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union of operation in any enterprize, whether of offence, or of defence. If we had carried freedom to the shores of Portugal, why should there not have been, by this time, fifty thousand Fortuguese, well armed and equipped, and tolerably disciplined, ready to march against the French in Spain? Instead of which an English army is necessary to keep "the refractory Portuguese in or der," The Nabobs' Gazette tells us, that it is only the lower classes who are discon"tented." Very true. Only those who have no share of the good things. Very true, I dare say. I'll engage that the Alcades and the Bishops, who eat the beef, and the Capuchins who sup the broth, are, as they always have been, for "social order and regular "government;" and, if the fighting part was performed by them, things might go pretty smoothly on; but, alas! this part falls upon those who have none of the good things; and, in times like the present, they are very apt to aspire to a share of them; they are very apt to think it reasonable, that a share of the eatables and drinkables should, at last, come to their mouths. Yes, after all, it is not witchcraft, but downright hunger and thirst and nakedness, that work for Buonaparte. They are saying, it appears, plenty of masses in Portugal, and the Courier is very angry with them for seeming disposed there to rest their exertions. But, the Courier forgets, sure, that it is much easier to say mass than to fight or to pay taxes; and, I think, the editor of that paper would not venture to bet very great odds, that the same persons, who now say masses for the expulsion of the French, will not, a few months hence, say mass s upon their return. And, are these the materials wherewith to work in resisting Buonaparte? Is it to be hoped; is it within the scope of possibility, that he should not, whenever he chooses, become the master of such a people? We may fret at their conduct; the Courier may abuse them; but, that will not dispose them to risk their lives in battle. For exposing themselves to such danger they must have some motive, and some powerful motive too; and, unless that motive be given them, the Courier may keep its breath for a more useful purpose than that of abusing them and their masses.It is very true, that the possession of Spain and Portugal will make Napoleon more formidable to us; much more formidable; but, as was, sometime ago said with regard to Austria, the Spaniards and Portuguese may be foolish enough not to perceive any great harm in that.

Is it

In short, we may rest assured, that the mass of the Portuguese will like those

best, who afford them the best chance of enjoying the good things of this world, without any regard to the circumstances of names or of nation.

THE DECLARATION, dated the 4th instant, and just published, respecting the overtures of France and Russia, from ERFURTH, is, in my opinion, the most insignificant state-paper, that I have seen, for some time. It was certainly right to make known to the world, that no negociations were going on. The reasons given for this are quite sufficient, and very well and concisely stated; but, it is impossible, I think, for any man of a just mind, to approve of the partiality, which is shown towards the Emperor of Russia, who in abetting Buonaparte, with respect to Spain, is, of the two, most worthy of censure. Nor do I, for my part, approve of the charge against Napoleon of having "de"posed and imprisoned friendly sovereigns." The kings of Spain went to Bayonne without any force; without compulsion of any sort; and, there they abdicated their rights to the Spanish throne. They might be induced to do so from personal fear, and their journey to Bayonne might be attributable to the same cause; but, I can see no use in calling it a deposing of them, when the fact certainly is involved in some doubt, or, at least, admits of dispute.-The reply "of France" to the king's proposition to consult his allies and also " the go

66

vernment of Spain, acting in the name "of His Catholic Majesty, Ferdinand "VII;" this reply is deeply resented. is said to have displayed, with less than

It

ordinary reserve, the arrogance and in"justice of the government of France;" and, in substance, though not altogether in manner, the reply of the Emperor of Russia is described as being equally offen sive. Two of the ministerial newspapers have informed us, that, in his reply, Napoleon observed, "that it would not be

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more unreasonable on his part to propose admitting THE CATHOLICS OF "IRELAND, as a party to any negocia"tion, than that we should propose ad

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mitting the Spanish Insurgents." If this be true, as the Morning Post and the Courier give it us, there is, indeed, no longer any ground to wonder at the asperity of the Declaration; for, of any thing fuller of gravel than this observation it would be difficult to form an idea. One almost fancies one hears it grate under the teeth of "No Popery." It cuts, not like razors and knives, but like bits of glass and flint stones; it pricks, not like pins and

motives which existed at the rupture of the peace of Amiens, still exist in all their former force; they have received strength from time, and especially from recent events. Our fleet is, indeed, a mighty bulwark; but, as has been a thousand times observed, there are modes of attack against which a fleet cannot be brought to bcar. Experience has proved, that our fleet cannot, at all times, prevent the landing of French troops in Ireland. Now is, therefore, the time to erect, in that country, an impenetrable barrier against the enemy. The means are completely in our hands. They will cost us nothing. Only a single act of parliament does the business. How many millions. What freights of treasure, what streams of blood, might be spared, by an act of parliament passed in time!

needles, but like splinters and fish-hooks;ing this kingdom no one can doubt. The it draws no blood, but leaves an aching festering wound; and a wound, too, which is, somehow or other, shy of showing itself to the doctor. Mr. Canning seems to have been put into so much agony by this observation as not to know very well what he was about; for, the latter part of the Declaration is, whether as to manner or matter, any thing, I think, but what it ought to be. There is a pitiful hankering still after the Emperor of Russia ; there are blunt attemps at severity; there is a roundness of assertion that nothing short of proved facts could have justified; and, as to the phraseology, it may, perhaps, be thought a compliment to it, to say, that it is equally unparallelled" with the usurpation of the throne of Spain by the Buonapartes. When parliament meets, we shall, I suppose, have all these negociation papers before us; and, my opinion is, that it was to soften the effect of Buonaparte's sarcastic observation, about the Catholics of Ireland, that the newspapers were enabled to let it leak out beforehand. There is, to be sure, a gross fallacy in the reasoning of that obscrvation; but, gross as it is, it is a fallacy, which many will not perceive, and which will be affected not to be perceived by many more. And, whose fault is it, that we are exposed to the probable, or, at least, possible, effect of such a dangerous fallacy? That question may be useless; but, certainly it is not useless to ask, whether ail possible speed ought not now to be used, in order to remove the ground, whereon it rests Frequently have Napoleon's newspapers sympathised with the Irish Catholics; but, this is the first time that he has openly nd officially given us to understand, that they are an object of his imperial attention and solicitude. There is no doubt, however, that they long have been such, and that, if he succeed in his present enterprize; if he get safe possession of Spain and Portugal, the Irish Catholics will be the next, or nearly the next people, to whom he will directly, and with very little reserve, address himself. This must be evident to every man of common sense; and, it being evident, the question is, whether our government will, while there is yet time, adopt the means, and the only possible means, of preventing him from obtaining a fair chance of final success; or whether, we are doomed to keep blundering on to the end of the chapter, under the influence of despicable bigotry and more despicable intrigue. That Buonaparte will, as Jong as he has life, never rest until he has tried all the means in his power of subjugat

DUKE OF YORK'S INCOME.-In my last statement, upon this subject, there was, I am informed, an important omission. At page 901 of this volume. I stated the several sources of the Duke's income, taking bis military income at the acknowledged amount, as published in the Nabobs; Gazette, which statement shewed that, exclusive of the immense grant of crown, or rather national, lands in Surrey, the total of that income, paid out of the public purse, was £39,858. Bat, I now find, if my information be correct, as I believe it is, that, to this enormous sun must be added £7,000 a year pension, upon the IRISH establishment! The place and pension Report of the Finance Committee, which, as I observed before, is, in bulk, equal to the Old and New Testament, and contains about 300 folio pages, does not, however, contain the places and pensions the Irish establishment, except in part, but contents itself with refering to another Report, which was laid before parliament some years ago, and which, of course, very few of the present members ever saw, or ever will see as long as they live. I will endeavour to find out this Report, and when I have so done, I will state the fact, relating to this additional pension. In the meanwhile, I beg the reader to look again at the whole of the article begining at page 897 of

upon

this volume,

Botley, Dec. 22, 1808.

SPAIN.

SIR,-Accustomed to approve and admire your writings on most subjects, I cannot but read with a mixture of surprize and indignation your very lukewarm remarks on the late reverses in Spain. It seems with you a matter of doubt whether we ought to

regard the success of the French as a circumstance of regret or not. From you, Sir, a more patriotic spirit was expected. You are continually looking to the abuses in the old government of Spain. Are you not assured these would be reformed? And if that were not to be the case, is this a time to chill the blood of patriotism and raise a doubt to which side we should lend our hearts and aid? Look at the tremendous power of Buonaparte. Is there an obiect that ean come in comparison of importance with the diminishing of that power? Can any one estimate the extent of his ability to injure us as a commercial nation? Independent of our sympathy with the brave resisters of his tyranny, our own situation is become most alarming. Instead of reflections upon an old government, it was expected that you would have shewn that zeal and energy (which you have displayed on more trivial occasions) to excite and animate the spirit of this country to every practicable means of assistance to the patriots. Convinced that you cannot exert it at a fitter period, I trust I shall yet not be disappointed. Your constant reader, A. Z.-Covehtry, December 13th, 1808.

BREWERIES.

dispute. To some of them, particularly to Dr. Thompson, I own myself under considerable obligations, for the satisfaction and pleasure I have received from his writings. And when, from a comparison of dates, I learn that the writer himself was able to confute a "now long-exploded "doctrine, several years before I was born, I almost feel how unlucky a wight I am to venture into the field against so much age, so many great names, such long experience, and such unquestionable abilities. The Hampshire Brewer appears to me to mistake the question at issue between us, as all the experiments he produces either prove what I readily admit, or what with me prove nothing to the purpose. When he speaks ot me as reviving the long exploded opinion, as to the inadequacy of a statical test of a malt extract, I can assure hin. that he is entirely mistaken; and I cannot conceive from what part of my paper he has drawn such a conclusion. Competent experience will prove the accuracy of the instrument for the general purposes of the brewery, bat it is no reflection on any human invention, that it is not capable of an application to every purpose. A malt and a molasses ex, tract are very different; and as the original qualities of which they are composed, and which they possess in common, are com bined in different proportions, they must require a different mode of valuation as any one quality prevails in the combination; Where mucillage prevails, there will be an increase of spissitude without an increase of value; and there may be a liquor of ea greater tenuity which possesses more saccha rine virtue, and is capable of becoming an article of superiour flavour and vinosity.. I am not so fortunate as this gentleman in having a number of learned authorities to

SIR,On the perusal of controversial writings, we may observe that a general pertinacity attaches to most of them. We defend a position merely because we have advanced it; and are ingenious in framing arguments, by which our favourite hypothesis may be supported. It was under a full persuasion that there is in the human mind a tendency to this sort of obstinacy, that I ventured my remarks on the first paper of the Hampshire Brewer. And as we are all desirous of taking credit to ourselves, for our full share of candour and ingenuous-quote; but, however, I have one, and that ness, I trust I may be intitled to a presumptive credit for my own openness to the full force of my respondents' arguments, and a readiness to acknowledge my conviction, should they be able to effect it. There can be no reason, sufficient to induce an honest man, to persist in error after he is convinced of it; neither can there be any, for renouncing an opinion without its being fully confuted. Had the reply of the Hampshire Brewer been such as to satisfy my mind, it should have been followed by an ample acknowledgement; but I should deem it worse than folly, te admit the force of arguments, of the illegitimacy of which I am firmly persuaded. That gentleman has shrouded himself under the protection of names, the greatness of which no one will

in itself a host;-it is the Hampshire Brewer himself. When he admits that a third part of a wort of Solbs. per bariel, is superior to another of 10lbs. per barrel, merely because of the greater prevalence of mucillage in the latter, does he not by this concession establish that opinion which he is labouring to overthrow, and prove that the instrument, indicating in both instances an equal gravity, is insufficient to shew their relative value?Mr Martineau's experiments nearly coinc de with my own, as to the final gravity which will appear by the instrument in a separate solution of either malt or sugar; but, I think, neither of them sufficient to form the basis of a decision. From many experiments which a private friend of mine has made on the subject, and which have been

The

frequently repeated under my own eye, with the most critical exactness, I draw a conclusion very different from that gentleman's. In two gyles, the one brewed from malt only, and the other having in it a solution of sugar, in the proportion of onetenth part of the total aggregate of fermentable matter under operation;-the malt in both instances being from the same flooring, the fermentation similar, and the final gravity equal, per the instrument; and yet the latter product has been found uniformly su perior to the other as an agreeable and vinous beverage: it possessed a greater fulness on the palate, and was a liquer to which the best judges would give the preference. That the superiority of the one, was owing to the sugar that was used, there can be no doubt; nor can there be any, that the instrument was incapable of shewing that superiority. It was with this fact in view, that I wrote my former letter; but I do not know that it will have the same weight with the Hampshire brewer, that it has with me. As to the result of distillation, however conclusive he may deem it, I must beg leave to differ from him. The question is not as to the production of the greatest quantity of ardent spirit, but as to the value of either sugar or molasses used in a limited proportion in the brewing of malt liquor. production of a wash suitable to the distil1's purpose, will certainly require a mode of management different from that which will be pursued by an intelligent brewer. Will not two worts of equal gravity, yield a different quantity of proof spirit, as they are fermented either in the best way for beer, or as they are usually fermented for wash! Next to potency, two of the most desirable qualities in malt liquor are, early transparency and fulness; but were the distiller's method of fermentation to be followed in the brewery, I think we should be hardly able to obtain either. While it must be acknowledged, that the particular method which is most proper for obtaining them, would be inimical to the production of spirit by the still. As the two purposes then, require two different methods of treatment, what may be an infallible test of value in one case, may not be so in the other. And as the quantity of ardent spirit will depend upon the fermentation of the wash, as well as upon its previous gravity, its product cannot be a certain criterion of the value of its original materials, any further than a similar treatment obtains, but will be unavailing when treated in a different manner and for a different purpose. As to thee-testimony of Drs. Thompson, Hope-and Coventry, which

the gentleman has introduced, I consider it as quite irrelevant, as it has no bearing on

manner of estimating the differences between English and Scotch barleys and malts was certainly judicious." And what does that prove? Why nothing, but what I am as well convinced of as the Hampshire brewer himself. But though I am compel led thus to differ from a gentleman of such abilities, experience and information, yet it will be impossible for such difference to lessen that respectful sentiment I felt towards him on the perusal of his first valuable paper. I now close the correspondence on the subject by thanking him for the frankness with which he has communicated his sentiments, and by claiming for myself a right to dissent from the greatest authori ties when I have reason to doubt whether their arguments are founded on legiti mate reasons. To you, Mr. Cobbett, I am indebted for your impartiality, and for the space you have allowed for discussion, and am obliged by the readiness you have shewn in giving insertion to the correspondence-I remain, Sir, &c.— CANDIDUS. Malton, 19th December, 1808.

BREWERIES.

the

SIR; It is rather unfair to make your valuable Register a medium of discussion on any particular art or manufacture, but as you have already admitted the subject, I am induced to trouble you for a small space in a paper of such general instruction, for a few observations on the statement of the gentlemen who sign themselves "a Hamp

shire Brewer" and "Candidus" in your Registers of the 12th and 26th of Nov.; and 10th of Dec.-The difference in the opinions of these gentlemen, on a subject which the former has so laudably brought before the public, seems to arise solely from Candidus' supposing that nothing but a saccharum is capable of the vinous fermentation, and that therefore the instrument used in the brewery cannot be an accurate

measure of sweets;" so far he is right, for although it cannot possibly express the quantity of sweets contained in any extracts, it ascertains exactly their relative value, or amount of fermentable matter, under which term is comprehended saccharum, mucilage, and perhaps a little oil; in short, whatever is extractable from corn or grain, or soluble from other substances, where a small portion of saccharum is present-from all which, experiment proves, that equal specific gravities will give equal quantities of ardent spirit, thereby exploding the commonly

received opinion that sweets alone are capa ble of producing alcohol-Can iidus however had great reasons for his inquiries on the subject, which I presume will be farther elucidated when it is explained (if explanation be necessary to gentlemen who handle the subject o ably) why the saccharometer in general use will not indicate above onethird of the "gross weight of the substance "dissolved," for as it is impossible that either of those in question can undergo solution without increasing the bulk of the solvent, therefore a saccharometer (I wish I could find a better term for the instrument), indicating the difference of weight between a barrel of water and a barrel of wort, on which scale those in general use are, I believe, formed, can by no means express the quantity of fermentable matter in pounds avoirdupois, contained in such barrel of wort; which may however be discovered, very nearly, by multiplying the amount per saccharometer by 2, 7; as is proved by ascertaining the weight of malt before brewing, and the grains (being completely dried) afterwards. Instead, therefore, of a quarter of malt weighing from 300 to 236 pounds, yielding from 75 to 80 pounds of saccharine (fermentable, I presume) matter, it really produces from 202 to 216 pounds avoirdupois.-As to the brewery in general, sugar cannot be introduced to advantage, for it is by no means a perabundant saccharum which is there required, but an extract where mucilage bears the greater proportion.-With every apology for continuing a subject which can interest so few of your readers, I am respectfully, Sir, &c.-I. H.-Guernsey, Dec. 19,

1808.

su

OFFICIAL PAPERS. SPANISH REVOLUTION.-Tenth Bulletin of the French Army of Spain.-(Continued from p. 960.)

The very mountains have afforded them but a feeble protection. But thanks to the power of the inquisition, the influence of the monks, their dexterity to seize all pens, and to make them speak all languages, it is still believed, throughout great part of Spain, that Blake has been victorious, that the French army has been destroyed, and the imperial guard taken. Whatever may be the momentary success of these wretched shifts, and of these ridiculous efforts, the reign of the inquisition is over; its revolutionary tribunals will no longer harrass any country in Europe; in Spain, as at Rome, the inquisition shall be abolished, and the horrid spectacle of auto-da-fés shall

never again be repeated. This reform shall be effected in spite of the religious zeal of the English, in spite of the alliance which they have formed with the monkish impostors, who have given our Lady del Pilar and the saints of Valladolid the power of speech. England has for her allies, exclusive monopoly, the inquisition, and the Franciscans: all are alike to her, if she can but sow discord among nations, and delage the continent with blood.-An English brig, the Ferret, which left Portsmouth the 11th of this month, came to an anchor on the 22d, in the port of St. Andero, not knowing that the place was in the occupation of the French. She had on board important dispatches, and a great quantity of English papers, which were secured.-At St. Audero were found great quantities of Jesuit's bark and colonial produce, which were sent to Bayonne.-The duke of Dalmatia has entered the Asturias. Several towns and many villages have begged to submit, in order to avoid falling into the abyss dug for them by the counsels of foreigners, and by the passions of the multi

tude.

Eleventh Bulletin of the French Army of Spain, dated Aranda de Duero, Nov. 27.

His majesty on the 19th sent off the marshal duke of Montebello with instructions for the movements of the left, of which he gave him the command-The duke of Montebello and the duke of Cornegliano concerted measures together at Lodosa on the 20th, for the execution of the orders of his majesty.-On the 21st, the division of general Lagrange, with the brigade of light ca.alry of general Colbert, and the brigade of dragoons of general Dijon, set out from Lagrogno, by the right of the Ebro At the same time the four divisions, composing the corps of the duke of Cornegliano, passed the river at Lodosa, abandoning the whole country between the Ebro and Pampeluna. On the 22d, at the break of day, the French army began its march. It took its direction to Calahorra, where, on the evening before, were the head quarters of Castanos; it found that town evacuated, and afterwards marched upon Alfaro; the enemy had in like manner retreated.—On the 23d, at break of day, the general of division, Lefebvre, at the head of the cavalry, and supported by the division of general Morlat, forming the advanced guard, met with the enemy. He immediately gave information to the duke of Montebello, who found the army of the enemy in seven divisions, consisting of 45 COO men, under arms, with its right before Tudela, and its left occupying a line

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