The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser. — London, England, 1809-02-25 00:00:00

t. r supplied front the good-will of the inhabitauts. . Hsi believed, wheal the, returns acre nantle out, that his former assertion would be rowel true, namely, that only ahout.,Suou of air troops had linen lost in the retreat from Salamanca. Mr. Consouas requestqal the attention of the House only for two inomenti, for aline!' time only he would be disposed to divert the storm of elo quence which on Honourable Geldleinan justly apprehended. lie was anxious that every ioces- sury iuquiry should be given, but he did not think that Ministers ought to be condemned Ai the pre sent instance, for they had, with a readiness un preeedeuted, granted every information moved for. Withoat euteriug into a minute detail of the pro- est:dings in Spain awl Portugal, he did think they were to be commended for the promptitude in which they had acted. Whether failure was to be '; a criteriou of ministerial capacity, he would not take upon himself to decide, but he was surprised to hear arguments of that tendency from the other side of the House. He thought *owe benefit had been derived from the campeigii, for Sir John Moore had checked the progress of Bonaparte ; nor did he look upon the losses sustained so great and alarming as they had bean represented. Lord Mtsxurs expressed his surprise at the ex traordinary reasons mentioned by the Honourable • Gentleman id order to justify the conduct of Mi nisters iu the campaign iu Spam. The Noble Lord could not see any reason to be against in quiry, and %shifted it hail taken place upon other expeditions, upon those of Ferrol, and tile Helder. Whenever we saw such aim e'wedition as the late one, which hail prinsa . facie failed, there was very good ground for instituting inquiry. lii the course of niiie months, great disasters lied befallen the cause hi whiiili this eountry Was engaged. Spain had been filled with the troops of Bonaparte, and his brother Joseph had been placed on the throne of that kiugdow, cud these events certainly demand Minn r%. Mr. CAN 'Nu said, lie was sorry that any U pearalicie in his foamier should have 'attracted s ere d t tua from th e Ihmoumble Gentleman ou the serer ride of the Ilan,e. But with respect to the argainents urged this night sgainet the conduct of illinisters. those ish l cla had bete the west proinis neat, were fitan‘led upon misrepresentatimis. At the same time the Holsouruble Gentleman was a plain and bloat loan, and iii that character address ed the Meuse : it was mint his tisteuticei to flatter by mode of represtaitation but to state bare and simple facts. The Br. Hon. Gem. appealed to the house with respect fo the number of facts Uptight for went on the other side—for if any fact had been alluded to, It eertaiuly did not beer the construe • turn put upon it. The division of the army in Spain had astouished the Hon. tie t . who pro fessed himself ignorant of knilitary satfairs. Ile de nted that the urraugein Spam were owing to the rueciagemeut of His Nlajesty'r They thought proper to /iv': it general instruc tion ; but Sir John Mooni had the directio His letter night have been seen on this subject, if some Gentlemen hail not preferred darkness. for the plirpose of instituting inquiry. Sir John Moore hid the direction of the forces, trod he had. acted from reasons best knows to himself. ir there was misconduct, it ought ion be attributed to th e Adinisistratioin It was not incr.-di:de thut Gene ral Moore should believe Madrid suti!il be able to hold tot, idtholigh it was a luxurious capi tal. 11 had heard of the bravery abewu at Saragossa. and the deeds performed by the com panions of the gallant Palafox ma arms.-- Such conitleratjons might induce him to :advance, and lie believed he bed GOO wisely at that time far the purpose of relieving Madrid, lie must ac knowledge the Honouralde Gentlemmi had made a speech distinguithed for every quality but that of truth. Ministers had been unjustly rondennied for sending the transports to Vign, and nut to CO runes; now it would appeal. in Sir Joint Moore's dispatches that he himself requested the transpnrts to Vigo or to Corunna, amid they item them upon such Information to Corinna. In the Grat elmllit ion of the spirit maiiifested in Spain, he considered it was the duty 'di/mei-meld to give every assistance. 1 4 As to the seatiments delivered in the commence ineot of tin; discussion, they might I e very enter taining tout philosophical anitpl, but were nut adapt ed to be acted upon in the political world. He Is id been of opinion from his first interview with the Ambassador flow Asturias, that the coun try was all of nag mind. A cry of Fire, Fire, den interrnet..,l the Right Hon. Gentleman.) Mr. SUERIDAN in a low voice across the table stated. that Drury-home Theatre Sias on tire. This com munication produced a pause, laficr which Mr. CANNING resumed, and concluded with observing, that Bonaparte's fortune was ouly fortune, and not fete, and that he could only prevail over us from our own %tent of spirit. 0 rollout Autism names haher— Si ill Prutiedtis sed te Doi a Grimes. Mr. WI:SIMIAN was about to reply, when Lord INNPLE suggested the propriety, under the unfor ignite calamity ahi.la had just occurred, of ad journing the debate: Mr. SIISIIIDAN, who, notwithstanding the cala mity, had remained firm in his place, opposed, in the most .inaguanimous manlier, the idsa of any interruption on his uceount, assuring the Home, that be it to what extent it might, he did not con order it or a nature worthy to embarrass their pro reeding. nil so great a national question. • Mr. PONSON lir acknowledged it was not a Par , liamentary cause, strictly speaking, fur adjourn ineut, lint it was evidently the cause of inueh amid deserved anxiety ; and of a nature sufficiently powerful to induce au adjournment. Mr. PENCNVAL observed that the causes how. ever to be lamented, was no reason for interrup tion of the debate, as it should be recollected by the House there was no exhibition this night at the Tlieetre, and therefore there was no ground for apprehension for the safety of any of their friends or redid' Ws. --~ • . General M.ixtim declared be did not envy the Right Hoo. Gentleman his feelingi on the occiviion, virtirtdarly when he reflected, that half London :night be burned down while they were debating. L He therefore moved the Questio4 of Adjournment. Mr. Herbert seconded the Motion. 101 Mr. Wittisasoacc staked, that if their adjourn. ing woli:4 have the effect ,of putting out the blaze, it world be good to do so. Bet what exhibition , . • C -.-7- would it bold out to the world to say, that en an thirsts of tire, they had adjourned a debate of shell importance. Considering, therefore, it would answer no good purpose, be should oppose die adjour 1111 l era. The Motion was at last withdrawn, by the con currence of both' aides of the House; and, Mr. WINDHAM resumed the consideration of the subject. Ile declared, that under the unforturfate circumstance winch had just occurred, he should endeuvour to confine himself as closely as possible to the subject immediately before them, to which he considered the Speech they had just heard as having nothing whatever to the purpose, composed as it was of as eulogium ou the Spaniards. audit dissertation on Bonaparte. Anlfither topic of the Right llonourable Gerstleutan's Speech was, the hopes he entertained of the future successes, that were to be expected from the contest ; these he considered as coming tether awkward, tinder the present eireitrustances. it certainly was ei ther ill-timed, ut the usoniesit when our troops were withdraws), to say to the Spaniards, follow your own course, and you must succeed ; this was certainly au odd time fur reading to them lectures upon fortitude. But he would go back is". little to consider the plan pursued. It was agreed on all hands that the crisis offered by Spain was greater than any that hail ever before occurred : on the other hand, there were never such means of fered of taking advantage of it, as the country had put into the hands of the Government, and this with one voice ; there was iso opposition, either from within or without, but men of all deserip tions, however opposite their motives, had joined in support Of the cause. The event of all this was absolute and total discomfiture, and yet they &lyre told there was no ground for condemnation. Now whether our misfortunes were to be attributed to mischance or mismanagement, would it be said there was not ground tor iuryairy ? Lit them only consisler the C•allUet amid the consetpieticess The former consist el of too parts, the sending a force into Port it i ;tl, and the a:lvaiwing it flow thence into `pain. Why, he would ask, when so fir hawk as the sec o nd of Nlay, or even before, Ministers knowing of ilte desires of the tioanisli maim' for ussictaiwe, was no step tsken to ailvaitee the cause? As under the then existing circumstances, a varie ty of expeilittints were at liberty for heimf employed, if it was known, as it utast be, that Junnt was, its a manner, from his situation, cut off from all insistence, why 'list ti.ey press, as it were, General Wellesley's expedition into Portugal ? For his part, he could see no other inntive thus, that of wavering glory for, the gallant (leiter:lL—. He was of this op • at the time of' the expedi ' troth and he then feared rather that he might go ties .1/011 than too late. Ile should he glad to know, did the Chancellor of the Exchequer Ilium the elorious uncertainty of war, es well us that of his own profession? because Junot had his choice what course Ise should take, he chose to advance, and he was sore of his faint., by having it its Isis power ta sure :rider, as the worst that valid hap pen—but see what was the merit of Ministers ? Junot might, if he had so pleased, hare retired to-tole wit anis" and its doing AO, v mild not have been got out until December, and thus ha, e pro tracted the war. so that los army could have been ii•rinneed to the assistance of Spam. What them lie *milt.' ask, under such au eveut would have hi gas the use awn- 3u,non men, except its au SITIIII or oft serratio.l, to watch the A;sition• of slition ? and he did not know whin Bouanarte could have wished for inure. 'f ire ignorance, 'Aso, of Al inistersof what was to he dune, served to delay our army mail the i ith of October, which marshes' forward only to retreat with prvipitation, awl by adept ing two lines of ID treh, tell into the .t lotion:cot danger, (ruin the ignorance of the country disobsy ed by those who gent them; an ignorance %hitch rCilected no di.gruee on our armies, but on the militury eounst Is which directed there. With respect to the retreat upon Cormina, it was a lucre chance our ships were there to carry (OF our men. This coustituted the whole of their campingti in Sitails, tending only to daunt the ardoer of the country, by flying at the mere report of :111 eueiny, mill they are told to esi on fighting like no!sle fellows, while we arc inakiiig "Jr ewer ! But let tilts be as it may, he contruiled, (het such a,ss the iniscooduct of Ministers, that the consequences t In: the Same under tier,. eireninstance.—Tha Honourable Geritleman eonelutled with saying, how such mat ter, vs conducted; about(' not become so object of inquiry he was at a loss to conceive. 111 v. iltrituaar said that the House and the country had surely an right to call for some juror metion upon what ground ass enterprise like this , has beeu undertaken—in enterprise as distressing? if trot as disgraceful, its this country was ever ea. gaged in. Ile was at a loss to know what pro. ventral our armies from pursuing their object. Three months ago papers hail been nerved for of the hist monism given to our-( generals—bat tw sec` papers had appeated. He therefore contended that we had a right to be informed with what view our army had 'keen scut there, and upon what Wore minion this 'measure was undertaken. Lord CASTIASKAGH, its explanation, said that the reason why the papers moved for, alluded to by the Hou. Gentleman, were not prOduced, was owing to their being extremely volsimitiouts. Earl Peace said it was universally admitted, that this army was the finest ever sent from this country, and whether they had failed in their ob ject through the misguidance of their Generals, or the inismanagemeut of Ministers, alike demanded that the people of this country should hate the best inform:mots upon the subj. et. Ile should therefore vote for the original motion. Mr. MUTCIIINAON only wished to ask one toes. tiou of the Right Ilan. Gentleman opposite. vie. whether Sir Joins Moore commenced his retreat in consequence of' the letter he received from Mr. Frere, or in consequence of' the intercepted letter ? Mr. CANNING said, that Mr. ,Frere's remon strance was against the retreat. (Question ! pies tiun !,/ Mr. PONSONNY, in a most able reply, said, he was at a loss to iimienstand what the Right Hon. Oaastleaseis opposite could mean by the manner in which they lied replied to his motion. The um tem he had submitted were 1 hat an inquiry should be gone into." His motion hod uotbing to do with the precise mode its which that inquiry- • should he_ pursued. The Noble Lord who had just epoken appeared to hare seeu it iu its true light.— A • Noble Lord had said that the Government of Spina considered its salvation to depend upon the appearusice of tut English army in Spain, and yet he gave no reason for the extraordinary delay in sending that army ; and alien it did arrive ut Corinma, that that govern ment had given no orders for its landing ! Was this true ? Was it possible ? if so, such a govern ment was a curse! Could the Hon. Gentleman be serious, could he be rightly informed, or was this a story picked up by cheat*? To keep au army westing to or 15 days, what could he expect ed but defeat and disgrace. The Rt. lion. Gent. had thought proper to pass over his speech in silence, he did not reply to one of his arguments, or those of his lino. Friend ; lie therefore supposed lie had prepared lois speech, before he heard either what he or his lion. Friend had to say. The Right lion. Gentleman had suid, he could espouse their Qualm, although he could not agree with their rehgimu opinions; and had talked about the Lady of Polito.. For his port, he could also agree to tight wader that lady's banner, were she young, though he • might not be equally Melined, were she an old dame. lint this had nothing to do with the questiou for inquiry. As to the cause of the retreat of Sir John Moore, us lie was dead, and could not make his own statement, every one who esteemed his memory must be DIM for the in quiry, lust In memory 61 hi meet with unmerited reproach. But it had been argued, that the real question was not for inquiry, but whether His .Majesty's Ministers should be removed. This was not, however, the ease. If it should appear upon iuqniry that His Majesty's Ministers acre not 'ult imate to the situations they filled, then their re moval oni4lit become a question. The Right lion. (:eoatleinan had mid, if the Moose were desirous to abandon Spain, then remove His Majesty's Minis ' ter, for they would never CO:ls42llt to itbitodon her ! Hot, he would ask, who haul said a word about alumdmiing Spain ? Mr. Ponsonby then alluded to his having blotted that the Spaniards had re fused to admit our troops into Cadiz, and od though he haul entertained II doubt upon the fact, yet the answer *of this Majesty's Ministers convinced him he was right, lie then denied •the charge of either his Honourable Friend near I him or himself having spoken disparagingly of the British army; on the cootrary. they had spokes et it in terms of admiration, lie concluded by say ing. that if Ministers were muctioned, and their counsels approved by the House, they could ex pect in future nothing but rimilarremolts. Mr. BATHURST spoke in explanation. The question was then loudly celled for, and a division took place, alien there appeared— Fiir the 'obtain) pasust it 550 Majority in faroor of Ministers The House at 0111111.4 at HALF PAST TataC6 to 1%1'01)11;4Y. ~fi . _ Tli E BRITISH PRESS. LON DON, SATURDAY. Fseatuar 23. Mr. Pommels's, leg night, made his promised motion ou the oar in Spain. The burning of Drury-lane Theatre, in %hush M. sHver DAN , ili , tingitiNlieJ Member of wus drepl 3 int, rested, appeared to several Meinber• as suffi cient eawie for adinurtiinfr, the &hide, and many of his friends left the. flume before the division. The Nlntority, oustwitlisteriding, amounted to one hundred and twenty-teves. Mr. l'orrsumnv's Speech was powerful and couviiicing. Mr. CAN. NINO endeavoured to tvatle it, by throviing the blame upon thr late gannet and lamented Ge.ter.d ,'ir Jolts Moults:. This *lli o ily whit we ex pected, but it *AM most ungraciumi. We will take au early opportunity to make some observations upon this subject. It will be seen, on refereoce to our report of the proceedings yesterday, in the house of Commons, that the Duke of l'olte'e Letter has been objected to, as uneoustitutional, and inconsistent with the privileges of the Howse. Dispatches have been received from Admiral KEATES, orf Gottenburgh,—the Sound is open.— Our squadron appears to be safe, except the Mag net sloop, which had bees lost in the ice, the crew saved. A letter from Lisbon, dated the 15th instant, meutitais the arrival there of an officer who had escaped front Madrid, who gave as necount (lithe Prince of NEUITMATEL, (Marshal BERTMER) nod General Mstssow, having been assassinated by two women at Madrid.—Other accomits state, that en insurrection of the people had taken place, and that those two officeralell in combat. Yesterday n Court of Directors was held at the East India House, when the Earl Hoare, Captain EASTFIEED, was ordered to be a-float the of March, sail to Gravesend the shish , stay there jP twenty days, and lie in the Dawns the 11th of April. The following ships were taken-up, in ad dition .tw those engaged for the present W 44001 19 via. Sir William Po/teary, Northampton, and timion.— Th e Court adjosinted at seven o clock till liVedues day Iwo. Mr. Aclitin INN has authorised us to inform our readers, that his next number of The Repository ,csj Arts earl Fathoms. to he kiniblislied on the Ist March, will contain, in addition to many interest ing subjects, a Fae-Simik of a line of a Lobo Poem, found and unrolled by Mr. A YTEIt, from The Pampsiaa /'.pyre, and also an authentic com munication respecting the Merino sheep. ',hid' has been made to him by &gentlema n lately arrived from Spain, and who has missed a great part of his life in that kingdom. This communication em braces every kind of information than eau be de sired on this very importuut subject. . The Mattle4ekl. --, from London, for Stir'. nam. was deserted at sea by the crew, on the 13th inst. basing lost her redder, mid IN•in4 very 1, 1 ,4, The "Jerald, —, from Madeira bur London, is captured and carried into Dieppe. - DREADFUL FIRE. pItURY-LANE THEATRE BURNED TO THE GROUND. W T- s- -•. At a quarter past eleven o'clock last night this magnificent Edifice appeared a blaze afire. The night was dark, but in a 'moment the atmosphere was illuminated, and the light was as strong on the steeples and the roofs of the !muses fur miles rouud as iu the brightest sunithine. The tire-bells, bugles, and drums instantlx.gave the alarm. The Volun teers mustered in farce, and the engines crowded from all quarters to the spot. Their exertions to save the Theatre, we saw with regret, were inef fectual. The tire 'had seized every part of the budding, and blazed with irresistible fuiye Such was the tieireneu of the flames. the immense mass of fuel which this superb pile afforded %as almost exhausted before two o'clock this morning, when the %plume of flame that issued from it was not greater than what might be produced by an ordinary building. The advantage of having a great public structure of this kind in an isolated situution was apparent upon this awful and inelenclio!y OCCIM @ion. Alai& theengines'could not arrest the progress of the flumes its the Theatre, they acre able to play upon the surrounding building,oe, amid thus saved the neighbourhood front destruction. In centeme elation of tire, there wa, a reservoir full of water ose the top of the building, which fell no. Of its queue , ' tity, and that simplied by the-engines, some idea may be formed front the appearance of the streets in the. vicinity. Tile whole line from the Thentre, • down to St. Clement', Church, which had been perfectly dry only an hour before, was scarcely pas sable at two o'clock, from the depth of water upon it. Several of the houses iu the vicinity, p rrticu larly those au Vinegar-yard, had caught the fire, and the neighbourhood was thrown into great cone tneioe;. but tile activity of the engines prevented any c'onsiderahle mischief outside the Theatre.— Neither the burning of Covent-Garden Theatre, our the late fire at St. James's Palace, en n be come . pared in terrific grandeur with the tire idlest :fight. es The Themes appeared like a sheet of tire; for tbs . ! reflection of the flames, and the wiud, which blew from the south west, carried the burning matter hitq the atmosphere, where it ap;ieared fur many miles around, like stars floating ea the firmament. When the leaden cistern fell in, it produced a shock like an earth:puke, and the bu s ining matter forced too into the air resembled a shower of rockets and other artificial tire-works. At three o'cluek the walls fell, and most fortunately they fell in ; had .they fallen outside, they mast, from their great lieteta and tveight, have in many points overwhelm ed this toeighbouting houses. How this dreadful tire ass occesioued we have not beets able to aim.- taiu. It being a Friday in Lent, there was no per refinance, and the House was shut up. A feiv mite meets previnus to the breaking out of tile Theatre, there aas no smell on the outside, nor any symptom : whatever of fire, and when the lire was deocovered • it covered the whole of the upper part of the building. as if a train had been laid all through it. • The crowd of people who attended was immense, and it was u eutninon idea atnoug them that Cie .; place was set intentionally on fire. This, how. ever, was probably only a suspicion, from the seveee nil public fires that have lately happened. When the lire took place it became immediately discern- , dale at the House of Commons, then in full. debat* upon Mr. Ponsouby's Mntle. 'Mr. Sheridan was in the House, and it was proposed, froM respect to '• him, to adjoUrn the dehete, hut lie requested that it should nut be allowed to interrupt the public business, and the debate was suffered to pro co:ed.—Mr. Sheridan remaind in the House for some time after without apparent emotion. —Manliness and fortitude have ever been the leading features in his character. The building of this Theatre cost 200,0001. Of the immense pro perty of all sort s , i n scener y, mac hi nery , d resses , decorations, music, instruments, plays, atc. of which nothing was saved, we can form no estimate. The house, we understand, was insured to a cone siderable extent. The flames contitmed to burn furiously when this paper was put to press, but there was am apprehension of their spreading farther. No lives were lost, nor did any serrouss accident happen among the immense multitude whom curiowity attracted to this awful scene. That a thousand Tickets, Shares of Tickets, may be obtained by the purchase only antic Ticket, or of a single Share, and which be- • sides mad• possess all the Capital Prizes in the Sheme, is the singular distinction of the preseist Lottery.—And as this great meta will take place first lily of Drawing, it easi be hardly necessary to oti the enforce the prutletice and policy or becom ing early adventurers. COMM'S FAMILY. IF WALTER COOK, MARY COOK, spin ster, Or ELIZABETH wiled VALENTINE NOW LA N 0, *Ow a ere twisted to Mn,. BA MARL, of Hereford, will apply hi Mr. Freeman, Bridge-sari!, Tesdoy-street, will Liar ud.uwelbial to their aolveatage. tiiiarisi is pulilisloid, rite 7s7trd. the flecood Pari d lbs ' Fourteenth Voaerne of REPORTS of CASES in Liar 111611 CO Ur.T of CHANCERY. By V. VIEAEY, FAA. Banister at Law.. Loudest.; Printed Au W. Need, Law Hoshaeltor.. Bell. yard, 1 eample.bar and nitabirsi and Pinion, Upper Or. outmilsay, Dobbs. 1-oNbitl% 7 Prone - if by — ClitYlOriON. -- NU O.ow flsttrll-rosoi, Carry-strait ark pabliabca at the OLcc Nu 11, Hark of Bt. Citations Char. h, Should. by J WRITE, of maw pl ore —Oniers, Jar. Rw this Paper aunt to dm Othre , (prat paid!, .111 las dilly &Moira t• . .