"teen were sentenced to be imprisoned, "there not being sufficient evidence against 66 action has been commented on, in some of the English news-papers, in a manner that has excited in me a great deal of surprise; for, though scarcely any thing in the way of either falsehood or folly would surprise me in the far greater part of those papers, yet, there are others, and especially the Morning Chronicle, from the editor of which better things might be expected, INCENDIARIES OF Moscow. From the" them to justify the Court Martial in eanofficial documents, which the reader will" demning them to death.”—This transfind in the present sheet (if I have room for them), it appears that the Emperor of France has quitted the ruins of Moscow, and that a part, at least, of his army has been defeated by the Russians. Indeed, if we give full credit to the statements of the Russians and of our news-papers, we must be ready to expect the total, or, nearly the total, overthrow of the French army. For my part, I receive with great distrust, -The comments to which I here allude, whatever comes from this quarter. The contain the most extraordinary, the most Russian accounts have uniformly been in alarming, and the most horrible doctrine direct opposition to those of the French that I remember ever to have met with in army. If we had believed the Russian ac- print, or to have heard broached in concounts, we must have believed, that the versation.The leader upon this occaFrench were defeated in every battle; and sion appears to have been the editor of the yet, we, at last, found, that the French Times news-paper, who, on the eleventh army had actually arrived at Moscow, into instant, put forth a justification of that ter which the Generals as well as the Bishops rible act, the burning of the city of Mosof Russia declared that it was impossible cow. I will first insert this a ticle; I will for them to enter. However, as the then insert what the Morning Chronicle of "father of lies" is said, upon one occa- the same day said upon the same subject; sion, to have uttered truth; so it may be and then I will submit to the reader my with the writers of Russian Bulletins and observations thereon.It will be seen, their co-operators in Englaud; and the from a perusal of these articles, that their great conqueror may, possibly, have been, authors assert, FIRST, that the Emperor at last, put, as we are told he has been, to Alexander had a plain, full, and perfect disgraceful flight.Of the use which right to give orders for the burning of Mosother powers, and which England in parti- cow, at the time, and in the manner, decular, ought to make of this event, it will scribed by the French. SECOND, that his be time enough to speak when we have the subjects had an equal right to act as they confirmation of the important intelligence; are alleged to have done, that is to say, to and, in the meanwhile, we will turn back set fire to the city of Moscow at the lime to, and discuss, a matter of great import-mentioned, and that they had a right thus ance to the safety of the people of every to act, without any other authority than country; I mean, the trial and execution of their own brave and laudable resolution. the incendiaries, or, rather, a few of the THIRD, that Napoleon had no right to create incendiaries, of the city of Moscow, the any tribunal to try these persons, and that circumstances of which transaction are, in it was a tribunal equally unknown to the the French news-papers, stated to have laws of God and man, of nature, and of been as follows: that, on the 24th of nations, and only competent to pronounce a "September last, Buonaparté caused to be sentence of judicial murder. FOURTH, "assembled at Moscow a military commis- that it concerns all the nations of the world, ❝sion or Court Martial, for the trial of solemnly to protest against this act of the twenty-six of the persons accused of set- Emperor of France. FIFTH, that the Emting fire to that city: ten of them were peror of Russia would act justly by putting "condemned to death, and the other six-len French officers of high rank to death. 66 necessary, "lington had greater authority to command "in Portugal than Count Rastopchin in "Moscow: and we know that he was at "that time accused by the Moniteur in the 66 for every individual Russian executed upon " army in the Portuguese campaign of this occasion by the orders of Buonaparlé." 1810,-nay, the gallant, and beloved -The whole of these assertions are, I" Commander of that army himself," certhink, wholly unfounded; in support of "tissima oppressa Europa spes," might which opinion, I shall submit my reasons "then, or may hereafter, be led forth to to the reader when I have inserted the "execution; for it is idle to say, that thè whole of the articles from which I have ex- "hand that executes is more guilty than tracted the assertions. This latter I deem" the head that plans; or that Lord Welin order that the reader may see the arguments on both sides of the question. -The article from the Times newspaper is as follows:" In pursuing our extracts from the French papers received" same terms as the other is now, of " emon Monday, we earnestly call the atten- ""ploying extraordinary means of de❝tion of our readers to one, which presents "" fence, by fire and destruction, disap"an instance of the most atrocious inso- ""proved by all civilized nations." And, ❝lence recorded in history. The MON-" lastly, it is evident, that if such conduct "STER, who, without a shadow of rea- "be criminal in 1812, it was so in 1810, "sonable pretence, invaded the Russian "and the liability to punishment for it "empire, and seized its capital, has dared," will attach to the party implicated, "in impious mockery of the forms of jus-" throughout the whole course of his life. "tice, to bring to trial, to condemn and ". But it is not Lord Wellington, or "execute, certain Russian subjects, charg-"Count Rastopchin, or the Emperor Alex"ing it on them as a crime, that they "ander alone, that is struck at; though "obeyed the orders of their Sovereign, in" they have all been honoured by the pre"destroying property which would other-"scriptive pen of Buonaparte;—every wise "wise have fallen into the hands of the and cautious Government, every brave public foe. We ask not, whether the" and patient people has incurred, or is "accused parties had, or had not, any ready at every instant to incur, this new "thing to do with the transaction, in point" species of moral turpitude. If I may "of fact. We ask not, whether the con- not fire my house to prevent its affording flagration was accidental, or intentional," shelter to my enemy, I may not destroy "whether it was occasioned by the canmy corn, or drive my cattle beyond his "nonade of the French, or by the despe- "reach, or even refuse my wife or daugh "rate fury of the enraged Moscovites, or "ter to his brutal lust. There is absoby a combination of both these causes. lutely no line to be drawn between the "We assert, that the Emperor Alexander" denial of a perfect right of defence by had a plain, full, and perfect right to "means of fire and destruction, and the as66 give orders to the effect stated; and that "sertion of a positive duty in the most base, "his subjects had an equal right to act, as creeping, slavish non-resistance:- and they are alleged to have done, without" this he knows well enough. He loves to 66 other authority than their own any brave reign by terror, and by terror only can he "and laudable resolution. The judgment maintain such an entire subjugation of pronounced by the Military Commission," the mind of Europe, as that at which he created at Moscow by Buonaparté, is, in" aims. This pretended judgment is part "point of legal effect, a mere nullity. He "had, he could have no right to create any "such tribunal,— -a tribunal equally un- operate specially in Russia, but in Aus"known to the laws of God and man,—of "tria and Prussia, in America, in England; nature and of nations,-and only compe- "—and all this under the flimsy veil of a "tent to pronounce a sentence of judicial regard for the laws of war, as practised " murder! It concerns all the nations of among civilized nations.We admit, "the world openly, instantly, solemnly to "that the strict laws of war should be enprotest against the usurped authority of" forced, even against enemies, but who this self-created "surrogate of justice."" is this grand reformer of the practice of "It concerns none more than the English "nations? If a similar, or even a far "nation. Upon the very same grounds" more equitable and justifiable severity that these ten Russians have been con- "had been practised toward him and his "demned to death, any number of indivi-" agents, they would long since have been "duals who belonged to our retreating" hung up like dogs, the objects of scor 66 66 66 66 of his scheme, and emanates naturally "from his system; and is not meant to 66 66 condemned to death, and the rest sen"tenced to linger in a prison !"—I shall now enter upon those reasons, upon which I found my denial of the assertions above stated; but, first of all, there are some other assertions, introduced here incidentally, and which, it seems to be supposed by the writers, will be taken for granted; and which I am not for so taking.We are told, that "the MONSTER invaded "the Russian Empire without the shadow "and abhorrence to every passer-by, for "haps, have scarcely been believed that so "their unmanly, and (except in their own "wanton and barbarous a violation of "bloody revolution) unprecedented cruel- every principle of justice had really been "ty. Look at the French proclamations" committed; yet such is the fact avowed 66 of 1807, 1808, 1809, 1810, in Poland," in the French official document. A Mi"in Germany, in the Tyrol, in Portugal," litary Commission, consisting of French "in Spain, subscribed with the names of "officers, is appointed to try 26 natives of "Kosinski, Parigot, Lefebvre, Junot, Soult" Russia, upon no other charge than that 66 (we take these at hazard, from a heap of" of the fair exercise of the righ's of war "similar compositions). 66 Are they not against an invader; and by that Military "enough to make the blood run cold with" Commission ten of these individuals are "horror, and the hair stand on end with "awful fear of the DIVINE vengeance on "such iniquities? Do they not contain "threats of razing houses, burning down "whole towns, shooting individuals, and "banishing families, for mere adherence to "the duties of loyalty and patriotism? "Were not these infernal denunciations "executed in Portugal, until the Deliverer came ; and were they not fearfully re"tracted in Spain, when retaliation was "threatened?This last consideration" of reasonable pretence."- -By the mon"points out the just, and only answer, that ster is meant the Emperor of France, he "the Emperor Alexander ought to make to whom we recognized in a solemn treaty as "the audacious Manifesto in question. lawfully the Chief Magistrate of that coun"For the first native Russian in the list of try; he whom we sent an Envoy to treat "those confessedly murdered by order of with in 1806; he for holding whom forth "Buonaparte, let him instantly hang ten to the execration of the people of France "Barons of the French Empire, or Knights Mr. Peltier was, in our Court of King's "of the Legion of Honour, and so on for Bench, found guilty of a criminal libel; he, every other individual that has been exe-in short, with whom, in all human proba"cuted."-Thus far the Times news- bility, we must treat again, if we are ever paper. We will now hear the Morning to have peace.- -However, monster or Chronicle. It will be recollected, monster not, it is a falsehood, it is a direct, "that one of the late French Bulletins re- clear, known falsehood, to say, that Napo"corded the fact of several Russians hav-leon invaded Russia "without a shadow of "ing been put to death, for no other crime" reasonable pretence;" for, as this hire"than that of being faithful to the cause ling of the Times news-paper well knows, "of their country, in endeavouring to ren- the Emperor of France complained of the "der the possession of Moscow of as little Czar's not having adhered to the Treaty of "avail as possible to the invaders, by de- Tilsit; he complained that the Czar, hav"stroying it. It now appears that this ing, at Tilsit, obtained an equivalent for "atrocious act was attempted to be cover- shutting out the commerce of England, "ed by the mock solemnity of a Military had, with that equivalent in his possession, "Commission, at which the charge of set refused to shut out the said commerce. He ting fire to the City was formally made said, "when I had you within my grasp against 26 Russians, several of whom at Tilsit, I let go my hold upon coudiwere natives of Moscow, and for which" tion that you would faithfully adhere to "ten of them were sentenced to death;" the Continental system against England; "and the remaining 16, although it was "and now, being free from my grasp, you " acknowledged that there was not evi- do not adhere to that system." Whe"dence sufficient to convict them, were ther the facts here alleged be true or false is "ordered to be detained in the prisons of not the question. The question is, whe"Moscow, to prevent the mischief they ther there be here a reasonable pretence; "might commit! The detail of the pro- and, as it is obvious that the pretence is ceedings of this Military Commission we not only reasonable, but very plausible, it "have extracted from the French papers. follows, of course, that the assertion of the "Had it not been for their own record thus Times is, as to this matter, wholly false. "published to the world, it would, per 66 66 -The next assertion that I notice is, | hirelings of the Times and the Courier ac- that the conduct of certain French Generals was enough to make the hair stand on "end with awful fear of DIVINE ven"geance on such iniquities."—I beg the reader to compare this with the cant of Mr. Canning, who represents Buonaparte as "let loose upon us by Divine Providence." Why, then, are we to suppose that that same Providence is displeased with what he and his Generals do? What a capricious, and, indeed, what an unjust Being, do these men of cant make of Providence! They first tell us, that Providence employs Napoleon as a scourge on mankind. This is not placing Providence in a very amiable light; but, what are we to think of them when they add, that Providence, having first let loose the French to scourge mankind, then is ready to inflict vengeance upon them for having been a scourge ? Reader, pray consider these things! Pray, do exercise your senses! Pray, be not cheated any longer for want of a little reflection! Pray withdraw yourself from the disgraceful situation of being the gull of these hypocrites. -I now come to the five above-stated assertions, the FIRST of which is, That the Emperor Alexander had a plain, full, and perfect right to give orders for the burning of Moscow, at the time, and in the manner described by the French.- Now, the French report says, that the government of Russia had prepared before-hand the means of destroying Moscow by fire, if it should fall into the hands of the French; that the plan was to set fire to the city twenty-four hours after the arrival of the French, the engines for putting out fire being previously carried away; that divers persons were ordered to remain disguised at Moscow, in order to put the plan in execution; that accordingly, the city was set fire to by these persons, in the night of the 14th of Sep-ing, and perhaps, for ever, their Sovetember; that many of the incendiaries were reign; the people cannot owe allegiance to killed upon the spot by the French sol- both at once. The people of Moscow diers; and that the persons condemned and had a right to demand protection at the executed as above mentioned, were in the hands of their Sovereign; this right they number.This is the account of the facts possessed in consequence of their having as given by the French, and it is upon an paid him taxes and yielded obedience to admission of these facts being true, that the his laws. He was, it appears, unable to Times news-paper makes the assertion afford them protection; he could not, which I deny.He says, that the Em-therefore, be blamed, perhaps, for not peror Alexander had a plain, full, and per-protecting them; but surely, this circumfect right to give orders for the burning of Moscow at the time and in the manner above described. I say that the Emperor Alexander had no such right. Mind, I do not pretend to say, that he did order the ancient Capital of his Empire to be burnt; and but a few weeks have elapsed since the stance gave him no right to destroy them or their property? It was enough, one would suppose, for him to leave his people unprotected; it was enough for the inhabitants of a great City to find themselves exposed to the ravages of an enemy; what, then, must they have thought, and what must the world think of their being almost all these, in a population of 300,000, must exterminated by the orders of him, to have amounted to many thousands; and to whom they had so long paid taxes, whose all these such a conflagration must have laws they had so long obeyed, whose "be-been certain death. For, where were they "loved subjects" they were called, and to find shelter supposing them to escape the whose duty it was to have afforded them flames? Where were they to get food, protection? The sophistry resorted to raiment, bedding! Reader, I beseech upon this occasion, in order to justify this you to fix your eyes on the scene; and terrible act, an act, you will observe, then, recollect, that our hireling press has which, while it was supposed here to have asserted, that the Emperor Alexander had been committed by the French, was held a plain, full, and perfect right to give forth as worthy of the monster" to whom orders for the producing of such a scene! it was then imputed the sophistry re- There is something so monstrous in this serted to in order to justify this act, pre-assertion; there is something so daringly tends that the Czar had a right to cause cruel in it, that I should here leave it to to be destroyed property which would the abhorrence which it is calculated to exotherwise have fallen into the hands of the cite, did I not think it necessary to strip public foe. Certainly he would have had it of all the sophistry by which it is ata right to cause to be destroyed ships of tempted to be maintained.- -The Czar war, magazines, fortifications, and even had, we are told, a right to cause to be deprivate property, where the lives of the stroyed property which would otherwise fall owners or occupiers were not put in jeo-to the invader.. We have seen how pardy, and where the object to be attained by such destruction was of sufficient importance. But, what was the case here? Here are three hundred thousand persons, of all ages and sexes, whose dwellings, whose food, whose raiment, whose beds, are all at one and the same time, consumed by fire! It is very easy for the hirelings of the Times and the Courier to talk lightly upon this subject; to talk about the right of causing this terrible destruction; but," not fire my house to prevent its affording reader, if the fear of Buonaparte, if anxi- " shelter to my enemy, I may not destroy ety for your own safety, if this merciless my corn or drive my cattle beyond his feeling has not bereft your heart of those “reach, or even refuse my wife or daughqualities which it ought to possess, trans"ter to his brutal lust." -If, indeed, port yourself in idea to the City of Mos- it appeared, that people of Moscow had cow; see the flames devouring the dwell-fired their own houses, this argument might ings of three hundred thousand people; see the confusion, the uproar; see the frantic parents snatching their children from the flames; hear the groans, the screams of the aged, the lame, the blind, the sick, the bed-ridden, the women in child-birth, And, then, if you can coolly say, with the hirelings of our press, that any one had a right to cause this thing to be done; why, then, go and join Mr. Canning, and talk about Divine Providence, letting loose "upon us the scourge of mankind." far this right may, in certain cases,. be worth attending to; but, as the act is justified upon the ground of its having been committed by the order of the Czar, this argument does not apply; and is but a poor pitiful attempt at deception. I am not contending that the people of any portion of territory have not a right to set fire to their own dwellings, supposing it possible for them to be unanimous in a wish so to do, and which would imply previous preparations of all sorts. I am contending that no sovereign has a right (let his In such a city how many thousands must object be what it may) to burn his subhave been in a state perfectly helpless; it jects, or any portion of his subjects, to is said, in the official report, that 30,000 death; or, otherwise to destroy them. sick Russian Soldiers were burnt. And It is said, that suburbs of Towns, this is what the Morning Chronicle calls "the fair exercise of the rights of war!" The babies must have been very numerous; the women in child-bed; the bed-ridden; the sick of palsies, fevers, gout, dropsy; and that private property of various descriptions, have frequently been destroyed, in order to prevent them from falling into the hands of an invader. But, in such cases, compensation is always contem |