The Statesman. — London, England, 1812-12-08 00:00:00

I I. • • . . ~~ a 1 • i ~. !r1 r••• , 1 . 1 li t : ... ?, il .., ' . • -$ A i ..) i - . : . i q i ,1 f. , 1. ; ~.! • f-, ill!! • f . . 1 , . k ' t i , \ •,: I , , , , r , , i , st ' r 4 1 ' 1 °lt , .. ~~ n I 1 l' . . 1 b I ATATFSMAN.. his command in India—the next, after his return from Copenhagen ; and six more for his unexampled feats in the l'euitisula : so that, bringing his various splendid exertions within one coop he might truly be said to have accumulated the greatest portion of national and parliamentary approbation and gra.. ..ti'utle, that ever any individual had done before. 114 1 I.srdship then enumerated the various splendid vice . ies obtained by the Noble Marquis, beginning . h possoo, in which lie had opposed to him dOuble th number of his own army, and enditig with the ev --tuentortible•virtory of Salamsect : in the course of • 'tich he had foiled and defeated all the most ce. • lebrated Marshals of France who had taken the Geld against him,—Masons, bonds (who was Mm. self an host), Ney, Victor, Matmont„ lad lastly, the King, and Jourdan. In *hurt, he had displayed, in the coarse of four years, an uninterrupted se r ies of success, unchequered with any reverses except ape o f r etreats, from which, when fairly and dia. Ipeedonstely attended to, be might, perhaps, be en. • titled to as much honour as a Military Commander, is he derive') from the proudestof his victories. It would be nimecessery for him to point out the means of rewarding military merit. Be would only advert to the means pursued by the enemy, which Wilt, in • addition to titles of honour, to give cessions of land ed properth bat did not mention this in any way as en example*, os to follow. lie wished, however, to propose a nswardf which would he hottoorableja the country lo bestowing. ma Lard Wellington 1I receirieg. The Prince Regent of Portugal had con ferred on that illustrious General the rank of Field Marshal, with the pay attached to that rank in the! Portuguese army ; which, according to the informal. , tion of an lion. Gentlemen on the Boor below him, on a former night, amounted to at least 80001. a I year; but Lord Wellington, though he accepted the I rank, had refused the emoluments attached to it, on the disinterested ground, that he was paid by his own Sovereign and country. These emoluments were, • however, reserved and set a part for some years, in hopes that Lord Wellington's delicacy might give way, and he be prevailed on to accept them; but when offered to him in a gross sum, he expressed his surprise—repeated his refusal to accept them, and begged they might be distributed among the Offirers of the Army of Portugal, who had deserved so well of their country; cot.toothog himself with accepting the honours, unconnected with emolument. In looking to the present transaction, he wished the Nouse to view it in the light of an honourable remu. . aeration by the country to Lord Wellington and his family, for the most splendid and eminent services performed by that illustrious General, and that the provision should be such as would particularly mark • the ooto4 of the llouse, and their wish to render it as particular and permanent as possible. By an acci dental ottrorreuce of cireemstances rather extraordl- • eiry, the Manor of Wellington, from which the Noble Marquis had taken his 'Me t happened to i . at present in the hands of persons nne were stilling to dispose of it; and it would be a theirehleconcur fence that it should be purchased as port of those twit's, which it was his iutention to move should con. 'Mute the remuneration of Load Wellington on the Mnt occasion. Wnder theu e ircumaSarseas, he d leave to moil* " That 100,0004 should h testi} hi the hands of Trustees, to be iced but in the purchase of lands of that value, to be settled en Lard Wellington, his heirs, and successors." On the question being put, Mr. WHITSIIF:1) KEENE rose, and passed a high enlogium on the character of Lord Wellington : be agreed to the propriety of the grant. Sir F.tANCIS BURDEFT said, that however strong the claims of Lord Wellington might be, .he could not think that they were much advanced by the advocacy - of the Noble Lord or of the !lon. Gentleman who had just sat down. The Noble Lori had dwelt, with much satisfaction, on the pe. cull tr advantages and blessings of our happy Con. stitJtiutt, under w hich such opportunities were af. forded of rewording merit ; but before taus praise was entirly acquie,ced in, there were two cousi. d. rations which presented themselves to those who were appointed the guardians of the public pro. petty—namely, the merit of the claimant in the first place, and in the second, one of not inferior/ importance, out of what fund the proposed row neratiott ought to come. On this last point he was of opinion, that while such enormous funds were ice the hands and at the disposal of Government, and the amountof taxation was so great and so complicated, as to render its collection in a great de gree impossible—while ell this was the cue, Minis. tent ought to be ashamed to apply to the public purs In the resources and the patronage they fosessecl, there was surely abundant means of re muneration ; a• d it should ho recollected, that when there was a general outcry against the num. bee of sine-tir. 'daces. the ready and constant an.: finer vtas,tluat the plat's in the lairds of Govern- • 'MN ellblettbefil to rtNiard time services performed ht . 4.1 of the public. If i4is wore the de. f firm could be no doubt that the funds acrid lig fr in those planes should be appropriated as they oeto said to bo. But there wits also another fund ou which it would have been moro becoming in Minis ters to have drawn—he meant the Droits of Admiral ty, which strictly ought to be appropriated to reward the services of Naval Officers, except where they were applied to the purpose which had been stated the other night, of indemnity in the case of American catou , es, it. the event of a Peace with that Power.— But when this fund was employed in grants to the Princes of the Blood, who did not hesitate to accept of them, and in other purposes equally foreign from their original and proper dessitotios, he then thought that it might also be found fit to apply them on the present occasion also. With respect to the conduct of the Noble Marquis who. was the subject of the present motion, the Noble Lord had told them that retreat ass no proof of demerit—unquestionably not —and there were many histances on record of late years, in which retreat had been conducted in such a manner, and under such circumstances, as placed . then. far beyond the most brilliant victoi ;—bot j this was the first time he ever heard that there was merit or glory in a most disastrous retreat Ile was not perfectly sure thatthe military hospitals had not le.ett abandoned, but from all that could be known from re t urn s, pritikte letters, 4c. there was reason to 10 twit' ti :at the losses incurred in, the retreat from Buts. gos were not much less than in that of Gets. Moore. su I Onlaillel, nv• •••• ••••• wlsr. —-•- _ or wounded had been left behind, except such as must be left in all retreats, whose lives might be en dangered by removal, and he would not hesitate tw assert, that no army erer took more time about a retreat, or executed it with less precipitation. [Bear, hear The loss had been very little, for there had only been some affairs between the advanced and rear-guards of the respective armies, and Lord Wellington himself stated that he had not been pressed in his retreat. The Honourable Baronet was not more correct in his historical statements than in his military oues, for it so happened that the Duke of Marlborough had been granted 50001. a 1 year in 1701, long before the termination of his career, and the battle of Blenheim was the first en gagement which that illustrious General had. fought. The Hon. Baronet seemed to think that 100,0001. was to be granted to Lord Wellington for the victory of tialantasica alone; but his claim was -of a more exteusive nature—it was founded on the devotion of his whole life to the service of his country- 7 -net on the achievement of one victory, however glorious and immortal in the annals of British heroism. MI claims were coeval with his , military career, and he (Mr. H.) bras sure that the Reuse and the country would agree, that of all ocoviions, this Wits the most proper , to reeogalps and reward then.—rigenr, hear!] Sir FRANCIS 111/11XPETT said a . few - *ordain Sir F. FLOOD ladled lard Wellington the Or* ~ 3 r.I ti!, LI• Lt 'II f x Kt. 4;•,#),* ~ , r - : : 7 . Lord W•lii-gton Mane Generals whom fewil Wel li ngton • •a, kit um, Marment N • • INAAINIMINPAUNAPINNIESIMIN- . [Score mormaril In sheet, i t was , perhaps, a and ;leg of . holand, and the protector of this coo ti e; fi e- rs - time. ' (s; l'au j our la ln'at' 'lie Kil; h --- --et i weskit sum : that it was a maiden grant, and oeglit wnihgohntif,orbytto.t more happy remit in one point of view, taut not try. He said the grant should have been doublere. remitter and though It did not amount to 1 to be vigorously execisted.—p lough:1-11e ap. h bye, his Lordship had . '" more ab s s plaudod the circumstance of the money hat crouned bile ' o ol i ti n te asi s o ir t e her of ; of demerit, it &feted no Wand --ng vested might well have suppnsed that for a Parliamentary claim. With regard to the bats d o of Salanianca itself, them were many military 10 land Hither than in Personality, by which meatte'eleid, wined have roused &Jain hi , tis entrance into Zia. Min of to mead reelitafloti, with *heat he had con. (be said) we mi g ht g have a Wellington House as well 'venal epanisit nation ; inged, _, e spirit of the lute erred, who were of opinions that it ought never to as il Marlboro uh House. gave to en address from tint cit y, i 1 the first nem • I ...r se Imre been fought ; and he weted like to know the ; • Mr. PRO ell EROE (in his first speech) said he rent plainly diet he expected he told . the m rood consequemes which had reed r should ~tnl front it. Then , Noble Hon . Bart , pertain onetime, than they fro m them • more ink eo • • throu h their militate/ d tail • but he that W witheespeet to the siege of Bulge/ e st was a wettest, g .e s , must sty,jj had hitherto mad e hen be afterwards advanced to the 1 weldor it was a pieessof gorA miltary conduct to .he thought the Hon. Baronet had been guilty of the gos, he might have fairly colcuiateda at tack e n i f ! lir. have attacked it, and wheelie r the failure in that in- indiscretion which he falsely charged on the Marquis possessionofthat r on e.eae : fortress ; but des dil * ' Wellington--he had made an attack stance proceeded front want of skill in Lord Wet. where there was snide regular breaches , they olo he l e e breech:— Hear hea r !]-- lied —Had lion. Baronet liugton, or from the positive command of Ministers , :no . [ ~ ,i the s, were so Icri , ll e.r . pd and seek powerful 'armies beget to press o 'eu te se " who might have desired it io he attacked, con trary : considered the subject with more &Meredith, he that it became necessary for him to fi ll u- i'll to the opinion of Lord Wellington ? Indeed, that ; might have seen, that there may be a bold advance certainly hid in the coulee of this ra back. lie General had said, in ono of his dispatches, that he ; withoutrashness,and a skilful retrest wi.:houtdisgmee. Spa in a great opportunity of tanking ruNign all.°l.de4 had little hopes of succeeding at Burgos ; and again, [Near, hear ! ] —He thought the House should cheer- , its own cause. Hecould exerts-ins in not eg et with the N he spoke of the groat bene fi t which would reselt from i ully agree to the Message of the Prince Regent.— ! Lord (Castlereagh) in the suil •' • oble ! success, as decisive of the campaign. Whatever ; Even posthumous honours were useful, and were paid I other night, put ieo the i oquy smelt he, the mouth of that gallant Co °Sleight be said upon the subject, there was us illtli3.• to the great Lord Nelson, as a stimulus to naval es-' mender, beginning with "My '' - m 4 . great genius." bat potable success, nor such brilliant advantagts, nor ertinn ;but with how much greater satisfaction should lie believed that the Noble Lord had ,• 1 ' coaeueed the , decisive consequencee, as justified any one to come .we be struck, if we could see the Nelson of the campaign with considerable military skill ; and it down te the House for remoueration. He had no army—the man whose name, like his, may become appeared by intercepted corn • : mummery' re cd wish to detract from the merit of I. wd Wellington ; the common appellative of a hero, living among us, other channels of information, that th " ll b u t he co unt not help preferring that a similar line and reaping the honeurs due to his services, in the ; Marshals th emse l ves , entertained a n e e • e e iren i c j of conduct had been pursued with respect to him as munificence, the admiration, and affection of his ' Rion of his Lordship's military skill, from c' ' '-. to the Duke of Marlborough ; for he would remind • countrymen t—Ufenr, h-or admiration, h o ped n o ill will manner to which he conducted his retr • he the House, that after the brill iant Vie- 1 0es of that would interfere to detract from that munificettee, and across the Ague& lie was convinced th at army General, the fruits of which bad not lode off s it todhelitish theembniriteg atfectiott. The II ',.to —on. Berle House, and the country at loge, were fully that the . was not until afterthe battle of Blenheim that 'these lied tolled of the distresses of the country. Be him. , that Lord Wellington had pertormee great sen si bl e which be received were bestowed upon him. self had ample opportunity of knowing them, and ; services • and and if the Crown thought p ro per miril" Ile had heard it remarked, too, of Lewd Welling- he felt as deeply for them, an d wi s hed as a r dently reward ;hem with the honour of a Marquisate, to ton, that he often got into difficalties, out of which 1 to relieve them, as any of those persons who most , House and vote h im the public would think it right toi he was extricated by the valour of his troops ; and i indulged in lamentations over them; yet he thought, I immediately the means of supporting that dignit y, as a rod of the truth of this remark, it might be with respect to those distresses, that there was a without waiting for the discussion of what mig ht be urged, that at Ciudad Rodrigo, the troops suc ceeded ' time to s p eak of them, and a time to forbear.— spared from indirect and precarious funds, theael s by storm without a breach being effected, it mode of [Hear, lunar!]—And he was sere, that tie cermet. cation of which might form a subject of distinct l e ) in. a. attack of a most destructive natur e to the assa il an t s , teal interests of the country would feel themselves' skleration on a future occasion. He did not le and which, in this instance , was attended with; insulted, if their distresses were broughtforward as the compari s o n s which had beet mid b t l e e e Ween tss as great a loss to the. British as to theenemy. The ian obstacle to the present grant. Economy, both Noble Lord and the Duke of Marlborough. lee same had occurred at Badajos, where the fortress ; ;event and private, was a necessary and steel virtue, of these illustrious Commanders hail stelicient m e . was t'ok'en Ist General Picton, by en atttck on a ; yet it could not contain in it a more noble or useful Tits of their own, upon which tleir fame night point which had been left undefended, after a con- 1 feature than well-timed generosity.—e[Heer, hear !] rest; but since the comparison had been made, sidorable waste of life in an, attempt to seemed at Lord COCHAANE did not mete to find fault he would say • that it was precisely upon pecuniary smother point. The next object was the siege of with the vote which was proposed; bat could not points that the character of the Duke of Mare Burgos, which, after several attempts to take the avoid taking this opportunity of obserdng, that in borough was vulnerable; whereas open these pet, place b' storm, was relinquished, with the loss of many j hit opinion, we should have done betterby applying the disinterestedness of Lord Wel iegton was pre valuable men and Olilcers. He eras as little Inclined I more of our attention to the attack of the coasts of redly known 'Libor, hear ri : and in those peat as any man to detract from the martial fame of Lord' the enemy, instead of conferring it tit the interior he was a troy meritorious servant of the public.-- Wellington. an d he would willingly have avoided of Spain. lt wits his intention to call the attention We were teld that some great Statesmen were some. thellitstroeuction of those topics, were it not that of the House, on some rehire day, to the gene- where to be found who would have done a great dell other Gentlemen, as little acquainted as he was with rat situation of the war In the Penitsula. Heine more in. the Peninsula, if they had been 1.. mike.— military matters chose to go into them. It wee not , convinced, however, that Lord Wellitteton had done lie (lid not wish to see those conjurors in o ffi ce, ashe his pus pose to divide the House, but he it ished for ! all that was iu his power to do, he shmsld •concur in thought that the resources of the cowetry were A i. such a delay as might give time for enquiry into the j the vote proposed. ' : retie, strained as far as they would bear in the pro. intuie and extent of the services for which so high al Mr. WIII.TBREAD said, that tattoo* on some monies of this war. The Committer of the exc h e ' reward was claimed, for on the whole, it appeared to 1 former-occations when thanks were priposed to Lord quer had, in his defence of Ministers, told the Rose lam, that the affairs of the Peninsula were in a more I Wellington, he had felt as the Hon. Baronet (Sir F. the other night, that they had Ririe stewards ef It hopeless state than ever ; and that if Lord Welling-' Burdett) had expressed to-night, a doubt whether millions on this ivar, its the last it months. eee ton had never fought the battle of Salnnetnea, nor : some further examination would not be necessary ; as he was sure that every thing confulee to Lore marched to Madrid. there would have been better' yet, on the present occasion, he felt it incumbent Wellington had been etepioyed wte judgment, (Duetted hopes of success than in any of the sanguine upon him to express his entire approbation of the he thought a vote of 100,0001. not too sleets to se. alculations in which Ministers indulged themselves, vote proposed.-6 Hear, hear! from the Minis - , ward his great services in this war. Re, theiefure, •The Hon. Baronet coo:eluded, by nsoseweethat the teriat benches:l e . conceived the present vote as entirely meowed In the grant of to sum roposed, Modest eitould be deferred till after the hoWeeei. I not involving a generals eppeobetien of the pease* and thought teat it should be given by a da r er vote. The CHAIRMAN suggested to the iton. Bart. lempaign, nor any opining , of the general situ. r Mr. CAelfeliNee &aired, ehee 9,.. Abc.../J.i.a. ,Nit the proper mode watt, to move that he should . etion of affairs in the Peninsula at this moment. an encreadinient aeon the time and a waste of t h e leave the Clair. , ; —The question was only about conferring a re. atten t ion of the House, if sifter the opieions niece. 1 Mr. ROBINSON said, that the Honourable Ha- : Ward on Lord Wellington, for great and acknowe ; red ,the the military critice ins delitered on s tat ec ronet on the present occasion, as on former ones, ! hedged military services. On a former occadon, he ; sion were to attempt to do more than to h o e had prefaced his observations be professing his en. , thought it necessary to put some questions toe Right ,fully he participated in the admiration felt at .or tire ignorance of military matters, while in the ! lion. Relation of his (Mr. W. Pole), before he , Wellington's achievements, and in a seisee of the ; midst of this avowed ignorance he indulged himself ; agreed to a Vote of Thanks; at a period subsequent ; justness of that remuneration which had been pro. very freely its military censures—the stature of Isis to that, he had not hesita t ed to ex p ress his dissent to p osed. He was inclined to concur most cordially I censures, however, skewed pretty clearly the esti. , the almost unanimous opinion of the House, for a . with the proposition, not only on those grounds motion in which he held his own military knowledge. ! Vote of Thanks on the battle of Talavera. He had which had been adverted to, particularly by aa —Pear, hear !I—ln entnneratitsg the faults at. I thought, that, upon that occasion, as the lion. ; Hon. Gentleman (Mr. Protheroe) who former! one tributed to Lord - Wellington by the great military ; Bart. (Sir F. Bordett) had expressed it to.nie,ht, Lord ; example of the acquisitions which the new Parlement authorities whom the Honourable Baronet was in the ; Wellington had got into a great scrape, but that his ' had made, but on others of a more general nature. — habit of consulting, he was erroneous its stating, that ; brave army nobly fought' him out of it. lie then, He concurred in it from a feeling, that we had within Ciudad Rodrigo nail been stormed without, for the ' however, and at all times, was ready to declare his the last few years raised ourselves to the same equali• fact was, that a breach had been effected, which inadequacy to express a decided opinion on military !ty at land, more than which we had possessed at sea, alone made the storm practicable—erleaT n —the ' operations. When, however, he had seen Lori' and that to the individual to whom we owed .his same had occurred at Badajos, and the circumstance ' Wellington's plan of retreat into Portugal developed, ' augmentation of glory and advantage, no remuners• mentioned by the Honourable Baronet of the cue- .by the subsequent retreat of Marshal Massenn, and eon could be too splendid or too generous. No man my's desertion of one part of his works, was the ; still farther confirmed and crowned by the victory of ; who looked back at wha t t our it militaryour p been in the other, which only increased thethe judgment and military skill of Lord Wel- ; views and character, but must see that tholes tits of Lord Wellington, by whose skilful as.; litigton.--r flear!)—lt had been stated, that military , the success and merits of Lord Wellingt ol rangetneut, a false attack had been 'converted into merit ofted appearee as distinguished in retreats as "we had become a military people, east the a real one—Ulcer, hear, hear q—aud notwith. !in victory. It certainly must be recollected, that' by a series of achievements, each rising shore standing the difficulties to be surnmented, and j many Generals in Europe had increased their military ; the other in grandeur, he had, although yet is the gallantry of the enemy, for that he was ready, reputation by well judged and skilful retreats. bias - ; the youth of his glory, Revive:l for himself a re to admit, the place had been carried.—EL/earsena had been highly praised by the British Cont. I nowt' equal to that of the erst Glisten% of his 'ge— ed back At Burgos also, the plates had been regularly invest- ; menders, fee his skilful retreat from Portugel; and ' [Hear, hear, hear I—Whea the House look ed, the wall had been breached and mines d eli beets ~ he had no doubt but that his master was fulls . ;to teat period at which our wareke preparations of sprung, so that no blame could attach to the gant , fled with his conduct on that ocetiehie. Marshal ' con fi ned to plaits of fortifying the Thames littered of Marquis for ally improvident wasfe of the lives of his 1 Nay, who conducted the rear-guard of the Freech drivi n g the enemy beyond the Tonnes end the If se troops. The lion. Baronet then talked of the di3-: army, on that occasion (and whom the Noble Lord they could not fail, not Merely tore'cognise in 11 asters of the late retreat, and of the hospitals being ; had spoken of as one of the Generals beaten by ; Wellington the tkcus et Womenrk, ns o ie. ell abandoned. This fact however he would venture Lord Wellington) had also gained great military"; h a d no t m orels- formed e sch lit wbich otters WI 9 ~ I- lialliir4lb r eh. iabelli displayed besiviai 0 a-tble"eiellottetrirget 4t4tmitreed emi W ittehim it/ irla Teed s same time the ' casino. lie, therefore, was not at all prepared toe but to perceive in him at the, 1 glory , led the thunder of las , say that Lord Wellington's recent retreat tarnish.; I hero, who, weilst he w i e ld ed ties of allied and ed, ki any degree, the lustre of his former Military; ,native lend, vas the tutelar get ... ' fame. Certainty, the British army had displayed con- ! dependent States, the protector of oppressed et hear, o p p re i rag e that was never surpassed, at the taking of Ciudad I prostrate Powers.—Clieur, 1, It odrigo and_ Badajos. Ile believed it could not be !picture which history would trace, for the w '' ' denied, but that the latter place was taken by Ge. e struction r ef posterity, would unite, therefore, neral Picton and his brave soldiers, contrary to any. the fi gure of the successful Cremnsantler, the atte • ttendiee a giant° <tiolation or expectation entertained by Lord Wei. butes of a beaerolctst spirit, e ... . , r t If the assault, however, had nearly i ing on. failed, influence over recovering, thouelt fallen elutes. Ai it wits not for want of breaches having been made , must admit, that by t . , he exertiott iu eitai.e. burn!' . her cot,Oitioll , a' i for there were breaches, but it was in consequence I had been enabled ens reflect on note of theie breaches being d e fended i n the most able when lionaperte's dition, though reties; 1, e,.. manner by Phaippon, and his brave garrison. The retrievable, was enntentpleted, we had not ou t s . ... llustration of the tit ter •I success, however, of those attacks, justified the. dente of this, but an 1 .. w: es conducted. le. General who ordered them ; and if there was a great principles on which the war was succour and litter:lee waste of human life in carrying those fortresses in Wellington advancing to the , ‘ ,,, te e el L -that manner, It should be considered that this waste s e' ipain--Bonaparte marching t? , the i n th e di ort of human life had, perhaps, spared a much greater R u ssia, exhibited striking t o . (5 %overe direct sl 0 sills which might otherwise have taken place in the objects by which the No empires . ..... :1, 0 1 ' i g n. (Ileac, heur!l Certainly much prnise their mutual hostility. At such a mower, when, swas due to the General, under whose command the use the language of Shah- !seam— ; ioble daring of our army had achieved those brilliant E x pectation sits in the nir . the pont. And hide. a sonto (iota nilt limn .t._ conquests. Before the brittle of Salamanca, Lord With crowns, t" re crown , iota Cell Illth . Wellington was retreating. He never had intendedrewards whiel be useless to compare rho i le to fight that battle; but after the French Marshal, it might not .. . , vest an s 4 asittOprOing if OM COOil ~ l , Maemont, had been, manoeuvring in the front of his Bonaparte wa. e eteo ments which Lo • 1" army for two dila, the very first mistake which be Wiwi, with tome Pur ti e tjulnowledgmeuts e a I made, was immeiliatety taken advantage of by I old iocton sought fo r m t A lien. Bar ‘' 1 eful country. .oes s v Wellington, and a glorious Victory obtained. The elite seal grat p e ed to be ,° wish that the sum Pre Page Lord (Lord Castlereagh) bail recapitulated the exprea I PoolDPlO , •a4 o alks;aildO P t!Nl'i‘ ,~~ •,