The Sun.
London, England, 1809-02-17 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

1101)SE OF PEERS,
vitnispia, rca. 16.
A CoMmittee of Privileges sat for some time en
the claims to the Roxburgh Peerage, to which seve-
ral documents were referred. The ComMittee was
order to sit again on this day seinnight.
The'lliiitiOlecruiting Bill, the Malt and Sugar
Bills' Bill, &c. W4tett.rought up from the Commons
•
astd read a first time. ..•
SPAIN 4ND PORTUCAt.-
Lord DARNLEY, pnrsnant to a notice he had given
on.Teesday last-, rose to move for certain papers,.
Which might tend to shew how far his Majesty's
Ministers were blameable or not in having sent so
smell a proportion of cavalry hi the Expeditions to
Spain and Portugal. , The deficiency of that sort of
force seemed to be a subject of general complaint';
and it was of importance to shew how far that
complaint was well or. ill founded. With that. view,
he should now move that an humble Adclreis be
presented to his Msjesty, praying he would be gra,
ciously pleased to give direaions that-there be laid
Sit.fore the House an uccount of the 'amount of the
cavalry in Great Britain and in Ireland in the year
1808; also an account of the amount of the cavalry
in Portugal at the battle of Vimiera ; also an tic-
count'nf the amount of the cavalry after the junc-
tion of the British forces in Spain, under the com-
mand of Sir John Moore. The Noble Lord next
Moved, that there be laid before the House copies
of such representations as had been made to the
British Government by the different Juntas of the
of the Spanish.. Government ; also the letter of Sir
Thomas Dyereo Sir A. Wellesley, Sm.
The Earl of LIVERPOOL had no objection to the
production of the papers moved for by the Noble
Lord. He only wished that with respect to the first
set of papers moved, the proper dates might be affix-
ed, viz. that the state and' amount of the cavalry.at
home'should be taken lit hly, 1808 ; that of the
cavalry in Portugal at' the time of the'aetual opera.
'tions in that country; that of the cavalry in Spain
at the time of the junction of the British troops
under Sir J. Moore, &e.; and that to these accounts
be added, the re:urns of all these corps of cavalry
on their bein:, re4irp.lt'd in the ports of these King-
doms. As el.. i-ont Sir Thomas Dyer,
and the Junta of Oviedo to .
Sir • itere was 'no :disposition on the
pa. _ :.e.;sty's Ministers te refuse them. On the
aey were ready and anxious to afford every
information before the House which might
tend in any respeft to explain the condud of Mini-
sters to all the transaelions which the Noble Lord's- •
motion could have in-contemplation. His Majesty's
Ministers had no wish on this head but to afford
every possible means of.a fHtl and fair inquiry. Tbnir
only desire was, that until, the proper information
should be laid. before the Honse, their conduct in•
this respet
,should _not be prejudged. As soon,
therefore, as the Noble Lord's, motion was disposed
of, he should move for, additional documente, the
produaion of which would furnish additional facili-
ties for the full and fair investigation, which it Must
be the desire of all parties to see dispassionately in-
slituted.
Lord DARNLEY bad no objeaion to the addition
of dates as suggested by the Noble Secretary, and
he should frame hi's motion accordingly.
Lord DARNLEY then moved for the Papers with .
the particular dates annexed, and the motion was
agreed to without Opposition.
The Earl of Livuerooo then rose, and moved an
Address to his Majesty, praying that he would .be
graciously pleased to give directions that there be
before the House such copies or `extracts of the In-
struaions of Government to" the different Military
• Cbminanders hi Spain and Portngal; together with
their answers and observations- upon them, So tar as_
they could be produced without any inconvenience
to the public service. By inconvenience to the pub-
lic service he could mean nothing that could contri-
bute to censure or ,justify the conduct) of his Majes-
ty's Ministers. He meant by, it, that many passages
in these communications might have reference to
operations still pending, which, of 'course, could
not he. made 'public; but as far as they related to
services that were gone by and completed, he had
no objection to the produtlion of divan,' his Ma-
jesty's Ministers wishing for nothing more than a
fair opportunity of bringing their conduel under the
Most minute and impartial investigation.
Lord DARNLEY expressed his,aceeleseence in the
objections; of the Noble Secretary, after which
The Question was pot, on the Motion ofthe Earl
of Liverpool, and agreed to.
Tile Duke of NORFOLK thought it his duty to
direct the attention of his Majesty's Ministers, and
0 their Lordships, to the present state of the Spanish
ships of war. Every one mtist feel how imPortarit it
was that they should not fall into the hands of the
Freoch. It should not, however, be forgotten with
what ndivity and promptitude the preFent 'ruler of
• France tolloiA eel up all 'his schemes. An Ambassa--
dor Extraordinary was now arrived in the critintry,
who, no doubt, was enabled satisfactorily' to explam
to the British Qovernment what were-the views and
the hopes of the Supreme Junta oCSpain. What-
ever might be the tenor of that explanation, he
tilt it to be a punt of paramount importance that
the ships.of war us .the Spanish ports should not
be allowed to tall into the power 01 the
lu his opinion, they should be stationed at Ma-
; jorca and Minorca, or in sny vtace where they might
besafefrom the grasp of French annoyance. Asior
the plans of assisting Spain, he: should now only say,
that as tar as money, stores, xms, 3.:e. could go, he
was ready to give such a cause every aslistence, hut
• he Could see no use in sending, men, which we had
not, to spare ; and he should, on all occasions, or-
.pose any tritiasere to that etre&
No auswer was male'to the Noble Doke's„ohSer-
vatiOns, and the HOuse adjoutnedii.l to-motrow.