The National Register. — London, England, 1811-04-07 00:00:00

*4 1 "!••.7 . es . • _ ! • FRIDAY, APR= 5. THE REVERSION DILL. After a short disedssiun between Lords Liverpool, Grey, and Grusyenor, on the motion of Lord Liverpool the second reading was deferred cill'thii day six months.—Adjourned. HOUSE OP COMMONS. • .• MONDAY, APRIL 1. MILITIA ENLISTMENT BILL. Mr. ELLIOTT was Compelled by a sense of duty to object to this Bill, though be could trot now hope to say any thing new upon it. He proceeded to state the grounds of his objection to the measure ; to the increase of the numbers of the Militia, and to the Local Military Establishments, which for some time put had formed so great an obstacle to the regular recruiting for the army. His Right Hon. Friend (the late Mr. Windham,) had teen a - comprehensive view of the whole subject, and had form ed an excellent plan for the recruiting of the army. That had unfortunately been overthroWn before its most efficacious en gines had even began to operate. If Mr. Windharres plan bad been pet-selected in, they would now have no occasion to resort to such a measure as this. It could not but disgust the Militia Officers, who were converted into instruments fur recruiting the regular army. To be sure this was a case of emergency, and if _the roes sure bad been only temporary, he would perhaps have allowed it to pass without any thing further than a protest against the general principle; but it was held out as aperma neat neee;iire, and he must oppose - it. The Militia Officers ought to pause Ix fore they allowed their regiments to be turned into recruiting legions for the army—and every Member:ought to pause before they placed in the hands of Ministers a power of perpetual balloting.—The system could never be carried on without hallotouid thus they would be continually tinging the changes on bounty and ballot, With these few observations, which his sense of duty compelled him to make, he would leave the matter to. the House. Colonel Ducx;-:.T-r would have been very averse to this mew. sure, if he bad understood it tube a permanent one. But he hoped it was not intended to make it perpetual.' He would support the Bill as a temporary meal sre. If a .scheme of the same kind were to he proposed again, he would certainly have Serious objections to it, unless very diffetent front the present. Mr. Cki.r.s referred the Hellion:able Gentleman who spoke last to the Bill itself, to spew that it was intended for a perma nent measure. : Colonel ELLISON hoped it was not intended to render this a permatteet measure. He had the strongest objections to the ballot and tines, which were a great local oppression, throwing that burthen on a few which ought to be borne by all. The men, 'however. must be had, and he was willing to allow this Bill to pass, hi - tlm expectation tie:t there would be no occasion to have terourse to the ballot. He said that he should vote in favour of the present Bill, merely as an expeArnent. • Mr. WALUYltroliCit said, the present measure shelved, in the strongest possible maener, the danger of having at any time recourse to extraordinary methods, as in a short time they came to make pa: tof a geiieral ilstem. Ministers had only to 'say so zni:ny men :tyre wanted for the regular army, .and the measure iven;:l he recurred to of course. Nobody would ever think 'flow of urging the necessities ef the country in favour of o.ie measure., His great t,tijection Ito this measure was, that it put an end to all th e benefit naturally to be expect ed from - the plan of Mr. Wituitham , who bad such art of infusing 'his own spirit in whatever be undertook. fhe present system • was e.9stressing, and grinding in the highest degree on the • loe.ers orders. ' Mr. 'Secretary Rev ER contended that it was necessary in the 'present •situationof t w count g, that the :limy should be kept up to its great e st an d most efficient force. I - Ie wished there. fore; that i-Gentleman who . opposed the present Bill, would . ,propose some substitute - tor it which would be equally effectual. Several "..AMendieents were then read and agreed to ; and • some new clauses were brought up by Mr. Ryder, which were • also agreed to ; and after some clnversation between Mr. Giles, Mr. Babington, Mr. G. Vansittart, and Mr. Secretary Ryder * . 'the Bill was ordered to be read a third time tomorrow. SUPPLYy ORDNANCE, &c. ESTIMATES, AND BAT. "rLE OF BARROSA. . . The House having gone into a Counpitte of Supply, , r. *HILLY CooPtAt proceeded to call the atteutien of the Cormelitree to the Ordinary Estimates for the present year.. ,Tb.c.Ordinaripb were considerably greater than they litre last year, arising : principally from the transfer to this head of service of several 'articles from the Extraordinaries, particularly the Artillery Drivers, Waggon Train, &c. He concluded by mov ies, that tho sum cf l". 211/. I I 10.1. he granted to his Ma- ►NAL jesty, to defray the expence of Ordnance for his Majesty's Lead Forces for the present year. Mr. Wasnasid, that he wa; anxious to take that opportunity of saying every few words upon a subject, yielding to no other in public inteaest, and which the nature of the resolution now before them brought fairly within their consideration. He alluded to the late brilliant action fought upon the heights of Barrosa. In the debate upon the proposition of thanks to Gen. Graham, he was unwilling to divert for a moment the tide of eurogium that was flowing in from all quarters upon the distin-• guished merits of that day, by introducing any other subject than that of the British General and his British army. But was it to be endured, that "bile the British troops were performing prodigies of valour in an unequal contest, that those allies, for whose independence they-were fighting, should stand by the •cold-blooded spectators of deeds, the bare recital of which should have been enough to warm every man of them into a hero ?—(Hear I hear 1) If, indeed, they had been so many mercenaries. and bad been hired to fight for a foreign power a behalf of a foreign cause ; if they had been so many Swis h Condottieri, in that case their breach of duty, however nd-1% culpab , would have been lea unaccountable, and perhaps more excusable ; but here, where they were allies, bound to tbia country iu obligationairmter thin ever before one nation owed another—our brave Men lavishing those lives which their coun try had so muchbetter right to claim, in defence of that cause in which those allies were principals-4n such a case, tamely to look on while the contest between numbers and bravery hung in doubtful issue, this did appear to him to betray an indiffence, an apathy, which, if he could suppose it to prevail among the Spaniards, must render In his mind, the cause of Spanish inde pendence altogether hopeless. (Here .Mr. Perceval betrayed some symptoms of disapprobation.) He did not presume that such was the general sentiment in Spain, but sure he was, that what he had stated as to the conduct of the Spaniards in the action of Barrosa, was the prevalent sentiment in the public mind ; if that sentiment had been adopted 'upon false grounds, what he had said then would have this good effect, if it had no other, of giving the Right Hon. Gentleman an opportunity of setting the public right in that respect. But to put it as a Ivies- Ilion of policy, and not of gratitude, he should wish to know from those Gentlemen who thought all along with Ministers upon the question of the Spanish war, whether they continued to hope For the cordial co-operation of the Spaniards ? At Barrosa they were on Spanish ground—on the spot where they might have won the rescue of their wives and children from the bonds of a licentious enemy. When or wile e could they have had stronger motives to behave like men ? And if they hung back in such a moment, at what other could they be relied on ? Gentlemen would not, he presumed, talk of any prospect of suc cess without the co-operation of the Spaniards themselves.— They would not talk of this country conquering France in Spain in spight of Spain herself. We did not wish to libel Spun-- (Hear ! hear ! from Minis Ap.) /fie repeated that he did not. It was not of Spain as a people, I;ut of Spain as a Government, he complained. He was not :o `il . nd to history, or tie lessons affords as it to suppose a people Ns Da had produced a Pizarro, a Gonzalvo ' a Doke of Parma, Alva Dr a Berri, could voluntarily submit to be slaves ; but their misfortunes were to be traced 5., their Government—a had Civil Government and a bad Religious Government have been doing their bad work. Juntas—Juntas without number---then we had Proviional Juntas, which who were told were to do wonders. They, however, gave way to the Central Juntas, and left the wonders to be done by them.-. And lastly came the Cortes, as useless, inefficacious, and trou blesome as any of its predecessors, if not more so. They began by fulminating an ostentatious decree against some French words—excluding a few French words from their language, while 900,000 Frenchmen were in possession of their country— .and finally succeeding in driving from Spain one of her most zealous, faithful, and active adherents, the late Duke of Alber querque. After some other observations, the Honourable Gentleman concluded by asking, if it was to be endured; that such men as General Graham and his army were to be sub ject to the command of such a mau as La Penas had shewn himself to be. . Mr. PERCEVAL admitted those reasons to be satisfactory.— He agreed with the Honourable Gentleman as to the propriety of forbearanee from any, discussion upon the late Vote of Thanks. The dispatch of General Graham did not justify the Honourable Gentleman in terming the two Spanish battalioi s cold-blooded spectators. He saw no reason fur despair in the ' Spanish cause. Mr. WHITBREAD observed, that the Right Honourable Gentleman had spoken like the advocate of the Spaniards • they must be defended at all events. No matt e r b ow ! And yet what was it that was attempted to be defended ? The English army was OR the point of being sacrificed.—The Spaniards were in sight of them, within 10 minutes quick march of thcm !—• and yet whit did they t What were they t Why, Just what I I i ) ~ ■