The National Register. — London, England, 1812-12-06 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTER. EC. G. was sure, be equ Ily satisfactory to the House, when they censidered the state in which they were, about the period of the end of the last" session of Parliament. What they reflected on the condition of some efthecounties at that time, they would be inclined to Oak that his Majesty't Ministers had a very. difficult lade to perform, and would agree ha what had been so ah!y stated by the Noble Mover and Hon. eecoetter of the Address, ilea there was great ause tor congratulation in the termination of those diffieulties, by the means which Pas meet had provided, although calculated to repress the system of insub oreination that then unhappily existed. Ile. begged to assure the Right Hon. Gentleman and the House, that Ministers would not be I inclined to rebut any censure that might be applied to them, on the ground of relaxation in their effrrts to carry on roost vigorously the war io Spain—there jiad been no relaxation on their parts—neither hid they neglected any means by which it was possible for them, by reatious provisions, to obtain po s sessi o n o f a g reater dis p oseable force. - He begged leave to caution the House ag tinst being led to expect too much 'from successes, or to despair at reverses, even though they might be such as Oat ed the allied threes in the lines at TorresVedras. When the House reflected that at the commencement of the cam paign; 'the French force on the Peninsula amounted to ', , .00,003 men, h which was perhaps reduced by detachments sent to the North to la.),000, at the periad of the battle of Salaenenca, they would be in clined in take a different and mere correct view t the subject. 'f hey would observe that such a force , when spread aver the face of Spain, might maintain the possession of the country, by keeping d'wn t he . spirit of its population; which t hey were now unable to do when col lected into two great masse;. He could assure them, that Lore Wel lington had 'received supelies and reinforcements to a greater extent than ever. In the course of last year. 20,000 men had been sent to join him, and lie (Lout G.) should he able to centered, that though i;ree reinforcements had not erriecd since the battle o Salamanca, des areet fv,m the impos.ibility of sending men sooner than had been (tune. lie agreed that the aid to Russia ought to be given in Spain ;. aid he was also ready to admit, that its the North• opened prospects at greater siteress, insomuch ought they to make more streouous efforts en the Peninsula. With respect to the war in the North, the Right Gentlemah had laid what was necessary for him to a evert to, her) a narrower compass, as he had not made any charge in so fir as Russia was colleen:el. He and all the world Intake feel. and none felt it inure than the illustrious person at the head of that vast Empire, who was so likely to mei orate the destinies of the world, that it was not to be expected hem this country to, make larger sacrifices, or in other quarters, than those in which she was engaged. That great Monarch did hot call on us fa pecuniary support. He said, " you are fightieg my cause, and the cause of the world in Spain, and ,hare it is that sour (Witte will be most available and eflicacieus."•H is Im perial Majesty .felt this. to be the common policy in the common. cause, and instead of boking to uefor aid, be has looked to a far starer. add nobler source—he has lecked to the patriotism, the liberality, the (inbound:el liherality, the spirit, and the loyalti• of his people. to uphold him in the great struggle for independence; in which he is &gaged, and to us he has looked for the elnctual carrying on of the contest in Spain-. It the ex •rtions ofSweden, necessarily steelier then those of R ussia, had reu eired the pecuniary aid 'of this country, to cause a diversion in the tear of the French armies, Ministers wrntld, have been ready to have assisted her operations to that t weet. He declined entering further into this matter at present. France leo! reemnited aft unqualified aggression on the Swedish Mn: arcilYi which hid as yet barn only in t by a somewhat qualified resistance. Wh a t w er e the motives for collecting the force upon her coasts, it wntild not be expected for him to explain ; but it would be seen reit!' a feeling of hope and exultation. that between these great Northern Powers, for they were b nth weal, our of their late centention, which had led to the dismemberment of the province of Finland from • Sweden :—ont of that contention a system had arisen, which happily had net prevented their being linked together in the bonds of the closest friendship and alliance. This fact apneered to be obvious frqpn the very commencement of the campaien. when it teas cease to Perceive that a perfect understanding existed between the countries. It was evident that Russia reposed conli :ence in Swede lam the witUrawal of the mass of trooes in cantonments in Finland. But these who were not satisti with this demonstration of friendship, must have every apprehension relieved by the personal interview at Al), after which cighteen thousand men from the port el Swinburah were chspatchel to itiga, where they arrive. 4 in time to join General Vat ittgeusteitt at the critical period which enabled him to turn the - scale of the war in that quarter, ant defeat the object of the enemy's right wine. He might also be permitted to say, that if there had not been any actual military exertion on the part of Sweden, vet that much benefit heed been reaped front the p ~tore which she assumed. Russia hal a well.tounded confilence in the amity of Seoe'en, and the demonstration made by the latter power, had ra , aivsed co,o!)0 ref 1112 e eny's force. With respect to America—on this branch he had ae a !did .teal task of explaoation imposed upon him, from the Right Hon. Gentleman's assuming too much in point of fact, which he was compelled to deny. He agreed with him, that in ir c , ciatioo too much forbearance had been shewn towards America; and had this not been se, he could not believe Ministers would stand so well with the House and the country as they would do if they had not :hewn (what ever AUICTILC3 did) that they were most unwilling to depart from old principles and ratlines. (Hear, belt, hear t) But lie denic.t their th sear, after it 'nil been commenced, was carried on with greater for bearance than was inaiseensablyhadopted from a consideration of the other tomcats ia which the nation was unhappily engaged.• Neither the House nor the Right Hon. Gentleman were to learn, that though we were actually at war with America, yet that negociations had not .hselthely terminated. A mission had been entrusted to Admiral Warren, and a proposition subs jute, by him to the American Go- - vetoment. to which no answer had been received up to this day. This proposition was intended :o have been mart through Mr. Foster, but as he had lett the country lactose the dispatch arrived, the huainess hod of necessity devolved upon the Admiral on the station. Under these circumstances, waiting for the reply of the American Govern talent (thought he did not meat by this to lead the House to any san guine expectation as to the result,) he was sure the House would feel that Ministers would have more coesulted their feelings than their judgments, had they hastily put forth the answer they telt themselves so competent to give to the assertions and claims of America. The Right Hon. Gentleman had touched upon oee or two other .points which required little notice. Ir was true, as he stand, that the Bri tish Government had never endeavoured to force, through neutrals, their manufactures into France. With regard to the mission, he did not think it necessery that- Ministers should publish any disavowal of it now. They had disavowed it in their places in Parliament, as the Right Hon. Gentleman had done tonight, and, like hinr; declared they ;lever knew of it until published by the American Government. That the lion. Gentleman opposite ( Mr. Whitbread) had not pursued his chasge upon it with greeter e a gerness, was a pretty strong proof that no blame could he thrown on Ministers on that account ; and I besides all this. he had to assure the Right Hon. Gentleman, that Government had disavowed it to the American Cabinet, to satisfy whom they h;:1 sent over all the papers they were acquainted with on the sulaject. In Russia the spirit of desperate opposition to our enemy's aggressiors was, as noticed in the Speech, unparalleled in history. The peva is of that country had been spoken tan barba rians, and as being a century behind other oations in civilization, but could they find in any country a . resistance to itivasian equal to that glorious spirit which was now diaplayed, fir ing every rat.k and descrip tion of men in the vast R it-siut Empire ? Nor wet it for course alone 6..0 the Peisalans had shone con-Tic:nous during this contest.; that heroic valour for we kit ths e : ware famed on ibriner occasions was one now their only praise. The -military councils and skill of the Comm:milers also shone ere -eminently ; and th . whole conduct of the centeeien proved them to he equal to he most difficult situations 'Ma Irving emer e eneies. The interests cf tl:is people were new identified with our own in the most gratifying manner, by their fleets appanachirg our herhoura-ean aciinn which taas calculated to .make the French fief Ow even the less of another capital would not involve the loss of ti cir fleet, or he censidet cal any mere than the former as the loss of the come rv. In this -the Emperor Alexander had shown a glorious eeample eiwilat a Monarch ought to be, and the true peliey of a MOnarch, wilich, had it kern acted liven by others, Europe would not h lee hen is it epre , ent state. lie had not placed his streneth in a capital city, but truved to the spirit of hie cottatry for the pledge t• statol by hiin, ;red repel the invaders, and in this he had not hesn disappointed. hlr. WHIT.II rti An loeked upon the Treaty, which the Noble Loot mentioned as now going on whh America, to be merely a pretext. it behoved M ilisters to pause hot ire they ex tilted et n hat they called the preposterous slat -of our RthiCS. I t W.li a rite, as an hon. Gentleman whi spoke b. fire had said, too true, that thane are three wars in which we are . epAiged ; yet W. Were.: now in a proud situation. I n the 'bird of these WaN we stand alone. It was a !inlet disaatoola war, and one which was likely to cut the very sinews by which we • should assist our other wars ; yet this %yes a time at which we were to ( x nit.- The Noble Enid had compared the. retreat of K3lltt:SC , fr to that of Moreau, but did not recelle. t !lie situathm it the two Gene - ens. Metcalf re;reated through a hostile country, wt- iah h e b e d cenqttered ; reentuaoti'reereated into his I,Wn crantri , the rest:men of which were at his coin:need. It was meetionerl that we le e , oe .. felted the oicericans, but no to-noon was trtede . of the lase of the Guerriere and another ah;p, and ye t this was a tine to exult. In his veto - last dispatch, l.ord Welneeten saes, that, to his r eg r et, h e h as heen . obliged io abandoo ae object which eareile have gone tar to M ratt ter- Imate the war ; he has been pued by the French Army, and yet this was a time to exult. Because ll(3 , i.'!%artz. has been ob.iged in . Russia to retreat, althnegh his power is I y no eteans annihilated ; are we on this account to think ours •hoo . r rum pliant ? We have been foiled in our ohject in one pee c and tVe Emperor of irance in another ; therefore this is a time wl en it would be both dieniiied aid Proper try arrange terms for an hersiurable peace. Notwithstanding the spieneid atelii• vementa of our antic ie Spain, we Are now as far as I ever from the expulsion of the French firm the. Peninsula. • Although by an unexoected event the rojeets of Beonapene have been Heeled, yet fran. his consurronate skill end expel i :need velour of his troops., we canoot expect that Eia rev naes will be more teen tetoporary and void. For th•• sake of suaerieg humarity—f -r the sake of our country, and to give Spain au cpportunity of establiaiiin); a govern. ment, he was most anxt tor that an endeavour to obtain peace sheuid be made. The Hen. Genie !lan then read se . long A sLendincia, in ' which these topics were inscrtel, whiedt he thought . u . ;ht fict ,o be cc. the leen !Vt.f or 1 bltef war , uld ti6a ig:it been Light t we :tion DLIII. ; a nd ftbe ,o t•e e for .~ I