !-It is indeed!-it will appease that fiend in human shape more than any other act we could have done. It will break the hopes and hearts of those who are yet attached to the Bourbon family and do more to strengthen the throne of Buonaparte, than a battle and a victory. But the king of France did not write to our government to announce his arrival!-He thought, perhaps, that wherever a legitimate monarch reigned, there was his country and his home. But were we, on account of a deficiency in etiquette, to interdict him all intercourse with our coast-to prevent his landing, as if infection were in his person ?-Do we not see that such a mode of conduct does a serious and a vital injury to the cause of legitimate sovereignty ?-Because a monarch is expelled from his throne, or deprived of his rights by the rebellion of his subjects, is he to be treated as if contact or communion with him were contagious? But our government, we are told, were willing to receive him as a private individual, but not as Louis the XVIIIth. We know not that his majesty desired to be received as Louis the XVIIIth ; but it seems as if our government do not appear very willing to receive him at all.. "Some marks of interest and esteem too, successor of the murdered Louis the XVIth

were due to Louis the XVIIIth as the the respect we had paid him, would

have been, in some sort, a solemn and funeral obsequy and homage to the memory of that illustrious victim, whose virtues he has inherited with his crown.-He comes to our shores, it is true, as a prince dispossessed. of his throne, his retinue slender, (but containing in it the husband of the daughter of Louis the XVIth,)-he does not presume even to take the name of his ancestors, but he might have been a powerful king had he consented to Buonaparte's offer of trafficing away the inheritance of his ancestors,--he comes to us covered with all the glory of so noble a refusal, and strong in all those rights which he would not barter with the tyrant of the human "race. It is this elevation of mind, this dignity under misfortune, that we ought to have acknowledged and honoured by the distinguished manner of our reception." Now, sir, supposing the statement upon which this writer hars, with so much honourable zeal, commented, to be correct, I think there can be no hesitation in admitting, at least, that all has not been right, on the part of the government here, relative to the illustrious person to whom it alludes. It had been known, for near a month preceding, to almost every man in the kingdom, that Louis XVIII. intended to repair to this country. Surely, then, there was time enough for the government to have decided upon the line of conduct it ought to adopt; for which three alternatives presented themselves; viz. either not to receive him at all,—to receive him avowedly as the king of France,--or tacitly to admit him as any other neutral foreigner. If the first of these ways was intended, it strongly beloved them to lose no time in making their intentions known either directly to himself, to his connections here, or to the Russian or Swedish ambassador. At all events, the interference of the custom-house is open to all that this writer says of it, and is, if true, a lasting "stigma upon the nation, For my own part, I think it was the duty and policy of ministers to have adopted the last alternative I have mentioned; viz. to have allowed this illustrious stranger a tacit residence in the kingdom, neither recognising nor denying the rank he lays claim to for though I enter most warmly into the honourable feelings of the writer alluded to, I cannot see the utility, or the policy of receiving this exiled monarch avowedly as such. I conceive, sir, that this writer's honourable principles come too late; or, if not two late, that their adoption is only calculated to embroil and hamper us hereafter, without any prospect of present or future advantage. After having three times negociated, and having once made peace with Buonaparte; or having thereby acknowledged him in the fullest extent;-after having seen one French royalist (M. Peltier) prosecuted by the present chancellor of the exchequer, when attorney-general, for libelling this same Buonaparte; after seeing the cause of the Bourbons renounced by every other power in Europe; I do think it is rather, too late to turn round upon the present ministers, (encompassed as they are with difficulties) and desire them to start the Quixotic project of offering an empty dignity to a king of France, whose cause they have not the slightest means of furthering

Sir, we can, we ought, and do pity the sufferings of the royal family of France; and it is upon this ground of pity that we are ready, to a man, I hope, to afford them an asylum, and all the rights of hospitality: but I have yet to learn what mighty interest we have, as a nation, in seeing their re-establishment upon the throne of France. When the Bourbons occupied that throne, they were the perpetual, and (as the subjects of the other branch of that family have lately proved themselves to be, in South America,) the bitterest foes of this country; and it was not till they lost their crown, that we discovered this interest in their behalf. There is in this, as in several other instances, a simplicity and credulity in our national character, which is quite ridiculous. Are we to suppose that the re-establishment of the Bourbons would alter the feelings of the French people towards us; or that that family, if re-established, (Aye, with our blood and treasure too!) would not be ere long as much our foe as Buonaparte?-To what nation have we not held forth the means of deliverance, and by what nation in Europe (except Portugal and Sweden) have we not been duped, insulted, and deserted ? It is not with his conquests, or with his means of annoying us, that the people of France complain of Buonaparte; nor is it these that their legitimate monarch would less prize, France and England are foes by nature! It is to this natural enmity that we, in a great measure, owe our grandeur and our power.-And whoever is king of France, must enter into the views

and interests of his subjects, one of which has ever been, and ever will be, enmity and rivalry towards England.

Let us leave the question of who shall be king of France to the French themselves. It is neither our interest, nor is it in our power, to interfere with them effectually on that point. Let us, in the mean time, remember what is due to our own honour and rank, as a nation, by denying to no one the just rights of hospitality; more especially when, by acting otherwise, our conduct may appear to partake of a timidity most foreign to the British character, and but little calculated to promote o present or future welfare. I am, &c.

Nov. 2, 1807.

T. L.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SATIRIST.

"Sint hic etiam sua præmia laudi."

Et meæ, si quid loquar audiendum, "Vocis accedit bona pars."

SIR,It is with surprise and regret I notice two articles in the second number of the Satirist, in which the character of Mr. B-h is very improperly introduced. From the prospectus of your work, and from my knowledge of some of the persons who have, and are expected to continue, to be contributors to it, I was induced, strongly and extensively to recommend it; but if it is to become a medium of wanton and indiscriminate satire and abuse, and characters of superiour excellence, like Mr. B-h, who has invariably stood forth the faithful champion of his country's best rights and privileges, are to be ridiculed for their loyalty and patriotism, the Satirist will shortly experience that obliquy and neglect, which, in that case, it will so justly merit.

The indelicacy of some of the anecdotes, &c. inserted in the work, will pre clude its admission into most families, and you will very shortly have to regret your deviation from that correct and chaste conduct, which ought always to influence the editors of periodical publications, especially the Satirist, whose principal object was supposed to be, to shew that virtue offers the only path, which in this life, leads to tranquillity. Let me, therefore, recommend you to adopt the following lines from Martial, as the motto for your third number, and in future to act up to the genuino spirit of them.

Lymington, Nov. 3, 1807.

"Nobis non licet esse tam disertis,
(6 Qui musas colimus severiores."

AMICUS.

!

Unmanly were the thought! All toils they brave, as
And when they fall, they sink to honour's grave
'Tis their's to aid each persecuted state,
And 'mid each falling monarchy-be great!
Yes, they shall stand true to their native land,
Where high-thron'd liberty extends her hand,
While, with the other, she maintains the laws,
The world's just envy, and her own applause!
Close by her side shine happiness and peace,
Proving her mistress of a nation's ease:
How diff'rent France! Her sons are born
To sad servility, and constant scorn!

They live in bondage from their very birth,
And meanly drop, neglected, into earth!
Britons advance! brave, patriotic souls,
Whose breasts, nor fear, nor tyranny controls,
Prove to the despot that you still maintain,
Your wonted firmness, and his threats disdain !

STATE PAPERS.

SUPPLEMENT TO THE LONDON GAZETTE OF OCTOBER 1st.
SUNDAY, Nov. 1.

Downing Street, October 31, 1807.-A Dispatch, of which the following is an Extract, has been received from Lieutenant-general the Right Honourable Lord Cathcart, K. T. addressed to the Lord Viscount Castlereagh, one of his Majesty's principal secretaries of state, dated on board his Majesty's ship, Africaine, the 21st of October, 1807.

As no sort of infraction of the capitulation had been made by the Danes, who, on the contrary, acted most honourably in the strict and literal fulfilment of the engagement, with a view to the fulfilment of the articles of the capitulation on our part, it was decided to commence the embarkation of the army on Tuesday, the 13th instant, Accordingly, on that day, the eight battalions of the one of the king's German legion, were embarked in the arsenal, and, on the 14th, the two light battalions of the king's German legion, together with brigadier-general Macfarlane's brigade, viz. the 7th and 8th regiments of British, which embarked in the same ships which brought them from Hull. These corps, with the depôt and garrison company of the legion, and the sick and wounded of the army, completely occupied all the sloop ships, whether for home or foreign service, which had not been appropriated to the conveyance of naval stores. These ships having been removed to the road, were placed by the horse ships. On the same day the advanced posts were withdrawn from Kolhaven, Werdenberg, Corsoer Kallenberg, Fredericksberg, Hersholm, and adjacents, and proceeding through a chain of cavalry posts, reached the environs of Copenhagen in three marches. The embarkation of the royal artillery, with the field and battering ordnance, having been gradually carried on from the Kalk Brauderie. that of the cavalry and foreign artillery in the dock-yard, and that of the British regiments from the citadel, to the men of war, there remained on shore, on Sunday afternoon, the 18th instant, only the brigade of guards, who moved on that day from the palace of Fredericksberg, to the Strand, near Hellerup, with one brigade of British light artillery, the flank companies of the 32d and 50th regiments, with the 82d regiment, under major-general Spencer, in the arsenal; and the 4th regiment, with a detachment of royal artillery in the citadel, under lieutenant-colonel Wynch, who acted as lieutenant-governor, the 4th, or king's own regiment, having been in garrison there the whole time. Lieutenant-general sir George Ludlow was appointed to command the rear-guard of the army. In the evening of the 18th instant, a gale of wind came on which lasted twenty-four hours, and rendered further embarkation impossible, and any communication from the shore with the ships very difficult. As soon as it became evident, that the evacuation of the island, on the 19th, was impracticable, a correspondence took place between the British and Danish head-quarters, the result of which left no reason to apprehend that hostilities would re-commence on either side, at the expiration of the term, although the Danish general protested, in strong terms, against our retaining the citadel, which, on the other hand, it was not judged expedient to evacuate. On the 20th, the morning was calm, and, as soon as it was light, the drums of all his majesty's regiments ou shore beat the generale; and the dock-yard and harbour being entirely cleared of transports and British vessels, the corps, commanded by major-general Spencer, rowed out of the arsepal, under the guns of the citadel, and proceeded along the shore to Hellerup, to be in readiness to reinforce the guards. His majesty's sloop, Rosamond, having been also towed out of the harbour, and the king's ships within reach of the three crown battery having got under weigh, the 4th regiment marched out of the citadel, and proceeded to join the guards, covered by its own flank companies, and by a piquet of the guards. As soon as they had marched, the bridge was drawn-up; and the British

fort-adjutant was sent to the Danish head-quarters, to acquaint the general, that he was at liberty to send a guard to take charge of the citadel; accordingly, a small detachment of the royal artillery, and of the 4th regiment, were relieved by a guard of Danish troops, and the ordnance inventories and keys having been given over to the officers appointed to receive them, by major Bodecker, the fort-major, and captain' Patterson, of the royal artillery, the British detachment embarked with those officers at the citadel, and proceeded to Hellerup. As soon as the 4th regiment had joined the guards, lieutenant-general sir George Ludlow began the embarkation, which was completed with great expedition and regularity. No troops of the enemy appeared, and there was no concourse of inhabitants. People of all ranks in the city, in the villages, and on the public road, were extremely civil. Had any disturbance been intended, or had any been accidentally excited, the embarkation would have been equally secure from insult, the place selected being open and level, and out of the range of fire from the crown battery or citadel, but commanded by his majesty's light ships of war. The brow, or stage itself, from which the troops embarked, was judiciously and ingeniously contrived by sir Home Popham, to answer equally the purposes of embarkation and defence. A small vessel, a praam, and a floating bat tery, were fastened successively to each other on the beach; the two first being planked over, and the last beyond them having several guns of large calibre prepared for action in an oblique direction, and manned by seamen, The flat-boats drew up on the two sides of the praam, and the gun-boats, which also received troops, were placed beyond the floating-battery; so that, as soon as the brigade of artillery was embarked, the troops marched to their boats, and the whole put off to their respective ships; after which the floating battery and praam were destroyed.

ADMIRALTY OFFICE, October 31, 1807.

Copy of a Letter from Admiral Gambier to the Honourable William Wellesley Pole, dated on board his Majesty's skip the Prince of Wales, off Copenhagen, the 20th. of October, 1807.

SIR,-I have the honour to acquaint you, for the information of the lords commissioners of the admiralty, that the whole of the Danish fleet being equipped, (except two unserviceable ships of the line and two frigates, which have been destroyed,) and the arsenal cleared of the stores, the army has been re-embarked; and that I shall proceed, with the first favourable wind, to carry into execution the instructions I have received from the lord viscount Castlereagh. Having so far accomplished the service on which I have been employed, I feel it my duty to state the great activity, energy, and zeal which have been shewn by vice-admiral Stan hope and rear-admiral sir Samuel Hood, in superintending the equipment of the Danish ships, and the embarkation of the stores from the arsenal; nor has the same spirit been less manifest in the captains, officers, seamen, and marines, who have all executed their respective parts, in the general exertion, with a promptitude and alacrity, which has not only entitled them to my warmest thanks and praise, but will, I doubt not, when the aggregate result of their labour is considered, obtain for them the approbation of their sovereign, and the applause of the nation. In the space of six weeks, sixteen sail of the line, nine frigates, fourteen sloops of war, and smaller vessels, besides gun-boats, have been fitted for sea, and all the large ships laden with masts, spars, timber, and other stores, from the arsenal, from whence also ninety-two cargoes have been shipped on board transports, and other vessels chartered for the purpose, the sum of whose burthen exceeds twenty thou sand tons. A considerable number of masts and spars have been put on board the Leyden and Inflexible, which were well adapted for this purpose, and some valuable stores on board his majesty's ships; nor can I forbear to remark, that such was the emulation among the several ships of the fleet to which the Danish ships were respectively attached for equipment, that within nine days, fourteen sail of the line were brought out of the harbour, although several of them underwent, in our hands, considerable repairs. Of the three on the stocks, two have been taken to pieces, and the useful part of their timbers brought away; and the third, being in a considerable state of forwardness, was sawed in various parts, and suffered to fall over. On a review of the whole, I think it may be asserted, without derogating from the

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