The National Register. — London, England, 1812-01-12 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTER. 02- I. , rdship then moved .an•amendment, That after the word " that" the remaining part of the motion should he taken away, for the purpose of suls.tituting an Address,, which was, an echo of the Prince Regent's Speech. Mr Vvsz seconded the motion. Mr. WorreittAn said, that though there were many observati ns of the Him. ;:arotiet with which he concurred, there were many topics which in his opinion might bore been better reserved for another occa si•n, and many upon which he was not then competent to decide. He to refgre could. tint vote for the Address or the Amendment. 'rile AT roan tie GENERAL spoke in. justification of the conduct of Lord F.llanborough. h t. tepresented that the lion. Baronet had iniscon • teived the principle upon which his Lordship had acted towards Mr. His Lordship-had advised him to keep back his evidence until 14..: should plead in mitiution of judgment, as he was conscious that it would be of no uss in jus:ificatio.i. sir Ftwaoty Buttpurr - said, that it must have been rather difficult for Lord Elletiborough to form an opinion of the efficacy of Mr. White's . •evVence, before he had known what that evi tence was. •Mr. PoraioNav differed from many parts of both motions. With re- Spect to Spain and Po:tugal, he would not pledge himself to go so far as to voseurippiies to welt an extent as Minister , should think lit; but be woad he the last to•withhold what was necessary for the support of tile war and the honour .of the British arms. Our armies were, he was s‘rrry to say, though in smaller enterprizes generally successful, yet in lar4er t ngagements singularly unfortunate. With respect to the state of our relations with the United States of America. he was happy that the afftir of th.- Chesapeake was so amicab y adjusted ; and as negoci itions were -till pending, and t4erta was some expression stating the probability ty a final settlement with that country, he would make no further obser- Vat ion upon the subject. '1 he most important topic of all was Ireland, of fetet*.moment to Great Britain than the Peiti.isula and the United yet the Speech scarcely mentioned it. To secure the itirec . •sf the people of Ireland, to strengliten Great Britain by the liar • - trirm'y of ail its parts, should be the first act. The attliirs of that country wt re t..y • u , h, that a solemn enquiry into its situation was indispen slley hec ssary. It would be seen that enrancipatfon alone could render isef wi,;it she ought to b • to England. Mr. PERCEVAL replied to Mr. Ponsonby in a short speech. Nlr. W Hernia F. AD explained. Mr. BIODULPH spoke in favour of the :;panisli cause. After. which the House divided upon Sir tra.;cis Burdett's motion, when there appeared—i.or the ittotion 1; against it ,23P.—Majority, U 37. Lord iOCF.LYN'S motion was then carried without a division.-s-Ad inttrued. ~- ""~. L. lIEZDNESDAY, JAN. 8. Mr. Secretary RYDER gave notice of his intention to move. to-mor row, that the Report of the Address to his ROyal Highness the Prime Itegent shoUlci he brought up. Mr. Witta•aaziso r. se to express his belief that the House could not s:zrte as to the propriety of any part of the Address, except that in evisieb. luliusiacie yet just praise was bestowed on the merits of his k6y.d fligisne;s, in the exercise of the high powers with which he was ii.i..zu, , ..1,e. ; the devoted valour of his Nlajeay s troops, and the skill and Split eV:h:cif by their leaders, particula• ly in the hue splendid achieve -I;:ent. of General lilil.—L ,rd Wellington. too 'was entitled to all the p.ineygeris, of whi,:h he had been made the object; but-while he was wll:in,z to acknowledge all this, he would nut date to hold out to his Illyal Hight - se-a, er to the nation, any very singuine hopes Of our tilti r4.te 4ticcess in the Peninsula. The French -were actually in what tn4ht.be termed military posstssion of the country. Tarragona and other john sees of importance had fallen, Ailileida had been destroyed, Valencia was inves!ed, and we had little r.ason to suppose that place vspabi of sustaining h protracted siege. It would, also, be right that s'. shou•d know what was the state ut effairt between the Government Of Casliz and she people of Seavish America. There were other mat t-irs, too, which the licaNe would, he hoped, consider as proper objects .4 in : airy. Weat was tint state of our army ? 'Were its tanks full? and ifia. a . , was there a fair pro pect of kr, ping up its strength ? He now 4.0 - ie. to ...-ssi.er part us Atli. Address, of which he could nit too strongly Oxp-rei s s . tire d.sapprohation, ii was tbi..t part which met the declaration $ . is s Roy al digheeka's speech, that the negotiations' with ..tnerica were cop-o&. J. in the same conciliatory spirit in which they bed begun. As e.l: as w..atis• could ,e,q, a smooch surface was giten to afthirs, and we w.ae sizen to hetieve that i system of conciliation WAS pursued with respeCt W .-Anierica. BUt it would be recollected, that he a:.d other 1 1 . ?cr ous on that pule of the House, had freslististly dlnotinced the mea wires ad ytud with respect to that country, they •had maintained, and 101ely . ma : ..t.ancd, that - t•,ey Were calculated to liriiiitite a 4var between Ili‘: c.v . ,- con tries. but renmostrance was in vain ; and iff4lie teeth of it were devise' omit! notable sehern s which Were now an the eve of . Ins:-.ing kii .iri.• 1 Lhe•alty . of France., :rid the• en my of England. The A-ner:raiis. )1... i t s" ~ oleishe 4 the diplomatic ccserespondente thir:ogli the i . 1 . 7 , . I ti ~..,..i um 0 . : ,-t 17..,i: j;lr v ‘ rteresrs' of the'tweffttiOns V ere Ealflu:; , ..d; anii. - it •. n j. ktkit o tsp4eci....that if the 'system aillpted• hy 41inisters,- 44 y:..1 iit • . Lef4.l , ise-.irXWVV.• theitgetteral . ,systeni, it we .lit tv.i wholly o,'ti' .it.poldp ., 4li4:»iiiikfo4:tne li?lin of tl:2 State, We stimild ii.! . • i ii4oq . 4* ... II ~- t . 0.. . , ~ ..r., • ;r9k ‘.t,• H.: es as h - pme, however, that the efs.n; 44:01a.;;Ca4:41si.ea:k.'44.4"bzeip adjusted, and it wouid indeed be fit • •-;--., 7 ' •. V., ,, ii - e• -.." '..:-• ;:.0 . . !' *"... .. ....... 4. .7. 0 ,, 4 - • :!.. 1 . :1. .... , ..-... 4 - - • - • . . ... • . JAN. lo • sui - ject for congratulation, were it• the only point m dispute. He alt o . gether differed with the Noble Lord, that we could never make peace with the present Ruler of France; but was not this a strange principl e to seek to establish ? In no time hod the personal character of the Ruler of a Nation been made a ground for war between two nations. For his own part, he would have no more objection to enter into. a negotiation with the French Emperor than with one of the Bourbons, were they still in possession of the throne of France. The principle of the Noble Lord, if generally received, would involve the world in a state of ever. lasting war. The Noble Lord had exulted in the wi s h of Buotiap. for "Ships, Colonies, and Commerce" being frustrated. He could oat unite in such exultation ; on the contrary, he wished to God, that-Franc e had ship:, had colonies, had commerce, and then there would be a better means for the absorption of a spirit which now found vent in the in fliction of misery upon the human race. Lord JocaevN and Mr. WHITBREAD explained. The CHANCLLLOR of the EXCHEQUER said, that if the Hon. Gentle. man indeed wished that Buonaparte wac possessed of " Ships, Colonies, and Commerce," (and the solemnity of h a manners aff:irdea res.,on to I suppose that his aspiration was sincere, as it was devout), then there was an easy mode of accounting for his hostility to measures which were planned with the view of wi:hholding from our enemy those advantag es by sighed for. Events did not answer the proplaectes of the Hon. Gen tleman; but nothing daunted by this, he resumed his task with omo vated alacrity. The same ills were contemplated, and apprehensions rested on the same basis, the power and resources of krance. lie could, with truth say, if he were permitted to parody a trite couplet, 46 You rend the web of prophecy in vain, The prophet's at his dirty work agaiii." We were now told that France had adopted a policy which must, of ne cessity, terminate in our destruction. It was better for her that the contest in the Peninsula should be prat-acted, that we might on that fatal soil waste our resources, and remain, after the conquest of it wee in due time completed, an easy prey for the victor. But could any ore he found so credulous as to believe that this was any thing more than a specious cloak to the mortification of disappointment and defeat ? Could the Hon. Gentleman himself believe that nunnaparte had not urged the conquest of the Peninsula to the utmost of his power, and that the want of success had not filled his atrocious spirit with confusion, vexation, and disappointment ? He had not accomplished the conquest to which he had sprung with such ardour ; not because he had relaxed in that ardour,Lut because the resources of the unfortunate countrf submitted to his sway did not supply the meares.,-(Hear !)-fate contest had now arrived at a stage which would warrant the hope, that the oppressor ' would find, in the scene of his worst treachery, the grave of his ambition. —( hear !)—But the Hon. Gentleman hart affirmed, that the French had oatained military possession of the country : he did not pros Tess himself able exactly to define what would conoitute military posses sion, but he had formed a general notion on the subject, and he must confess it was widely different from that which the Hon. Gentleman seemed to entertain. Could it be called military possession of a country when, as we overcame opposition us front, the enemy rose in our rcir with re, united energies, and an augmented spirit of resistance ? This was the case in Spain, where the patriotism of the people was aroused in just proportion to the cruelty and rapacity of their oppressors. Their spirit had been shown not ao much in restating attack as in surviving defeat; and no unprejudiced person, who has sufficiently attended to this circumstance, could, so far from despairing,' fail to cherish very ardent hour as to the ultimate event of the contest. With respect to the state of affairs between Spain and her Colonies, he was free to state that it was not such as were to be wished, hut he hoped that a mutual spirit of conciliation would yet arise. We had exhibited every inclina tion to become effectual mediators, and produce an union in Clip eon:- mon cause. The Honourable Gentleman had said he would be glad to have some information from the .Ministers of the Prince Regent, with respect to the state of the military force of this country. He (the Chan cellor of the Exchecpter) was happy he had it in his power to state that whin be thouelit w •tl:d be extr•rnely -. - onsolatory to the Hon. Gentle ' man, that not w itlibt And i! ig the waste and exhaustion to which he allud ed, a;ld whiah he seemed to ineig.ne much greater than really was the 1 case, the British Army was not less than ten thousand men stronger at 1 the pres. nt ino:nent than it was at this period last year.—(lfetir, hear I) I —The Hon. Gent. Coen adverted to another subject, which, in point 4 :f raal importance, far exceeded the oth r topics of his. speech, namely, tlas I state of the negotiation between this country and that of America. — As long as the House admitted the policy of staving off the catastrophe of a war with Ainarica, so bang did he conceive would they allow the j policy of It:Musters not suffering themselves to be drawn into a discus ! sioo, the effect of which would only be to lay open these plans and their objects, without the possibility of being attend d with any one benefi cial result. "l'o put Government upon its trial n.ea, would be at once to irnoede that happy issue, whicn there was every reason to exotct would he the effect ul the existing negotiations. With r .soact to the policy of Great Britain towards A'aerica, which had bat!: so muck reviled by the Hon. Gentleman, he would only appeal to the experience and obser vation of the House, whether it wa- p issibtr fur this country to have submitted to more than she had during the' recent occurrence, --( Her , I hear !) — With reference to the personal ch.-ract , r of Buoriap.i.te, he I was. giad his noble Friend had set (illus.:11 right ki n that subject. He cut:id not conceive that the personal character of Zacoaparte, or any