294 L O N 
liament, appeared to be poflefied of all the nfual influence 
of government, and the regent’s terminating fpeech ex- 
preffed full fatisfaflion in the rneafures which had been 
adopted by that afl’embly, the nation in general, notwith- 
Handing feme preceding rumours, did not teem to expeft 
its fpeedy difl’olution. It was therefore to the general 
furprife, that, by a proclamation from the prince-regent, 
dated Sept, 29, a difTolution of parliament was declared, 
with the announcement of writs for a new one returnable 
on the 24th of November. As no public reafon was given 
for this ftep, conjecture was left to imagine the mo ft pro¬ 
bable. It may be thought, that the pledge given by the 
lioufe of commons of an early attention to the catholic 
claims, concurred in by a majority which feemed to au- 
gui“a prevailing difpofition to grant them, fuggeftod to 
thofe who were adverfe to the meafure this means of de¬ 
feating it; but, whatever were the immediate motives for 
ininifiers in advifing this meafure, it certainly difplayed a 
confidence in their popularity with the nation at large, 
or, at leaft, in the powers in their hands for procuring 
fuch a return of reprefentatives as would rather increafe 
than diminifh their influence. 
Though not quite three months elapfed between tlm 
rifing of the parliament and the meeting of a new one, we 
rnuft avail ourlelvesof that fhort fpace to relate matters of 
great importance—of blood and daughter—fire and fro ft— 
for we are now arrived at one of thofe momentous events, 
which, planned or permitted by Providence for fome ufe- 
ful purpofes, for advantages hidden in their caufes, but 
fplendid in their effeffs, are calculated to (trike the world 
with aftonifhment and awe.—Thofe events which feem to 
aim at the very root of empires, and make them totter 
from their fummits to their foundations—thofe events 
which feldom happen without leaving behind them a long 
train of confequential accidents to which the fates of in¬ 
ferior dates are mere fubordinates. We have to confign, 
in the annals of hiffory, the wonderful ofcillation of an 
immenfe army upon an arc of the terreHrial circumference 
full fixteen thoufand miles in extent, from the banks of 
the Seine to Mofcow ; and the return of the piteous wrecks 
of fuch forces, through the fevere chadifement of avenge¬ 
ful winter, which buried in fnow and covered with ice 
what the flames and the ftvord had eventually fpared. 
The French emperor, on his return from his tour in 
the Low Countries at the latter part of 1811, was evident¬ 
ly meditating a grand Hroke, for the purpofe of terminat¬ 
ing his differences with the court of Peterfburgh in a man¬ 
ner conformable to that continental fydem which he had 
made the bafe of his policy ; and the fate of the penin- 
fula was to be a fecondary conlideration in his counfels 
til] the other objefl was obtained. 
The ffrfl military operation which can be confidered as 
connected with his northern projects, was the occupation 
of Swedifh Pomerania.—In January iSi2,abody of French 
troops, under general Friant, entered that province. The 
capital, Stralfund, being very weakly fortified, with a fmall 
garrifon, made no reft fiance to a colonel who was fent to 
take poffeffion of it on the 26th, and who required quar¬ 
ters and proviuon, faying, in an Aver to a demand of pay¬ 
ment for the latter, “ It is our cufiom and orders, that the 
country in which we are ftiould furnifh us with every 
thing needful.” Friant entered on the following day; 
and, when the Swedifh general Peyron informed him that 
he fhould refilt the occupation of the Ifie of Rugen, the 
French general told him that he was his prifoner; and 
put feals on the cufiom-boufe. The purpofe of this un¬ 
warrantable feizure of Pomerania was evidently that the 
French emperor might have a pledge in his hands to in¬ 
fluence the conduct of Sweden in the approaching conteff. 
Rugen was occupied by the French ; the veflels and packets 
on the coaft were detained for their fervice; and the French 
colours were hoifled in place of the Swedifh. In Febru¬ 
ary, a fleet arrived off Straifund with general Engelbrecht 
on-board, to afeertain the Hate of the French troops in 
Pomerania, and bring back thofe of Sweden ; but no com- 
T) O N. 
munication with the (bore was permitted, and all corre«> 
fpondence with the general was declined by the French 
commander; fo that the fleet was obliged to fail back with¬ 
out efFeftirig any thing. 
A very curious report to the confervative fenate of 
France, that paflive aflembly which has no other power 
but the childifli one of nodding aflent to the preremptory 
will of the emperor, was made on the 10th of March by 
the duke of Bafi'ano, alias Maret, minifter for foreign af¬ 
fairs. The fubftance of it was an invective againit the 
maritime policy of England, and an expofltion and eulogy 
of all the rneafures taken by the emperor for aflerting the 
liberty of the teas, and retaliating her arbitrary rneafures. 
In this piece it is explicitly declared, that, “ till the Bri- 
tifh orders of council are refeinded, and the principles of 
thetreaty of Utrecht towards neutrals are again in full vi¬ 
gour, the Berlin and Milan decrees will remain againft 
thofe powers who allow their flags to be denationalifed.” 
Thefe words are fully exprefiiye of thejealoufy which the 
French emperor entertains againft the maritime power o£ 
England, a jealoufy which will never ceafe to rankle in 
his heart, as long as he is poflefied of any efficient autho¬ 
rity, or has 250,000 men at his command. 
A report of the minifter of war follows, which begins 
with telling the emperor, that “ the greateft part of his 
majefty’s troops have been called out of the territory for 
the defence of the grand interells which are to enfure the 
preponderance of the empire, and maintain the Milan and 
Berlin decrees fo fatal to England.” This and fome other 
matters contained in the report might be regarded as an 
indication that the whole Hrength of the French empire 
was about to be put forth in fome mighty effort. 
Early in the fpring, the French army, united to that of 
the confederation of the Rhine, was in march to the 
frontiers of Poland. At the end of March, the field-equi¬ 
page of Napoleon had reached Drefden, and marfhal Ney 
had his head-quarters at Weimar. A portion of the troops 
of Pruffia had been placed at his difpofal, the monarch 
of that country having been induced this month to ratify 
a treaty of alliance with the French emperor, which was 
declared defenfive againft all the powers ,in Europe with 
which either of the contrafting parties has entered or fhall 
enter into war, and reciprocally guaranteeing to each 
other the integrity of their prefent territory. That the 
Pruffian king hefitated for fome time to which of the great 
powers he fhould ally himfelf, lince neither of them was 
likely to iuffer him to remain neuter, is very probable; 
but the rapid advance of the French loon put an end to 
his indecifion. Luthe month of April, troops of all the 
nations under French command were inceflantly proceed¬ 
ing towards the Ruffian border. They crofted the Vif- 
tula, to the number of 8o,ooo, about the 20th, and after¬ 
wards took pofleffion of Elbing and Konigfberg. 
Napoleon left Paris on the 9th of May, accompanied 
by the emprefs and the prince of Neufchatel (Berthier), 
and proceeded to Metz. Some time before his departure 
lie had ifi'ued a decree tending to conciliate the American 
government to France; the tenor of wdiich was, that, in 
confequence of an act of 2d of March, 1811, by which 
the congrefs of the United States enatted exemptions from 
the provifions of the non-intercourfe aft, which prohibit 
the entrance into the American ports to the fliips and 
goods of Great Britain, of its colonies and dependencies 
—confidering the faid law as an aft of refiltance to the 
arbitrary pretenfions of the Britifli orders in council, 
and a formal refufal to adhere to a fyftern derogatory to 
the independence of neutral powers ; it is decreed, that 
the decrees of Berlin and Milan are definitively, and from 
the 1 ft of November laft, confidered as never having taken 
place with regard to American vtffels. 
The French emperor and emprefs reached Drefden on 
the 16th, where they were to meet the emperor and em¬ 
prefs of Auftria. Before this time, the emperor Alexan¬ 
der, who had left Peterfburgh on the 21ft of April, was 
at Wilna, In the beginning of May, the head-quarters 
1 v 4)f 
