The National Register.
London, England, 1808-10-09 00:00:00

TIIE NATIONAL REGISTER.

OCT. 9.

sooner, however, did our Commander in Chief arrive, than he
immediately entered into a Convention, one cause at least of
which was his total Ignorance on the subject of the command he
bad been sent to undertake. After the disputes and delays which
bad taken place in the appointment of a Commander to this
Expedition, it, undoubtedly, seemed strange that the choice
should at last bare fallen on a person, who, himself, professed
total ignorance of the nature of the service to which he had been
appointed. This Convention went, in the first place, to recog-
nize the French Unperor, while not a word was said of the
legitimate government of Portugal which we had gone there to
support. Another article went, in a particular, manner, to sti-
pulate that the French troops should not, in any case, be colt •
sidered priomers of war. By the 7th Article of the Prelimi-
nary Treaty, the neutrality of the Russian Fleet was recognised s
and, although we were subsequently liberated from some part of
this disgrace, set it must appear astonishing indeed, that a fleet
which had been cooped up in the harbour of Lisbon for a
penal, without an% means or escape, should he liberated by a
Convention of tnis kind, simply on the condition of its remainins
laid up during the con,inuance of the war. It was utterly im-
possible, be conceived, not to feel indignation at a stipulation 0:
this kind. It appeared, that the British Troops had gained
victories on the 170 and Ylst, when not one half of their force:
were enraged. There were at that time considerable reinforce
meats realy to join them. The French, on the other hand, were
in an enemy's country, with a numerous body of Spaniards too,
advancing against them, while to them not a possibility of escape
remained, but they must have surrendered in a short time at
discretion. If this was not a subject on which the Court was
called on to approach the Throne, and state their disappoint-
ment and indignation, he could not figure any subject on which
they ought at all to address his Majesty, every thing that was
dear to him as a Sovereign, and to his people as a nation, being
belt compromised and abandoned. He was averse from attri-
buting blame to any person whatever, and, in proposing the
present motion, he should be cautious not to accuse either Minis-
ter, or Commanders; all he wished was inquiry, and that, he
submitted, the Court was called on to approach the Throne, in
order to solicit. If Gentlemen who should think this proceeding
unnecessary, because inquiry would take place as a matter of
eourse, would point out in what particular instances of failure
such inquiry had taken place, it would he acceptable. Gentle-
men on the otta-r side had 'fever been adverse to any proposal
fora Vote of Thanks, why then should they object to a Vote of
Inquiry, in w hich the interests of the country were so much
more deeply involved ?—We had seen a disastrous Expedition
to the Heller; we had seen one equally disgraceful to Ferrol ;
yet no inquiry had been made into the causes of either. The.
cant of iaquiry into these disasters, was the very cause why the
present was to he added to the number of our military failures.
had be made a motion for an inquiry into either of these, inch
motion might have been negatived, but still no man could have
denied that such inquiry was necessary and proper. No inquiry,
however, had taken place, and yet we saw the Commander in
Chief, on the latter expedition, now hold the Oliee of Secretary
at War. He asked, if we had any security that tacre would here
he an inquiry ? Nay, if we had any security, that Sir Hew
Dalrymple, Sir Harry Barrard, or Sir Arthur Wellesley might
ant, as a reward for their services in concluding this Couven-
tion, be appointed to the Office of Secretary at War, or to some
other situation of equal importance ? It vas from such exaitf-
ples as these that our military expeditions were hardly ever
strcessful. Ile was sure the appointments in question could
nal have given satisfaction, and it was for the country to ask,
why such men were selected ? lie, for one, declared, that lie
had- neter heard of any thing meritorious, which either Sir H.
Daleymple, or Sir 11. Burrard had dune, which should entitle
them to such command. If any other Gentleman did know
what particular service both, or either of these favoured Officers,
had rendered their country, he hoped they would he kind
enough to communicate it. As he had already said, he did not
wish to attach blame to any one individual, nor to the Ministers
by a horn particular Officers had been-appointed. hat only that
an it.quiry should tale place, when it would be seen whets the
en or .per conduct lay. lie knew there were Gentlemen who
had good reasons for. the support they rave to Ministers. but he
could not per-uade himself, with all his knowledge in this re-
spect, that they would have the face to come forward and op-
pose the present motion. He had often thought those Gentle-
men prealature in rile votes of approbation and thanks which
. e, Ihadtnfortuly bees so anxious: to bestow, but could then
9ne4 .1"Y instances in which they bad brought forward motions
fa ths inquiry into abuses or misconduct. He had even thought I

631

them premature in a vote on a late occasion. This, however,
did not proceed from any disregard on his part to the interests
of the gallant Spaniards, or to any wish to withhold from them
every testimony of his approbation of the support afforded theta
by this country. His only objection was, that there was no es i-
dence before the Court of any great or magnanimous effort hav-
ing then been made in their behalf, or, in fact, of any thiug
farther than a declaration on paper I It now turned out that
at a great and enormous expenee to the country, a numerous
And well-appointed army had been sent to the assistance of our
Allies; and that, after two severe battles, in the very moment
of triumph, the victory had been snatched from their grasp—by
,t Convention, compared with which this country had never coa-
t-laded any thing so disgraceful !—He asked, however, after
using voted such an Address to his Majesty ou the confidence
the assistance to be afforded to our Allies in the glorious
struggle in which they were engaged, with what face those same
persons could now object to an inquiry into the causes by which
.heir expectations were blasted, after they seemed to have been
already realized ? If, after the ardour displayed by the coun-
try in behalf of the Spaniards—of, after the indignation felt and
expressed by every individual in these kingdoms on the news of
he Convention in Portugal—no inquiry into the causes which
led to that Convention is to take place, and the soldier is to see
that be is only carried to the field fur the useless waste of blood,
the country must be aware that its ruin is at hand ! It gill he
mpossible for a Couunauder to make an army eater the field of
,male with zeal, if, by such a Couseotion, folio% tug such glo-
rious victories, their laurels are to be blasted, and no lug:Airy
is to be made into the causes which rendered their 'alkli-3
abortive.

Ile concluded by moving—
" That an humble "nd dutiful Address and Petition be pre
sented to his Majesty, expressing our grief and astonishment at
the extraordinary and disgraceful Convention lately entered into
by the Commanders of hit Majesty's I. tweet in Portugal, and
the Commander of the French Army in Lisbon ; pray iii
Majesty to institute such an Inquiry into this dishonourable ant
unprecedented transaction, as will lead to the discovery and pu-
nishinfot of those by whose misconduct zu:d incapacity the
cause of the Country and its Allies have been SO shamefully
sacrificed."

Mr. Quin seconded the motion. This was a question which
we were called ou to take up oil a general groutid, being a sub-
ject in which every department of the state Ansi every individual
in the country was luterested. WC were now come to that
isiA, that we were not to con:ider wits welt! Ministers. We
were called mi to express our astonishmeut, our dis4ust, and
indignation at a Convention ritually uaexpected as it nas
4rnceful, and to chew that the day was come in which the inte-
rests of the British Nation were not to be sacrificial tt hilt impo-
nity. He did not say that he condemned Ministers for a.ppoiming
to the Chief Command a person who was untried, supposing
that to be tbe•ease, for he would rather try a man Nbr• had
never been tried before than employ the Commander to Chief.
But if we were filled with sorrow—roused into indignation that
British hearts could be found to conceive—British lianls to pol-
lute themselves by signing so disgraceful a Convention, he hoped
his Majesty would not be aliowed to remain ignorant of the titit-
raged feelings of his people. Was the battle of Vimiera an
imaginary phantom, which could not be grasped—a thing which
signified nothing ? No, it was a glorious day for the British arms.
Seven days after, however, it was converted, in the hands of the
Commander in Chief, into our greatest ignominy and disgrace.
fie might be told of a preliminary Treaty, but it MIS iu the
person wilt; ratified the Convention, on due and adequate delibe-
ration, flint the public were to look ; it was to the Chief in
Command, tint to the per:am who stns called on to execute his
orders; it was from 1::e master, not from the servant, that the
oolitic were to expect the necessary explanation and redress !
the of of this country, in sending 'tor army into Portugal
was, to afford succour to the Patriots in that country ; but bad
we accomplished that end ? So far from it, after being succese-
titl two battles, sue, instead of serving the patriotic cau-e in
that country, had entered lute a Convention, by which Ne un-
dertook to liberate from captivity a kregch army a hich had
for sonic time bees in that country in a setae of siege. We had
even stipulated to carry them home in British ships;—never,
certainly, had the British oak been so contaminated ! So fat,
iirleed, wept we from beectitingpor by this step, that in
1. days those same men so liberated by us loon Portugal, oun:d
be found in the heart of Spain. flaying e:t
with cnuside:t:.-
tile force on many points in the Convening., the %Vorthy t'orn-
atones.' declared, 'oat he slinali 4111.0 s t Lr lJt!UC:sii to. be!