The National Register. — London, England, 1809-08-06 00:00:00

AUG. 6. .of the . otlieer: emploved in the R.oad of Aix, on the Pith 01 April, 1 %%ilk to have an oppo , tu lit)/ to declare the truth, on oath, cou-itkring-reports of th:tt ,ature highly injurious to the 6ervice of our country. I am also de , irous to lay before the Court t;te order.; tiv e a to the tire-,hips for their voidance, as thew s ill tend to el iii and clear some of those who eon isider that blame has boeu imputed to them. " 1 have the honour to he, Sir, " Your Mort obedient Servant, Cocult.lNE." " Admiral Sir Roger Curtis, President." .The Court was then cleared, and on our re-admission, the sen ience was passed as follows: —" The Court at , rees, that the cl ' utr.e, • that ,Admiral the Right Honourable Lord Gambier, on tlie 12th of April, the enemy s ships being then on fire,' and the signal having been made that they could be destroyed, did, fir a cOnsiderable time, neglect or delay taking effectual mea sures for destroying them,' had not been proved against the said Right Honourable Lord Gambier; but that hiS Cordship's con 'duct on that occasion, as Hell as his general conduct and pro ‘cectlings, as Commander in Chief of the Channel fleet, employ ed in Basque Roads, between the said !.7111 day of March, and the 29th day of April, 1809, was marked by zeal, judgment and ability, and an anxious attention to the welfare of his Majesty's service; and did adjudge 11135 TO BE MOST HONOURABLY ; and the said Admiral the Right Honourable Lord tiambier is hereby mot.t hot:mutably acquitted accordingly." Signed Roger Curtis ' W. Young .1. T. Duck worth W. Stanhope B. Douglas • Ceoree Campbell Gieetharn, jun. Deputy Judge Advocate of the Fleet. John Sutton John Irwin Robert Dail Edward .ttirling Dickson Richard 1). Dunn. , Sir Roger Curtis then desired Lord Gamhier's 'sword IA he banded to him, which he returued to his Lordship, with the Col low inz address : " Admiral I.ord Gambier, I have peculiar pleasure in receiv ing the command of the Court to return xnu your sword, in ihe fullest conviction that, as you have hitherto done, you w ill on All future occasions use it. fur the honour and advantaae of your country, and your own personal honour. Having so far ohe‘ed the commands of the Court, I beg you will permit me, in my individual capacity, to express to you the high gratification I Lave upon this occasion.", Lord Gambier ans wered— " I cannot sufficiently express the sense T feel of the inanr ge.roe of the Court, and beg to return thanks to you, Sir, for the obliging manner in which you have conveyed tfie sense of the Court." COMMON COUNCIL. THANKS TO COLONEL, ivAnnLc. Tuesday a Court of Common Council was held at Guildhall. The Requisition under which the Meeting was called, having been read, a letter from Mr. Dixon to the Lord Mayor was next read. Ile stated his surprise at the present motion, and also, that he had never intended to preclude Colonel Wardle fom having a full opportunity of v indicating his character. It therefore never wris his intention to bring forward the motion cf v.; hich he had given notice, until Colonel Wardle had bad sufficient time to bring to trial that which he had pledged him self to try--w hether the verdict against him, was or was i,ot obtained by perjury. The letter condoled by stating that Mr. Di yon (Mr. James Dixon) would not atterd the Court. Mr. Miller then rose, and made the motion of w hid] Mr. Icon had given notice. The object of his making the motion, 'was, that the question should now be discussed, and that the Court should not he surprised by such a sti , it ion being made, when the majority of the Members were out of town. The motion having been seconded, Alderman Gondneere rose to move an amendment to it. He knew well that the only reason why the motion was no* made, was, that it might he brought Under discussion; and as it was now regularly under discussion, he would say that nothing could be more derogatory to the dignity of that Court, than to agree in such a resolution. It was * justice due to Colonel Wardle. to - the country, and to their own consistency, to adhere to the reso lution they had formerly entered into. Colonel Wardle had, with great persevereace and infinite succeeded in making discoveries most important to the country. lie bad not beau rG ISTER. actu .ted by any private or any selfish motives, ana•bistead of :taming any private emolument by the great and useful labours he had 'undertaken for the public good, it appeared that he had even made considerable sacrifices of his private fortune to ob tain for the country di,coveries of the utmost importance. It 'vas on account of these very sactifices which he had been oblig ed to make of his private fortune, that his ehennes, or rattier the enemies of the people, wished, if tiossibl-, to destroy him. It was known; however, in.uther cases that Governinent did give reo ards to witnesses, and that priva,e individittals, in a common law suit, were often at the charge of inamtaiiiing their Witnesses. This, however, was endeavoured to he represented as a great crime in Colonel Wardle, although the gre it majori ty of the nation were perfectly convinced that time charges apinst the Duke• had been compktely proved. So far from considering that any thing hail transpired since the vote of thanks to depreciate the merit of Colonel Wardle, he conceived that the conduct of that Gentlemen since that time had in creased his claim to their thanks. Ile had stated to the House many enormous abuses in almost every department of the dime. It was found that they existed not may inahe army, but in the India House, in the Church, in the expenditure' for the 'navy, and above MI, in the traffic for seats is the House' of Comations. It was to Mr. Wardle, more than to any other man, that the country was indebted for those discoveries, and it would be like putting an extinguisher on all the lights which had been fur nished by that remarkable Investigation, now to rescind that vote of thanks which had paSsed by so great a maj wily in that Court, and with such a coincidence with the general feelings of the nation.• Colonel Wardle had. since that remarkable investi gation. stated to the House of Commons immense abuses itievery department of the public expenditure, and it was this which gztioed him so much from these in power. .To attack the system of corruption was the sure means to excite the most implacable resentment from all those who deal or participate 141 corruption. As to the Gentleman who originally gave notice of the motion (Mr. James Dixon) he had never been backward to vote presents of swords or monuments to those persons who be lunged to the party he supported. It would have been there fore more becoming in him not to cavil at the vote already past by the Court in favour of a Gentleman to w hoot the country otved the greatest obligations, but oho did not belong to that party. After a variety of similar observations, the . worthy Alderman concluded by moving a long amendment, which' was precisely to the same effect as the speech. A very long discussion took place on this amendment, which was opposed by Mr. Knox, who was replied to by Mr. Griffiths. Mr. ‘Vaithinan then rose and said, that although he could add but !bile to what had been already said, he scald not give a silent vote upon this question. He agreed with the Gentleman who had last addressed them, that the uteri tom ions conduct of Mr. Wardle. &ring the investigation, had net sidiered any deprecia tion from the cimonstances which had since taken place. On the Contrary, he had sines that time pointed out totter abuses which the country expected to see redressed. As to the attack, of the morality of Mr. Wardle, in contesting a tradesman's he thought that it Eould not lessen the merit of his public coo duct. At the time that the Court pa-sed the Vote of Thanks, he believed that it was the general opinion, the opinion Of tnat Court, and it certainly was his otvn opinion, that th-o-e haft he a connexion of another nature between Colonel Wendt. and Nlr-. Clarke ; and although such a connexion %mild havt• Oven criminal, and reprehensible on the pkrouna of morality, yet he believed at that time, that there was not a Member of the Court, who thought that was a sufficient reason to 0 I to the Vote of Thanks. If Mr. Wardle had paid her tWice as in ch money oa aoc , nift of an immoral connection, not it ord a nolo 114ve been said about it ; but now that it appeared teat .thr money he ex pended 1111 her, or made himself liable to upon her account, was expended far thegratifiention of sensual Appetites, lint merely for the good of his country, the ad vacates of corruptionael up an outcry against a principle which they did hot understand, of a man expending his Own money for the purpose of rendering, service to his country. He certainly ould allow that it nos his opinion, that men who stepped forward as public cioti . acters should be most particularly attentive to their conduct iu private life, as that was a handle which their enemies could at alt braes seize for the purpOse of destroying ahem. A very long and desultory discussion took place on the manner in which the question should be put. The impropr iety of re* sounding the Vote appeared universally admitted. The numbers were—For the Resolution, 3 Aldermen, 54 Commoners, 2 Tellers, total 59.—Against it, 1 Alderman. 54 Commoners, 2 Tellers,. total 51.---Majority 5-6 - . . THE NAT NA L 0 . •