The National Register.
London, England, 1811-04-14 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTER.

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he last year took of our resources, as he had hem accused by
fanny Gentlemen of being, he had greatly under stated them, as
the result had &hewn. The increwse in the post Office had been
grddual, and gave an indication of the wealth of the country.
Last year this branch of the revenue had exceeded the former
by 80,0001. and in the present year the additional increase was
about 100,0001. being an increase of nearly one-tenth of the

whole.
Sir J. NF w PORT said a few words, after which the question
was put and carried.
The sum of 4'27,9001. was then voted towards the Ways and
Means, being tire amount of the proceeds arisiug from the sale
of oid naval stores. •
The Report was ordered to be received, and the Committee
to sit again on Wednesday.
STEALING IN A DWELLING-HOUSE BILL.

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Sir S. Rosimtv moved the third reading of this Bill.
After some discussion the House divided ; For the third
mklhre 50; Against it 39;—Majority 11.
The other Orders were then disposed of.—Adjourned.

TUESDAY, APRIL 9.
PA Of TH OFFICERS OF THE WAVY.
tE
Captain iNN ET moved that the House do resolve itself into
a Committ e of the whole House, to consider of the Act of the
450) of his Niajety. so far as it related to Bills drawn on the
Navythlicers by Officers .serving abroad in the Navy.
The motion was got riel of by the previous question, without
a division.
Mr. PZRECVAL then moved that the House do go into a
Committee on the. Distillery Bill.
• After some observations by various Members on both sides,
the House ritvided ;--For goiug.itito the Committee 66 ; Against
it SI ; Majority :s5. . •
Th Report of the pp yvltAcn brought up, and ordered to
be recitived next da y:—A,d opted.j

4

WrDNESDAY, APRIL 10.
The House recolvediteet into a Committee, to consider of
the Repeal of that pett Act, '° preventing Masters of Ship'n
removing out of the titreA n, tecept to legal Quays awl V'harfe,
which related to ves..ek coming from Ire:kind. After a ftw ob-
strut ion) from Sit J. Newport and .M.r. Perceval, the Cheirman
was directed to move for leave to bring in such a Bill, and upon
the house brills resumed, leave WAS accordingly given.
Gf tit House
REMIT OF THE PeORTUOVESE.
ouse hayingresnit;ed a'(onitniate of Supply, the
)0 -image Of the I:rincteitegeift, which hid-been' referred to the
Cormuittee was read.
• Air. Pelee:eve e, in rising tq call the. attention of the Com-
enittee to the Alessage which liadljast been read, felt firtnly
persuaded, that it must be their titianinneve wisk to second, in
this respect, the views of his Royal Highness—views, which
mere areSoce 11;0 Col:gcniSl:to.the gt•nerosity.aud.henevOlence of
bii.i.wrenaturie that of the King Whom he represented, of the
paleple whom hie go ,t, tot d (clear, hear ! He was persuaded
that there•was hardly a Mail in that Huue, or itt the country,
wh6 would not be proud to premoie the leenetcens intentions
'Which the Reeent had cdnimunieatea. In bta Mesiage.
Whether, ISt grantiog the sum wych he -should eropose, we
were, to.consider and calculate on tile: cold principle of, self-in-.
term, ur whether We were to regard, it;on' more enlarged and
enlighteneetpolicy, or on the cOnsideratton of. Abe moral. duty
which we own to our Allies, who have slieven as much fidelity
to tie cerninoti cause, as they have evinced courage in the ee-
fence of it ; its any one of those view, the claims of the suliering
Portuguese to every relief that we Could afford them appeared
beyond all question. In the. present case all those claims were
united. In proposing to grant relief, we naturally, looked both
to the warts and the merits of those whom we were called upon
to assist. There could be no doubt that the barbarous conduct
Of the French had produced the greaten want amongthe untor-
tunatt svfthose,districts through which they had di-
rected their retreat`
.und when we came to consider the Merits
Of the Portuguese, the sacrifices they had made, anti the courage
they had displayed, he was sure that every man in. the country
. would feel that they had the strongest claims on our, affection
and gratitude. Those claims, recommended by every consider-
ation of humanity, and policy,wouhl, he was convinced,
be sanctioned, by the vote of the Committee.- He shoidd now
reed to the. Committee extracts from a le4er_front „Lord NV el-
liosion to Lord Liverpool, teethe .:;7;411 of October, 1810.
This letter was not.at present before the House, but he had no
oteiectinn to its being Lid on the table, if any Gentlemen thought
siroper.to move for It. • In this letter, which weiswritten a few
weeltitatter the ?tattle of riuseco, Lord Wellington said, " that
It was unfortunate that the.indian. corn harvest (which was. of
ekrt ee importance to many districts in Portugal) was still on the
eteound, et the Lime of. tke ilefitattlg of the ecuatry.

much afraid that the enemy, in the event of a retreat, would putt.
sue their eabstant practirc of desttoeing w`atever. they could*
not consume or carry away with them. If they act • still ur-ul
that principle, the inhabitants of the dtatricts through which they
passed must inevitably be reduced to great distress. He could
not but speak in the highest terms of the fidelity of the Portu-
guese to the common cause. He rarely hardly knew a single
instance of any individual Portuguese (even in the lowest con-
dition of life) who had held any communication with the ene-
my that was contrary to his duty to his OWn Sovereign. He aa.
prehended that the retreat of the enemy might be a circum.
stance not very remote, and therefore he wished to call the at-
tention of Ministers early to the situation in which such a re-
treat would probably leave the inhabitants of many distriCts in
Portugal. In former irstances the stifferings of the Portuguese
had been relieved by the generosity of individuals of this na-
tion ; but in the case which Le thought probably might soon
occur, he submitted that the Portuguese would have a clairu
upon our national generosity." Now, when he called the atten-
tion of the Committee to this letter, it. was not with a view of
displaying the great foresight of tilt Noble Writer, who had
then calculated that glorious event which has since taken place.
He could not, however, pass it over without remarking on the
singular modesty of that Gallant General, who, .while he con-
templated the probability of the-event which has takenplace, for-
bore from any boastful anticipation of annihilating the enemy's
force, or of doing any thing further than compelling him to re-
treat. The object for which he read those extracts frinn Lord
Wellington's letter, was to lay before the Committee the best
evidence which Could be had of the merits of those persons
whose claims he was now advancing. He could not forbear
pointing out to the admiration of the country, those traits in
Lord Wellington's -character Which were manifested in that let-
ter. In the midst of those great- employments and labours
width occupied him by night and by day, he could spare time to
think deeply and to feel strongly for the sufferings of the people
of Portugal in the case'which be anticlpateci. He was at th 4
• time planning, noronly to meet the perils of the • day, but in
provide tor the event which had now taken place: His mina
was no less occupied in the thoughts of relieving the sufferings
of the inhabitants of Portugal, than it was in opposing and
counteracting the designs of the enemy. If it then appeared ne-
cessSry that this country should furnish some assistance to Pora
tugal, in case of the retreat of• the French, how much more
evident was the necessity now, after the atrocious barbarities
which had marked their conduct ? Although laird Weliington
anticipated distress, yet he could. then have hardly- imagined t 6
what air ettent the French would have desolated and destroyed
the countrie; In their occupation. Althclugli he had then .Proofs
of the fidelity and- courage of the Portuguese, y" that fidelity
and courage had since been more -amply.disp/ayed. Alliclasses
of people in that Country., whether Clailt •or military, cheerfully
made every sacrifice that conid be deni,anded. of- them, an 41
sheaved the most unshaken attachment to their country and to
the common cause. He thought that if any retomntentlation
was wanting to claims so stroi,g, the anxiety, of Lord Wellington
on this subject would be a powerful recourneridation... • (Hear.'
hear !) lie thought the recommendation of the Pfince kegeni
was also a powerful motive to incbeceths Committee to agree tai
the grant. (Hear I hear !) It had been the good fortune of the
Prince Regent, 'during the short time that Ins bad held the'Go-
vernment of the country, to-see the character of the I:Adelina-
tion displayed in a greater variety of brilliant and &rictus e :tele*
than, had, p,:rbaps, ever been atchieved in an ecinal spice of time
during anv Period of our history. Whether weXonsidered, drat,
the wooderait and almost romantic achieventent of stairnsitias
with a himdful.of men, the'stropg forti-eiii:,A of the lee of Basica,
or whether We loOked to the recent Success in the IlaltiCa.Vllit-
ther we considered the capture of that island, .which had been
so long a great object of our pursuits tit waraaiitl Which had been
considared.alinostimpregaabls (tie Meant.the Isle of France)-:--.
whether we looked to the gliJrions victory gained on the heights
of Barrosa—or wfiether we looked:to. that which was the great.,
este fiall,.tbe foreed retreat Of Masseria7s army from Portugal—
when his Royal Highness has. een .ssymanyisreat,succosts.dzcnt
in the short period of h?s"re ' cy, it Wa's natural for him to wish
to mark that short period ut.. s government with a signal act of
national benevolence and.lititrainity, anal he confidently trusted
that 'Ponliament would enable litin so to do. (aipagonsc, and
loud cries of hear ! hear ! froth all sides Of the House.) , The
AnflaringS of the Portugue'se had met With sympathy, and relief
IPonst every Class of individuals in, this country who -1.66164dd
them. • When asereat part of the population pf Portugal had
been driven within the lines of Lisbsti, the Bi itish officers had
administered every relief which their means could afford; awl
be felt convinced when he was addressingthe reetesentatives of
t
the people, that tbortrgould not be &mid the lasto feel the.dise
tress of our brave and faithful allies, and that they would not
withhold from them a national aid. (Hear! hear!) 'filet*
was another consideration, which could not fail to have its in-

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