The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser. — London, England, 1810-03-31 00:00:00

'pietism of Spain. to sat sting her agaiest the pewee nl F fa. P.. 4% I 1 eta latritrised to haw the charges tot& by the Nohle Daroth ertneersiing the iuslivi violets mentioned its these papers. Why, these pa pers on the table, co.nuttioicated nothiug but shat vita generally laown, aud generally propagated in Seam. He bail an opportunity of knowing this to tie a fact, of whicb he bad daily proofs during Ida sniesioti to that country. There was a gets-rat uu tlerstanding as to tl.e views and conduct of General I.:siesta, and it was notorious that the circumstances ineutioocel iu the parrs were known to entry person in Spain. Soon after the arrival of himself Si) that kingdom, he clearly perceived that it was sot proper the army should lee under his comustitstl. He was Tully anxious that the whole of his olftcisl character. as far as it was concerned in his own 'contlect towards the Spanish Government, should be folljeknown, that it shonld be exposed to the broad day, and be openly inrestignted. It was on this nccesot he felt anxious that the whole of the paper, produced should remain nx the t able for their examination. for they were ase essey to thew. that the calamities of Spain were wet to he attributed to the administretiou of this uoantry, but to the weakness and corruption of tlwir own Government. Did the Nolile Baron elippnee the French Government would, teethe first time. learn the contents of those papers, by their being laid on their Lordship,' table. As to the Irnke of Albuquerque, his reasons, published in these pipers, were well known in the Spanish Government, and etfected the character of Cnesta. These being the facts, so uotorims in that king dam. whet pne-ihle injury could arise frum their being laid before Parliament ? The Noble Lord had expressed his sentiments respecting the cruel ties, itruetieed and detailed in the papers in lenguage ennsistent with his own feelings. But thou di the name of the individual was mentioned who had Practised this cruelty. it was not doubtful, the a ir- Petulance was kpown to the whole of the S t eeds!) people. final not only to them, but he had brats proscribed by the French Government. Ile de sired the Noble Lard would not let his temper be en moth &studied, nor his understanding con founded. Ile thopght the Noble Lord either land not read the petters en the table, or if he had read them. Ise . did tint understand them. ( Hear, hears Ana.) Tvie letters themselves alluded tn. were so secret ; they were published be the government of Matins!. Why doss the ' be Lord insinnate thee is cerelessnees on the part of Ministers in publishing these papers to the world?. He trusted their Lordships would spurn the impatatioa from them. by not acceding to the motion. He should repeat, the Noble Lord stood convicted, either of nut having read the papers, or of not having understood them. The grimed principle which opposed the referring of these pa pers to a Committee, was, that every act of the Go vernment :uigbt be scrutinised; whereby it would tic obvious , that the weakness and corruption of the Spanish apvernment itself had produced all the cola 'Amities of that country. It was on this account that the petters already produced were necteseary to sheer to England and the 'mild, the causes which hare fed to the present disastrous situatinti of Spain. Whatever determination their Lordships Caine to, whatever they ainglat 4!o with the other wipers, fur Gad's sake.. he trust-it they would tint rub Mon of the only means be had to %intimate his conduct; and, therefore, he hoped they would kept his pa-. pets in their perfect state. . . Eat Cer.v expressed his concurrence with the Opinions laid down by his Noble Friend (Grenville) both as they regarded fidelity towards governments and individuals. Ile had a few observation, to make open what had fallen from the Noble Mar quis. The Pertinent of Cuesta, by publishing to the tumid that contents, of the papers, thee on their Lordships' table, he ceinitred in the extreme. This night the Noble Marquis hail asserted, what wnuld he afterwards promulieed to the world, that General Cuesta was not only unfit to command, but the Positive charge was made that lie was a traitor to 'a .:•suntry. Tins ;temptation was made on account suggestions of the Doke of Albuquerque ; ••• must the Spanish Government and pro ,. this latter nobleman, who has *b y .ittiatien of that man whom he • ti •.tolation of his rimy ? Besides. •vas the person described, and the ..". lied this night concurred in it, bow carne Lord Wellington to con and determine to en-operate it, previous to the battle of Tnlavera ? • passers it was also positively stated, that • ,i!i la i. whose name teas there mentioned, 11 , to death in cold blood 700 French prieu. This was a enmity which swede one shudder, . .it p-ared altogether uuaceouatahle. Whet her ,• ;. barbarous deed was the act of retaliation, ter it was a wanton violation of the laws nt' • .ins and of humanity, did not c'eurly appear.— '.ut if trite, how came it that re) inquiry was in iitutett by the aeerative Government of this country. into the cause of this horrid transaetion It was their duty so to hues tested, as they rettsral cab the laws of nations. and the thoesantls of British stiblects now prisoners in France, and our heave vd *tiers likely to become so before our army left the peninsula. !mis were not trite, what was the pro. beide consequence? That the intelligence had reach ed the evils! of Feiner, the mandate of the Beier would lie no sooner given, than the victim wool.' be &senders!. Ile would int preee ibis consideratinn un ites the mind of the Nable Maripaia, sod ark hint. - o Oct her, under these eject' instance% he could calmly retire house, and peaceably consign himself to rest At the same tune, we should do justire to nor lane , moues, whatever individnal arts of eteeley might b. laid to their chore.. They had ahewn. osi ne ws t w . cadent*. net only a regard to the laws of nntions. and the dictates of humanity. but they lied tlistine st whet I themselves by sets of honour, for which the F ren ch nation were remarked in former times. lie D , e. woll to their condors, 11w Nettle of Talavera. Vas it not to their hnim at nitr. that our wennaled were consigned. and were they ant treated with the I ""etest Intention and kindness ? Ile could not an. %mere of the insinuations Lisinst %enegae. Ile rain .h-erved, i n regard to Ceesta• that the •"' 4 e Mi. himself had admitted. that General 'ansata had otatained s 1,-!ter army. and more able defend the ran-icor Pr 0111.111.4, than any other `' ! " 1:11 'P re "" - ` 1 " .1, was not Commander-in- Chief? Was this no merit? indeed, he consitkre'l tt of very great importance to the existence of Spain. The Noble Earl concluded, by expressing big concurrence with the motion of his Noble Friend. The 1,91.. D CHANCELLOI theo put the question, when the motion was negatived without a division. The othi r orders of the day were thou disposed of, and the House adjourned. HOUSE OF COMMONS. The Crr AA r A informed the /lonic, that he had received • letter glum Lord V,.cuuut Wellington, expreming kis or kaowledgments for the honour dose him by the House in their Tote of Thanks to him, and riliteatiog that the same be eoininanicated to the Hotme. , _ A Petition was presented from the i'restees of the Hamp. stead Road, against the Bill fur the removal of Smithfield Market. Ordered la lie ou the table. The House weut into a Committee of Supply. It was agreed to make good the sums issued from the Exchequer, pursuuut to addicting from the House, Not made good by Parliament. The Committee of Ways and Means wes postponed to Monday. The Irish Silk Daiwa, read a second time and committed. The Cu Ncet.t.on. of the ExcIIZQUEn, in the abaciace of Lord CAPTLtaFAGII, postponed Lis tail* for is crewing the salaries efludges in Ireiaad to Monday next. Mr. CRETPLY gave notice, that he would on Monday fort. night fume fur certain papers relative to Sir George Barlow, einem' uing the late unfortunate transactions in THE SCHELDT EN.PEDITION. The Order of the Day, for taking this subject into further consideration, being read, Sir T. 'fulcrum premised what he hail to say, by stating, that his opinion'extended to ell the Minis 'tete of whom the Cabinet was composed, at the time the Expedition was determined upon, and was not invidiously confined to Lord Castlereagh. They were all equally responsible, who voted for the measure, with the Minister who proposed it. The snbject seemed to divide itself into three dis tinct heads. and to these he would successively di rect his attention: first, to the object in view ; secondly, to the means employed ; and, thirdly, whether Ministers were justified, hi the retention of Welcheren, after the ulterior 'dejects of the Expedition were abandoned. The first of these heeds, again, presented itself in two points of view, as a diversion in favour of Austria, and as a British object. fie was utterly surprised. that it could ever have been considered as n diversion, when there was not the slightest possibility of its operat ing as such. Austria did not think it was of any service to her, and would have been better pleased with the ai,lshe asked for, namely, for cavalry and artillery, in Sicily. the lediterranean , or the North of Dermal. The feet was, that so far from act , ing as a diversion, it did not draw a single man from the Dantil,e, or keep one from being marched thi ther. As to the British object• the question here turned on this, whether the risk was more than ought to 'owe keen run for its attainment ? The object was, to destroy the Greeted, shipping, he. at Antwerp, the navigation of the Scheldt, and to roinpier Walcheren. And what were the means taken to accomplish all this? The person, who wee to command the Expedition, was not con sulted. Here, ton, he might ask. why an Expedi tion was not sent out in March ? The answer was dreadful; because, out of 105,00(5 mew. we had not then 10,000 fit for service. The Noble Lord (Castlereagh) knew, in the middle of June, that the enemy's fleet had been moved up the river. out of the reach of the Expedition he could, therefore, have nothing in view, but Flushing ; and this was an in:shakiest ground for the equipment of so vast a force. It was said that Antwerp would fall, as there were no men in the garrison to defend it. Bnt this was very silly reasoning; for, though there might be few men at Antwerp, they might be collected from the country, and fortresses round. in so short a spare, as to isedveseer the retreat of our army. This ens the opinioa of ell the officers pre viously cousolted on the subject. In other respects, tile Expedition was lamentably conducted. No pilots were prepared, and commanders were chosen unfit to be sent in the command of such service. He meant no disrespect to either, but Lord Chat ham, it appeared in evidence, knew nothing of Ant werp—knew nothing of the situation of the arse. nals--knew little of Lino and Leif kenshoeik—and nothing of thc7r garrisons. Here. then. was a mighty Imminent, sent out tinder an Admiral. who thought there was not grimed toe' and on for a chance of success. and 14 Cieneral utterly ignorant of the state of the country. This added heavily to the respon sibility of Ministers. Such was the Expedition, and it was filled with instructions with which it was impossible to comply. What Was required could not be done its the time necessary to obtain success. The vitriol's iee rations In be carried on, before _reaching Antwerp, would have reduced the main body of the army to In,Sttn, a force with which no thing could hare bevu mcliteved iiesiest that place. The I lon. Baronet then ininmented 'on General Cninfisnrs campaign, and observed, that, sanguine as that lion. Getter.' was, lie had not ventured to state, that he could have token the enemy's ship ping. fie neat canoe to the retention of Walcheren; and coieletnerd Ministers for be. ing kept it a single day niter the des'gn against Amery was alien tinned ; and the more sv, as they had the opinion of Sir Eyre Conte, on !ttli September, that there was an alt,nlitte necessity against it, end already the numbers of ',irk tiasossnied to nix thousand. It was hue. Sir Maier I !•tineltell. on 1711. Sep. icinber, spoke of retaining it ; but then the advice he gave was altogether with the view to future Con tinentsl operations, every prospett of which w a s ktassto to Msoetera to have vanishes'; and when he nag ex.:mined in the House, lie told them. (het, in any other posts' of view, it was the moat able thing in the world. Ministers .nid, that they rereiesil it et time desire of Ans , t ie ; hut they were omit borne out in thst assertion. (I n the co n tr ar y. i• new-tired, that, as soon as A11+1,114 nn d rrstn,wl the d. --,Lo against Antwerp to be aliatitlstorol, and that setnfined unrorli PP to the emptier.. of Walcheren, site tea. lodlo'nent, and considered herself ill-treated by England. Minister, then were answerable for ..ery life Inst. utter further operntions against the Continent v. ere given UP. The N nide Lord wished. he told them. to keep alive the military and 1/31111:111 sing;: it of the I.ll lllltrY, and for this, and to keep him self in plate. it Wit.. 1114 t he stimuli! k.rep the 1.1111111 try in evetlavtiitg ',rode with his disestrons Expedi tmas. Ile told thlem, that, under the 411f11,. vorvllM %tang cc, he would do the 4111111 P P:111114. Ile, trusted he woul) never return to niTi -e, to hoer it its his 1 411Iter.'Cite Noble Lovirtbon .001. if iii were to be guided by these cold precautions, then, 'lobed, Bonaparte would triumph. He thought that Lis greatest triumphs were iu consequence of our Elite. ditions; and one of the most joyful days of ins life was that on which he saw a fine British st'tny deposited union:; the uuhealthy swamps of Wal diesel). Had throe thirty-114re thousand men been added to the 2ht,000 nutlet Lord Wellington in Spain, they might have cleared the Periin-ula ; and besides sending our sick soldiers to Portugal would have contributed to their recovery. Him. undcr these circumstances, cools( any man sheltie vote for the proposal Amendment? There was anoilitr point, which had not been mentioned in that !louse. tu cases of 'mount' for brim hof privilege, the member accused made his defence and withdrew; now he considered Minister* in precisely a similar situation, and was surprised to hear a Hight lion. Gentleman (Mr. Quilling) say, that he would rote for the Amendment. lie, with his late colleagues. was accused, and had no right to vote for their own acquittal. What would they think, if u person tried on grave charges, in a Court of Justice, should leap into the middle of the jury -box, and insist on returning w verdict on his own case? The practice was halt consistent with bottom ; and, if they were acquit ted by a majority of six, could they say. they were acquitted by a Vote of the House of Co ninons, when they were, in fact, indebted to their min rotes for a determination of their own innocence ? Was not ministerial inluence enough, without their appearing personally. not only to exculpate. but vote approbation for themselves ? He hoped, however, iu spite of this. that a. censure on them would par.% that the country might be satisfied thvir Representatives were doing their duty, laud nut suffering the blood and treasure of the nation to be wasted in useless projects. The divisions and dissensions in the Cabinet acre the sources of that delay, which had tilled the country with so many widows end orphans ; and, writing for their eastern star to illuminate them, our Councils permitted • gallant _army to be thinned by disease. in • spot *brie their continuance was unnecessary. He wished to extirpate the very name of Expedition from the Cabinet. that no more men might be sent to perish by the sword or pestilence in foreign climes. The happiness of the country, iu his mind, depended on the ►emoval of the present Ad ministration, whose whole system he utterly con demned ; and he called on the House not to be so dastardly as suffer then; to escape Censure fur this great failure. Mr.CANNING explained. He had neither ranee! for Austrian emir any other Papers. throughout this Inquiry, nor 60 hejustified the retention of Wal cheren. on account of its being requested by Austria. General Lorry. thought that a very little consi deratiou would convince both the House and the country, that Ministers were right in sending out the Expedition. It was not (as a Noble Lord had stated on a former night, in a speech for which the House was much indebted to him, and the impres sion of which would not easily he etilteed), it was not sufficient to look at the insulated Expedition to the Scheldt; they ought to direct their attention to the state of Europe at the time it was sent out. When the Expedition wets resolved on, Bonaparte had received a check en the Danube, which furred him to lie upon his arms for several weeks. Could there ever be a better time for an effort from this country, in favour of our allies, nod for our owu preservation. Self-preservation was a great national as well as individual object, and an Administration was bound to look to the most effectual means for the security of their country. Look, then, at the overwhelming power of France; at her possession of the Netherlands and pints of Holland; and look at our own narrow seas; would any Gentleman deny that the object in view, to be accomplished by the Expedition, was of sufficient importance, and well merited all the cost and pains expended upon it Holland was not now as it was formerly, a kind of out-post to this country, and necessary to the ba lance of Europe. It was virtually a part of France ; and could they lay their hands on their hearts and say that this attempt ought not to have been made for the safety and salvation of the country. He thanked God that we stillcoininanded the narrow S.W. lint it was impossible to say how long we should do so. The possession of the Flemish ports by France was extremely daugerous, end should our ships, by a gale, be driven from their stations, our North East Coast would be easily accessible to invasion by the enemy. He trusted the attention of Administra tion would be called to the part of our national defence, which was of extreme importance. The North-East coast was now more exposed than vier, and the few fortifications upon it were so much out of repair, that it might lie considered as bare of the menus of resistance. Math had been paid on the evidence adduced in this inquiry ; he would not occupy their time by 'grin going over it, but con fine himself simply to fact.. Ile then tutee led the equipment, tailing, and design of the Expedition ; the.ohject of which was defeated by the fleets be ing driven into the lionmpot, and not getting op the West Scheldt. Ile deified the Gentlemen op posite to chew that any thing but the wind and weather prevented the complete success of the Ex. !sedition. It was contended, that the enemy sere in force at Antwerp, hut that could not be true. if they had been in force at Antwerp, they would never hove given up Bathe without resistance. Government were entitled to rrestnne on the sur render of Atone: p, either from the enroll garrison's being obliged, by the initabitm•v, to capitulate; Or. by their beilig compelled to it, by the and enterptize of the fluvial, army. To prove that Ministers had a f it pound to expect this, the lion. General read scveral extiacte from the his tory of the campaigns of Prince Engine and the Duke of Marlborough ; which chewed, that Ant werp bad sterreudered to the latter, on his merely obtaining prossessirm of the avenue., and that Os tend had been given up after a siege of three days. From these historical facts. lie contended. that Mi. meters were justified in entertainiag similar expect ations from the army under Lord Chatham. and' concluded by giving his support to the amendment. Sir FRANCIS IBLIRDLTT felt a considerable de gree of awe, in rising to speak on a euliject, to which he was afr.iid he would not be Mile to do the phone its importance demanded. He hail been mot nst , ni.hed at many things daring the course of thi s eiebate, at the arguments used, and the de. &nee' set sp. fle was 10 iir•tr • N Gcnerol, who had join Lit dosis, because the (leo:ruction or the a „, l animals et Aotsverp woo tleviroble, 111,1 t hlinioteroweie right in attempting, it uneer ' , het ; euro.tances develoiseri to the , by th e i ,„ : on the table. Thai Hon. General hod, it . Li, of the comiraigns or the Doke of Mor:!.io r , ~;,. defended the practice of botnhording t 0311,, I , exonip!,. in our inotattice of that Cents:O. i;, eipminn• he could not here noticed shy I ~,,, ottralde to the eh:lnouye of the I 'Ad . .- ~• Marlborough. It was runtime, that .0 compl, • Expedition as that was described to he lir thy : Gentleman, should have so completely tailed! , its parts, nod that anieitig all the extiaorein a • I •tirs brought on the count fy . ley our Eritir dn„, theof the Noble Lord's, so well provtled, a,„; :„' wisely planned. sbeot,l have turned out air monstrous. The Noble Lord, in his speech, called on them to try this Experlition, by Isis remarkable phraseology. he d. nottunet.il th.• experience °film limo. Now, °fall the defence, ii„,, could have been set me he should the least expected this. That time Noble Lord should 'mot:. your to palliate, justify, and excion. was very um,, rid. but that he should appeal to the expenence nl the fact, iu a disastic.us Expedition, so o t o m i c ,„, i , against him, was truly womleiful. The Rt. 11,,,:, (.eut. (Caniiite;,) in his lahoored • speech, 'cl e m,.„,i lat e last slight, fad trti ll to direct their totemi c) , ~, the North of Germauy, to Stvin, to u het to any where- but IllY spot to which the 'ince aav sent, the policy of *eliding which was now node, their consideration. He seemed to conceive, t h„ t having •the mama of sending an expedition, it Was absolutely necessary that an expetlima, should be sent to some part of the world. He then eocriuntered all the dangers of the North of Ger_ many. and conversing the Gut of Gibreltnr tots Scylla and Charybdis, would have endeavoured ~, persuade them that an expedition thither would have been attended with more direful onse goner. than the M present. But upon n o t h o y l v i tn ie th s e e s i i wi r d a t , i. ll he conceive a catastrophe more horrible an that which attended the Expedition An Expedition which, *lira IV:inkier* sent they must have known it was not to meet no enemy. but ass inviocibl- fever ; and to use tlii• exquisite comparison of an- Honourable Member of that House, human lives were consigu, tl to that spot, where they would go out like a die in a vault. Presumption was conspicuous in every part of this ill-contrived attempt. It sus uhdertaken in all the pride of vanity, on mere pr.. gumpti o n. and without the slightest informatiou. The Noble L4/111 took it into his head, that 1:r h.:id • hirge disposahla force at his command. and would drive the cot'reit nut of his bead. ll was than determined to employ this Emend Nee aomeyehere, no stutter where. lie must have soli- expedition. In March he would have earned wish into practice, lint, on sending to ihcConitnatei. er-in-chief, he found that the disposable (nice wasall in his own imogination and there was no such thing in the country. tied it helm possible to ht cet an armament, he was induced to believe, from the best military authorities. Flushing might have been taken. At any rate we should not have hail to ft counter the fever, more destructive than the oppo sition of any enemy. But Ministers seemed to have waited for the time when disease was most likely to be effectual. Why sums Expedition could not Le prepared in March was, because, notwithstanding what they were told in that House; notwithstanding when they asserted the loseessustained in Soain,they were contradicted, and assured, that they ex aggerated ; there was rot left, from tint unfortu nate campaign. the shadow of int army. This they now saw was the one. and from this, he fairly as. limed, that the same concealment and glossing over were employed, and that they were rot ac quainted with the extent of the losses sustained in Walcheren. The army was annihilated. and they bad now to contend with the enormous F owls( Femme; France, which meant the Continent of Europe—with the same Ministry; the same hands: the same ends in view; end the same principles— M'hat hope could they entertain of the resod( of surh an unequal contest ? There was a letter of the Noble Lord of the 29th May. with the contents of which he had been considerably struck. This let ter contemplated the object. arid considered it in highly important. It stated. that a time could ne ver be found, when the enemy could he expected to be lees provide ti for defence, and we could have trinel meanie of sending not a great armament to at tack them ; after this, it contained the remarkable passage, desiring this great force might he wet our, " to investigate wherea blow might be struck." Thus they set out in ignorance, avid tit every !VW step, further investigation into what they stint .4 do next, was necessary. They were compellef have recourse to fresh investigation, in every tnrn of their pretense; up the Scheldt; and in almost every point, they were diwimininte in the expectations end cuejec•niresthey had fore They had expected their difficultira to emir when thry 'ruched Baths, and that till they al the re, the whole would Itr cosy ; *hat wit, thy they were tlertroyeil liefore they reached the ■t which their difliculties were only to t this childioh, foolish, null imbecile expedi The Noble Lord consulted souse officers; ht had previously determined to go, in spite of opinions he should receive e l :allot it..—Li' man, he believed, in Horace, wbn fancied gold of a certain monarch bdonged to him, could not be dissuaded from it; so the I Lord, having taken it into his he n.l, that ii this gum force to dispose of, nothing could dm idea out of his mind. The ignorance displayed this, and the levity with winch the lives of c were sported with, was matter of most sr alarm. The Noble Lard, from the informed( had received, was determined to try a catp-de• of which be had given so curiiAls a definition had heard there were few men it Antwerp. therefore, supposed it would fell st once. doubt, but this information ani4ht be cm ■nd, he dared to say, the s sroe would be tained with rrgard to Toulon or Brest • yet, if the Noble Lord were ro try his de-main against them, although there we! few men, yet, from simihr cause., he would with similar defeat and The Lord. not knowing mnr thin, of the matter. t 9 the COIDIUMIder-Itt.aver, who knot' , 1111 1 Ainted 'or ffitig. introco! artivrA csert I/101 . f. gin 13 qiition. I hut he Oil the I lie the nil the 0. and Noble be he ti t rive 01 , iyed Tr) of m.o. I se ricit , tun h f411111 , ', n. II.• ~ end. , niict t ; v be uh- f and t ere cl nt , ti Nohle writr• litt e r at