The National Register. — London, England, 1811-04-14 00:00:00

THE NAtIONALR,EGISTER-. r2rN fluence on the ComMittee. It would be right that Portugal and the world should know the superiority of the British character aver the character of th a t enemy t h at unceasingly calunmiates this country. As to the calumnies which that enemy had, vi p tured to throw out with respect to the military chOracter of the •eoutitry, those had been sufficiently removed by th e Many glo rious victories . which had been gained over him by land as well Ss by sea. I he enemy, however, ven t ure d to aceuse t hi s nat i on of barbarity, andto speak of his own h u m ane an d merc if u l con duct to those nations which were committed to his sway. lb the addres . s. published by Massen a at Ci u d a d R o d r i go, there are the following assertions; 66 England deceiv e s you res p ect i ng t h e issue of a campaign in which she seems determined to run no risk. The great Napoleon bas sent his armies to relieve you.— The powerful Sovereign, whose laws, strength, and genius, re ceive the grateful praises of so many nations, wishes to establish your prosperity. Put yourselves under hi s protection. Remain quiet ars your habitations ; attend to your domestic affairs : and consider those only as your enemies, who excite you Ito a war, by every event of whi c h y our country must soften"— The Portuguese have already sufficiently experienced the humanity of Massena and his army ; and it was nothing but right that they should perceive the great difference of national character between their allies and their invaders. How often had the Maniteur held out to Europe, "that the English were good for nothing as allies to any country—that they laid waste all the districts which they occupied; while, on the contrary, in all those countries which were occupied by French troops, the warehouses were secure, and the'shops were open as in times of prof3und peace." Such was the contrast which the 41Ioniteur was pleased to draw of the characters of the two nations. The statement of the French General Foy, as inserted ih the Manitear, says, " the conduct of the English is incon ceivable : they have entirely laid waste, burnt, and destroyed, seventy leagues of territory; a circumstance Bich chews to the Continent—the fate it would experience, if they should ever obtain any infltu there. Por: ugal has been treated like Ben gal, after the Indian fashion." Such were the accusations that the enemy ventured to make against us; but he tnisted that the Portuguese nation were already firmly convinced of the false hood Of those assertions; and that they would have still farther cause to saupreciate. I be superiority of our character and conduct. As to .the conduct of the French upop their retreat, it has been deadribed,liy Lord Wellington.ip • the following manner : " I am concerned to be obliged to state, that their conduct throughout this retreat has been marked. by a barbarity seldom equalled, and never surpassed. Even in the towns of Torn s Novas and Thomat, in which the head-quarters of some of the corps had been for some months, and in which the inba'sitants had been induced by promises of good treatment to remain, they were plundered, and many of their houses destroyed, on the night the enemy removed from their position. The con vent of Alcobara was burnt by orders from the French head quarters. The Bishop's palace, and the whole town of Leyria, ih which General Drouit Ifad his hea&quarters, shared the settle fate; and . there is not an inhabitant in the country of any class or description who had any dealings or communication with the French army, who had slot reason to repent it and complain of them. This is the mode in have the promises have been perforated, and the assurances have been fulfilled, which were held out in, the proclamation of the French Commander in Chief, in which lie told the inhabitants of Portugal, that he was nut come to make war upon them, but with a powerful army of 110,000 men to drive the English into the sea. It is to be hoped, that the example of what has occurred in this coon try, will teach the-people of this and of every other nation, what . value they ought to place on such promises and assurances." Such wiiittheboaiited humanity of the enemy. The humanity of the British nation, however, should lie shewn, not in pro fessions, but in affording relief. He conceived, that whatever might be the result of the military operations now carrAig on in the Penittsula, whether (as he hoped) the retreat of the French army from Portugal was final, and the independente of that country now perfectly assured, or whether France should he AO to retie 7 W thi invasion, and deluge that country with htindreds of thousands, in either case he thought it would not only be right, but for the interest of this country and of Eu rope, that the superior generosity of the British national cha racter should be perfectly known and , duly appreciated, in or der that other nations may repose in this country that eonhdence to which she is entitled. There was also another point of view in which it apppeared to him that we should agree to Rlns grant. It would be right tO express the gratitude we feel to that saper iatending Providence which had lately bestowed signal suc cess on our arms. Without presumption, he thought we might conceive that an act of national benevolence, such as this, would be pleasing hi his sight; to whoise support we trust for the final success of• our exertions-in delivering our allies from the dread ful yoke which the enemy is preparing for them, apd foram sting security and huppitiest of our country. With all these considerations pressing on hip mind, he thonght the only cen sure he should expo , e LiniselE to iu thi motion he had to sub mit, was from the grant he had to propose appettring . too strait 19r the exigency, and fox the sympathy which this country tkelo for the distresses which Portugal is now suffering from hor tkle• lity to the common cause. It was neceisary, however, to take all the circ , unstances of this country as well as of Portugal into the Most serious and ttinperate consideration; and when the great expenditure of the country was taken into vie.v, wiieb must make ua feel the full value of every additional sum which we grant, he hoped there would he no opposition to the resolu tion which he' had to p r opos e , " th a t a su m not riceetling one hundred thousand pounds, should be granted to his Majesty, for the purpose of affording relief to the inhabitants of certaih districts in Portugal."—After the Chancellor of tlie Exchequar had finished, t :ere were loud cries of hear / hair ! from all parts of the House. Mr. PONSONTIr rose to second the motion. In most of the observations which had been mac!t. by the ktight. honourable Gentleman he entirelyacretd, and in the proposed grant.he most cheerfully concurred. it was due to the spirit of Portu gal, to the magnanimity of Grrat Brit ain, and tErtbepermanent; inter,•Sts of Great 13ritain, and els the permanent interests of both countries. The•unly this:,; which he .had to regrvt was, that from the great expenditure of the country, the grant WlB necessarily limited to so small a sum. The resolution was then passed nem-con. and the report of the Committee of Supply was or - de i ced to be received to-mor row. The CitANcer.toit of the Rxci►rquiß then moved, that an Address abouh.l b►• presented to the Plinee Regt•ut, praying him to order a copy of the letter of I.urd Wetimr:c•i of the 27th of October, to be laid bef)rc the House, %ilich was or• tiered accordingly.--Adjourned. • -- "7" TlltmsDAY, APRIL 11. .‘ The Distillery Pill was read, a third time, anapassed. Mr. Hog N it rose for the put - pose it putting the House in possession of the nature of the resolutimis hr should propose on. the discussion of the Bullion Report. The order which appeared to him to be most advio•ah:r was this: first, to the law and custom as to the standard yak': of money ; second, the Oevia tions from that law which had taken place; third, the czuses of these deviations. He shoull then propufir two resolutions, of fact, and another of opihion, Ls ta what appeared to the Com mitter, last Session, to be the state of the foreign exchange; anti he should next propose the remedy, which• was the resumption of payments in gold or silver, according to the rates v iix',4l by Act of Parliament ur by Proclamation, within the period of two years, as recommended in the Million Report. DOLLARS. Mr. MANNING rose to state. that the Pan% were now stamp ing a very considerable number of dAlars, which would be issued in about a lt•rtnight, at U. ed. each. Those - persons. therefore, 'would find theiwelves much nlistakeu who expected to gain any thing by withholding .doUars fryni .circulation. He thought it right to state it i!ow, that a wrong impression should not remain ori . the.public mind during the recess.—Adjuurnedto Monday se'nnight. • • • REPORT OF THE QUEENS COUNCIL. Mr. RYD k R presented at the liar of the House a Copy.of *ls Communication road • Dv her Majesty's Council to the Presicleut of his Maje. - ty'y Privy Council, respectitrg the state of his Ma jesty's health. • The Report was then read. It was to the following pur- • pOrt Queen's Lodge:Windsor, April 0, 1811. • raxstrrr, , Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Eldon, Archbishop of York, I.ord Ellenborough, Earl of \l'inchelsoa, Sir I'Vrn. Grant, Earl of .AylestOssi, (The Duke of Montrose being absent ou account of indispo sition). We, the Members of the Commit here present, appointed to assist her Majesty in the execut;on of the•truit comniitted to her Majesty, by virtue of the Statute passed in the 5l st year of his Majesty's Reign, intituled " An Act to provide for the Ad ' ministration of the Royal Authority, and for the care of his Ma; j:•sty's Royal Person (luring the continuance of his Majesty's, illness, and for ..the resunivtion of the exercise of the Royal Authority by his Majesty,' having called before us, and exa mined on oath the Physicians, and othe: persons attendant coin his Majesty, and having ascertained the state of his Malesty's Health by such other ways and means as appeared to us to b. necessary for that purpose—do hereby declare the State of his Majesty s Hea'th at the time of this our meeting as follows, viz. 1 hat the indirpoyslticon with which his Majesty was afflicted at the time of the passing of the siid Act, does still so far exist.