The National Register.
London, England, 1812-03-01 00:00:00

THURSDAY, EEL 27.

The Sugar Drawback Bill was read a third time and passed.
Mr. BANK Es having moved that the Order of the Day should be read
for the attendance of Mr. Walsh in his place,
Mr. Ant RCROMBIE wished the business to be postponed, suMricnt
time not having elapsed for duly considering the Paper.: on the I*.l►:e.
After a desultory conversation (in the course of which the petilter
informed the House, he had received two letters from Mr. Walsh,
stating, that it was not his intention t.► attend in his place), an ortlvr
was Made fur him to attend on Tttesd 'y next.
STATE OF THE NATION.

Sir T. Tv RTO N °Nerved, that on this occasion he was fully aware of
the disadvantages under which he rose, without the support of party,
and fully conscious of his own inability; bet, if he brought no party to
support him, he brought no party feelings to warp his judement or to
mislead his arguments. In going over this subject, he mare, front the
nature of it, be in some degree ted•ous; hut there ci manly v.-a 6 cite Len
ground, which, tI ugh it had been glanced at coll:tterally, bad ;lever
been fairly brought under view of the I louse—he meant the war of tbe
Peninsula, and that subject would, in his opinion, sulli,,lentiv justify the
fl ution he was abut to trouble the Howe with. But that was not all •
be wished to draw tre attention of the House to the rituaiiim 4•I the;
country, both externally and internally ; and to contrast it with what it
had been when the Right Hon. Gentleman and his colleagues cane ieto
office. The Hon. Gentleman then adverted to the situation of t!.e cu.
pire at the commencement of the present Admieistrutien, and salt!, the
first expedition they had planned on coming into office—the eepeeition.
to Copenhagen, however it might be defended on the grounds of ex.pedi-
ency, must be acknowledged to have been a most atrocious act et. ii;jm-
tier.. He then 4-.tverted to the origin of the contest in tipuin, and eb-
serveth that in the first paper published under the controul of the Spa •
nish Government, called the paper of Precautions, it was reconmu .1
that the Spaniards should never attempt to meet the French in a reeiCar
battle, but should content themselves with harrassir.g the enemy, by at-
tacking them unawares. How was this resolution adhered to? lr a
short time after it was stated that an army of 500,000 foot and .0 OCg)
horse would be raised, and soon after fir A. Wehesley was sent t aid
this supposed army. He did not mean to blame Ministers, but !ht• re-
sult of that unfortunate expedition was yet in the remeniliranee of tees y
one. Next came the still more disastrous expedition under Sir Jae
Moore ; and most of the misfortunes of that expedition resulted irom
the want of co-operation of the Spaniards. . These facts, and the whole
course of the transactions in Spain, ought to have proved to Ministers
the fallacy of attempting to expel the French irem Spin. 'Tice Ho- •
nourahle Baronet then adverted to the expeeition to Walehe ten,
and to the last Austrian war. • The result of the first had bee,'
most melancholy, might be expected ; not a single shot was firs d
by England, to:the purpose of causing a diver•qou in favour of :he
Archduke Charles, till after the battle of Wavam bad taken plaCe,
and Austria was humbled to the dust; and then, and not till then, i
the famous expedition to W.ilchrren—an expedition to Walcheren to
snake a diversion in favour of Austria! And bad the Noble 1.e:l V. 1.0
planned that expedition, so ruinous to the country be is called to -a...-
count for it ? No. Had he been impeached by Parliameet No An .
enquiry bad been instituted, but insteadeof censure,
.Parinanent
declared its approbation of the policy-of - the measure.—( He:re ;tear
front Me Ministerial benches)-1 he Right Hon. Gentle men might call •
Hein., but was not this a reason for instituting an inquiry net) the state
of the Nation ?—(Hear, hear !)e—The Rt. Hun. Gentleman inighteanit,
and eat/ , lam invulnerable. He might say, the is are meie fieeteb4
—(4 laugh.)—He might laugh, but he could not, especielly etehen ho
contemplated the reported return of that Noble Los dto otfic,.; es,
that cast-, he foresaw more expedition::, equally ruinous to the tareirett
and resources of the empire, The Hon. Baronet then returned to a 7,
review of the affairs of Spain, and contended that it was impolitic to
persist in maintaining a contest- so expensive and so ruintme, with-
out even a probability of success The proceedings of the Spanish Go-
vernment, he contended, had always been hinguid ; they had never
been hearty in the cause; end was it too much to gointe inquiry, -not
whether we should abandon the Spanish people, hut how we could best
assist them. It was not with the Government nt Odaiu• but with th•