The National Register.
London, England, 1812-01-12 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTER.

02-

I. ,rdship then moved .an•amendment, That after the word " that" the
remaining part of the motion should he taken away, for the purpose of
suls.tituting an Address,, which was, an echo of the Prince Regent's
Speech.
Mr Vvsz seconded the motion.
Mr. WorreittAn said, that though there were many observati ns of
the Him. ;:arotiet with which he concurred, there were many topics
which in his opinion might bore been better reserved for another occa-
si•n, and many upon which he was not then competent to decide. He
to refgre could. tint vote for the Address or the Amendment.
'rile AT roan tie GENERAL spoke in. justification of the conduct of
Lord F.llanborough. h t. tepresented that the lion. Baronet had iniscon •
teived the principle upon which his Lordship had acted towards Mr.
His Lordship-had advised him to keep back his evidence until
14..: should plead in mitiution of judgment, as he was conscious that it
would be of no uss in jus:ificatio.i.
sir Ftwaoty Buttpurr -said, that it must have been rather difficult
for Lord Elletiborough to form an opinion of the efficacy of Mr. White's.
•evVence, before he had known what that evi tence was.
•Mr. PoraioNav differed from many parts of both motions. With re-
Spect to Spain and Po:tugal, he would not pledge himself to go so far as
to voseurippiies to welt an extent as Minister, should think lit; but
be woad he the last to•withhold what was necessary for the support of
tile war and the honour .of the British arms. Our armies were, he was
s‘rrry to say, though in smaller enterprizes generally successful, yet in
lar4er t ngagements singularly unfortunate. With respect to the state of
our relations with the United States of America. he was happy that the
afftir of th.- Chesapeake was so amicab y adjusted ; and as negoci itions
were -till pending, and t4erta was some expression stating the probability
ty a final settlement with that country, he would make no further obser-
Vat ion upon the subject. '1 he most important topic of all was Ireland,
of fetet*.moment to Great Britain than the Peiti.isula and the United
yet the Speech scarcely mentioned it. To secure the itirec-
. •sf the people of Ireland, to strengliten Great Britain by the liar-
• -trirm'y of ail its parts, should be the first act. The attliirs of that country
wt re t..y • u,h, that a solemn enquiry into its situation was indispen-
slley hec ssary. It would be seen that enrancipatfon alone could render
isef wi,;it she ought to b • to England.
Mr. PERCEVAL replied to Mr. Ponsonby in a short speech.
Nlr. W Hernia F. AD explained.
Mr. BIODULPH spoke in favour of the :;panisli cause.
After. which the House divided upon Sir tra.;cis Burdett's motion,
when there appeared—i.or the ittotion 1; against it ,23P.—Majority, U 37.
Lord iOCF.LYN'S motion was then carried without a division.-s-Ad-
inttrued.

~- ""~.

L.

lIEZDNESDAY, JAN. 8.
Mr. Secretary RYDER gave notice of his intention to move. to-mor-
row, that the Report of the Address to his ROyal Highness the Prime
Itegent shoUlci he brought up.
Mr. Witta•aaziso r. se to express his belief that the House could not
s:zrte as to the propriety of any part of the Address, except that in
evisieb. luliusiacie yet just praise was bestowed on the merits of his
k6y.d fligisne;s, in the exercise of the high powers with which he was
ii.i..zu,,..1,e. ; the devoted valour of his Nlajeay s troops, and the skill and
Split eV:h:cif by their leaders, particula• ly in the hue splendid achieve-
-I;:ent. of General lilil.—L ,rd Wellington. too 'was entitled to all the
p.ineygeris, of whi,:h he had been made the object; but-while he was
wll:in,z to acknowledge all this, he would nut date to hold out to his
Illyal Hight-se-a, er to the nation, any very singuine hopes Of our tilti-
r4.te 4ticcess in the Peninsula. The French -were actually in what
tn4ht.be termed military posstssion of the country. Tarragona and
other john sees of importance had fallen, Ailileida had been destroyed,
Valencia was inves!ed, and we had little r.ason to suppose that place
vspabi of sustaining h protracted siege. It would, also, be right that
s'. shou•d know what was the state ut effairt between the Government
Of Casliz and she people of Seavish America. There were other mat-
t-irs, too, which the licaNe would, he hoped, consider as proper objects
.4 in: airy. Weat was tint state of our army ? 'Were its tanks full? and
ifia.a., was there a fair pro pect of kr, ping up its strength ? He now
4.0-ie. to ...-ssi.er part us Atli. Address, of which he could nit too strongly
Oxp-reiss
.tire d.sapprohation, ii was tbi..t part which met the declaration
$ . is s Roy al digheeka's speech, that the negotiations' with ..tnerica were
cop-o&. J. in the same conciliatory spirit in which they bed begun. As
e.l: as w..atis• could ,e,q, a smooch surface was giten to afthirs, and we
w.ae sizen to hetieve that i system of conciliation WAS pursued with
respeCt W .-Anierica. BUt it would be recollected, that he a:.d other
11.?cr ous on that pule of the House, had freslististly dlnotinced the mea-
wires ad ytud with respect to that country, they •had maintained, and
101ely.ma:..t.ancd, that -t•,ey Were calculated to liriiiitite a 4var between
Ili‘: c.v.,- con tries. but renmostrance was in vain ; and iff4lie teeth of
it were devise' omit! notable sehern s which Were now an the eve of.
Ins:-.ing kii .iri.• 1 Lhe•alty. of France., :rid the• en my of England. The
A-ner:raiis. )1... its" ~oleishe 4 the diplomatic ccserespondente thir:ogli the
i. 1 . 7 , .
Iti ~..,..i um 0 .:,-t17..,i: j;lr v‘rteresrs' of the'tweffttiOns V ere Ealflu:;,..d; anii.
- it •. n j. ktkitotsp4eci....that if the 'system aillpted• hy 41inisters,-
44
y:..1 iit • . Lef4.l,ise-.irXWVV.• theitgetteral.,systeni, it we .lit tv.i wholly
o,'ti' .it.poldp.,4li4:»iiiikfo4:tne li?lin of tl:2 State, We stimild ii.!
. • i ii4oq. 4* ...
II ~- t. 0.. . , ~ ..r., • ;r9k ‘.t,• H.: es as h-pme, however, that the
efs.n; 44:01a.;;Ca4:41si.ea:k.'44.4"bzeip adjusted, and it wouid indeed be fit
• •-;--.,7' •. V.,,,ii-e• -.." '..:-• ;:.0.
. !' *"...
..
.......4..7.0,,4-• :!.. 1.:1.....,..-...4-- •
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• . .
... • .

JAN. lo
•

sui-ject for congratulation, were it• the only point m dispute. He alto.
gether differed with the Noble Lord, that we could never make peace
with the present Ruler of France; but was not this a strange principle
to seek to establish ? In no time hod the personal character of the Ruler
of a Nation been made a ground for war between two nations. For his
own part, he would have no more objection to enter into. a negotiation
with the French Emperor than with one of the Bourbons, were they
still in possession of the throne of France. The principle of the Noble
Lord, if generally received, would involve the world in a state of ever.
lasting war. The Noble Lord had exulted in the wish of Buotiap.
for "Ships, Colonies, and Commerce" being frustrated. He could oat
unite in such exultation ; on the contrary, he wished to God, that-France
had ship:, had colonies, had commerce, and then there would be a better
means for the absorption of a spirit which now found vent in the in-
fliction of misery upon the human race.
Lord JocaevN and Mr. WHITBREAD explained.
The CHANCLLLOR of the EXCHEQUER said, that if the Hon. Gentle.
man indeed wished that Buonaparte wac possessed of " Ships, Colonies,
and Commerce," (and the solemnity of h a manners aff:irdea res.,on to
I suppose that his aspiration was sincere, as it was devout), then there
was an easy mode of accounting for his hostility to measures which were
planned with the view of wi:hholding from our enemy those advantages
by sighed for. Events did not answer the proplaectes of the Hon. Gen-
tleman; but nothing daunted by this, he resumed his task with omo-
vated alacrity. The same ills were contemplated, and apprehensions
rested on the same basis, the power and resources of krance. lie
could, with truth say, if he were permitted to parody a trite couplet,
46 You rend the web of prophecy in vain,
The prophet's at his dirty work agaiii."
We were now told that France had adopted a policy which must, of ne-
cessity, terminate in our destruction. It was better for her that the
contest in the Peninsula should be prat-acted, that we might on that
fatal soil waste our resources, and remain, after the conquest of it wee
in due time completed, an easy prey for the victor. But could any ore
he found so credulous as to believe that this was any thing more than a
specious cloak to the mortification of disappointment and defeat ? Could
the Hon. Gentleman himself believe that nunnaparte had not urged the
conquest of the Peninsula to the utmost of his power, and that the want
of success had not filled his atrocious spirit with confusion, vexation,
and disappointment ? He had not accomplished the conquest to which
he had sprung with such ardour ; not because he had relaxed in that
ardour,Lut because the resources of the unfortunate countrf submitted
to his sway did not supply the meares.,-(Hear !)-fate contest had now
arrived at a stage which would warrant the hope, that the oppressor
' would find, in the scene of his worst treachery, the grave of his ambition.
—( hear !)—But the Hon. Gentleman hart affirmed, that the
French had oatained military possession of the country : he did not pros
Tess himself able exactly to define what would conoitute military posses-
sion, but he had formed a general notion on the subject, and he must
confess it was widely different from that which the Hon. Gentleman
seemed to entertain. Could it be called military possession of a country
when, as we overcame opposition us front, the enemy rose in our rcir
with re, united energies, and an augmented spirit of resistance ? This
was the case in Spain, where the patriotism of the people was aroused
in just proportion to the cruelty and rapacity of their oppressors. Their
spirit had been shown not ao much in restating attack as in surviving
defeat; and no unprejudiced person, who has sufficiently attended to
this circumstance, could, so far from despairing,' fail to cherish very
ardent hour as to the ultimate event of the contest. With respect to
the state of affairs between Spain and her Colonies, he was free to state
that it was not such as were to be wished, hut he hoped that a mutual
spirit of conciliation would yet arise. We had exhibited every inclina-
tion to become effectual mediators, and produce an union in Clip eon:-
mon cause. The Honourable Gentleman had said he would be glad to
have some information from the .Ministers of the Prince Regent, with
respect to the state of the military force of this country. He (the Chan-
cellor of the Exchecpter) was happy he had it in his power to state that
whin be thouelit w •tl:d be extr•rnely -.-onsolatory to the Hon. Gentle-
' man, that not w itlibt And i! ig the waste and exhaustion to which he allud-
ed, a;ld whiah he seemed to ineig.ne much greater than really was the
1 case, the British Army was not less than ten thousand men stronger at
1 the pres. nt ino:nent than it was at this period last year.—(lfetir, hear I)
I —The Hon. Gent. Coen adverted to another subject, which, in point 4:f
raal importance, far exceeded the oth r topics of his. speech, namely, tlas
I state of the negotiation between this country and that of America.—
As long as the House admitted the policy of staving off the catastrophe
of a war with Ainarica, so bang did he conceive would they allow the
j policy of It:Musters not suffering themselves to be drawn into a discus-
! sioo, the effect of which would only be to lay open these plans and their
objects, without the possibility of being attend d with any one benefi-
cial result. "l'o put Government upon its trial n.ea, would be at once to
irnoede that happy issue, whicn there was every reason to exotct would
he the effect ul the existing negotiations. With r .soact to the policy of
Great Britain towards A'aerica, which had bat!: so muck reviled by
the Hon. Gentleman, he would only appeal to the experience and obser-
vation of the House, whether it wa- p issibtr fur this country to have
submitted to more than she had during the' recent occurrence, --( Her,
I hear!)—With reference to the personal ch.-ract, r of Buoriap.i.te, he
I was. giad his noble Friend had set (illus.:11 right ki n that subject. He
cut:id not conceive that the personal character of Zacoaparte, or any