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

TII E STATESMAN. to propose. The Noble Lord then read the Ad- enter into this awful conflict. 44 E *e pro dress. bably saki, " in this war, if you deem it proper Mr. HART DAVIS, in a short speech, seconded on your own views of all the drciwnstances. We the motion. I will help you as fu as we can; but we have no ma. The Speaker then read the Address. litary aid to send to the North. In employing all our The question was putting, when !military forces in Spain,we shall assist you more than Mr. 'CANNING rose, and said, that though lie by'any subsidy or any army which we could possibly desired not to interrupt the happy unanimity which afford to send you." This he took to be . the language a ppeared in the Holten—though he had waited to find we held to the Russian Government ; but, then, we t h e rumours he had hear i rea li ze d, an d A men d ments should have strained every nerve to carry this aid to proposed from other quarters, having no .Amend- its u t mos t h e i g ht : an d though •h e j o i ne d i n every meat himself to offer—being w illi ng ra th er to fol. word of the Address respecting our gallant army, and ) o in th an to precede others—yet be could not but its immortal leader, vet when he was called upon to feel a strong desire on the present occasion, to ex- say, that the result of our campaign had sseistied the cent the reasons 'city he was disposed to concur hopes and expectations of the country, he must guard with the Address moved by the Noble Lord, and to against concurrence in that sense in whiclt the words state, at the same time, the (N otif ica ti ons and limita- of the Address might be taken. Did he then reckon lions, which, in certain instances, must accompany the glorious victory of Salamanca nothing, if all its his acquiescence. Whatever amendment he should effects had ended there ? No ! lie who held up with have proposed, had he j u dged it r i g ht t o submit one, proudbxaltation, what had been stiled the [wren tield he should bare felt that, under an t h e circumstances ; of Talavera, should not withhold his triumph from the cf the times, and in the p res e n t situation .of the splendid scene at Salamanca, if, with thevictorious ter- Nouse, it was desirable, in decidi ng between different ; urination of that g reat battle, all its consequences had forms, to be swayed its one view—that which should been no more! [hear, hear!] But there were different the least pledge the judgment of Members, and degrees of praise, when lie compared his hopes from an lrave what was doubtful th e mos t o pe n to future important victore, with its results on the campaign vieliberations. On such principles he should deem 'as they stood at present. If it were in the power of it tit to act, on t h e open i ng of the first Session of the Government, and the resources of the country, a yew I arliament, which contained more new Mem- to send any -fresh aids, to accumulate our force in hors than had, of late years, been ordinary the Peninsula; in order to push to the very utmost such occasion; : and A% hen the affairs of the country 't extent our efforts there, stk.!' reinforcements ought which were to he brought before th em , wer e so vari- to be sent at the commencement of the campaign,— ous and complicated, in the case o f submitting an By what test was the probability of our affording a nswer to a Speech from the Throne, which touched such assistance, and its efficacy, to be tried! The on so many points, of which, though some mig ht be onus of the proof lay with the Governme n t. . Why Ilf,rficiently -Men; ethers might require ernisadinable I not send it, if there were any means to do so? If future enquiry. It would, therefore, be undesirable i there was any disposable force in the country, it to precipitate a decision, though, probably, the ad- I Mould he shown why the array in the Peninsula was dre , ses he had heard would be of a much more pre- f not augmented six months ago. If some pecuniary cue natore. Rather than any of the last kind, he aid were wanted, the burthen was, to fillets- why the seated incline to the present Address. As far as he duration of the last Parliament had net been a little collected its purport, it properly abstained from prolonged to provide the n:eans of securing successes, going further than pledging the support of the House, rather than now to be called on to retrieve adverty. and the spirit of the country, already abundantly [Hear leeeeelle agreed to the proposed vote only pledged, to every imaginable effectual support of the on condition that it might be shewn hereafter, great contests in which the honour and interests of that the means of making those exertions did the country were 50 deeply engaged: it rejoiced in not exist. The higher Lord Wellington was.pot to. the good fortune, while it regretted the e ill fortune wards the summit of glory, they must yet see whe. of the last six months, mid it promised every aid to titer his powers had been limited or crippled in the push on happy occurrences to the most fortunate great operations he had undertaken, and the victo issuee, and to furnish' the means of more extended ries he had achieved. Difficult as it might be to aad finally successful efforts. So far he was con- prove that more could haye been done than was done, Vent, an incalculable majority of the people of this he in conscience believed greater efforts might have *ceantry was prepared to go. Let it not be thought been made, as seriously, as that they might, if tint be was bound to the details, and precluded from made, have been eminently and conclusively sec deubts and objections when illustration should be cessful. Wear, hear!] Those who indulged in asked for. Merely in this spirit, to guard against the habit of desponding of the means and resources any sweeping confusion, and not to interpose of this country ; who thought she took too high a engem; interrogatories, it was, that ho then pre- stand among the nations; who would have her shrink tented himself to detain them fora short time. The into her shell, and avoid all foreign contest ; might fettered view of our siteetion was divided into the think him immoderate and absurd, even to insauity : dreeestic and the foreign ; and the foreign might be but he would venture to ask, whether, if the great cewed as consisting in three different wars. First, scale of our present efforts had been made the sub tint in the North tta . Furope, in which we were rather ject of a prediction, the prophet would not have c;.eveing si,ectators than active agents. Secondly, been made the subject of ridicule? Resources and that in the Peninsula, which almost wholly subsisted spirit this country possessed, he was confident, fully en rwur own means and resources, with the assistance I equal to all that the great emergencies of the times re of our Allies in that Peninsula. Thirdly, the war in , quired. All he would ask was, to be satisfied that America, in which we were principels and alone. As; every practical exertion had been made. This much to the star in the Northi which had been aptly styled j he thought at least certain, that the imagination bed by the Noble ladrictliechild of our successful efforts hardly devised a situation so favourable for our ex it' the Peiiiiisida, there could, he should imagine, be I ertions as the last summer. Never, since the corn. nothing het unqualified admiration of the stern and niencement of the Revolutionary War, had the means determined resistance to the Tyrant who had antici- of France been so fully occupied,—never had the pared so great a conquest there—where he thought, 'hazard of the game she played been so great,—never by the huskiness of his movements to achieve his had our risk been so mighty,—,and 'sever had we eitject it bete he had reckoned as if he knew been nearer the accomplishment of our views.-- his man where be lead thought that by bud- I [Hear!] Oh! that while the armies of France lying and deceiving, his work was done; but were withering in ungenial provinces of the North, where, in advancing, he had found I countless po- we had pushed forward our exertions to the utmost pulation raised against him and his invading force. lie in Spain, w ith such an army, under such a Geeeral, could baldly bring himself to conceive It man whose t i for whom, not to say too much of him, lie would say heart did not bums within him at the scene: none bat that a field of glory was prepared greater then any some votary of that false philosophy, of those mkt- I that this country had ever yet had to record! We taken principles, which, after misleading the world, IWO, by such vigorous and effectual measures, not and in misleading the believer. It seemed impossible ! merely hive entered Madrid, but have made thee to lock at the present state of this great conflict ; capital the centre of his operations. From thence he Nrithont hope. Viewing the affairs of the North in : might soon have found himself on the Ebro, and this tight ; giving credit to Ministers frt. having shapml even posited forks rd his victorious career to the Py their conduct on what .they considered the anuudest ' , epees. The distresses and discontents in France palicy ; willing to give theta confitieitca that they bad itself were pretty well known ; and while Russia done the best they could towards ltuoia, it was yet was detainitig Bonaparte and his hosts in the impossible not to own that there was a question to he North, guessing his retiring legions by her patriotic asked,—not then, indeed, to be answered, but at and valiant population, Lord Wellington might, some time hereafter,—respecting our Northern tree- : from the top of the Pyrenean mountains, have over ties. Row was it, that after bearing for six months looked provinces, beginning to be insurgent, and the note of preparation in the ports of Sweden, no have given them the watch-word of general insur 'Saes' lish force find ever yet been brought to bear in reetion. [Rear, hear At all events it 'vas quite eny quarter, when, if ever, it might have been ap- clear, that economy in prosecuting war which restricted plied toe salutary - purpose ? He could at preseut its operations, was the very worst species of economy, impute no blame; but he could not vote for congra. in the end : and that tenfold cost, with quickness, , tulationt, When he saw Bonaparte retreating from his : vigour, and decision, was the safest and the best ciject, and no effort whatever made upon his rear, course. If such doctrines were generally applicable, nal:out a desire tokenise what impediments _set In ho must feel them more plocUliarly applicable Its the hamait foresight, or iqcapable of being overcome ay case of the third contest, of which our Government Inman exertions, kad*prevented the benefits of treaty had the exclusive management. It was his sincere from taking their effect what he stated, mas and anxious wish that two nations so related to each . net as hlame„ for the Swesiish treaty was not yet ether, by consanguinity, by one common language, I before them. In •that treaty, however, he should and by mutual interests, as Great Britain and Ame remark, that thu partici did not stand on an equality, t rice, should not only be in alliance: but when dig-. for we haul a hood to bestow. In diplomacy, the putes ran to so great an exteat, when once the die i eickenwletlement of a, new dynasty, or what some ; was cast, and hostilities had commenced, it betatne might' team an usurpation, claimed an equivalent this country to be more prompt, and by every vigco i consideration. If our treaty with Sweden us; the rous etiart to bring the struggles of war to a speedy] simple restoration of both parties to an old and aoticluthae. The Address stilled the Declarationitiq equal footing, it was improvident ; for the acknow. j War by America as made time When circutta. siedgment of th e F renc h man , w h o was now Crown; *Mutes existed favourable t o'tne return of nenioab* -Niece in that country, demanded an equivalent ; i relations. He must proteiie that his Royal Ni 'avitat that equivalent should be he would not then ness, in the Speech, spoke from sources of in 1.1 •state. In looking at 11. e war in Russia, as arising tint' not within the knowledge of any Gentleman as 'from the war we had carried on in the Peninsula, l a Member of that House. But lie must fairly my, that conjunction naturally suggested to his mind an- that when the Declaration of War reached this 'other view of the state of the latter war. Hitherto country, which, lie believed, was on the day on :we bad prosecuted hostilities in the Peninsula by our 1 which Parliament was prorogued, he had not the •own means, assisted cushy by the natives of Portugal I smallest expectation from the face of the documete.; and S t ein. Bat, if on the faith of our contributing itself, that what had been done here would remove bur shoo e,• as we had done, and perhaps more than thel'oll4;dr war; for the Orders in Council; held our individual share, tawattls the general liberation, out here Me the only impediment to reconciliation , wit !lout directly contributing to Russia pecu'njary suc. were postponed' in the Declaration for minty other Cour, or milit ary a id :if on th a t foting we went() view I points of grie4nce which we had not takeu, anal the_ contest of th e N or th as ari sing out of that in the I perhaps could Vot take steps to remove. The de re‘ninsuhr, the exertions we mode inehe latter became claration was es vino determined for war, if every the matter of timelier cottaideratioasamUlapartauce. demand was not complied with. The repeal of the He believed, and ht approved of ethat he might sop- Orders, therefore, could not restore the relations of , eose we'hod said to Resole, when she was alma to pool it did appear to lileithat war was certain.— • _ a - Mr. GRArrsN observed, that it would come on soon. The husinesiof Governinent was to see how it should be effectually carried on. The best way to. do that, •wes that which went the quickest towards peace. by trying at once the foil extent of our means, and mak ing the enemy feel and dread our power. He would go to the extremest verge of forbearance to keep peace, but he would not dilute his war measures into a weak and sickly regimen, unfit for the vigour of the octet sion. He would not convert the acute distemper of war iet• a chronic distemper, and Incorporate it with the systere. The present dispute had grown up with petty profits and small gains, till at last actu II war was fixed upon us. Two years ago, to hare prophesied that after six months ope war between America and England, America should boast the old% naval trophy. end that we could only say, that we had not been conquered !—An Englishman would have resented such a prophecy as an insult. [Hear !) —tie would pay his tribute of admiration and re gret to the gallant hero who, by land, had fallen, for individual heroism was in alt instances equally glorious ; but he could not consider our military success; in America as matter of east triumpo. 11, bad never supposed that we should he coninered by Anerice.—[llear !] He never could have thought, that the mighty nary of England would have slept' 1 while her commerce was swept from the seas; and that et the end of six mouths we should be found proclaiming in a speech from the Throne, that the time was at length come to be active and energetic, and to chew England and the world that England is what England was. Never, that we should send our Ambassador with our ships to our own North Ameri can tow its,and attack the American ports with our lines et lure. There might, however, remain circurnsta aces yet to be disclosed to account for all this ; bathe would 'say, that on the face of appearances, and in the decla. ration of war, there was evidently a studied de termination to postpone the period of all accommo. ' dation. As for the desire of America to get pos session of Canada, it was a project which he thought not likely to he frowned upon severely, eve(' by those parties in America which were considered friendly , to us. But let it be recollected too, that an Ambassador was appointed by the American Govern ment (who was now freckle; the progress of the conqueror) to lay the homage of republican liberty at the feet of the devastator, and to s ign a t rea ty a t Moscow against the intleeendence and liberties of mankind. It might be tnentioned, that these pro. 1 vinces, which have proved so loyal arid courageous, foist the single exception, at present of any part of i our empire where Catholic subjects are Nile entitled ' 1 to all the privileges of subjects by law.—tifeera— ', In defence of our system of fot'hearing war,—of half. afraid hostility,—we had been told, that sve had i many friends in America to conciliate, and that we I ought to do every thing in our power to put our- I selves completely In the right. He would be most careful to be in the right. The most splendid of I victories would cause no satisfaction, and excite little ! admiration in his mind,if they were achievediu a, caose that was radically unjust. But he thought it unfair to speak rf the sentiments of an English pay in Ame.! rice. When we spike of an English party, we should think of them as good Americans, aed speak of them as americans merely, who prefer an English to a French alliance. Were we quite sere we were play- 1 ing the game of the friendly party ? if he looked 1 at Inane, and found any party constantly predicting evils as the consequences of public measures, the ' very wa y to undo them would be to render all their; prophecies futile and contemptible. [Hear, hear I I He had lately met accidentally witlt what was called • the speech of one who was of the party considered ; friendly to us in America, and who warned them I against war by the terrible things which Great Bri. i tain could do. The speaker began by examining their maritime frontier from New Orleans : " If you calculate," says he, " on the goodness of the Eng lish, you will he deceived !" No ! they have not I been deceised! " Great Britain," he adds, " is a 1 wily active nation, and used to war. She will not ! wait until you defend your sea-ports !" Now, such friends as these ware of no use to us, be cause we took care to make all their predictions : useless ! But if making the cause appear just was so desirable, we had a shorter way of pro seeding. The declaration came to us in the end of July. It imputed, besides the Orders in Coun cil, various substantive grounds of quarrel.— Is it not the custom of nations, when one goes ' to war with another, and imputes to her wrongs and injuries, that the other makes her a public an ewer? Is not that her initiative in hostilities ? Why, ' then, were not these customary means taken to rebut the American charges ? Why is an answer not now on our table, and dispersed throughout Europe, con taining a refutation of unfounded accusations? We should have been more particularly desirous of doing this, if there were any probability of an immediate peace, for in that event we might hate been left to all time with the original charges against us unan. sweted and unrefuted publicly. In one article of charge it was stated against es, that we demanded of America, to force our manufactures into France. That would, indeed, have been an unjust demand. He bad no doubt that we never made it: but it ought to have been refuted. On another point he felt par- ticularly, as it imputed, as a cause of war, that in ; 1809, when pacific dispositions were said to exist, i a mission was sent from hence, the object of which was to dismember the American provinces. That fett to hare been directly contradicted. He felt the! \Per interest In It, aihe unworthily held, at the • 4 ` the s of the Secretary of State for the' es ment.-111ear 1 Ile would say, in Of De l House and of the country, that be He (Mr. Canning) thought of not mentioning this, but feared it mieut seem an omission in him. lie concluded by gibing his coreial assent to the Wedges contained in the Address, of the hearts- of that House and the country, to prosecute the contest foe the procuring a Oki peace, which there appeared 'nu means of obtaining now with honour and safety, and which, if so attatuv. !o hereafter, it would bi neecssiry to arrive at, tiy the grobtest tigour, awl the must strenuous efforts, by the ad.iptioa of which, the truest economy would be consulted, and the her. flour, char►-tir, and iudepeadence of the country maintained. After Mr. Canning had peucluriAl, eipressions of applause from dideient party of the!House continued fur some minutes. No other Member rose for some time, but upon the Speaker again putting the Ques tion en the Address, Lord CASTLEI:EAGII rose and said, that he felt that his blajesty's NliniAer4 were tolled upon to give some explanation upon many of the eli:es va thins which had been made in the speech of the Right Hon. Gentleman. He had delayed rising 'iii now, as he was anxious to see whether tiny Geat le man on the opposite side of the House also wished fur explanations from Ministers on any of the topic: adverted to in the Speech; but as no Geittleman out that side of the House appeared at present to requiro any explanations, be should confine himself to those which the observations of the Right Honour:thin Gentleman had made necessary. In the first place he shriuld observe, that it was a matter of no incuit siderable exultation for the cqnitre,and of satisfaction to 'his . Miteity's Ministers, that although the Speech dwelt much upon the improvements which have taken place' in the state or our afFAirs during the present year, tin Member seemed inclined to deny the cot iectnets of those statements; and the only expiatta t called for, was upon general topics, and general consideration:. The Right Hon. Gentleman had be gun very naturally with dividing his speech into to., s pans; the first with regard to our domestic, and the second with regard to our exteitr.l situation, it 's as a gratifying circumstance, indeed, to Alinittere, w they recollected the internal situation of the count. v in the latter end of the last Session, to tied that such is its rresent situation. that no Gentleman now saw any thing in it to make it necessary to call for any explanation on this head. It was most pleasing, in. deed, to Ministers, whuse duty it Intl been to pro pose measteee certainly strong bat necessary, to find that the deluded peeple in the country had retraced their et role and that the regeneration of our internal peace pre eeeiled rather front the feeling et the peow lac themselves, than from any harsh application of the laws which had been enacted. Toe manner in which tile Right lion. Gentleman hail shaped his observations, appeared to call upon him for nothing more than to record his general view of the grounds hich he intended to rest the defence of the measures pursued by his Majesty's Ministers. lis mu't, however, say, that the principal part of the Hight lion. Gentleman's speech rested to assunip. time: and suggestions which' were altogether untroe, and which, as having no existence hi point of tact, could nut support au argument applicable iu any flee gree to the conduct of Ministers. The Right Ho nourable Gentleman bad very naturally divideel hies "olalet4rations on our external affairs into three branches. The first, than which nothing could be more important, the situation of afhirs in the North : the second was our war in the Peninsula; and the third, that contest in which this country is now engaged with Ame-ica. The Right Him. Geutlemau had confessed that it W.li not in the power of this country to p irtake hugely in the war Win , cirnnng un in the North, or to nerve the arm of Russia by any considerable supplies of men and money. It had therefore nppearee. to him, and M ie natters did not mean to deny it, that the country was on that nceout the more pledged to make its dircrsi .... in the war of the. Peninsula a. !reit as its means weed.' ether He meant to contend, huwevcr, that Minister: had applied to that object the entire means which the resources of the country could at ford, without straining them heyole that healthy pitch ham which nlone their permanence conld be espected He did not think that those Gentlemen, at least uh.sse main principle was to husband our resources, mid to keep itiwn the ellen to of the center in Curcio war, timid now time round upon the present Molester', and taunt Orin with bevel mail:: too small efforts in the Peninsula. He wished ter it when those questiotia should come to be regularly discussed, the House woad take cool and temperate view of the state of the wy in the reilicsula; and that they would not allow themselves to be can ied away, as was tin/ often the Case out or din/111, try every sudden impression arising from +nieces. or 'ail are W hen the great General who now cumulate+a our armies in the Pe. nimmla, had even been obliged to 'areal is, the niost retired part of the whole Peninsula, to the hues of Torre: Vedras, even then it had been pi overt that was no reason for despond ing of the ultimairmteeess of the war Out Ilf 11E4 p. i s i tims Ise had advanced to the performance of th glorious and ex traordinary achievements, the recompenee of which would prohni.ly soon he be submitted to the consideratiou and gi ati lade of Midi:mime This greet and consummate General had already achieved more, when compared with the means at his disposal, than almost any other General of whom we have heard ur read. I:ut because, et the glorious. battle of Sala illative be had hut dislocated the armies of the enemy its Spain, and olshged them to abandon rho e features upon which they twined their plain of (original, and to which they had so long clung with per , eterine ability, there were many ahu immediately supposed that the rover of the roemy iu Spain was completely extinct, and that Lord Wellington had nothing more to do than to march alireety to th' Pyrennees Those who looked more narrowly into the subject, and viewed it with a soldier's eye, could not avoid levier: that Lord wellieetou still had many difficulties to surnioilut. In the beginning of the last campaign, the French force in the Pe. Onsets was little short of 4 00,000 men • and a , thongli that nuntiier was subsequently dinainiahenl, by ditachue sts sent to Frances for the purpose of reinforcine the armies in the north, yet at the time of the battle of Salamanca, there were still Meant lso,ooo of their troops in epain. The situation of the French arini.a was, however, retry different before that great hank. They bad formerly been diffused over the whole face of the country, and at their ease held the greater part of the provinces in Split' in complete milljectio:l. How different wits dirk situation in Spain, when they lathe , ' of driving the British mat* into the sea? When, however, they haditailen hi their main objects, and had been obliged to abandou the provinces of the south, to assume a more concen trated form, it was evident that Lord Wiillingtoie3 situatiun was one in which there were great didiculties to encounter. It was impossible not to admire the stroll snuquior hops with width the public mind looked to the delivernnee of Spain • bit every one innet be' convinced that Lord Moline tour 1;4 done every for that object which the means in his power wunid enable lnieq to, (leer, leer.) And be should now state, that those means were greeter than on any former oc ceellooltad ever been put fortleby this couotry, i n tbeeconcee of the last Year tin legs Same 40,000 men had beets sent CI Spain. Large itinforeemeets•heal hen sent since the battle of Sal/manes ; and be wouldseatere to say, that if the regia• ler perlud of discussion dioall arrive, he wind(' prove, to the satithaetion of the Hots* that tbter;inforeemente could sot hive been seed toristees”lftiche woold cohti4eivitly lay, that it wag impotisible , tbar.greater eivertiont mode. be, sande thee what his Royal Higbee* the Counisontlee in Chief had made: to *flog Ivy all the.regimen* castiued tbi foreign service from Ski no earth* knowledge of it, that he never was **arty to if, and that he never knew nor heard of it till it web imputed to this Government by America. Atfor Adlesica, then, every effort should be used to extend the scale of warfare, and make it decisive; and, in giving his vote, he hoped that this Address would prove the foundation of it. He would touch on but one topic more, one omitted , is the Address.. lie did not mean to impute blame for this, but he must refer to it—he meant the consideration of . what were called the Catholic Claims . —Pear!? - Th House must be certain that this question' must sea come on. He had most willingly resigned it to thil wands of that venerable and patriarchal person, who lied se often brought forward this question in that House. . , • .*.*"J. 11111.ilIL .L 1„, ' '~~~'~i • __ •_..:~ I , ~, 'i i I .. -~ .r s ~~: ~~ i ~t~