The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1810-06-09 00:00:00

seeltilletty forces of Spain. Selby, he petteeeiril to
the Main points in the pupae, he had to ester.
few observations on what was At first part of their
contents. the mission of Sir George Saab. This
Gentleman wee dispatched fret* England on the
Qath of December. entrusted With a mat tot-
portaist udision, relative to the occupation of
Cadiz. At this period Mr. Freve was the British
Bilinear with the Supreme Junta, at Saville; and
from the 10th December to the stOth of Jemmy,
as it appeared from the papers, no fewer then five
dispatches were snot to him, in not one of which
was any mention made of the important mission and
instructions of Sir George Smith. Whether Mr.
Coning was ignorant of Sir George Smith's mis-
sion. or whether his aflame on that subject pro-
ceeded from the most culpable negligence, remain-
ed yet with the .111oble Lords opposite to explain.
But this one thing was evident, that his being sent
unknown to Mr. Freres and without any communi.
cedes en the subject being made to him, was
productive of the utmost disorder and confusion.
In proof of this he ha i only to read a passage from
Mr. Frere's dispatch, which stated, that " the
mission of Sir George Smith, and his having order-
ed troops to proceed from Lisbon to Cadiz, with-
out appealing to him (Mr. Frere). had given rise
to • strong suspicion, that something Moister was
intended by the British Government, in conse-
quence of which the utmost confusion prevailed."
These troops thus sent round Irons Lisbon to Ca.
dia. remained there on board their ships. sod an.
swereil no other purpose but that of creating dis-
seosiou in Cadiz. and a suspicion of the British.
Such a measure could not have been coistriv-
ed, but by the same men who the year before
sent an army under General Baird to COMMIS,
without having previously eusured their pea mission
to lona, either from from the Local or Central Junta.
He id not, however, call their Lordships' attention
to this matter so much as connested with his pre.
semi, purpose, as to sheer the total want of concert
and prudence in the conduct of Ministers. He
now came to the more material parts of the corm-
poudence, from which it was seen that • few months
after he i.erioil of which he had been speakingtifir A.
Wellesley was dispatched 'o Portugal. In page I
would be found iiis first instruction with regard to
Spain at that moment exhiviteel in • most interest-
ing point of view. For after the retreat of Sir
John Moore, the Spaniards had resorted to that
species of warfare, which experience load sheen to
be the only way in which they could hope for
success. and from which he sincerely regretted they
had ever been tempted to depart. They had adopted
the defensive system, which had ever been attended
with incalculable effect. as was strongly shewo from
the intercepted correspondence of Soult to King
Joseph, in which he stated, that in geueral actions,
lie was invariably succeessful, but that the war car-
ried ou by the possautry was so destructive, that no
army could resist it. It was, however, at the very
moment whet' this iystem was so successfully puns
sued—when experience bed proved that all hopes
of co-operation were rain, and the moat melancholy
experience had sheen its insufficiency—it was at
this serf moment that Sir A. Wellesley was and to
l'ortugil. What then were his first instructions;
of which he hail already spoken?—.. to relieve Por-
tugal from the presence of a French army, oil then
Loco-operate with the Spauiishi armies for the common
cause." Yet it soon occurred to Ministers that they
had isist obtisimed from theSpunish(iosieriunent any
of these securities for supplies, &c. which they had
declared to be necessary before assisting them with
anodser British army ; and they accordingly, ot,
the tlld of April, drew up a second set of media-
tams for their General, which completely did away
the effect of the first. By these, he was directed
wet to iota rpm • campaign in Spain, without
ea motructions to that effect from Ministers.
came the third instruction'. on the 25th Mae,
which, if the ascend did away the first, equally did
away both. Uwe Sir A. Wellesley was directed.
after driving the Freuch from Portugal, not to go
beyond the frontier provinces of Spain, unleas
he tamed an advance consistent with the safety
of Portugal. He trusted that Ministers would
not ground their defence of the failure of the Ex-
pedinem into Spain. on this discretionary power
entrusted to their General. They could not be
justified in throwing the responsibility off their own
shoulders upon those of Sir Arthur Wellesley, for
they alone were in possession of the information as
to the state of Spain, in every respect, on which the
policy or danger of the measure could be decided.
The discretion given was merely military; and,
considering the ardent spirit and gallantry of the
Noble General, tantamouut to a command to
march into Spain. And yet these orders were,
transmitted aheo Ministers well knew that no pre-
cautions had been taken to insure supplies to the
array from the Government of Spain. In the
end of April, Sir Arthur iVellestry arrived in
Portugal; and, on the 12th day of May, drove
the French from Portugal, and continued the
pursuit to the iath, when lie found it necessary
to abandon it. On this part of the subject he had
no observations wherewith to trouble their Lord-
ships. Thecouratry bad paid their tribute of ap-
plause to the gallant Generall who conducted the
enterprise ; and though hi: had heard some cen-
sure bestowed on the mode of !pursuit adopted with
regard to Sonit, yet knowing the vigour and ardour
which distinguished the actions of the Noble Offi.
CPT. he must gave him credit fur having done all
that was possible in an ittrair wltcre• Ileac qualities
were so necessary. His motive fqr abandaiiiii.4 the
rewind, as suited in his first diipateh, *as the ne-
cessity of proceeding to the south, to co-operate
with the Spanish army under Cora*, to whom he
had promised that sondance. From this he had a
right to assume, that Ministers were resolved, drum
the beginning, to continue the contest in Spilill,
wits the are.), es it stood under Sir A. Wellesley.
Now they must either hate believed that Spam af-
forded the means of supply, oho 6 would enatile an
allied army to act for its deliverasice, or they must
have known, that neither supplies, pros isions,
or co-operation, in that country, were to be
depended upon. If they entertained the former
opinion, then. instead of the army they did
employ, with such a cause as that of Spain to fight
10, evely effective man in J.:aglow', ought to have
been employed in the service. Our interest* and our
feelings were oldie interested in the strug4lei which
was not for Spms, atone ; which 044 nut for
k"1116.41 only / bat which was foe the liberties of