The Statesman. — London, England, 1812-01-11 00:00:00

I a a_`4l# 11 , i , -- IMPERLit PARLIAMENT. ROUSE OF LORDS, J*i. 10. The Earl of LIVERPOOL, adverting to Ike motion sub mitted yesterdayby Lord Lauderdale, respecting the Note.' is sued by the Governor and Company of the Bank of England, mo%ed that, in addition to that so agreed to yesterday, there should also be produced an account of suchJIMCS as were issued in the year 15409, which were agreed to. SUCCESSES IN TILE EAST INDIES. The Earl of LI Nri-At.PooL, pursuant to the notice that he gave, presented Mauer to their Lordships' attention, for the put 41: . .iiosiaig the Trunks of that HouNie to Lord Tinto, Goyertior-general of India ; to Sir Samuel Auchmuty, and to the Of and- Forces employed in the successes obtained by his Majesty's arms in the Indian seas. The liar' of NI OIRA concurred in every sentiment expressed by the Noble Secretary of State, as far as they were applied to the distinguished persons whom he mentioned, but he differed with 'Jim in principle re-pre km a colonial warfare. 'De Earl of BUCK INGII.I XISRIRE acknowledged the eminent services of Lord Minus, the Generals, Officers, and 'Millen in tie Expeditions, and also agreed to the motion. Lord 13REN VI LLE expressed himself to the same effect, and com,,linveoted Lord Liverpool for the manner in which he spoke of Lord Mime& Tile motion was agreed to new. cox. • Lord !.IVERPOOL moved successively, the Thanks of the House to Sir Samuel Auchnmtv, Lb-tummy—General Aber crombie, Lieutenant-General ward, the Admirals Stoeford and 11.— I, v. and to all the Officers under them; which were agreed viship next moved the acknowledgments of the House to la.: gallantry Yt the Non-commissioned Officers and Privates in the era! I lzpeditions, ..uld to the Warrant Officers and Sea men emelosed to them, which were also agreed to. Adjourned to Monday. HOUS4 OF COMMONS, .1.104. 10. NIGHTLY WATCH. An rose, in pursuance of his Rotici of a motion relative to a Committee to take into conside ration the Nightly Watch ; but observed, that it would &tile:proper to enter into a discussion of this subject while so many Members, who were best ac quainted with it, were absent at the Quarter Ses sions: he should, therefore,, postpone his motion till Friday rice, and conceived that there would be no apprehensions of danger from this delay, since the late disorders had produced increased vigilance oh the part of the Magistrates. The House, on the motion of Mr. WHARTON, resolved it self Won Committee on the Coal-trade Bill, which was read a second tine, and ordered to he committed on Monday next. The llo•tse resolved itself into a Committee of Supply, when n Resolution was adopted that the Report be received on Mon day wit Mr. witAwrox presented a Bill to permit the sugars and eolfw of Martinique and the other conquered islands in the Wes' Indies, to he warehoused in the same manner with British stor, irs. Read a first time, and ordered to be read a second time on Monday next. fIIAN KS TO LORD MINTO AND SIR SAMUEL AUCH MUTY. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUERsaid, under which his personal presence became essentially that rising to move for the Thanks of the House, necessary to superintend all the operations. Lord he thought it necessary to state, that though the great t Minto had been commended by the Right Hon. Gen • and brilliant exertions in Java more directly present- I tleman, for taking upon himself the important plan, ed to them an object of admiration, yet it would not and for his careful and skilful preperations of all re be just to confine his observations to the immediate quisities for the expedition ; but he must observe, agents in that successful etiterprize. The Governor- that the project would, after its check from the French Genera! of India, Lord Miuto, had long since men- superiority in those seas, have been defeated in the tio-ed to the Government at home, the importance very commencement, except for the extraordinary of this acquisition, which he had described as essen- exertions of skill and courage evinced by Captain tiaily necessary to the security of our possessions in Rowley-, who had rallied our broken naval forces, that part of the world. ,At the commencement of and led the way to the subsequent successes. Surety the war, orders had been given to Lord Minto not this circumstance alone must detract muclr from the to embark in any expensive' operations; but at the merits of Lord Minto, when it appeared that the end of the year 1808, he had been furnis hed with in- I plan must have utterly failed but for the uncom formation, that a well-concerted blockade of the mon efforts of that justly eulogized officer.— Mauritius would succeed. In pursuance of such ad- Great merit had also been ascribed to Lord vices, forces had been sent out ; and in September, I Minto, from the time at which the expedition was 1809, the town of St. Paul bad been taken by Col. sent out. It seemed that every other person, even Keating; the result of whose investigation was, that the Admiral on the station, despaired of success : 3,000 men would suffice for the capture of Bourbon.' but the Governor-General was so thoroughly master At this period the Governor-General's dispatches lof the navigation of those/bees, that his opinion suf evinced his determination to follow up his successes I Iced to overrule all the apprehension, and even in this quarter by a more important attack on the despair, of the Naval Commander. He (Mr. S.) Mauritius. By a fortunate coincidence, inforMation was happy to hear that the Governor-General was similar to that counnunicated to Lord Minto reached as good an Admiral as he was a General, and was 'England in 1810: in consequence of which, instrac- rather surprised that he had not taken upon himself time' were gent to India to prepare for the very ex- the direction and command of the naval operations. pedition already projected by the Governor-General ; ! At any rate, if the opinion of the Admiral was to so that the whole equipment was ready to sail as; be postponed to that of Lord Minto, who had picked soon as the instructions arrived, and nas crowned; up his knowledge for the occasion, he supposed, in with complete success in the very same year. He then `deed, from Naval Officers, as the Noble Lord could observed, that great credit was due to all the persons i not well acquire such knowledge from instinct—this concerned in that orration,and that Gen. Abercrombie I was a circumstance which, in his mind, detracted very had done all that was possible to be done; still it was much either from the character of the Naval Officer, the impression of the Members of his Majesty's Go- I or of Lord Minto. The Rt. Ilon.Gent. had stated that aernment, that the affair was not of sufficient cense- the only subject which could admit of dispute quence to require Parliamentary thanks. lie then pas- , was the value and consequence of these East India sal a warm eulogium on Capt. Rowiey,n Ito had, by his possessions. He was not indeed inclined to dispute activity, gallantry, and skill, wrenched from the I the exhalted merits of Sir Samuel Auchmuty and of hands of France the temporary superiority which Colonel Macleod; but when he reflected on the I they had acquired in the Indian Seas; and had, by great risk, and peril, and expence, with which the I his judicious and spirited conduct, facilitated the plan was effected, he was bound to consider the va success against the Mauritius. He then adverted lue of the acquisition,---whether, indeed, the con to the dispatches of Lord Minto, in which he insist- quest could be abandoned without leaving the Dutch ed on the necessity of the conquest of Java ; and j to certain destruction, or maintained without expos expressed his hopes, that instructi on s wou ld arr i ve ! hag our own troops to equeruin. And here he could from Eogtand before the' Expedition sailed. The' not be surprised at the absence and dereliction on the Expedition sailed in April, and in spite of the ad- I part of the Fast India Directors, not one of whom , vaticed season of the year, and the several naval; he saw present to defend the value of these pos uhich presented themselves. And here he sessions. He then stated, that greater dangers never begged to call the attentiotkof the House to the great I encompassed any army than those in which Sir Sa merit of r,ord Minto, who had made himself so well muel Auchmuty had been involved. That gallant acquainted with all the circumstances relative to the General had no alternative but a disgraceful retreat, j navigation of th o se seas, that h e w a s a bl e t o remove l or an assau lt b y s t orm, i n w hi c h t h e sa f ety o f the I the aeprehensions of Admiral Drury, w hich, at first, whole army was at stake. lie then expressed amounted to complete despair of success. The Right his strong disapprobation of that civil controul /Immutable Gentleman then entered into a detail of ' which Lord Minto exercised over the General ; some length; and stated, that after the landing bad it was too like the system adopted by the French been effected on the 4th of August, and possession In the revolutionary war, when Civil Deputies from had been taken of this city on the quiet evacuation the Convention were sent to superintend the Com- by the French, the enemy appeared in great force in menders of armies. He was the more jealous of anotherquarter—that Sir S. Auchmuty at this period, Lord Minto's' conduct in this respect, for whom, though hitherto successful beyond his expectations, however, he professed great personal esteem, be-t conceived tha, his farther progress would be doubt- cause he could not but recollect the conduct of that ful ; the enemy's position was strongly fortified by Noble Lord, in Corsica, towards General Moore; I intrenchments and redoubts—the season was far ad- which, if it had succeeded in influencing that highly vanced—the heat violent, and our numbers very valuable officer, would, have rendered him a pro inferior—indeed, the difficulties of every kind scribed man over the face of the earth. He concluded were so great and overwhelming, as under a dif- by saying, that he must be informed of the essential ferret Commander might have Jed to a fatal re- necessity of Lord Minto's leaving his seat of govern suit.—ln this alarming and critical situation, Sir ment to superintend the operations of the expedition; Samuel_Auchmuty determined to take the redoubts and till fie had official proof of the great merit and by assault. Gee column was entrusted to that gallant value of his personal attendance, he could not, Officer, Colonel Gillespie, who carried at the point though it might appear invidious, concur inliie pro of the bayonet the redoubts, which seemed to pous and elaborate panegyric which had been framed fall before * him as if they had lost all means of re- on the wisdom and vigour of his system of opera sistance. In an attack thus ably executed, it was tions. difficult to select particular objects of praise; but he Mr. YORKE w'shed to state, very shortly, the could not forbear te mention one circumstance which reasoas which induced him to support the present peculiarly tended to the honour of Col. Gillespie. motion. It was certainly a matter very It for the. ''l '- `.7 •:.•Vr. • ri I • THE STATESIMN. • —On that day of glorious achievemeut, the gallant Colonel laboured under great bodily indisposition : he was unhorsed, and expressing his regret that he could not join in the pursuit of the enemy ; and, when at length a horse was brought, he fainted through exceeding weakness and fatigue. He next, in terms of high praise, extolled the valour and ex perience of Colonel Macleod, who, after gallantly carrying a redoubt, fell in the moment of victory.— , ' But, above all, he wished to call the attention of the . House to the exalted merits of Sir Samuel Auchmity, whose modest silence respecting himself, rendered It , necessary to have recourse to other quarters for his praise. Mr. Perceval then read an extract from the London Grwifte, dated the 26th of August, is which Lord Minto extols, in the most glowing terms, the valour and ability of the gallant General.-- He then proceeded to observe, that wherever the navy had an opportunity of co-operation with the army, they had exerted themselves to afford every possible assistance ; and that the conduct of the marines had been particularly praiseworthy ; nor could he fail to mention with the highest approba:ion the discipline and subordination of the army : it had not only been commended by their General, but private anecdotes concurred in stating, that greater regularity and correctness never prevailed in an army, and that, too, in a coun t try where the opportunities of plunder were so ac cessible. He concluded by saying, that he did not wish to bring into present discussion the importance land essential induce( the East India possessions, lest 1 this might produce a division ; but was content to state, that they were highly useful, inasmuch as they dispossessed the enemy of all the means which they possessed of annoying our commerce in the Indian seas. He thee moved, first, that Thanks be voted to" I Lord Tinto, for the wisdom and ability with which he had applied the resources entrusted to him to the destruction of the French power in the East Indies; stating farther, that the brilliant successes which had attended our arms were owing to that vigorous sy;. ten; of operations which he had so wisely adopted and pursued. On the question being put, r. SII ER DA N rose, and observed, that there could be but one opinion respecting the officers employed in this expedition; but he was com pelled to say, that the merits of Lord Minto had by no means been made out. It should, in the first place, be made clear, what was the com mending necessity which required the absence of the Gov. General of Bengal for six weeks, from the seat of Government,—what were the circumstances vour of the Motion, he could not refrain from saying a few words as to the policy of the capture ; and here, he was afraid, it might be justly said, that if we were to send British troops to keep it, we had gained a loss. We had not the means of sending out troops to garrison the country ; and ought rather to communicate freedom and commerce to the na tives, for the purpose of rendering them independent of every European power. Mr. WHITBREAD declared, that he had atten tively listened to all that had passed during the pre sent discussion ; the effect of which upon his mind was, that he regretted that Ministers had thought proper to propose the present vote at all, because he was very sorry to oppose it, and yet could not give it his support. The real question was, whether what Lord Minto did, was a service of such a dis tinguished nature, that the House of Commons should travel out of their usual road, to confer their thanks for a mere civil service, while those thanks were generally confined to naval or mi litary achievements. It had been often remark ed of late years, that Parliament was become so lavish of its thanks, that their value had very much diminished ; and this observation would ac quire still greater force, should the present vote pass; and their value would be still more diminished ' than it had been supposed to have been heretofore.— When even the late Chairman of the India Direc tion (Mr. Grant) spoke in a hesitating, doubting manner, as to the value of the service, he (Mr. Whitbread) might surely be allowed to suspend his judgment as to its importance. In order to lay sat& cient ground for this Vote of Thanks, it ought to I have been shewn, that the acquisition itself was of the utmost importance; and also that the conquest could not have been achieved without the presence of the Noble Lord. There was also this remarkable circumstance, that Lord Minto had left the pos -1 sessions of the Company in India, of which he was Governor, not for the purpose of acquir ing new possessions to the Company, but to the Crown. Was it not likely also, that the same thing would have been done, even had Lord Minto not been there ? Where, besides, was the House to stop after such a precedent? Might they not, precisely on the same grounds, be called upon for votes of thanks to the Ministers who planned any successful naval or I military Expedition ? Had this ever been the prac tice of the House ? and was not the present motion therefore a most mischievous precedent? It was even an act of injustice to Lord Minto himself, for Minis ters to propose this motion. Should he get the thanks, what value could he set upon them, when he knew that they were conferred not without opposition, tad without being accompanied with any gratitude from the India Company ? On all these grounds he must oppose the motion, which he regretted had ever been made. Mr. Secretary RYDER began by disclaiming any motives which might arise out of political pr private acquaintance with the Noble Lord who was the object of the motion, in advocating the present vote of thanks. He would not go into any detail of the circumstances of the achievement so ably narrated by his Right Hon. Friend, but would coofine himself to the simple question ; which was, whether the result of this most important campaign did not deserve the thanks of the House. The conquest of the Mauritius and the is laud of Java was by far the most important colonial conquest made in our East India history; not, per. haps, so much on account of the territorial acquisition thereby gained, but for the protection which our commerce in the Eastern seas will receive from this station. It was also important, because it struck the last blow at the power of France in the Indies, and because it deprived France of an island which was the depot of all her annoyances to us there, and the rendezvous of all her privateers. It was not, in his mind,—whatever the Right Hen. Gentleman (Mr. Sheridan) on the other side might imagine,—the least important feature in the merits of Lord Minto, that he went out of his way to collect information for the purposes of this conquest, and that he super. intended the arrangements immediately preparatory to it. Neither did he think that the praise of having laid such an admirable plan for so successful a con quest, could be done away by any extract of a pri vate letter which the Hon. Baronet o.ir H. Montgo mery) thought proper to produce. To say that the information of that private letter was false x _ was an awkward expression; but what guarantee had he for its accuracy ? He thought Lord Minto eminently en titled to the distinguished honour of the thanks of that House. Sir HENRY MONTGOMERY explained. Mr. ELLIOT could not give a silent vote on this occasion, when he heard a Right Hon. Gentleman near him compare the conduct of his Noble Friend. Lord Woe*, its accompanying the Eapedi►ion to Java, to the exercise of civil controul, which the De puties of the French ConventioN exercised over the French Generals in the ea, ly period of the Revolu tion. He thought his Noble 'Friend most eminently merited the Vote of Thanks proposed, as it was evi -1 dent that his ably-conceived and well-digested plan had wrested from France her last and best possession in India. The question was then put and carried, but with a number of dissentient voices. No division was called for. ~ The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER then moved Votes of Thanks, To the Hon. John Abercrombie, for his conduct , at the conquest of Mauritius. To Sir Samuel Auchmuty, for the decision, skill, and energy, with which he conducted the operations ' against Java, and by which he sustained the honour of the British nation, and added another glory to the lustre of her military reputation. To Admirals Bertie, and Stopferd, for their cor dial co-operation with the military in the Eastern Seas. To Generals Ward and Wetherell, and the sere consideraties of the House, whether the conquest of Java was an object in itself wise and important; but, into that inquiry be would not enter at any length at present. He would only observe, th at, no doubt, from the nature of our extensive commerce in the Chinese Seas, it was thought of importance by the Government of India, to wrest the island of Java out of the lands of its sew 'widen, as there was every probability that the French would en endeavour to *oake it a neutral station for aneoynaes of Indian commerce. indeed, it was well understood, that since the annexation of 110,. land to France, the Island of Java had becom e a possession of great interest to the French Govern. ment ; that they were preparing to call forth ail its resources : and had they been able finally to estab lish themselves there, our commerce in the Chinese Seas would have been greatly endangered. So much for the importance of the acquisition ; and he pe r . fectly agreed with his Right Hon. Friend, as to the merit of Lord Miuto in his plans for the capture both of the Mauritius and of Java. The plan adopted by his Lordship for the capture of the former, was al. ready in progress, when a plan for the same ob. jest was sent out from this country; and it was a singular circumstance that the two were exactly similar. ,He agreed with his Honourable Friend opposite, that the conduct of Captain Rowley, hi regaining our naval superiority in those seas, was such as could not be sufficiently extolled; and the specimen which be then gave of courage and capaci ty, shelved that the country bad every thing to hope from him in future. Among the numerous excellent naval and military officers which we had, it might be safely said, that we had none who were likely to surpass him. Yet, unless reinforce, Went had been sent to that Officer, it might be safely said that the naval superiority which he replant! would not have enabled him to wrest the Maurine, from the hands of the French. The merit of the t plan, therefore by which that was actmuipllshed, ins due to Lor d ?dints, who hedwaticipollvd the plso that was sent out from this country; and had made the necessary preparations when that plan arrived. The same observations were applicable to Java. The In. dian force was ready to sail, even at the moment %hen instructions to that efect arrlied fiotn fhis count.. But the Right Hon. Gentleman had asked, why did the Governor-General leave his duties in Bengal, and go in person with the Expedition? To this it might be replied, that our Indian possessions were so per. fectly tranquil, that there was not the least probabi. lity of danger Rom his absence. But, besides, it was evident, from the nature of foreign posses. lions, that a great deal would depend upon tho ocular inspection of the Goveinor.General, awl the local information he might obtain, to enal him to judge what arrangements might be ne. cessary for rendering the acquisition of the great. est possible utility, and for adjusting all the de tails of the civil and military departments. There was also this to be mentioned with regard to the sailing of the expedition, that it was in consequence of the information which Lord Minto was able to collect, that it sailed at all in the last season. It was assembled so late, that Admiral Drury, a very meritorious Officer, entertained considerable doubts whether it could sail at all during that Monsoon. In consequence, however, of the information which Lord Miuto obtained from a Mr. Greig, an cape, rienced navigator in those seas, the fleet was enabled to sail by a new passage to the south-west of tee island of Borneo, and arrive at its destination in the proper season for action. On all these grounds, he was induced, without any feelings of party whatever, to support the present motifs.. Str - it MONTGOMERY opposed it. He added, that he had received private information from Java, imputing great blame to Lord Mint() for setting free the Malay slaves belonging to the butch in that set tlement, who were the most blood-thirsty fellows to the world ; and it was feared that the scenes of St. Domingo would be renewed there. The Hon. Mem. ben declared, he had this information front the best authority. General TARLETON contended, that no civil officer should ever accompany a military Commander, to superintend and thwart his proceedings. General Auchmuty was not a man who had any occasion for , a nurse; and he did net believe that even the famous Walchereu Expedition derived any benett from the presence of a worthy City Baronet. Mr. GRANT observed, that as the question had been agitated, he had no hesitation in giving his vote for the motion. As to the distance of Java from the seat of Government, he would only say, that it was the constant practice of the Governors General of India to be going from one place to another of out extensive possessions in the East; and by his pie. I 'enc... undoubtedly, the civil affairs of Java were likely to be better arranged. For his part, ho had net heard any thing of what the Hon. Baronet as. sorted with regard to the manumission of the Maher slaves; and would only observe, that first reports of that sort were generally very inaccurate and impel.. feet, and the repetition of them should net be lightly hazarded. Mr. PETER MOORE shortly opposed the mo. tion, ;which was supported by Mr. ROSE. Mr. FE.ERMA contendedo lint Lord Writ° did not accompany the army to Java for the p_irpose of giving military advice, but merely to superintend the civil arrangements. Neither cnu!d he nave any motive of private interest in the step which lie took : but must have been merely actuated by a sense of duty. As to the statements of the Hoe. Baronet, lw timself had se2n private communicaiions of a ver) ditforent tendc.icy. While, however, he vi as in tu ra! Officers, whether European or native, who h.- longed to the expedition against Java ; and To Ccmmodores Broughton and Rowley. All these votes were carried nem. disc. Sir lIENRY MONTGOMERY here remarks* that while the House was thus lavish of its thanks, it was very extraordinary that the battle of Busaco never was mentioned in .Parliament. He had re ceived many private letters from Portugal, compinia ing of that neglect. [The Honourable Baronet 4 % -I ^ here called to order by the Speaker, who bogged of the Honourable Baronet to matter his obsorvatio is mere according to Parliamentary tteag ..) The 11.00. Baronet then sat doun. A vote of approbation of their conclact was then voted to the non-commissioned officers at.d privates of the army, and to the seamen and marines enga4ed in the Expedition. Mr. FREENIANTLE moved for the papers con taining the annual receipts into the Exchequer, Vl eluding the vrar.taxes, for the years 1811 and 181'2. The CHANCELLOR of ti e EXCHEQUER said, that as the object of moving for those papers was to disprove a statement which- he made fl . e other night, he begged to l ire en explanation of what be then said. When he described the receipts of this 'eat; as ist a progressively improved state, as com }aced with do time post, Me did eot OHNIII to contit ----- No 4 *l • 11, I "'~j i :, 0 1 i' Y I.'. 211_ _