The Sun.
London, England, 1812-01-11 00:00:00

THANKS TO LORD MINTO, &c.

The Earl of Livt,'RPOOL, after moving the Order
of the Day, rose, to draw the attentien.ot the House
to.the subject of the motion of which he had given
notice, Thanks of that House to the Go-
Vernor General of India, Lord Minto, and to the
Naval and. Military_ Commanders 'employed in the
various successful expedition's against the island of
Bourbon, the island of the Mauritius, and,
recently, the island of Java. In contempleting
Elie
prOpriety of
.offering
.such nr bons to the.Hoose,
doubts and hesitation. had often arisen in his mind
respecting the nature and extent of the services that
ought to, be distinguished by so high an honour ;
?tar, .in his opinion, no honour could be higher, no
distinction more proud, no remuneration of success-
ful eMoits so exalted and enviable, as that which
is conferred in a vote of Thanks by their Lordships'
Froticee. But; however just and proper such doubts
and hesitation might be on other °Cessions, he was
leppy to think and' feel, that, on the present'occa-
sion. there-could be no' room for either. The ser-
vices to whcli he had now to solicit the attention
and-the Thanks of their_Lordships, were services of
to signal and singular a description, that their Lord-
ship., he was confident, were so impressed with
their splendour-, and importance, that they would
outstrip him in their readiness'and alacrity to distin-
guish and decorate them by that highest reward
which it was possible for merit to aspire to, or for
national gratitude to bestow, Indeed it was no easy
matteeto find adequate terms of praise fot the very
prominent part which LordsMinto bore in the con-
ception, he.estangemero „and, the execution.of' these
brilliant and useful services.. The design of under-
taking the :eduction of the islands of
,Bourbon and
t!se Mauritius, was formed by Government in the.
year 1808, and in 1809 that design was partially
executed, at. least with respect to -the views with
which it had originally been undertaken. It oc-
curred to Go%ernment to be matter of high policy,
, and of great national utility, to wrest from the
bands of prance all their colonial possessions in the
Eastern seas. As long-as France held these posses-
sions, so long had she it in het power, most vexati-
ously and destructively to annoy our commerce in
than qttarter of the globe. The islands of Bourbon
and of the Mauritius, furnished her with great fa-
cilities towards the attainment of this object : there
she established depots of naval and _military
meens, which enab:ed her at all times to fit out
e-xeeziitions with those hostile designs, which,
owever vigilant and-powerful ‘liere_the precautions
ti'ciployed to counteract them,tould be expected to
be uniformly attem:ed with success ; while she ex-
_ pence, which such precautions necessarily incurred,
was often greater titan the value of the objettis which
thelhad been'undertaken to. proteCi. Hence arose
a more urgent necessity for the execution of those.
designs which a sound policy had suggested; and.
the airo_or Wi.ich,was to deprive France of all ,the
Colonies she posSessed in the East as well as in the
West. This intt ntion was.communicaied,to Lord
.-when-his Lordship lost no time in devising
t.ire—mode and .the moans of its execuion. Indeed,
although the instructions to that effect sent, out to
him .by Government, did not enfold ,or detail these
means, yet welt was his comprehension of the Mat-
ter, 'add such the resourceful. fertility:of his
that he seized the spirit of tltegil instructions, and--
upOn that lerninous and mastemly interprdtation
Of %V biCil such a mind alone is capable, he instantly
so about that great -work, and not withstanding.the
occurrence and,interposnion of many, and often un-
', foreeeeu obstructions, he colleded and combined all
the neeessery.ntearts fur its speedy, entire, and Most
itneet.ssfulat.conrolishment.Tothecaptureof thelsland
of Bottroon, succeeded that of
.the Island et tire M-iu-
ritius. With the instances-of skill; judgment, en-
te!priae, And *csourAese -displayed in the attack awd
these imeortant acquiSi:lonS,.their Loids
iecolleetion was, rig doubt, still fresh e it was,