The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1810-01-30 00:00:00

Lord Gauthier in this transaction—it wu all lus
Noble Colleague's; and it was the oiniiision, if there
was any, of which the suspicion *tucked to this
Consinerkter-in-Chier. This did noetall for their
thinks; and if they voted than, it would be robbing
hisuNotile Friend of the honour bestowed on him
by, law Sovereign, for his services, They would be
hiring the real MANI from his shoulders, than
whom no man could bettor adorn it. How could
Ministers escape ceusarei for his appointment, if
his signals were unworthy of attention ? It was im-
possible to refuse the minutes, and the motion hatl
his most cordial support. The Hon. Baronet csii-
eluded with aniittitilversions on some points of the

evidence, which he thought went against Lord
Gambier; and contended, that his Lordship's ac-
quittal was enough, without entitling him to a vote
of thanks. He also instanced the CdS• of Colonel
Cavithorne, as one. in which the House, on far less
cause being shelve, had revised the proceedings of
a Court-Martial.
Mr. 'lout differrd so materially from the lion.
Baronet, that he wished to state to the House what
his own aentiinents on the eulaect were. Tile (orb-
lion; be conceived to be, out whether the House
had a right to demand the minutes of a Court-Mar-
tial in any case, but whether the present was a
case tolf
tbatdemand ? his opinion, it was
not. a vote of thanks to any officer, whethrr of
bra or land, hail been oppused, in the first instance,
by another officer of high rank and reputation. he
should consider it a strong ground for suspending
the Moths, aunt loniser usquiry woe instituted; bat
this was not an instance of that description. (Hear !
hear!) Lord Gambier had been tried; (hear! hear!)
and be believed the charges of the Noble Lord on
the other side of the House were unsupported by
the evidence in every instance. He though it cer-
tainly necessary that the House should be put in
possession of the sentence ; for ea it was acquainted
with the circumstance of Lord Gambier tieing put
upoullis trial, it was proper it should undeistand
how that trial terminated. Before he sat down he
could not help regretting that the Noble Lord
should think it • part of his public duty to pursue
the line he had taktu upon this mantle. The in-
dividual against whom he came forward. had been
already tried, and the unanimous voice of his judges
had acquitted him ; he lamented, that an officer,
who bad given so many instances of talent, should
set his opinion at variance with the opinions of all
the officers of equal gullaatry, but of greater ex-
perience, who had decided upon the subject. High
as was his sense of the willitotry sod conduct of
the Noble Lord, he must lie excused from giving it
the prererence to theirs. He was surprised to hear
the Hou. /tart. state, that the Noble Lord, who
was entrusted with the enterpnze, was unsupport-
ed ; it appeared front the iviiititcs, th:a lie was not.
With regard to the sigiail given by the No'ile
Lord, there were many who hesitated to pronounce
,64 heater it was right to give it or not ; and all the
officers examined, with only one exception, were of
opinion, that it would have been moot rash and
inadvisable in Lord Gambier to ob. it. Ile was
surprised to bear it asserted. that destruction, sod
not preservation, should be the ehject of every itse.'
val Officer. The great rritetai, of an Offizer's
abi-
lity, as it appeared to him. was_to do the greatest
possible vaischief to the enemy, with the least pos-
sible iftsehief to those ender • hie urines sal.-es
/Hear! Aar!)—lle wished, indeed, that the No-
ble Lund tied tan submitted such a proonifson tri
the House, niter the decinoti of the Court-Martial.
He wished that lie, who had never had the com-
mend of a line-of-battle ship bi-fore, had not been

...- . .
• as forward to arraign the coed uct of another ttlfwer,
who had long lenii in the habit of such counniend,
and had Alm :distinguished himself before by the
intrepidity, as well as judicionsaess of his conanet.
Tbie Noble Lord had imputed to Ministers si wish
go screen themselves by es voze of thanks upon this
taccasien ; for his part. to; speak in the candour of
:his heart, he did not knees any circumstance which
Ministers should he ,anximis to screen, except that
of employing the Noble Lord himself.—(Hear !
hear !)—For these reasons he should vote for the
amendment.
Mr. W. WYPINS said, that when he came down
to the House, that dsy, he had every expectation
that he should be able to vote for the iootiois of the
Noble bed. .He thought it was right that the
minutes should he produced. not in order to decide
whether the Court-Martial had pronounced a right
sentence, but whether, npoo the face of the tiNll2llle
tinli. there appeared sufficient grounds to jn.tify a
vete of thanks to Lord Gambier ?—(Heer I hear!)
—Wlsether the action was of sufficient iinpm timer,
ote whether his Lord.hip was sufficiently connected
with the Kate. to call for the granting of the high-
est honour that could be conferred npuu an Officer?
—(Hear ! hear!) But now the question assumed
a different shape ; it was become • charge, not
merely egotist the Court, but against the witnesses.
There might, he acknowledged, be extreme caws.
in which that House could, with propriety, exer-
cise its power over every other Court nr Institution
in the kingdom ; but this dull not come within the
description. Every Member of the Court. and
every witness who gave his testimony before it,
thought one way, mud the Noble Lord himself
thought another. Upon a mere question of opi-
nion, as that was, should they consider the bare
circumstance of the dissent of the Noble Lord. a
call upon them to alter the decision ? If they
were told, that strung farts were divulged, in the
1 teeth of which a verdict was given; they should,
even in such n case, be cautious of adopting
such • step. The case of Colonel Cawt borne
did not apply. The question was, whether the
risk was not greater than the attempt would jus-
life and this Involved considerations of nice nautical
knowledge, which the Wine should be cautious of
taking into its own hands, out of those who had
already pronounced upon it. How did the case
stand at present ? A Noble Lord declared his in-
tention of opposing the thanks to Lord Gambier ;
he made no charge against him ; when asked for
the grounds of his objection, lie referred to his
' .log-book ; but was this a new source of informs-
Con? Had it not beentrearained already; and were
'- they not in possessiontif the sentence pronounced ?
' Nat' Without consulting it. What then was Ins
answer, but, lii fact, 'erectile.: them to the same
course of investigation which had been already
adopted ? No doubt, those Lords of the Admiralty
who were naval office rs, had takes care to examine
them, end their report was, that his cuedisct was