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

idr.
lhat

Idsittt 11 aa h a.e., and eonsequeritiy appliets to
Liar other Generals for their flpilittllol and inform*.
Ile had been somewhat surprised at their
item, which, clothed in all the formal langunge
'Seidl &moments, really contained nothing.
were perfectly inanimate. Weed, tiering Iwo
on which to form their °pintos', these
could out he expected to he very con:monied-
ere. Thee, however, peeing Government deter-
rimed upon an expedition, entered into a speenla-
ion, on speculative ground., that never did exist,
,ace it as their opinions that the object wan
practical, but all united in saying that it was also
,i,isperate. Genets! Brownridg entered into a de-
-Al, and stated two ways of acting against Ant-
erp ; be the first of which, aecosding to his own
~count, it was difficult, and by the other impos-
. :ile, to teach that place. This grand Experlit 00000
~,,,, then set on foot, to accomplish these object.,
id the Ntoble Lord contrived to get a distribahle
;•srce of one half invalids, and the other half row
airs from the militia, sent to perish in the noxious
..oloaphere of Walcherrn. A. iu the army, the
miserable system pervaded the eery. Lord
•i dgmve knew nothing about the matter, and sir
ittchard Strachon as much. They therefore met
"consult an the mat•er. and Sir Richard fairly
upon %hid), for he seemed
~,„„re.sed his ignorance;
~ that very circumstance to recommend himself
Norsk Lord, he was told it was sill
.• yeti. well ;" that they had great confidence
in to % and he wine therefore go out. Io this
ignorant, iinheeile way, wait dispatched, that
e mime. which was to bring disgrace and
douse neon the country. General Brown-
i-..' his narrative, informed them, that
ti.trarl would be the most trill:Milt achievement;
1, it, t the same time, it would be the most diffi-
f oh. 39 it could not be taken, and the army reach
;weer", afterwards, in less than fifteen drys. But,
in the Expedition, as it venally proceeded, they.
found that evert the easiest plan was as difficult, and
it took them fifteen dim to take Flushing. Yet,
will all this tardiness, delay, and mismauagement,
they see.oed all on tiptoe to prairie one another. Mi.
niters at hotue teemed with commendations of Lord
chashsm—:ita rigour, his rapidity in taking South
;levelled, and Walehereu, filled their mouths,
And their Gazettes. His campaign, and his taking
rity fishing town, of which one had mover heard
h..• same before, were Mixlo .1. #i
intolol.Cll LAMP%
that they could scarcely be believed to be the pre-
hallway operations of the army which was to take
_baiter) by a trop de main. After all, this
im-
•raelase force was stopped by a wet ditch at Middle..
burgh, Intl this seemed to he the end Lord Chatham's
exploits. Thisarmainent was unfortunate from the
be,,orming. Cadaand was pointed outas an indispens•
ahlepreluninary to their successfnl progress ; and yet,
,li the fleet of Enalaud could not furnish a sufficient
timber of Immo to land the men on that shore.—
tiistesil of bring inure than provided for the &mom-
phshinerit of what was considered an indispensable
pr.lituiwtry, they were sent forth with much twenty
ineaus, as to change the comae of their whole ope-
rators.. The Marquis of Mnk!, for want of
boats, as he tli.tinctly told them, could not land on
Cadenul. Sir It Streams, in his letter of 4th Au-
gust, did not impute the not landing to the want of
loaht, but to the weather, which he says was very bad;
sthilr,on the other hand, the brave Captain Owen, in
hi, letter of the same day, state% the weather to
be very tine, and that the cause of the troops not
landiug, was from the accutnulated force opposed
to them by the enemy. Among these contmdictory
mounts, he did not know which I. credit. Fine
weather to one might hr foul to another; bat whe-
ther it was the want of boat,, the weather, or the
enemy, Carlene! 0:0 not taken possession of.• and
the whole plan of the Expedition wat overturned.
They then would try their coup-de-main upon
Flushing, but by some means we other they erected
their batteries at out h a distance, that they could
not seen silence a small fort, one or the out-
works. What did they do neat ? They ap-
proached nearer; and, to their eternal disgrace,
they did that which in no species of warfare was
exerteahle--4hey bombarded the town. • Instead
of directsrig their fire to the batteries of their enemy,
they directed it against the treople tilty went to de-
liver from the tyranny of Bonaparte. They got
possession of Flushing, nod' something of their
humanity was recorded ; they got to Baths and ac-
quired alone information, but in this unfortunate
komedition, in deplorable was the influence under
wbieh it was engendered, their iiihumanity and 101..
terir ignorance and their knowledge, alike
contributed to swell the catalogue of their (toaster,.
Tu. pilot Was the only person who was possestved of
the knowledge itecessary, in order to secure even a
home of sitete.% to the expedition. They thought
that they would hate taken Coolsand ; and
l'adsaini was sto nevesary to the object they hall iii
Ilea, so intimately connected r. 411 the sticeras of
the whole of the expedition, that they should not
Farr tinderiaken it, without having secured that
wen tttttt tory %ten ; there should not have eXi.tell
ehtniet, ihrit they might not take it. But they
w"tt on It as unhappy in their knowledge. than they
had been in their ignornnee; Admiral Sir Richard
N'r"l,•on bail considered the East Scheldt as the
1,,t 10.1.10 proceed to, and it was adopted. Sir
flame l'oplo,ots, the sit tier •eVe of theexpeilit ion, had
rile to set k I,l# pi#.o•4e by Smith Weekly',
ten be iii 14.1,1 s a ell go to ti•ol nut the wiry to
l',lttin-Gardriis by IVeattninst•r.Bridge ; and in
''an onirtit time had ',ten occupied, as win suf.
l'' tut to Itnolaparte to die eo.oloset of his toisgest
Old 0140 t impo.taiot ntidertaktoos. But belong got
to fisthz wit 11111 l t seeing an envois., Sir R. Strachan
t%light it would be contrinent to see some plan.
No wan however wis to he err rt. Lord Cbutham
-""7. gat to the (flout loon which he ought to set
etst,f,,,i„,l it .„elithat it was deemed minis-
e," to atl•.totoi it. It was found that the town
,4"111 have beam of 0. (00. Ii t the citadel ;
01101 wit. nn;,pn.ad to fotill Ili,: gte.tt Ohio ut
h .
x;tomiloii, it an. stern s.d ;terry...ley to trine.
W,,00l I at.v nor 000 v, after Innkitni to the
tr"'o.4 iii, that justice 1101 not call lattillv
lr rains! •it of
whose 1,-..iitmllll,lll had
lirllo9o
tam the 144 ~r•k- of entiotry,
eraintsiality WI. #0 It ilpahlr, t hut there
.."ht s'sreely be w stro.nfer sores ttietst it rest aglinst
than that wl,,th ?to. v bass pot r ,rir*rti it, their
11 osizlot 4,, oh:pct.-of n !hal he wo"
'or! %sem twos t romaiion ;to it he had nit
sta.:m.lAl, to the exhoria•iini of an

sail
ut&
cut
the
wen

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lion. Gent. by entering coolly end di.,paseion-
ately into the subject. Perhaps l• t was warm ;
but it was a sheet which might well justify, nay,
which imiserionsly mid irresistibly called for
Witnal h. lie contd not, for his part, endure to stand
before the public, if, without expressing those feel li
-
Pigs wheal the occasion must neceseetrily dictate,
he could WI t 111,6 the ignorance both of Ministers
and of Commanders ; eu ignorance for which the Mi-
nisters should he dismissed, and the Commanders
tried by Court martial. The conduct of all who were
concerned in t his ioees, appeared to him i nexcu se.
bly blameable. The Commander-in-Chief, as he
was culled, was an more is Commander-in-Chief than
he was; indeed, it was surprising haw any one, pos-
sessing the feeling,' of a Gentlemao, could hold a
situation under such ignorance. There was ano-
ther point which the Noble Lord (Castlerea(gh) was
desirous to keep nut of sight at present, because
it should be made the subject of a separate consi-
aerittion ; lie nieant the Medical Board. It was
dreadini to contemplate the fate of men exposed,
not merely by ignorance, hut, by neglect; deprived
even of au opportunity to signalise themselves in ,
the battles of their country. But the Noble Lord
would probably be surprised at his want of philo-
sophy, when, contemplating such events, nothing
had struck him more than the coolness with which
that Noble Lord had treated the sufferings of those
brave men. Notwithstanding all he had to answer
fur, he was cool and cheerful, and even inclined
to jest; hut he wondered that he was not ashamed
to mention some illustrious names, which had
fallen from him in the course of the debate. The
names of Chatham and Wolfe, and Nelson and St.
incent, who had contributed to the prosperity and
advanced the glory of their country, should, in his
opinion, he reserved for other occasions. It was
said, and he was certain it was said with truth, that
that fatal Expedition had cost the nation more,
both in lives and treasure, than any of those lortu-
tette attempts, which judgment had planned, and
• and valour executed; that three times the
number of all the glorious men who had fallen in
any battle of the victorious navy, had become sa-
crifices to this calamitous and disgraceful Expedi-
tion. ( Hear.) How could the Noble Lord talk with
tranquillity, under such an impression. and With
such a fact staring him in the face ?. How could
he contemplate the danger of the country and the
lose of his countrymen, and yet talk in the spot.
tiveness of familiarity, upon the disasters and dis-
eases to which they had fallen a prey? The Right
Honourable Gentletnari who had spoken also, ap-
peared to him to have conducted himself with
greater propriety ; he had lamented the lam of trea-
sure and the effusion of human blood ; bat, at 'the
same time. he had attempted to contend for what
never could be admitted ; he had attempted to con-
tend that it was owing to extraneous circumstances,
and not to the misconduct of Ministers, this disap-
pointment had taken place; the despotism of Bo-
naparte, and the freedom of England, were the
causes to which lie had attributed it. He had sup-
posed, that versed as he (Mr. Canning) was, in
Greek and Roman literature. he could not have
contended for such a position ; if he had resorted to
the authority of those authors, he would have found
that liberty, so far from being a check, was
a stimulant to great actions, and that every a.urPria-
log effort which marked the history of those times,
was dictated and executed by the spirit of freedom.
In the excesses of the ACteniaus. the energy of
freedom was opposed to the energy of despotism.
and the result was known to all. It was by this.
principle that England herself was supported in
the proud situation which she occupied. He was
surprised to hear the liberty of England cited as a
cause of her disaster—he was not only surprised
but alarmed ; her liberties had been pretty regularly
attacked, hut, to set forth the remnant of her con-
stitution as a source of her misfortunes,. was going
farther than he expected. He thought that Mi-
nisters deserved to be impeached, and that Courts-
Martial should be held upon the Commanders,
both naval and military ; but the mere punishing
or getting rid of Ministers was not soffit-lent; a
change of men, without a change of principle,
would never be effectual—(Hear, hear, hear).—lt
would require a drawing hack to the constitu-
tion, to its doctrines and practice, to efford that
security to the people, against weak and wicked
speculations, which
.it was essential to their hap-
piness that they shoeild possess. The evils which
they at present suffered, were not owing to that
chill of folly. imbecility, and pri sumption,
which was expiring of its own radical weakness.
It was owing to this alone, the people of England
not having a fair representation in Parliament.
If 'lsere was not a change of principle and system. it
was in vain to displace Ministers., and was of little
e quence whether the calamity ofoppreesion was
susinesed under the wing's/inn of a I louse of Com-
mons or a foreign deepot. If any Minister at.
tempo,' to /411.1.11 himself by throwing the blame
n.s the Co, 00000 wnder-imthief, lie was sure he
e 'odd he mistaken; nothing would satisfy him,
(Sir Francis Burdett) fir nothing would satisfy
the comas!, but the dismissal of Ministers, soul
Courts-Martial upon the commandem. If men in
private life had been sent to death in such a manner us
they hail sent our brave troops, it emelt' be murder.
Did they not know that there were diseases in 'Nal-
cheren ? did they not send the Expeditirm at a
time, as if they had been waiting for the disease ?
Ibd they net expose our soldiers to evils, against
which bravery and patience were no protection ?
Bravery end patience ,hire hid exhibited, hot those
qualitieswhoop' have rendered the Government
more desi ttttt s to protect, or. ut least, more slow to
expose them. It was Isotherm's to talk of diversions
nn the Creitinent—the Continent was completely
seviell. Ile concluded with observing, that he felt
nn didienlty in %ming for the resolution*. The
only objection he had to them was. that they were
nor +ening enough to meet the occasion, or to eIE•
1111,4 the ynef and indignation of the House at the
ago indering or PO 11111 eh treasure. and the waste of
,I) ovine of the lives of our countrymen.

Mr. fiasnitY. HATHIALST wondrred that when the
fliti ()net spoke of the effect. of freedom, and
his instances front the histories of Greece
and Rome ; he did not go fitrther„ in triter to coin.
ptrte the lemon, and 'hew in what manner and Ily
what orieunill it was finally lout. If states liar
the possession of it for great virtues, thee
owed the loss of it. and of tho.e virtues, to it.
alAuse. It Will by listening to the harangues of far-

tiatis imitators, who were always prepaeed tO take
advantage of la.entiou,nesst and rouze the people
into a state of aneechy, toconsistent with the
commonweal, or the rules of true government.
But they might !ook nearer to their own
house, and their own times, for a stroll:rev. instance
than ancient history could produce. I' he Revolt'
trail of France attlirded an example of the great-
est despotism resulting from the acts of those who
atom' forward as the pretended advocates and cham-
pions in the cause of liberty. But he would treat
this subject with greeter temperance than the lion.
Baronet seemed iisclined to dn. Ile agreed with
him in many things. He agreed that the Noble
Lord and Right lion. Gentleman opposite, had not
stated the gotta:ion fairly, when they raid, that hav-
ing a force, it inu,t be disposed of—and having
no other place to send it, it must be sent to
Antwerp. He knew of ho policy which called
upon a nation to expose itself for the sake of
au ally. He, therefore, areed with him all
those arguments which stood upon that foundation.
One of the objections to their arguing the present
question, was, that it was a military ques-
tion. He regretted the: it was so; but while
it was part of the duty of Ministers to dispose of
the military force of the country, so long was it
part of the duty of that House to watch over such
dispositions, and to argue upon them. If the House
did not exercise this privilete, then. indeed. there
would be some reason to dread the evils of which
the Hon Baronet appeared to be so appreheusive.
The question before theist, was, as to the propriety
And practicability of the undertaking ? As a diver-
sion, it was coiifeased, that it could not continue
for any length of time; andeconsidtriog the fortifi-
cations with which that part of the country
abounded, it was likely that our armament
would be detained. until a force should be col-
lected strong enough to cut off its retreat.
—But. with this object of diversion in view,
how did Ministers proceed ? They lilted out a
great Expeditiop, when, if the obj• ct had been
to take the to and destroy the docks, a smaller
would have beei .Iffieient. They lied made it one
of the. greatest enterprises with respect to number
I end equipment ;
de of the most deficient with re-
spect to object an success. They undertook it
without ally military or naval authority, whose com-
bined sanction should justify it to the country.—
The Noble Lord had 'WM. that he had no written
cap' 'orbs, and laid IL feat stress upon the word
"smitten." But if lie had any opinions whatsoever
to justify the coursewhich he had Wonted, he
might have celled the 'officers to re-state them, as
he had done. but without being stile to establish
the fact. There were, however, some written opi-
pions too, but it was to be observed, their leaguage
was 't you may do so if you meet uo obstruction."
They were given under circumstances that were
mis-stated or misconceived, mid led to conclusions
that did not fairly apply. The questions which
were put to these officers did not relate to the ge-
neral practicability of the undertaking, but to the
comparative merits of two plans submitted to their
coundcration.—This was a most extmordinary way
of coming at military opinions upon the subject.
Sir D. Dundee and Gen. Craufurd had siren their
opinions of the state of Antwerp; they had !ere-
ranted it as a respectable fortress. *hash would SO'
quire a siege, and this opinion was the result of
experience and actual observation. The next fal-
lacy, was that they assumed the whole previous
question. The Noble Lord thought they should
not canvass the merits of the plan. that they should
leave the whole previous matter out of their consi-
deration ; because the ulterior objects of the Ex-
pedition were abandoned; but it was most material
to consider whether there was a probability of their
arriving at all ? A gallant officer had despaired of
success on the very first application; but the an-
swer he received was, " I do not care about it."—
But there was one thing which :nest strikethein all;
theymust see the proprity of a plan concerted between
both Commanders, some general understanding. as
to the manner in which the operations were to be
conducted ; no such plan, no such understanding did
exist ! he even doubted whether it was intended to
push the army up the West Scheldt, and regretted
thpt no combination was made to secure Cadeand,
which he considered an object so important, that it
should have been provided for at the outset. The
time at which it was sent, formed another very
strong objection to the conduct of His Majesty's
Ministers ; they should not have sent out the troops
when the disorder was most fatal, they should not
have exposed them to the certainty. but to the
chance of disease. Sir Flame Popham had given
them warning of this. Upon the whole view of the
case,'the question was, did the expedition so con-
ducted call upon the justice of the House for some
degree of censure? Ile acquitted his Majesty's Mi-
nisters of any intention to injure their country; on
the contrary, he was sure they were willing to serve
it, but the hare circumstance of intention could
never justify such error as they had committed.
Mr. Peet said, thnt he was unwilling, or ra-
ther unable. to go into thr variety of evidence be-
fore them 'llion the subject; but he would state
the principle upois which he preferred the amend-
ment to the resolutions. From the speech of the
Hon. Gentleman oppos;te, it would seene,dhat some
disputed the policy of any such attempt ; while
others, edroittine the 'volley, objected to the plan
and execution of that 'milieu's,. one. It was con-
tended, that it was not wise to attempt such an tici!
dertaking. without a probability of success ; that
they should not embark in any wild impracticable
ad ermines. he would allow ; but he appealed to the
voice of the country. at the period of the Expedi-
tion, whether it would be for them to remain inac-
tive, lest they should be exposed to danger. and
continue listless, because they were safe ? The fart
was, dint the Government had a jealiniey of the on-
sal efforts of Framer. and particularly of the facility
which Antwerp istfirded her of extending and pro-
tecting it. '('het had concerted plan., with a view
to destroy the dark* and arsenals; and were they
to give up their pheis, mid relinquish that object,
merely beelii‘e Austria went to war. .The way in
which such • eircunistimer 40,1111 operate, if it ope-
rated sr all, we.. to col& in them in that intention.
Bear.i—The lEtproileno. however. being
wolf-ft:Arm. it ass olleeted at the% want ti
nr rather procvviled mull contradictory
and emilinied arcannte. as aimt mi•detl it m.
Nature appeared in have twi.,l on• or lit
forfora naval situation; and suppwsiog we day to come

when the enemy, taking 'Armitage of it, would
place himself in a condition to hr as successful at
-Pea is hr had hitherto been on laud. what would
the lino. Gerd. whose eloquence he ehntabi
some to compliment, whin tented he say to llfifmiete no„. •
id, what force of colouring and sirsingth of
Romeo, would he set forth the bliliderss of thug's;
whocoold not calculate upon an event en probable.
or their remissneso and criminal neglei't in not proo•
siding agancit it? How forcibly, and how itr.tly
would lie bring bill charge ? Fle depriicAttd the
notion, that no stoic ks should be made hut
such is the cool calculation of Cabiort f:ouncils
would venture to recommend ; by such a policy
they would entirely preset ve their orioles from the
chance of deft at. they must deprive them of the
chance of compest too, end mast be content to
blot nut the bright* st pages of their Watley..
Hazard was of two kinds, the hazard of defeat, and
that of failure ;and lb. opinions of the officers which
were quoted against them, stated only the hazard of
failure. With respect to the failure of the expedition.
the testimony of General Broworigg, who said that •
there existed a strong necessity for but+ en under-
taking, was worthy of implicit credence; he hid as-
serted that an attack upon Cadrand was not only
justiti ibte but expedient ; end that the efforts of
the British army, but fur the interposition of ill-
fortune. 'loon hare in. needed. Sir Home Pop.-
ham. Sir R. Keats, and Sir Richard Strattan, hod
stated, that if the posse,sion of the two banks
bad been obtained, the reduction of the place would
positively have been effected. But whs., in Sir R. •
Strachan't opinion. neensioned the-Faitortrwere, the
ioclemencin of the season; which were .eztroordi.
nary, and unheard-of before the time of the cuter-
prize. and the cons. quest delay of the ffeet in passing
up the Scheldt. rut the motive forthia undertaking
was a complicated one, involving the service and
the interests of this country. with the hope of res-
cuing Austria, whose spirit, though attacked, was
not destroyed ; and was this country, so elevated
among the Power, of Europe, to be yielded to the
'burnt power of the tyrant who threatened it ? It •
might be said, that there was no probability of enc.
ceediug in giving relief to Austria ; and even if the
chalices were against such a circumstance, was the
ides to be relincpaisbed ; and would Gentlemen
think it advisabie to abandon Vlislehereu, before
that ovation would come on, which would preclude
the necessity of such a measure ? There were oboe-
dant documents to prove. that the season of the
year was fast approaching, at which all dia. -
ease and distemper vanish.. Little was he dia.
posed to under-rate the treasure expended upon
the enterprise, or to undervalue the Ines of At
gallant heroes who adorned it ; bat he did think,
they had been immolated to the erases of Austria,' •
or to ministerial intrigue. Were we, while Antrim
was falling under the force of France, to accelerate
the fall of that proud and sinking tower, by re-
moving tht milyfakiewse by which it was sr:Timer.
ed The House could not suppose, that Ministers
were destitute of the feelings of tools or that they
felt has compassion for those who had perished, be.
cause they were not encircled with glory. Convioeed.
as the House most be. that the chances of failure
were by no means proportioned to the chaste" of
success, and that the cause of failure was not justly
ottrihistabloAn-Illirsistoorr his hoped- Assam immo.- .
moos concurrence with the Amendment.

The CHANCELLOR of the Examines said, that
it pofortanately fell to his lot to rise et the time of
his own exhaastioo, and of the exhaustion of argu-
ment upon the present subject. The attention off
the House had been stretched for the last five
nights, and there existed nothing in him to coat.
mend its attention; but his silence mould, apes
the aconites, be construed into disrespect far those
with whom be was in conjunction, and who had
already combated and vanquished the 'satire series
of argument which had bees urged against them ;
and, lodeed, the victory was not very glorious, if
its splendour was to be estimated by its difficulty.
Those arguments had been uniformly directed to
one object, and that was to effect the removal of
him and his colleagues; and, upon their removal, to
supply their place. Notwithstanding the late period
of the debate, be felt it peculiarly fortunate that
he had to follow those who had not offered a single
expression to streagthen the aide of the question
wbich they pretend ed to advocate, who were turn-
ing this tragedy into • comedy, and conceived, that
the farthest way about was the shortest way heave ;
they had, indeed, according to their doctrine, beta
'efficiently circuitous, but had not yet reached
their destination. which was still far distant. It
bad Brea asserted, that the Expedition was one
which even 'access could not justify; but that opi-
nion was soon after acknowledged to be confined
' to an individual.—(Ne, no.)—None, who were
acquainted with the object of the enterprise, could
say, that the interest which Great Britain had in
it was trivial; it was of immense, of vital import.
ance, and much regret did he feel that the scqui.
sition could not be retained. But Gentlemen had
talked of tht failure of all the expeditions, and
ascribed those dreadful consequences to the ince-
pocky of Ministers ; this was rather so extraordi-
nary assertion, especially when it was considered
from whom it proceeded, and that every syllable
uttered upon the opposite side, did the very con-
trary of confuting or invalidating these strong mod
rational positions to which he had adhered. No
allusion had been made to Buenos Ayres. by
Gentlemen who spoke of the late expedition, as
ill-judged and rash; the expediency nr the
impropriety of that undertaking had not
been mentioned.—/flew, dear./—Here then
were comparative noents,—(no, no.)—and the
country would decide to which to scribe the honi .1
intenuop,„ and refuse lobs directed by councils un-
der the ineuence of on much iniere.ted, i.e nod it-
sincerity. But as to the crimpett tiry ~f the
t
had hsedj'aPidn"ge of the
dbdoublibitit;ari:stlPedi
o.oipisnuico expediency
11:1
those particulars, be yielded to a het every 'lndy
must deempoperior authority—the authority of rev
pertencrd military men—of Brownrigg, a d
others, high in professional knowledge. %t realist
to the policy of the enterprise, lino evidence. hr
Erred, had not been looked to with the iicenr.ey
it demanded ; the demolition of the arsenal, he is.,
ice wicch formed so greet a pert of the etienii'll
sire. i.rt Is, was net considered by Gentlemen UP atilt..
tit.. . to justify an attack apse them. But if the
i,utboriiy of Nelms, Sir Home l'ophow, and Capt.

Owen, were worthy of credit, the effecting of
such au object would not only greatly incom-
mode the en' my, and destroy a great part of
his resources, but prove of immediate and es-
sential service to this couutry. Those authorities
;he had just quoted, were witnesses to the growing
naval power of France, and the object of the un-
dert .king was such, as to justify greater risks than
had been ventured. The most powerful enemy,
wittin twenty-four hours' sail of Great Britain, was
sorely an object to be considered with terror, and
to he resisted with vigour. As to Austria, the
state of the war between that country and France.
we+ such, that the balance of power was equal, and
it broaitie us to render our most active and stre-
nuous assistance. It had been said that the British
troops should have been sent to the North of Ger-
snowy or Spain. To accomplish either was impos-
sible. Had any at my been sent to Spain, such in-
crease of force to Lord Wellington, would have
been nut only useless, but injurious ; for if they
bud conjoined with Lord Wellington he woul.l
have been prevented front moving with such cele-
rity as was necessary ; and 7.; to the transportation
of troops to Germany, this country conic' not
ruaititain such numbers as would have been ne-
cessary either for attack or resistance at such
a distance ; but the Expedition was followed
up for a double purpose; for our own security,
awl for the assistance of Austria. The state of
the war between Austria and France occasioned
a diversion in favour of the Scheldt Expedition,

and that Expedition was reciprocally serviceable to
Austria ; and the object was the accomplishment
of the gr,atest benefit that ever the country sus-
tained. Was it fair then to stigmatize that ob-
ject, by 'lying it was impracticable? It was never
considered by the projectors of it but as exposed to
chance and failure ; but the failure to which it was
exposed did not involve in itself the ruin of the
country. The Expedition had been conducted iii
such a manure as precluded the possibility of great
disaster, and had nut unexpected disease step' iii
with its calamities, there would lime been no such
disaster; a as lisaster; there was no 'oil:tory failure,
nothing redounding to the disgrace of the army;
why th• n was the 'law, of the country tarnished ?
Its standei-rs fortunately succeeded in nothing but
drawing upon themselves the odium which they
had cast upon its character. It had been s.iid, that
• the wind and weather were favourable to the under-
:Antic. He would affirm that they were of a quality
and description, which could not be expected at
that time of the year, (a laugh); why there were
innumerable evidence. to prove, that the violence
of the wind was the thing that suspended all
the acting operations of an active army ; and
surely Ministers were not accountable for the
consequence of a furious element. But they Ail.
the Expedition was uudcrtaken without authority.
Naval sethority was contained in the Meroorande
of the Board of Admiralty, and military author.
rity was also fully advanced by general offi-
cers; even the opinion of Colonel Gordon, which
had been considered as most decisive against Mi-
nisters, would not have continued so; if that
which occurred, after he had delivered hie opinion,
was stated to him, instead of saying that the
dertaking was desperate, he would have declared
that it was far from being dangerous. The difficulty
which he had stated was the possibility of the ene-
my's collecting a force to obstruct the return of our
ships. But what evidence was there of the magni-
tude of the force to be collected aasinst the fleet in
its return ? Upon the 11th of August, there were
at Breda, Bergen-oprzoom and Ant werpao,ooo men,
a great number of whom were Dutch troops, and
artificers, sailors, and pressed men. Aru' here was
strong proof of the reduced force of France, who
could not afford to defend, with sufficient numbers,
these important places. But no hazard, as had
been alluded to, was run by the project against
A utwerp, up to theft Ith of August. An Hon. Gen-
tleman hail said, he doubted that the plan of
General .Brownrigg was the one upon which the
Expedition had been undertaken. Such a doubt

was absurd, by the evidence of Sir Home Popham
and Lord Castlereagh, together with Papers, de-
scriptive of the plan, in which it had been laid
down, that the fleet was to sail up the West Srheldt
to Bergen-op-Ziom. The operation of the invest-
ment of Flushing was considered as an insurmount-
able difficulty; but that would have been done away
by the lauding of the tops;ro it was the intention
of Sir J. Hope to effect a landing at South
Beveland ; but that, in point of fact, had been
effected on the second of August. If Gentle-
men thought investment by sea necessary, as
well as investment by land, they would see that
that also was the intention ; and, but for the

, .-.
would have been carried into effect, all
the efforts of the enemy at the same time una-
vailing. It was distinctly intended, that Cadsand
should be taken, and there was no evidence that
auy forge occupied the place on the 30th. If the
army had arrived at the time expected, no resistance
could have been made. The deficiency 'of boats
was not so great as had been represented ; they
could not act on account of the weather. The
Chancellor of the Exchequer said, he gave the
Oentlemen opposite credit for their sincerity in giv-
ing their opinion that he and his colleague*
should lie removed, hut he also nwe himself
credit for using his Orono to keep them ont.—
Of laugh J—lie conceived that the resolution
moved by his Honourable Friend (General Cran-
furd) was one which prevented the character of the
proceedings of Ministers with justice and accuracy,
and contained the mode of conduct which should

be observed by the country. With respect to the
retention of the Island, he considered it of great
importance; and so far from thinking that it should
have been abandoned on account of the &lime, that
very circumstance had rendered its retention more im-
portant; had the arsenals and docks been demo—
hilted, there would be a cessation of alarm ; but hav-
ing left the naval means of the enemy uninjured. the
retention of the place was of course of infinitely more
importance. The question was not whether it was
wise to undertake the Expedition, but being in pos.
session of thelsland, whether Ministers were justified
in relinquishing, without ascertaining whether there
was a pnvututity of retaining it ? Security to this
country, and assistance to our allies, were the mo-
tives for the conduct of Ministers, ■nd by the pos-
session of Antwerp our naval power would have
bent in perfect weuritv.
tile then took a review of the administrations of

Mr. Pitt and Lord Sidmouth, whose objects were,
the surrender of W'alcherems 'Else reason they
abandoned their project, was not on account of the
anhealthiness of the climate, but Irons a deficiency
of troops. It was pointed out by Lords Nelson and
St. Vincent's, as the key of the Scheldt. He would
ask them, when they were in possession, would they
have been justifiable in evacuating it on account of
the pestilence The opinion of Sir Home Popham
was, that it was retainable, which was corroborated
by that of Sir Richard Strachan, in his letter of the
13th of Septeraber, in which he stated, that the
basin of Flushing would commits twenty sail of the
line, and that they might ride in safety ; and, in
the ease of a western wind, they would be able to
go through the %Veeling Passage. Would it
then be said, that His Majesty's Ministers were
wrong in holding it, at • time that the peace be-
tween Austria and France was not known to be
concluded ? It made the rettait Mit most justifiable.
It had been tticertained, that the part of the Laps-
ditition that was afloat, had been most healthy ;
but it could not he expected that the soldier, who
was lying ladays in the open Itir,iiiight not be liable
to disease in any climate ; hut if the pestilence was
much complaiued of in the Island of Walcheren,
could not the garrison of Flushing be afloat, and
iii a few hours lie wafted over to the 'coast of
Kent ? much had been said on account of the cli-
mate, but was not the conduct of all Administra-
tions towards the West India Islands the same
Although pestilence reigned there, armies had
been sent both to Saint Lucia and Saint Do-
mingo, and it was well known they were reduced
to lea than one-half, and there never hail been
a murmur. The lives lost at Walcheren were
for the preservation of Britain, yet loud min-
tours were attempted.—( Hear, hear, hear.)—He
then entered into a detail of the causes why the
Island was not evagnated sooner, acknowledged
that the ships Ise:'esiging to His Majesty's navy re-
feised to take the siek ou board, but as fast as
transports could be obtained, they were sent over,
and, on their return, fumigated and sent hack.—
This caused a delay in evacuating the Island ;
because he trusted that the country would
always consider it necessary that the sick should
be embarked before those who were in health.
Under those considerations, there could be no
ground of accusation against His Majesty's Minis-
ters. But if they were to be judged by their poli-
tical adversaries, they would be condemned ; but
it was by that part of the House and the Country,
who understood the question, he wished to be
judged.—(Hear, hear.)—He would assure them,
that it had been most painful to him, that the
Wand could not be retained, as he thought it would
have berm of the greatest importance to this coun-
try.—(Loud shouts of hear, bear.)
Mr. R. Du s DAS rose, amidst loud and continued
cries of Qitestion, question. At length, he was
enabled to state • few observations, alluding to the
inttigues of Ministers; and contended, there was
no ground to suppose, that if Lord Grey and
Lord Grenville had come into office, Walcheren
would have soont r been evacuated.
Mr. BROUGHAM and Sir 11. POPHAM addressed
the !louse, but from the repeated cries of Question,
question, withdraw, withdraw, could not proceed.
Strangers were then excluded, when the ques-
tion was put on Lord PuarnfillThell first Resolu-
tion—

Aver 11,7
hurs .

Majority in favour of Misiaters Ia
A rieencrl diveonit took piece ou General CRAM..
FU RD.I Amendmeut, Approving of the policy of the
Expedition. A difference took place between
the Teller., and the I loose divided ■Kain--
Arrw e7•2
Nors

. •
been very active in putting every place in best
state of defence, and that they are in daily expec-
tation of 30,000 stand of arms from England. They
Imre levied heavy contributions to detray their ex-
penses; and, it is said, the church plate is to be
sent to EtiOsud immediately. The city of Astorga
has lately been strongly fortified.