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

cannot fan . to now out - a generous excite . • ment to every person tliatims the happiness 'to live under our free and constitution. fidaours of such a nature should be always conferred less • with a view to the individualthanto their:general • effects ; but the House Must also feet, that in con ferring s , :ch, honours, there was at least an implied engagement that- they should be neither burthen some or painful to the person who received them, but conferred in such a way as to make them worthy both of the Crown and of the People.-- The honours with wild) the Marquis . of Welling ton had been graced were • not `merely hest6wed by the Crown, but were called for by the voice of the nation. And he might say with, truth, that the sanction and approbation of that • House had followed soclosely upon the gift of the Sovereign, that the honours of the brave General were not less under the sanction of:Parliament than of the Crown. By such Conduct they h'ad; at leiw, marked the ex.; • tent of hisa..claims. Lord Wellington, though yet a young man, though much he hoped, of his valuable life would b e y e t spent the service of Lis country;' however, 'young as he was,, he had received more testimonies of his Sovereign's- fa vour than any subject who lived before-his etime; - not excepting even the-great Duke ofMarlboeough. It was the singular fortune of that distiniuished officer, that in addition to the rewards and :ho nours bestowed by his Sovereign, he had reeeiVed upon six: different occasions what- was mit less flattering or less honourable, the' thanks...of that House. On Lord *Wellington, who was younger in years hut not in. experience, the .thanki of that House were conferred not less than eight times, six of which had been for his services on the Pen ,insula, where he was opposed, not its he-had been before, to an Indian enemy, but to armies long accustomed to victory, to armies commanded by men of the first Military talents, trained in the school of danger and experience, confident of success, for they had been accustomed to -con quest, with their laurels fresh, and yet blooming round them. Such were the armies, sucit were • the captain's; whose laurels .withered. before tlie' brightneSs of his.fame. Those laurels' were trans ' -planted to another region, where they would flourish, he hoped, for ever, not for the ruin of 'mankind, but for the - protection of their liberties and their religion, and their 'rights Never did the country produce a man who had received so large a measure of Parliamentary-and national appro bation No neei had been ever so greatly and so 'justly distinguished: In the Peninsula, taking all together, his 'catalogue of successes unche quercd by any thing to.diminish their glory,- was the greatest - that any in , !ividual -ever before had to boast of. These su cces s es were i n the 'recol lection of theHonse. Every per Son who heard him must recollect the battle of Busaco, in which . -a victory was gained over nearly double numbers; the battle .of Fuente tie Honore, and other hat - ties Which, if not fought immediately under his eve,- were fought, at least, under his. direction ; also the battle of Alhuera ; but, above all, , the attack upon theltridge of Almaraz, conducted by General fill, under the direction of Lord Wel lington. Soult confessed, that from the moment of that successful attack,- the measures he had planned With Marmont were completely deranged. The army-of Spain was forted to act in two divi sions, and its :Generals were presented from their intended co-operation. It was indeed true, that his splendid course of military successes was not unchequered by retreat, Retreat, however, was not defeat, anti in the retreat to which circum stances obliged him, he still gave evidence that the resources of a great .mind did mit forsake him. In short, within the space of four years, lie had beaten the proudest Marshals of Prange. He had -beaten Marinont, he had beaten Smilt, who was himself considered as - a host ; he hail beaten Mas sena and Ney; and Jourdan. lr no one instance lelW he lead a British army into the field, in which they were 'not crowne d w i t h g l or y and success.— He presented the new and grand spectacle of four years successes, without any of the disasters that are naturally attendant upon military operations. It ,was not necessary to press these things upon the, atteiition . of the House, they were in the re collection of every person. The questions : now for them toconsiderweree—lst, What was the policy? and, 2dly, What were the means of re : wardingesuch seolces ? With respect to the po licy of rewarding military services„althongh there were many questions of policy, in the considera- Con of .which he would not refer for examples to 'the councils of the enemy, there could not how ever-he a better policy than theirs,' in, so far as- it regarded,rewards for military service. Let them luok to France, could they find in that country -one Generahot any Merit, who was not loaded with all the reyeards and the honours that it was in the power of their Ruler to confer. Different, indeed,-far different were. they front the rewards and' honours of the gall an t M arqu i s ; different in the-grace that belonged to them ; aliti*,..rent in the services that igained them, and in the principle on which 'they - were bestowed. . The,y, it was true, were highly rewarded,* but . their rewards were , such as the braVe Wellington would disdain to ac cept. A' Right Honourable Gentlenma (Mr. Canning) had truly'stated upona former occasion, that though placed at the head. of the Portuguese army, the pay attendant upon which situation was not less than 50001. a-year; when asked to accept that pay, be answered, that whatever s e r - , vices- were in his p ower , h e would be always willing to perform for Portugal ; but as be re - ceived the pay of his own Sovereign, ho would not accept of it front another. The pay bad been buffered to accnmulate in the expectation that his feelings might at some time be prevailed upon to accept it. He was - apprised that the money was to be delivered to him, but with a generosity ne ver before excelled, with the noble :self-denial of a soldier, he begged it should be disposed Of for the Portuguese army. How dide'rent the conduct of the eneniy. The whole of the - French Gene rals were covered with. rewards, and *loaded with possessions in every country they had unjustly conquered. Such rewards and such poss'essions would remain a - stigma upon their -name, - not to raise or dignify, but to degrmtzle them ;- they would be for ever joined _with the recollection - of those atrocious acts with- wliieh their acquisitions had . . . . . . .itch accompanied, Whit e th e Cle,nerals of Great -bem en thetely moro. Lope tlisstio_there . Wat:afteT Britain were going forth for the salvation and those events bad taktn plece, seeingthe Sph:niards .protection of others ; fnd they r ece ivei honours- had not joined us with that spirit with which Mi. gratuitousiy, and b nconnec t e d w ith e_nolument. sisters deluded t;memselves, and would fasio I hide Lord Wellington carried about him the - honours the House to believe in existence. The reverse o of he had nobh: earned ; but th e y were tmonrs. not this appeared to him to he the i'll(1 therefore attended with emolument. Ile would pow sub- he thought the case of the Peninsula more deploy " mit what apea r ed to him the fit course for him to . rabic than - ever. lie wiShed to m ove , that the pursoe. If h e cou ld suppose t h at L or d Welling- • consideration o f the Grant be deferred till after ton's services were by this measure to be plarad' the holidays." . . . beyond the reac h o f f urt h er • re i var d , if unfortu- Mr. LUSHINGTON observed, it would _be more, nately by the disasters of war, 'the country :h a d regular tO move that he should leavethe chair. been deprived of his ‘ eminent talents, and that I" Drop it ! Drop it !" was here - called out by there was a question of a provision to be made several Memliersl e for his family, the p ro p os i t i on h e meant to subs Mr. Itoßis so a d en i e d the correctness of the mit would be of a different nature. But he proudly-1 statements made by the Hon. Baronet with ‘re felt that,th e G a ll ant G enera l i s yet yOung, that he- spect to Ciudad R o d r i go an d B a d a j oi. In hoth, was yet Able, and lik e ly t o perform for his COin- breaches had been effected ; and if .the breach try more signal services than he had ever yet made in the latter was most gallantly defended, achieved ; and it was his wish now to submit to . that it had fallen, heightened the merit of the the House a plan which, if adopted, would al- plan formed by Lord IrellitigtOn. At Bargos, wayssiteepain remembrance the title of W‘llinge . also, breaches had been made, and it was Only tain. It was not his intention, by this plan, to the incomparable defence made by the enemy that take either fron t the Crown or the Parliament the had, saved, that place. -He did no t know of any o f ineens of alurther grant. The House, h e h o p e d, the dreadful disasters in „Lord Wellingtonla re would feel that something should be done whi c h •treat, of which the Hon. Bart. had spoken. If he may connect itself with the title' of Wellingto n 3 , 1 had understood the hospital to have fallen into and they would feel an additiOnal motive to this, - the hands of the enemy, he (Mr. - Be). believed the when -he informed them that - the manor of W e l- Hon. Baronet to be totally misinformed. That lington e which had been consecrated by him tot some of the sick were left behind was not im whore it tad given a title, had 'passed „from its 1 aarobable, as in such cases there were generally: former owner into the hands of a person who was some unfortunate persons to whom a removal, now willing- to dispose of it, if Parliament thought: weed(' be death, but the hospital he had rea -proper to transmit it as a spot given to the - family,: - sbn suppose' had been taken. The retreat had of the Noble Marquis - bye vote of the Legislature t not heeu a hurried retreat ;on the . contrary, he and the bounty of the eounthy. Ire would not believed that a retreating army had Bever taken trespass' further upon their attention, but propose - more time, General Hill hail not been pres4ed at that a . sum mit exceeding 100,0001. be vested in all by the enemy, and the ac ti ons which toox trustees for the p urc h ase o f l an d s to ' d escen d place between Lord 'Wellington, the enemy had with the title to the heirs of the Marquis of Wel.- only been between the advanced. and the rear lington. guard s of th e armies. The returns of o ur loss On the motion being read from the Chair, had already appeared . in the Gazette,. and the Mr. W. XEENe spolie at UC lengthin p'raise of ' Hen: 13art. was misinformed with respe7t to the the Marquis of Wellington, and expressed his con- ' disasters said to have - tttken place. Ile was cut-reitcc in th e M o ti ou . eittztlly unfortunate i n his histori ca l k now l e dge , ' Sir F. Boa DETT -thought,• however strong this • as he bad stated the services of tite Duke of Marl , proposition might *cart° the House, resting as borough to have re maine d- unrewar d ed b y Par it did on time merits of Lord Wellington, he could ;lenient till titter the battle of Blenheim, as he not think it had derived . n - meh strength from _the was reworded with a grant, of 3000/. per annum arguments of the Noble Lord, or from thoSe of in the year 1702, .and the battle of Blenheim was the Honourable Gentleman. There were -two 1 the first great battle he fought. The I-ion. Ba considerations of which they ought not to lose roue_ thought the grant-proposed that night was. sight when a grant of this kind was proposed.--- to reward Lord Wellington for the battle of ,Salae The first was, as to the merits of the clairo.. : the mane?. Tiii was not the fad ; it was to reward seconds out of What fund it ought to be rernittoe- the services of his whole life, and not one great rated. He was of opinion that hatiinta like these, _ action, however glorious ; 'and if ever there was _ if Government p ossesse d any funds which could an occasion e whi c h more than any -oth er called for be appropriated t o - suc h a p ur p ose , t h ey ought riot the ? gratitude of the house to be particularly to come to the public. ' The patronage which they evoiced, this was that occasion, possessed in sinecuie.so &c. which, whenan out- :Sir F. FLOOD was only sorry the finances of the cey wasTaised on the subject, - it was said ought to country were riot in a more prosperous condition, be kept to reward meritorious services; might, in that double the sum proposed might be granted. his opinion, be applied to such a purpose. They The vote proposed had his hearty concurrences had another fund in their hands, the Droita of It was his maiden grant, and it shoulth.be execute Admiralty. To apply this to reward military ser- eel with vigour. (4 laugh.) . vices, lie, however, had One objection: This arose Mr. PROT HEROE ,' T alluding to the insinuati ons from an id ea th at th e D ro i ts of the Admi ra lty th - town out against Lord Wellington by an Hon. oughtito he appropriated to the benefit of nav a l Baronet (Sir F. Burdett) observed, that he had officers. if they were not so applied - , and it-the been doing that of which he accused the Noble Princes of the Blood and others were to receive Marquis, making charges where there were no grants front it, who had no regular claims on' it, breaches. He would probably look to the-French then he thought that a grant like - the one now Emperor, to se e h ow a b o ld a d vance could be proposed might w ith propriety be-marie from it. made without rashness, and a skilful retreat with- The Noble Lord had said e the retreat of an army i out danger. He thought it was the duty of that furnished no -proof of demerit on the part of the House to enable the Marquis of Wellington to General. It might be so ; bat after a precipitate sustain those honours .which his Primes had so and, if report saidtrue, a most disastrous retreat, very properly bestowed. He. had probably seen as he could have wished, previous to making the much of the commercial distresses of the country proposed grant, to have had some informetion on as the Hen. Baronet, and he us sincerely felt for the -subject which th e N o bl e Lord h a d n o t sup - then;; hut th e :commercial; world Would- fe e l in plied. • HS could have wished to know- whether I stilted, if these were urged as reasons for restrain- Lord Wellington had left his military hospital, lug the munificenCe of Parliament an such an oc and 'he thought other particulars ought to have casion. He could not yet admit that they had been known of a retreat, Which it was said had reached that worst State of national insolvency not been much less disastrous than that of Si r J. f which made them incapable of answering the Moore. Though a retreat might be no proof of claims on national honour and' gratitude. Ile, however, - conc urre d w i t h the Hon, Baronet, i n demerit on the pa r t of a Ge nera l, h e cou l d not think it furnished grounds on which to call for thinking that economy ought to be continually Parliamentary remuneration. To him as a man attended to, to enable them to essercise well-timed of a plain Way of thinking, it appeared, that the'generosity. , results of the _campaign had been - nothing but Lord Coe LIRANE complained that that assist disaster ant, defeat, The victory of Salamanca ance had not been given to ,pain which would appeared to be a victory forced upon Lord Wel- most have_serVed her cause. If the army under lington. After that victory lie could wish it to he Lord Wellington had been stationed in the Isle of explained whether it was good conduct to proceed Wight, and oceasionhlly employed against the against Burgos, whether in the conduct of that coasts of France, it would have occupied the at .siege there was a want of ability 'in the Co m- tention of a unteli greater come- than it at present mancler, whether the project was a bad one, or employs ; and such a ,stem in the end .would whether the Ministers of this country had given ' make Buonaparte glad to, accept of any terms - of lan positive orders to advance against it without peace we would grant. e. ftesnishing him with the means of taking it, In Mr. WHITBREAD, as he had diffhred from the one of Lord Wellington's dispatches there was a 'majorities of the House on former occasions, both Singular paragraph—'' Your LOrds'hiP! is aware I. i as to the merits of Lord Wellington s and as to the had little hopes ,of success at Burgos; yet after remuneration proper to be given for his services, the battle of Salamanca ; it MIS necessary-to pro- 1 felt it incumbent upon him to declare his entire teed against. Burgos, to ensure the-success of-the approbatiOn of the grant. On a former occasion campaign." Thus, then, the consequence of that he had' not hesitated to put questiona to a relation aictory was disaster. He (lift not wish to under- Of Lord Wellington's, a Member of that House, value the services of .1:-,ord Wellington, bet the - z l eaphetiog Load Wellington's private forttute, Ise victories he Lad 'gained in Spain had none of the fore he would consent to the reinuimiettion then characteristics which distinguished those of the proposed. In some iristhnees he had thought Lord Duke of Marlborough; , The . advantagps.that Ge- Wellington had led his army into a serape, and nerargained he retained ; 'yet it was not till after that they had gallantly-fought him out of it On the decisive battle of Blenheim that Parliament the disastrous ‘retreat after the battle of Talavera rewarded his .services. Now iii the Peninsula it. he had ii sitated to decide till - hes aw the whole of bad been observed, and by military men too, that Lord Wellington's plan ; but when this developed Marquis Wellington had brought his army into- itself in the retreat of Maseena from-Portugal, difficulties, but his men had fought him out of from that moment he considered his actions to them again, and that in the eapthre of thm. for- have stamped hint a great Officer. A retreat, he tresses which lie had won, a waste of lif e was t o contended, • might - he most honourable to a Gene be complained of. This he understood to have ral, atiLl he believed Buonaparte to have been as been the case at Ciudad Rodrigo and Badajoz, wellsatia'fied with Massena and Ney for the man which places bad been , stormed without a breach, ner in. which they had conducted the retreat of being previously • made. A 'similar complaint he their forces from Portugal, as with any, victories had heard respecting Burgos. He did n o t wish-.to they could have gained. The attacks made_ on divide the House on the grant, but -he wished to Ciudad' Rodrigo and Badhjos he - thoughts:justified nitre that the cpbsideratiouhof the grant shoals! by the success - which had crowned them. ''"Though be deferred till some inquiry had bee n m a d e :into both were desperate, and had _cost. us-many 'brave this extraordinary - campaign. , He didnot - see that men, whose loss mast he sincerely deplored, yet flattering success which the Noble Lord - thought still the capture of those places had saved the lives he saw in the siege of Cadiz having been raised by of many who would have fallen at, other places, and the enemy. The cause - of Spain to.lifift appeared 'therefore what they had cost us was not to be esti infinitely more hopeless that it was at the cool- mated by the-lOss they had cost ns in the first in inencement of the campaign. If Lord Wellington stance, but by the greater or smaller loss of life had never marched to Madrid,, and if he had not we had su s tain e d i n th e progress' of the cam p a i gn. gained the battle o f Sahonanca, there-w ou ld have - He then noticed the consequences ()Idle battle , __ - . LONDON ; Prtilted by THOMAS WOOD, of Nu. 29„ P.ussell-court, Budges-street, Corent-gard" ) ; ll'ul , lished by WILLIAM ARMIGEB SCRIPPS, South 11101 ton-street, Grosrenor.nott i i ..) . . At .theliani Okirigg, No.: 112, St-zaucl,. where ii(l44Ttitzeplent,, Orders Nr_t. ll . 1 CIPET, Letta - s for tche. piitor, &c, (pod' 1) 4 ,0 , must:be addressed. , . Satanaanc rather and to ittihh. what .object JAC 1 -Velliagton leaf /said whenht advanced hi - hal:id') rne Noble thra - , liatihhe observed, that uh4ht staoothed ;-hyth,'wa ofthe obstaeles.to -a peace, byrecognisiag Joseph. Haonaparte as the Spain ; for, speaking of the Commanders Lord Wellington had beaten, fiad said.--he beat Soult-he beat Marshal- hiar7• inont---4te heat ey—he beat the Khig, assisted by C hae f a t Jac ha t a h. One remarkabl e passage in a dispatch of Lard Wellington's, empressed hope that th e peopl e o f M a d r id' would exert then:- selves better than they had.doue on a former occa sion, .He had given them an opportunity o!'doing: so, and if they had not availed thenrielVes of ii, it wavno-fault of his. - lie bad no doubt but the Freneh-Generals thought higher of Lord W.ellinth ton since his late retreat than ever, even - after the bahtle of Salamanca-. Knowing how high Lord Wellington stood in their estimation who.werethe best judges-, A 3 was seen from intercepted letters; . it was nbt.n o w for the House to detract froth his merits ; and he thought it wouid beeame the Hoare now to Vote the grant proposed, however however they aih.)ltt wish for information, relati , 7e to the genera: - plan 'of the taMpaign. He wished no comparison had been made between Lord Wel lingroa aa d Commander s of former times. It was not necestary to compare him with the D u ke of Marlborough.. Each Stood suffieieatl h his own merits, •If any tarnish were to '-e on the character of the"Ditke of Marlborough, it was -there Hier'e the elmh!cter.of Lord slhaliah ton rose, in pecuniaryanatters h • Lord Wellington Was invainerable there, tvheretheDukecoald be wounded. The sum .of 10000/. was iertainly a • large grant, but at a. time when the Chanceilhr of the Exchequer told them that • he had hen the means of passing e l even - m illi ons and .a half intd the Veniasula within the list year, and toahcais with a sort of apology for not Seil,Hg More, it would be absurd to say, while the people tOche h :,t 11.500,0001. t o o littl e t o sen d t h ere, that econo my forbid thy grunt of 100,000/. to Lord Wel lington: Mr: CAN thought the grant to the se:viers • of Lord Wellington, .for the moral effect they had produced in this country, front the .conscious strength aml heuelity welelt, while comparing . tar., se., es ,on land with an enemy, whom till lately we had been, disposed to think as superior on one element as we were on another. M ith Allis view 'he thought Lord Wellington's services would be inadequately rewarded by any thing which the House might grant. It could not be denied, that it was impossible not to see that we owed to Lord Wellington what the nation could not owe to the Duke of Marlborouah front the circumstances of, ,the times in which he lived, which could notfur-- nish that revulsion of sentiment produced in one day by the splendid achieveMents of Lord Wel lington,- It was impossible not to look hack to our feelings at the commencement of the present war, When we'were not considering whether we should be able to drive the enemy from the Tagus to the Douro, from the Douro to the tormest, or from the Tormes to the Ebro ; but when we Were preparing to fortify the Thames and to flood the country, it was impossible to look back afirnh • out congratulating ourselves on the 4:L-ange. To hint We mainly owed the change which had taken place to the army formed under his eye, to the rising generation, •the glory and defence of 'this • country we could now look with confidence, and repose in security. Lord Wellington had not- , Only raised this country in the eyes Of the world by bearing the thunder of England against her foe, bat by appearing the tutelary genius of the countries he was sent to, assist. The almost unhoped-fer successes of Russia were partly to he ascribed to what had been done by Lord, Wellington. He ' then shortly contrasted the campaigns in Spain and Rusia, and partitularly pointed out the splendid difference between the . career and the conduct of him NV ho advanced to succour and to Save, and he who but advanced to devastate and to overthrow. He objected to that which the Hon. Baronet (Sir F.'Burdett) had seemed to recommend, that the grant should be made to Lord Waington out of•the fund .he had. named. If this were done, he was confident the public, far front feeling themselves relieved, would consider themselves to hare been defraaded. They would resent that conduct *hich seamed tended to make such a grant palatable. He .was convinced, that however the funds irr question might be disposed of hereafter, they ought not to pollute the grant they were now called upon to make by any .thing that would seem to apologise fur their conduct. They oug ht not on such an occa sion to appear to excuse themselves for such an act, by making it understood that they were generous, because they could be so at a cheap rate.. The grant otight to be made out of-the pub lic money. He understood it was proposed to lay out the 1:00,0001. in the purchase of lands to be attached to the title of Wellington: Lord Wel lington's children were all sons,' hut they might have only fernale issue. He presumed that it was not intended the title should fail in that case. He • thoright•it necessary not only that the immediate descendants of such a man should he provided for,. but that the grant of that night should insure to their posterity that result which Englishmen - could not but wish to see, as a lasting monument to tbo. , memory of their great ancestor. Lord CASTLEREAGH observed, that matter would • come to he considered in the Bill. It was the wish of Ministers that the grant should be- made on the most liberal principles. A motion of Sir F. BURDETT'S, that the Chair man should leave the Chair, 'was negatived, and the original motion 'agreed to. • The House resumed, and the reportof the Com mithee was ordered -to t,t.' received o-Inorrow. • In a Con . neittee &Supply, several of time annual Naval Supplies were voted a aanal /0,500h0001. for -.. Exehequer. Bills outstanding and unprehided for. The report was ordered to be received to- . •- , wrrow. BIRTHS. Ou the 30th of Novembei, in Dublin, Lady Harriet, wife of the Right Hon, Colonel Foster, of a Sau ali:1 Heir: Last Saturday, the wife of Mr. Silver, Surgeon to the,. Sea-liathipg Infirmary Margate, of a .Sar. ',!. On. Sun t ay last, a;, earihai ton, the Lady: of joseph Estridge, Esq. of a Sou. r