The National Register. — London, England, 1808-10-09 00:00:00

I TIIE NATIONAL REGISTER. OCT. 9. sooner, however, did our Commander in Chief arrive, than he immediately entered into a Convention, one cause at least of which was his total Ignorance on the subject of the command he bad been sent to undertake. After the disputes and delays which bad taken place in the appointment of a Commander to this Expedition, it, undoubtedly, seemed strange that the choice should at last bare fallen on a person, who, himself, professed total ignorance of the nature of the service to which he had been appointed. This Convention went, in the first place, to recog nize the French Unperor, while not a word was said of the legitimate government of Portugal which we had gone there to support. Another article went, in a particular, manner, to sti pulate that the French troops should not, in any case, be colt • sidered priomers of war. By the 7th Article of the Prelimi nary Treaty, the neutrality of the Russian Fleet was recognised s and, although we were subsequently liberated from some part of this disgrace, set it must appear astonishing indeed, that a fleet which had been cooped up in the harbour of Lisbon for a penal, without an% means or escape, should he liberated by a Convention of tnis kind, simply on the condition of its remainins laid up during the con,inuance of the war. It was utterly im possible, be conceived, not to feel indignation at a stipulation 0: this kind. It appeared, that the British Troops had gained victories on the 170 and Ylst, when not one half of their force: were enrag ed . There were at that time considerable reinforce meats rea ly to join them. The French, on the other hand, were in an enemy's country, with a numerous body of Spaniards too, advancing against them, while to them not a possibility of escape remained, but they must have surrendered in a short time at discretion. If this was not a subject on which the Court was called on to approach the Throne, and state their disappoint ment and indignation, he could not figure any subject on which they ought at all to address his Majesty, every thing that was dear to him as a Sovereign, and to his people as a nation, being belt compromised and abandoned. He was averse from attri buting blame to any person whatever, and, in proposing the present motion, he should be cautious not to accuse either Minis ter, or Commanders; all he wished was inquiry, and that, he submitted, the Court was called on to approach the Throne, in order to solicit. If Gentlemen who should think this proceeding unnecessary, because inquiry wo uld take pl ac e as a matter o f eourse, would point out in what particular instances of failure such inquiry had taken place, it would he acceptable. Gentle men on the otta-r side had 'fever been adverse to any proposal fora Vote of Thanks, why then should they object to a Vote of Inquiry, in w hich the interests of the country were so much more deeply involved ?—We had seen a disastrous Expedition to the Heller; we had seen one equally disgraceful to Ferrol ; yet no inquiry had been made into the causes of either. The . cant of iaquiry into these disasters, was the very cause why the present was to he added to the number of our military failures. had be made a motion for an inquiry into either of these, inch motion might have been negatived, but still no man could have denied that such inquiry was necessary and proper. No inquiry, however, had taken place, and yet we saw the Commander in Chief, on the latter expedition, now hold the Oliee of Secretary at War. He asked, if we had any security that tacre would here he an inquiry ? Nay, if we had any security, that Sir Hew Dalrymple, Sir Harry Barrard, or Sir Arthur Wellesley might ant, as a reward for their services in concluding this Couven tion, be appointed to the Office of Secretary at War, or to some other situation of equal importance ? It vas from such exaitf ples as these that our military expeditions were hardly ever strcessful. Ile was sure the appointments in question could nal have given satisfaction, and it was for the country to ask, why such men were selected ? lie, for one, declared, that lie had - neter heard of any thing meritorious, which either Sir H. Daleymple, or Sir 11. Burrard had dune, which should entitle them to such command. If any other Gentleman did know what particular service both, or either of these favoured Officers, had rendered their country, he hoped they would he kind enough to communicate it. As he had already said, he did not wish to attach blame to any one individual, nor to the Ministers by a horn particular Officers had been-appointed. hat only that an it.quiry should tale place, when it would be seen whets the en o r .per conduct lay. lie knew there were Gentlemen who had good reasons fo r . the support they rave to Ministers. but he could not per-uade himself, with all his knowledge in this re spect, that they would have the face to come forward and op pose the present motion. He had often thought those Gentle men prealature in rile votes of approbation and thanks which . e, I hadtnfortuly be es so anxious: to bestow, but could then 9n e 4 . 1 "Y instances in which they bad brought forward motions fa ths inquiry into abuses or misconduct. He had even thought I 631 them premature in a vote on a late occasion. This, however, did not proceed from any disregard on his part to the interests of the gallant Spaniards, or to any wish to withhold from them every testimony of his approbation of the support afforded theta by this country. His only objection was, that there was no es i dence before the Court of any great or magnanimous effort hav ing then been made in their behalf, or, in fact, of any thiug farther than a declaration on paper I It now turned out that at a great and enormous expenee to the country, a numerous And well-appointed army had been sent to the assistance of our Allies; and that, after two severe battles, in the very moment of triumph, the victory had been snatched from their grasp—by ,t Convention, compared with which this country had never coa t-laded any thing so disgraceful !—He asked, however, after using voted such an Address to his Majesty ou the confidence the assistance to be afforded to our Allies in the glorious struggle in which they were engaged, with what face those same persons could now object to an inquiry into the causes by which .heir expectations were blasted, after they seemed to have been already realized ? If, after the ardour displayed by the coun try in behalf of the Spaniards—of, after the indignation felt and expressed by every individual in these kingdoms on the news of he Convention in Portugal—no inquiry into the causes which led to that Convention is to take place, and the soldier is to see that be is only carried to the field fur the useless waste of blood, the country must be aware that its ruin is at hand ! It gill he mpossible for a Couunauder to make an army eater the field of , male with zeal, if, by such a Couseotion, folio% tug such glo rious victories, their laurels are to be blasted, and no lug:Airy is to be made into the causes which rendered their 'alkli - 3 abortive. Ile concluded by moving— " That an humble "nd dutiful Address and Petition be pre sented to his Majesty, expressing our grief and astonishment at the extraordinary and disgraceful Convention lately entered into by the Commanders of hit Majesty's I. tweet in Portugal, and the Commander of the French Army in Lisbon ; pray ii i Majesty to institute such an Inquiry into this dishonourable ant unprecedented transaction, as will lead to the discovery and pu nishinfot of those by whose misconduct zu:d incapacity the cause of the Country and its Allies have been SO shamefully sacrificed." Mr. Quin seconded the motion. This was a question which we were called ou to take up oil a general groutid, being a sub ject in which every department of the state Ansi every individual in the country was luterested. WC were now come to that isiA, that we were not to con:ider wits welt! Ministers. We were called mi to express our astonishmeut, our dis4ust, and indignation at a Convention ritually uaexpected as it nas 4rnceful, and to chew that the day was come in which the inte rests of the British Nation were not to be sacrificial tt hilt impo nity. He did not say that he condemned Ministers for a.ppoiming to the Chief Command a person who was untried, supposing that to be tbe•ease, for he would rather try a man Nbr• had never been tried before than employ the Commander to Chief. But if we were filled with sorrow—roused into indignation that British hearts could be found to conceive—British lianls to pol lute themselves by signing so disgraceful a Convention, he hoped his Majesty would not be aliowed to remain ignorant of the titit raged feelings of his people. Was the battle of Vimiera an imaginary phantom, which could not be grasped—a thing which signified nothing ? No, it was a glorious day for the British arms. Seven days after, however, it was converted, in the hands of the Commander in Chief, into our greatest ignominy and disgrace. fie might be told of a preliminary Treaty, but it MIS iu the person wilt; ratified the Convention, on due and adequate delibe ration, flint the public were to look ; it was to the Chief in Command, tint to the per:am who stns called on to execute his orders; it was from 1::e master, not from the servant, that the oolitic were to expect the necessary explanation and redress ! the of of this country, in sending 'tor army into Portugal was, to afford succour to the Patriots in that country ; but bad we accomplished that end ? So far from it, after being succese titl two battles, sue, instead of serving the patriotic cau-e in that country, had entered lute a Convention, by which Ne un dertook to liberate from captivity a kregch army a hich had for sonic time bees in that country in a setae of siege. We had even stipulated to carry them home in British ships; —never, certainly, had the British oak been so contaminated ! So fat, iirleed, wept we from beectitingpor by this step, that in 1. days those same men so liberated by us loon Portugal, oun:d be found in the heart of Spain. flaying e:t with cnuside:t:.- tile force on many points in the Convening., the %Vorthy t'orn atones.' declared, 'oat he slinali 4111.0 s t Lr lJt!UC:sii to. be! i..