The National Register.
London, England, 1811-04-07 00:00:00

of test
He

only wished , com-
mand of Biitish , and, he had
so doubt that they ._ Portuguese had be-
haved. He placed himself upon the silence of Gent ral,Grthamand let the Right Hon. Gentleman dislodge him from that
•ground if he could ; while that silence remained as it did, he
should ever think of Barrage as a day memorable for the glory
of the Britains, and not less memorable for the infamy of the
Spaniards ! Was it to be endured, that our brave.fellows should
be so basely deserted, after an excessive itightmniirch, the nso-
ment they entered the field, against a foe always formidable
from discipline, and-then doubly so from numbers ? Why wee
the two battalions concerning which the R4k Hoc. Gentle-
man vapoured so much, why were they Withdraw n from the
heights of Barrow ? Whymas their position abandoned precipi.
lately to the French? Who save order but a Spanish Officer?
-blooded
What ! should not this 'tithe s usy; let
his Abe first time
-a Spanish army have been co -blooded spectators of British
heroism ? Did they want this to remind them of the stately in-
ference she bY Cuesta in the battle of Talavera ? Was all
sound in Cadiz ? Was there no French party there ? Were
• British Lrmies before beitiroarmlisitilelathe hattleof Barrosa? He
- said bettayed, for it Was 1-sic the tsvelkattalioos never
came up tilt our army had rep • the Fr.Ctiela; 'belt them- off,
and was in hot pursuit of tnestt es fast as bur a:tiny-could pur-
sue as fast as their eattausted:linths could carry their nolVe
hails ! then what bats been out ollierat Talaver.k;uothing.-- •
at Barret* nothing—orrather atheith; .o:gaps-Worse than no-
thing ; the Wiley of Samoa warnot pet Md.:et, iitYstery hung
about it. Thetalliedforce sailed hens CildiS—the 'British fought
—the Spaniards looped on. The British coikaered.t and rt
the siege was net raised.—Agaiu k e Siked,,was all sound at i-va-
die ? Was it true that General Graham had bees -obstructed
andfoliedin all his plans—that In the midst orthe Wit; *bile
the -British troops were doing feats which, perhaps, British
imps alone touted do, their allies were doing *heti he hoped,
sect men alone were capable of—plundering -the British bag-
gage I—was this true t-ltwae not the Spy people he ccrO-
plained of, be gave them everreredit; but he gave their leaders
• none. • If all this was so, or nearly so, were the British armies to
be risked so worthlessly ? Wire they, to be abandoned to trea-
chery it cowardice ? For either or both must have originated
- the unnatural, ungrateful, and infamous treatment they have
filet with. -
Mr. PZICVIAL explained.
General Ti ILI4TON went into considerable detail, and in.
fered that there must hoe been treachery un the part of the
Spanish Commanders.
Mr. R. Wet.testzv °bursted, that the Honourable Gentle-
man (Mr. Whitbread) had spoken much of the corruption of
the 6panish Government, but it ought not ro be forgotten that
they had espoused the principles of I.berty and fostered the ge-
neral ardour of the country.
Mr. WARD explained, and a conversation of some length fol-
lowed between Mr. Perceval and Mr. Whitbread as to the in-
fluence of the Regency in the Cortes.
Mr. BAN 5L5 commended the correctness and accuracy et
the ordnance estimates, but would reserve ids remarks fur the
, -
Report.
Mr. WHAITON then moved the sums contained in the esti-
mates of the Commissariat Departirent, which, after some
observations from Mr. Whitbread, Mr.' Hushisso.i , and Mr.
W. Smith were votr.d.
ll The sum of 1,0u0,0001. was granted to pay the interest-of Ex-
chequer Bills.
The Colonial Estimates were postponed to Wednesday...-
Adjourned.
• Oil*

TUESDAY, ♦PRIL g.

LUNACY IN MEMBERS.
Mr. W. non c (Member for Wicklow) nip that he held in
his hand a Petition of an afflicting mace, but ovens to which
the House would be called upon to interpose. !This Petition
was entrusted to him by the Freeholders of the County of Wex-
ford, and stated, in effect, that Abel Ram, F.s.aW Wm. Con-
greve Wilcock, Esq. had been by them returdes Knights of
the Shire, to serve in the press* •Parliamatt 3 tut that. once)!

..-.1... i
~/

that
all the recent practice of Parliament made direct against the
superseding of Members .merely on, account of sickness. He
should not, nevertheless,oppose the reception of the Petition
from Wexford, thophit he thought it proper to star thus much,
and should reserve himself, as to opinion, till a further stage of
the luquiry.—lt was referred to the Committee of privileges.

-

MAIL COACHES..
• Lord BIN*III4O, pursuant. to notice, rose to move for a Com-
mittee to be appointed, to inquire into the expediency of exempt-
ing MaileCoaches from paying Toll en the Turnpike Ito-ads.
His Lordship declared, that the hardships of the present sys-
• tem of exemption had been felt from one e•ol of Greattritain
to the other. These; coaches, which added $80,0001• annually to
the reveatie tai.-1 free of toll, throwing all the burt)cn of repair"-
in; the public roads upon the trustee's tor them. Was tbis eqe;te
able, when it- was considered that their weight tore sip the
roads ? All this, too,. was,for the comilatience of the merean-
tile interest, and yet the weight of the expense was ptaced en-
tirel on the ,shpulders •of the landholders—(Hear I ) As to
, she suffered, at, present, a loss of 6,850). per year :
Roxburgh and Dnn:fi-ies were particularly age,tievud, and the
Whole of North Britain wai threatened with serious evils, if
Mill-Coaches were not made to pay toll. With not lets than
2O of those Coa:bes, constantly travelling, the loss to the lalleed •
interests of England could not be less than tr. 1,0001. annuafiy.
Gentlimen opposite might think that :-.0,0031. was a trifle eg sum
in this case, and not worthy of ram ice. lie was still p,reNred
to Contend, however, that th's 50,0c01., paltry as it should appear,
was taken ftaudutently from the proprietors and conservators of
the to a loads.—(//ear, hear I )--He knew these to be facts;
and, be might not immediately produce documents in
support". them, he adianced them in the confidence of truth.
He thOtight the delay of the Trustees of the turnpike roads in
coming for Ward, ought to weigh with the House rather
_in their
fay.our than otherwise. If the measure were to be considered
in any other light than as it affected the public. interest, that
interest, he was satisfied, Must be necessarily much injured by
the reluctance which the exemption from toll begot to engage
in the remote and barren parts of the country, in making new
roads, by which fresh sources of revenue to the_ State would' ie
opened.!
Sir P. IVIVIMAT observed, that mail-coacbes bilretand hid
no exemptiou from toll, and- he could tint conceive why Pria-
prietors in this part of the £tnpire should not be p.acect'on the
same footing.
The CRAN6ICLLOR of the EXCILIVirtt VtOlthi not con-
tend, that the delay of complaint-, oti the part of the.Ttus-
tees, should preclude them from redress,
the - the
were entitleil
_. . - - - •

• n

, .

II

NE

•;..~

IM

!NAL REGISTER. 213
these Wm. C. Alcoa, Eggp bad since become subject to a mental
inkl4dy; whist; ' completely litaupsugrAted him ialt ' his
representative duties; that Ns own (Ninny Mt' awl found
themselves ender Abe painful retsina)? of suing out a statute of
agingt him. The Pethioners aceordiney prayed for
relaF.lvir.,Alcock had no* been far some time 4vunged nor
was there (Mr. Tighe said) the slightest hope of his recovery.
%va.., not -evert coavos mentis in his own Whirs; and there-
fore he could not be otherwise than non comps as to the affairs
of other persons. The 9th of Elizabeth, indeed, formed the
only precedent in point. There were, however, precedent: of
a stronger cast; as where (1505-154 .9) Members Of thit HOME
had been removed on account of sickness.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHF-QUIR observed, that

tees, snouta preciuue -
to. it; but such delay did go to prove that the evil now cosh-
phdned of had not been felt. •The fact was, that the additional
business. to which the mail-coacheogave lino to .upen the rends,
mare'than compensated for their exemption from toll. The
persons, concerned is• Trustees Were hilly indemnified, they
had 11 pa pro yes, and that .beitv; be case, be tltoasght ti.e
House most unwarrantably called, att'for a sacrifice of die r!a4 •
tisnal revenue, to the amount of StiOikil. .
Mr. W. WY Nita Stated, that gisk harliktrivit to be re.:
moved was not confined to. Sottinst,'dirir erittlbn to Wales
was exceedingly viscous. Fire to die roseniption as a•
meet unekampl,4 robbery of iudiCiditalh if.dirpriplatinn which
was every day extending. „When tnall-clialbeerikleti first pro-
jected, it was given to btAintilierstood that *Ley Were not • to
exceed a certain weight. 11.wirlt* regulation had been made
it had not been adhered to. A mail-coach now pissed through
the county in which he lived, carrying six in
passengers
1,94 four outside, together with a great nninber of parcels. • If
the exemptions were done away, the Proprietors would replaie
the money so drawn from tbetrimckets, by in increase of charge
t 9 passengers, and thus whatever convenience might be derived
frourthe Mode of conveyance, would be 'paid fur by those who
ought to pay for it, those who enjoyed it.
Mr. Rosa spoke a few words against the motion, and was
loilbsveckby Mr. MINIMS and Mr. W. SMITS who supported it. •
• .A.divisitai then toldcplacts, when three appeared. For the mo-
• lido 39.; -Against it 34 ; Majority &
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