58a 
fire maniféfted by the French of continuing 
the negociation, proves at leat that the 
Firt Conful was not yet prepared for a 
rupture ; and leaves us a gleam of hope 
that the war may yet be of no long con- 
tmuance. 
- That war unhappily commenced on the 
r6th ult. when letters of marque and re 
prifal were iffued by our government 
again(t the French Republic. After a very 
Jong negociation, for the particulars of 
which we reter the reader to our laft Num- 
ber, the ultimatum of the Britifh Court 
confifted in a demand, ‘* that the French 
Government fhould not.oppofe the ceffion 
of the ifland of Lampedofa to his Britan- 
nic Majefty ; that the French forces fliould 
evacuate the Batavian and the Swils ter- 
ritory; that a fuitable. provifion fhould be 
miade for the King of Sardinia; and, by 
a fecret article, that Great Britain fhould 
be permitted to retain the poffcflion of 
Malta for ten years.’? It is unneceffary 
to add that this was rejected. Some in- 
effectual efforts were made by the French 
Government to protract the negociation ; 
but as the propofals were not fatisfaftory, 
and as it was fufpeéted that the object was 
- only to gain time, they were not attended 
to by the Britrfh Court. 
The commencement of hoftilities was 
followed by a fiep on the part of the Firtt 
Contul, which we believe is altogether 
unprecedented in the modern hiftory of 
civilized nations, the arreft and detention 
of all Britifh fubjeéts in France and Hol- 
Jand. That the rage of difappointed am- 
bition fhould have impelled a man of fu- 
rious paffions to fuch an outrage as this, 
is not a matter of furprife ; but that any 
body -of men invefted with legiflative 
fanétions fhould have fanctioned and ap- 
plauded it, is almoft incredible. 
The fervility indeed of the Senate, the 
Legiflative Body, and all the Public 
Fun&tionarites of France, at this crifis, is 
almoft without a precedent, even in the 
worft times of the Ronan Empire. We 
fhall not difeuft our readers by any quo- | 
tations from their addrefles ; but we can- 
not refrain from one melancholy obferva- 
tion, which is, that they are fuch as to 
afford us but flender hopes of the rezene= 
ration of France, or the recovery of its 
liberties. 
"This event was almoft immediately fol- 
lowed by the march of the French army 
towards Ofnaburgh and Hanover. On the 
26th of May, the French General Mortier 
entered the Bifhopric of Ofnaburgh; took 
poflefiion of the town of Bentheim, and 
made the Hanoverian garrifon priloners of 
State of Public Affairs in Fune, 1808. 
[ July T;* 
war. On the 28th, the Hanoverians 
evacuated Ofnaburgh. On the 3oth, the ° 
French entered Quackenbrook. General 
Walmoden, and his Royal Highnefs the 
Duke of Cambridge, had, it appears, af- 
fembled the forces of the Eletorate; but 
the French were too numeréus to be op~ - 
pofed by fuch a handful of trocps. A 
council was held, therefore, to deliberate 
on the ftate of affairs ; in which his Roya 
Highnefs, it is faid, declared his refolu- 
tion of ftanding or falling with the Elec- 
torate. The Regency, however, with 
equal ardour, preffed his retiring from the 
cammand, as no probability appeared of 
fuccefs in the conteft. The Duke, there- 
fore, retired to Bremen; and, with Prince © 
William of Gloucefter, arrived at Yar- 
mouth on the 13th of June. 
It appears, by the French account, that 
General Mortier took a pofition, on the 
31ft of May, in front of Wecht. General 
Hammerftein, commanding the advanced 
guard of the Hanoverians, occupied Diep- 
holz with two regiments of infantry and 
two of cavalry. The French, however, . 
by a fudden movement, turned his right ; 
and he was obliged to retreat uporr ° 
Burften. 
On the rft of June, a flight fkirmith 
took place between the advanced guard’ 
of the French and the rear of the Hano- 
verians, near Bauver. On the following | 
day an ation of rather more confequence 
happened, in which the French made fome 
prifeners. About this time, civil and 
military deputiés from the Regency wait- 
ed on General Mortier, intreated him to 
fufpend his march, and propofed’a capitu- 
lation. After a long difcuffion, a con- 
vention was figned, by which the Hano- 
verian troops furrendered on their parole; 
not to ferve againft France during the 
war: contributions were levied for the 
maintenance of the French army,’ but in 
other refpects private property was to be 
reipeéted. : 
As the plan of the Firft Conful was to 
cut off the trade of England with the 
Continent, his next meafure was to fhut » 
up the mouths of the Elbe and the Wefer ; 
and by the lateft accounts it is reported, 
that the French entered Hamburgh on the ~ 
soth of June. Not fatisfied with this, 
the Firft Conful, it is faid, has infifted 
on excluding the Britifh from the Danifh— 
ports; and has even propofed to place a 
French garrifon in Copenhagen. ~ - 
“Allthis time the other European pow- 
ers appear to be in a tate of perfect tor=” 
pidity, Pruffia and Fiance probably un- 
derftand each other; but that the Emperor” 
ce ¥ Alexander g - 
