The Sun.
London, England, 1844-04-17 00:00:00

T

fferei
ought
1 cad
h re4)-
3ed in

ission
irn.

tesee,
feelinry
might be excited. which he was sure the
pith 'son:Baronet would be the last person to treat
7 efie disrespect ?—(Hea,r, hear.) If these buildings
re .
thrown open free of charge, and the Govern-
'sent r .
'sent would take steps to preserve the necessary order
sad decorum, he firmly believed that the people
/itv:l'Ll soon become their own police.—( Hear, hear.) He
ew front hi • own experience of continental churches,
that these
greastevilssvhich were anticipated from the
1:4141°n perticipation of such advantages occurred ?much
83 °ften when the admission was free than when it was
lie ee•--(Hear, hear.) They had every reason to be-_
e fr, that the people of England were as fit to go and
thevaselves—and, he would add, to improve them-
'', ves—in Westminster Abbey and St. Paul's, as a French-
-man
he n Notre Dd ne, or an Italian in St. Peter's.—(Hear,
zaar.) With respect to the character of these mono-
nts, he believed the chapter of St. Paul's had lately
encome to adecision not to admit any more monuments
rich had heathen subjects, and he believed they had
8
4113' acted in accordance with public opinion. The
stionof removal was a very difficult one, end required
rconsideration. If they decidel hastily for re-
al they might take away from these buildings
tceir national character as Pantheons, if he might
~express himself, or representative's of the tastes
ereeltll‘,,e different ages in which the monuments were
lie e"I. There were, in fact, evils on both sides.i
er;u°Ped the Right Honourable Baronet would wit 1-
sil)11v his °PV3ItiOn to the resolution. He had all pos-
ed4l:espect for the religious services performed in these
made s, but he thought that every effort ought to be
0 open them to the present generation,. and he
ti°iPee that they' would not suffer the stigma to remain
t the Engh wers3 the only people who were unab e
° obtain freeradmission to their national cathedrals.
coooir ie
PEEL said he had had opportunities of witness-
ee result of free admission to works of art and
te tnurnents of antiquity, and he saw no reason whatever
tioretract the opinion he had expressed on former occa
--(Cheers.) He thought every facility which could
e
eerb`Yert for admission to-the cathedrals of this country,
kceistent with the presrvation of the works of art and
ntunents which they e
inclosed, could have n ne but a
wo ff"
ar --(He ) He thought that the moral eeffectivf • Poe. Admission to these
tdd be
ancient buildings,
and were recommended by their venerable appearance,
the reeled proofs of a pious disposition on the part of
skill°unders, and instances of the devotion oft greattend
to ett..l€l great science to religious purposes, s
Ilthelutveckrltseityemotions which could produce none but the
Us. reallitl• His Hon. Friend, the Member for the
of Oxford, had said, and said truly, that
siee•ti9 had been periods in which great refinement and
peledsutl2te had existed, concurrently with great profit-
ir4C .014.1 s Hon. Friend also said that there had been
Who
`s of persons or great intellectual acquirements,
ree;,swere not deeply impressed with the importance of
hiert!. All that was perfectlelltrue ; but it seemed to
(11a(nSir R. Peel) to be entirely beside the question.—
erect. hear.) The question was, whether or no the
-ehessilePens Which would probably be excited by free ad-
duce " to edifices of this description were likely to prod-
this saPed effect on the minds of those who enjoyed
areeZevantage.—(Hear, hear.) If his Hon. Friend's
th;7l,eltt had any oundation, it would go much ferther
to "e carried it ;f it would go to Show that admission
tionsuelt Places must have a tendency to check civilise-
ever,'"--(near hear,. and laughter.) He thought, how
that th.
hoes c e emotions likely to be excited. were ems,-
deba . ulctilated to wean from vulgar habits, and from
he (I'i:zing Pursuits, and to refine and improve the mind.
ea3e3 _not contend that they would nes:essarily, in all
edict ImPress the parties who contemplated these_
Possible with the great truths of ).eligion ; but was it
than that the emotion produced could have other
lieen a good effect? Could they do otherwise than civi-
ree,:nd refine?—(gear, hear.) If they did not create a
soureel:us Character—if that must be derived from other
atilliefs—ete f the good were not complete and perfect,
reef,'" them derive as much benefit as they could from
cal-ftneut and civilization. So far as public and polite.
thee-o,°4s were likely to arise from them, be certainly*eettirt, that by leading the working classes of this
toe IT, those who derived their existence from daily
‘? regard these buildings, they would be teaching them to
. with veneration what came to them associated
to& with religion and with a long existence. Therefore,
he (I:al Public and political considerat ions were concerned,
liltei"tlid see nothing but good for the Constitution as
Zion;to arise from encouraging feelings of this descrip-
he se 80 far as moral and social results were concerned,
dermas contemplate, with great satisfaction, the free
embeession of the humblest classes of society to the
tlee"rals of the country. It was his opinion'also, that
tie_ admission might be granted without incurring the
liee !, which were sometimes apprehended. At present,
th7ral provision was made in Westminster Abbey for
e,eadmission of the public, not only on Sundays, but on
• • Y day of the week during the performance of divine ser-
vlce. ie
()tee,. ,Itt they said that if th public wished to enter at any
Nel-ayttle they should pay a certain sum for admission.
come was this but encouraging those who might have
devo
from religious feelings to attend Divine service,art —to
the time to the contemplation of works of_
‘,.lear, hear.)
ted
e en eertai He had the strongest impression
eimar
nensrseiosntriethat
holtdays of the week,
of-that of admission the public would not avbauilt twheumuisdelvaeest
ca at right to an inconvenient extent,
Whell,P!inciple which very much governed themselves,_
vele, it that they had the opportunity of seeing
Curious and distant countries, were very well
ne°,utented to stay at home.—(Laughter.) He thought the
;Igleuelie would auso the advantage, but not in
r:sa manner as to interfere with the safe
ervation of anything that was valuable
ted
,toboUght that nine-tenths of those who were admit-
viewt public exhibitions of works of art were led
b?' a real desire for knowledge and im
e provement. The xPeriment which had been made of the admission of the
Public to exhibitions of works of art had been highly fa-
eura.ble. There had been certainly one case of a per-
,Boa injuring the pictures in the National Gallery.
th td
t_ a was one
2 be of obscured inb)tellaectpe;rsaonud who
oe
might have occurred ifthe was provedb
same thine.
beensixpence. price price of admission had
favour of the fullest fr
hear.) He was et
of public monuments ee
gird to the do'm of access to all exhibitions
that could be afforded with due re-
that the persons preservationwho had of
Cathedral monuments. He believed
0 public access.
Inontunents were willing to give every facility
ad the charge of preserving the
A resolution of the House of Com-
mons would not compel theta to depart from their own
regulations. It
those was by far the best course to leave it to
littment. persons themselves. There was, a few nights ago,
attempt made to put down duelling by an Act of Per-
o he t•
b!le amongst others was opposed to legislation
esbieh Ject; and he considered that this also was one
.ad best be left to the persons in whose hands the
int'_‘,ttlystions of the country had placed it. A resolution
et, the Hon. Gentleman proposed would have the
them
ii"ro'nactotr.ather of raising.' opposition to his views than of
eaerel
Sir it. I IngNGLIS said that his Right Hon. Friend had
there Y misapprehended him. He had not denied that
tilt: g_vvEts a moral tendency in exhibitions of works of
ttie::ue. arts. He had only protested against the state-
),',','_ethat such exhibitions were alone sufficient to
b"gstettnise the people. The fees must be paid some-
jecwte,datund by somebody .;
and he had not absolutely ob-
Pence. the reduction of the fees from a shilling to six-
met
el WART said that the object of the motion was
force Tt to express an opinion of the House, and not to
Ported Upon the ecclesiastical establishments. He sup-
teswes
ree motion. The Right Hon.: Baronet had not
eppci...,d the question whether or not he was willing to
hute 1 4 a commission for the conservation ot public me-
Sir
to • PEEL said that he was by no means prepared
subject . that - he would appoint a commission on. the
Sir
news SALTER JAMES said that he had seen in the
Werellers statetnent that, on Easter Monday; 41,030
Isiittio;tl,llitted to the British Museum, and 25,000 to the '
*ere eel gallery, whereas only 200, on the same day,
Ploreiutrutted to St. Paul's. As a religious man, he de-
give tthat fresr access to the great churches was not
tauch ° the public, andihe regretted that the Church so
Ndoe neglected its own interest as to shut the
it, of the cathedrals against the people.—(Cheers.)
the eruld always wish that the religious character of
Who should be impressed upon the minds of those
klAinis`te, d it, and therefore he would rather that the
Weett-e should be admitted to these cathedrals on a
ttdeparrlsihtitenazy, because he thought that there would be great
end crowding on the Sunday if the public were
made ed Indiscriminately. Some observations had been
heath Its.to the propriety of removing what were called
ruitteritsh monuments from the cathedrals. He ad-
tree._
.that some of the monuments which had been
Isee4ew'llain the days of Anne and the Georges exhibited
ever at ,?.t. of a heathenish chafacter. He did not, how-
neenhoupeect to the emblems of war being placeei on the aibielleauts of soldiers, because he thought it very pas •
Airt.
PETER
a soldier might be a good Christian.
the , BOTHWICK concurred in the object of
4.(has oti9n, and was grad to find that there was scarcely
eic__vrisheekt ,ntleu diet t voice in the House on the subct. Te all
the cathedrals should be openjeed, but the
-1/04cltY was how they should convey the wishes of the
which to the Church. This was one of the difficulties
ceetteiarose from their not permitting the Church to
bra her her own affairs.—(A laugh!) They threw
.Pre—yeen°,4 the Church for not doing that which they
Üburerl her from doing ; they tied the hands of the
Noe her
said, Why do you not act ? They
(Age and said, Why do you not speak ?
ere* tr.) The monuments in some of the cathedrals
the t'
',.sost incongruous. The monnment of Dr. Johnson
therethe 'rattrg, looked like an overgrown Hercules, placed
_ after he had rested from hiss labours, . to grow to
lie '..U,teinster which he was there represented to be.
oe titu_ st also censure the placing of guns and bayonets
aunt locunocuaultill:d"t"s ef warriors. What we in our pee-
tho
, but o had also their war-. Agin.° n the tombs of the heroes of Cress and
This urt we read the words "Non nobis Dornine.”—
tee was a proper inscription ; but the inscriptions on
of ur:l4/notnents erected to the memory of the heroes
that eteresent day, would lead the reader to forget
saved there was a God who directed their valour, and
e'reuth e‘r Country. It was monstrous, that under any
teeedeltances, and at any time, a fee should be de-
at they .
thou for admission to our cathedrals. Not that he
iierieselt
ought to be made mere sculpture ga.l-
toProyed Geed the taste of the public would not be
Ztiled , by looking on the monuments in our
eei'ra's ; but undoubtedly they ought to be open from
should to sunset every da If the. House divided he
be e d vote for the y.
_arried utiotion, but he believed it could not
the Pitt without the assistance of the Convocatien
al,Clemy and th
who ' ere ore he hoped that that day week
au supported this ra t. ld t with him in
. h ort t, o wou vo e
or Nt4. the address he intended moving, beseeching
ee, lesty to restore the Convo fon f the Cler
*nnel WYND ca t o since h HA.M said the debate had now lasted
the ' au-past o'clock,
evee Public °well an they were all agreed
that
it of that • .
t to have access to the cathedrals. lie
o et
tts, , Co ()prawn, but as he did net think that the
opinion,
ha 4 any right to iattrke With the

privileges of the Church, he should not vote for the
motion.—(Laughter.) It appeared that the Hon.
Meinl)er for Hull was afraid there might be a crush on
Sundays. Now if any. of the gentlemen who had spoken
to-night would stand up in the cathedral on a Sunday
and deliver his oration there, there would be no crush
at all, for the peoplc would be too happy to escape.
Mr. HUNIE in reply said that he was happy to find
that every one in the House agreed with him in opinion
except the Hon. Member for Oxford, who ought to have
been born 300 years ago, in order to have had an oppor-
tunity of carrying out the opinions which he advocated.
He was gratified by hearing the opinions which had
been expressed by the Right Hon. Baronet at the head
of her Majesty's Government, and was glad to find that
he would lend his assistance to the good work. Even
the Hon. Member for Sussex, who had never agreed
with anything since he entered the House, participated
in the general feeling, although he would not vote in
favour of the motion. He hoped this general expression
of opinion would produce a beneficial• effect, and that
next year they would find that their great object was
attained. The Right Hon. Baronet seemed to appre-
hend some technical difficulty in the way of the motion,
and in deference to- the Right Hon. Baronet's opinion,
he should withdraw it.
The motion was then withdrwn.
HONOURS TO THE PENINSULAR ARMY.

Sir ANDREW LEITH HAY then rose to move an
address to the Crown, that her Majesty will be graciously
pleased to confer an honorary distinction on the surviv-
ing officers of the. Peninsular army. Previous to the
Easter recess he had given notice of a motion to call the
attention of the House and of the Government to the
services of the officers of the Peninsular army, leaving it
to the House and to the Government to determine what
line it would be best for them to adopt;. but not finding
that it was the intention of the Government to agree to
his view of the case, he bad determined to take a diffe-
rent ground, and to move for an address to her Ma-
jesty, praying her to bestow some honorary dis-
tinction upon the officers of the Peninsular army.
It might be urged that this was not a re-
spectful course to adopt. He did not wish to dictate
to the Government, but considering the circumstances
under which the British army had served in these never-
to-be -forgotten campaigns, he felt it to be his duty as an
humble individual to recal to the recollection of the
House what were their services, and to advocate their
cause before the Government, the House, and the coun-
try, and to leave it to them to determine what were the
rewards which these services merited.--(Hear, hear.)
He might be met with the objection that too great a
length of time had elapsed since the performance of
their services to authorise him in bringing forward such
a motion as the present. He would briefly recal to the
recollection of the House the circumstances attending
these 'campaigns which they seemed to have forgotten.
It might also be said, that if any person ought to take
up the case, it was that great and illugtrious man who
had conducted these campaigns in a manner so credit-
able to himself and so glorious- to his country.—
(Cheers.) The Duke of Wellington, however, he be-
lieved had had no opportunity of bringing the matter
forward. He had not taken the place of the Duke of
York in the command of the army until the year 1828,
and he believed it was an invariable rule with the-Duke
of Wellington never to ask for any rewards for his offi-
cers or fur himself. In all promotions the only part the
Duke of Wellington had taken had been when requested
by the Government to recommend officers for promo-
tion to recommend such officers in accordance with the
desire of the Government. Another thing also should
be remembered that at that time medals and honorary dis-
tinctions were not so general as they had been of late years.
He thought at that time the Duke of Wellington was not
called upon to interfere. At another period, he alluded
to 1840, applicatione were made to the Noble Duke by
the officers of the Peninsula, but he had at that time
relinquished the office of Commander-in-Chief, and
therefore had no power to interfere. He believed that, as
far as the interference or non. interference of the Duke of
Wellington went, he was justified in the course he had
pursued. But at the present time the circumstances
were different, the Duke of Wellington was now Com-
mander-in-Chief and a member of the Cabinet, and,
therefore, he might now properly interfere. He was sure
of this, that the case of the officers he was about to bring.
before • the House was most deserving of its atten-
tion.—(Hear, hear.) The Hon. and Gallant Member
then went at some length into the details of the services
of the officers of the Peninsular army, and expressed his
surprise that they had not been rewarded as they de-
served. What, he would ask, would have become of the
Duke of Wellington and his forces had it not been for
the Peninsular army ; and yet this being the case there
were many men, whose names he could mention, who
had received no distinction. Among them were Colonels
Cavendish, Chatham, Vandeleur, Townshend, Lovell,
Grant, Scott, and several others; they had received no
medals for their services, while there was not a drum•
boy who had heard the sound of cannons at Waterloo
who had not received distinction.--(Hear, hear.) Why,
his Right Hon. and Gallant Friend opposite (Sir H.
Hardinoe) had received no medal for the Peninsular war,
although, he would venture to say, he would consider it
the highest honour he could have.—(Hear, hear.) He
believed that all the greatness of the British army arose
from the Peninsular war. The Hon. and Gallant Mem-
ber then referred to the gallant conduct of several
officers, all of whom had received no distinctions
for the heroic course they had pursued.—(Hear, hear.)
He had endeavoured to recal to the memory of the House
some of the circumstances connected with the Peninsular
war; and he should now state what was his intention
with regard to the motion he had brought forward.
That motion was for an address to the Crown, praying
that her Majesty. would be pleased to bestow some dis-
action on the surviving officers of the Peninsular army.
to making this motion he did not wish to interfere
with any course her Majesty's Government might think
proper to take, and if his Right Honourable and
Gallant Friend would state that the Government
would take up the matter and do justice to
these officers, ho for one should be too happy
to leave the question in their hands. It would be
stated, perhaps, that the time had gone by—that it was
impossible, even if they wished it, to confer these dis-
tinctions now. But nothing was easier, in reality, to
effect. What he proposed to do was this, that medals
should be granted to every officer now surviving who
was in the Peninsula, and who served in any of the
great actions of that war. He should propose alsd that,
according to the last paragraph of the order by which
these honours were formerly granted, in the cases of
those officers who had died, the medals should be sent to
their families.—(Hear, hear.) Nothing could be more
simple than this. This was a large field to go over. It
was a large field to examine to get at the records of so
large a number of regiments ; but it was not so difficult
to get at the details of that smaller portion of the British
army engaged in the Peninsula. The cause he was ad-
vocating was that of fifteen regiments of cavalry and
sixty regiments of infantry, which all bore on their
standards the noble distinction of the names of
the battles in , which they had served during
that war. There was also another class of men,
who- ought not to be .excluded from sharing in
these honours. Those were the officers who had served
in the Peninsular war, who were still living, but who had
retired from the service. He did put it to the Right
Hon: and Gallant Gentleman whether he would not
support him in obtaining for these old officers these
honorary- distinctions. It might be considered folly at
this time of day to talk about this question, but it was a
fact that there was not an officer who had served in the
Peninsula who did not consider himself degraded when
he saw on others the decorations that had been lately
bestowed. He did not talk of it as a matter of jealousy.
.Let the Governor-General of India distribute decorations
to the whole Indian army. In his opinion the more
that were given the better. In all services the more of
these rewards that were given, the more likely that good
services would be performed. Would any one tell him
that any officer of Napoleon, wearing the Cross of the
Legion of Honour on his breast, would ever allow an un-
decorated officer to pass him in the race of glory ?
(Hear, hear.) He believed that spirit of emulation was
one of the great engines of Napoleon's military power.
The enthusiasm of that army could not be described.
He would mention one other fact connected with this
subject. When the Russian army, under General
Suvaroff, took the city of Prague by assault, he found in
the arsenal a stock of 20,000 musket-balls. These
bells he had struck into medals, with the word
" Prague" inscrileed on them, and these were dis-
tributed among his soldiers. When the Russian army
entered Paris in 1514 many of the veteran soldiers in its
ranks wore and exhibited this mark of honour with pride
and exultation. It had often been asked why should the
House of Commons interfere in matters of this kind. It
was said that it was by the Crown alone that honours and
distinctions ought to be bestowed. But this was not the
first time that this question had been discussed in the
'rouse of Commons. He found that after the battle of
rWaterloo, on the 29th of June, 1815, Mr. Charles Wynn,
an authority he believed as high as any in that House
on subjects connected with its privileges and rights, and
the proper conduct of its business,—Mr. Wynn, on that
occasion, proposed that medals should be given to all
the survivors of the battle of Waterloo, and of the same
materials both to officers and men. This proposal was
made during a discussion on the propriety of erecting a
national monument, the proposition of the medals being
a substitute for that plan. With regard, then, to the
form of his motion, he had an authority to which he was
sure the House would listen ; only two hours ago he
had heard the Prime Minister of the Crown say, " Do
nut legislate on resolutions, why not ask for an address
to the Crown." He (Sir A. L. Hay) did ask for en
address to the Crown, and he would ask his Right Hon.
and Gallant Friend, who bore on his breast the blazon
of nine victories, to let his own good feeling guide him
in assisting to carry this motion. He had not brought
it forward with any purpose of making a display
or to secure an opportunity of talking in that House, for
he did not often trespass on their attention. But feeling
strongly for a large pf:i.4ion of as meritorious officers as
ever shed their blood {{ii the service of any country, who
were aggrieved at not:h4ving granted to them what they
asked, he had ventured to make this proposition.
As he saw the Right lion. Baronet, the First Minister
of the Crown, present,e he would state in his presence
that invariably since he had been at the head of the Go-
vernment, when he had seen him rise in his place to
move the thanks of that House to officers for their dis-
tinguished services, e. had seen him do it in a truly
feeling manner. He ad not done it in that cold and
1
official manner which wigs often exhibited on such' occa-
sions. lie showed that he not only thought of himself
while he spoke of those men—but that he thought of his
country at the same time. He therefore called on her
Majesty's Government in the same manner to consider
not only what the effectof-this motion would be on the
• officers of the Peninsular army, but the effect it would
produce on the country at large. The Hon. and Gallant
Gentleman concluded by making the motion of which
he had given notice.
Lord ARTHUR LENNOX said he had been re-
quested to second the motion of his Hon. and Gallant
Friend, and he now rpsi to do so with great pleasure.
If anything could induq him to suppose that a vote in

I favour of this motion would be in -the slightest degree
opposed to the opinion of his Grace the Commander-in-
Chief; he should regret giving his support to it, for in
common with every officer in her Majesty's service, he
felt how important it was' to coincide with the Duke of
Wellington in all points connected with the government
of the army. After the speech of the lion. and Gallant
Officer, it would be needless for him to trespass at any
length on the patience of the House ; but he should
take that opportunity of assuring the Secretary at War,
that he was perfectly convinced a feeling of the most
intense interest.prevailed among all ranks of the army,
on the subject before the House. lie did not speak of
those who had the good for tune to be already decorated,
but of those who were not suffi.fiently high in command
during the Peninsular war, and who were still undeco-
rated. He would mention one circumstance with respect to
the decorations awarded to the troops in India. During the
last campaign Lord'Ellenborough granted medals to all
the officers who served in that campaign. He could not
conceive why the officers of the Peninsular war should
be the only ones undecorated. He would- mention one
case, that of Major Grant of the 71st regiment, who
had been engaged thirty-three times with the enemy,
had served throughout the whole of the war, and who
had been three times wounded. He thought it was a
hard case that this officer should be presented at the
leveenf her Majestyat St. James's undecorated, while one
had been given to Lieutenant Joyce for his services in
the auxiliary force in Spain. Many foreigners could not
distinguish , between those who had served their country,
and those who had served in the auxiliary force. He had
great pleasure in seconding the motion.
Sir IL HARDINGE would assure the House that he
would concur with the general opinion that must exist
as to the able manner in which the Hon. and Gallant
Member had brought forward his motion. The claims
of the officers of the Peninsula had lost nothing by the
manner in which they had been advocated. There
could be no difference between himself and the House as
to the merits of that army, which certainly did perform
services of a character never to be forgotten by the
country. And he must say, at once, that he did not
consider it any proof of insensibility or ingratitude on
the part of the country, that a great number of the officers
should remain undecorated. It must be recollected that
thirty-four or thirty-five years had elapsed since that
period of their exertions, and many of these officers were
then serving in lower stations than could, according to the
regulations of the time, receive the distinctions they
were so much entitled to. Many of the remarks of the
Hon. Gentleman did not go to this essential point. They
did not show that the regulations of that period would
allow those distinctions to be conferred. The motion
raised a very important question, whether the Govern-
ment, forty-four years after an event, could go back to
the acts of its predecessor of a distant day, and endea-
vour to do what the Hon. Gentleman called jus-
tice to the army, by granting rewards for services per-
formed when these officers held an inferior rank.. It
must be remembered that many portions of the army
were engaged in other portions of the world besides
the Peninsula. How 'were those officers who had
served in Egypt to be satisfied ? Why were
they to be excluded ? Certainly, that army had per-
formed very distinguished services, as they were the first
who directly encountered the veteran troops of Napoleon,
the conquerors of Italy. Then let them go to India.
How could they pass over those who served under Lord
Lake, in Peshawur, and under Lord Harris, at Se-
ringapatam? If the motion were conceded, these officers
must be excluded, and this formed the great difficultylpf
dealing with the question. It should be remarked that
honours were conferred to a considerable extent among
the officers of the Peninsula. In 1812 medals were dis-
tributed for services in Spain to the number of 1,300,
which were 'given to 776 officers of all ranks. They
were granted according to the regulations of the
army of that day. In 1813 an order was
issued giving a cross and a clasp to such officers as had
a certain number of medals. Some having as many as
nine or ten, and the wearing of so many being incon-
venient, a cross was given instead of four medals. The
Order of the Bath was also enlarged, and 300 Knights
Commanders were nominated, making a third class of the
order. These arrangements gaVe great satisfaction to,
the army at the time. The Duke of Wellington was
applied to on this subject in 1840. He was not then
Commander-in-Chief, and could not give any other an-
swer than that he did give. He stated very con-
cisely, as he always did, that he had faithfully
reported the services of the army in the Peninsula, as
well as those of individuals, and any or what rewards
ought to be given was wholly for the Government to
consider; and that it was no part of his duty to inter-
fere with such discussions, aboi,e all, when the ques-
tion had been considered and decided twenty-five
or thirty years ago. He thought the time that had
passed made it almost a matter of insurmountable diffi-
culty to confer these honours now, as it would be unjust
to confine the honours conferred by the country to
the Peninsular officers alone. (Hear, hear.) It
was impossible the House could interpose with re-
gard to the officers engaged in the Peninsular war, with-
out going further back to those who fought at Seringa-
patam, Malwa, Gwalior, and in America. There would,
therefore, be great inconvenience in granting the mo-
tion of his Gallant Friend upon this ground. His Gal-
lant Friend proposed that medals should be
granted to those only who fought in the great actions of
the Peninsula, and that, where the officers themselves
were not living, they should be sent to their relatives.
Now he thought, that if the medals were to be confined
to those who fought only in general actions in the Penin-
sula, it would operate very unjustly. One of the most
extraordinary actions of the Peninsular war was the
affair of El Budina, at which Sir Charles Colville com-
manded, and in which a very small number of
infantry and cavalry checked fifteen thousand
French cavalry, with a considerable force of
horse artillery. The' force under Sir Charles Colville
distinguished itself in a manner unparalleled throughout
the campaign—(Hear, hear)—and yet he would not be
entitled to a medal by the motion of his Gallant Friend.
Captain Jackson, Aide-cle-Camp of Sir Charles Colville,
distinguished himself very much in this affair, and how
unjust it would be to deprive, him of the honour of a
medal, because he happened not to be engaged in a
general action. This action of Elßudina was a small one,
but the officer who commanded had behaved with the
greatest bravery, but according to the terms of the motion
of his Gallant Friend he would not be entitled to a
medal. This was one great difficulty-against granting
the motion. His Gallant Friend stated also that this
honour was rarely obtained by the junior officers of the
army. Yet it was obtained by 180 majors, 87 captains,
and seven lieutenants. One instance occurred in the regi-
ment which he himself commanded at Albuera. That
regiment, the 85th, went into action with 25 officers,
twenty-three of whom were killed. The Major and Cap-
tain were killed, and the Lieutenant who survived got
the medal, and every officer Who could be proved to have.
commanded in the action obtained it. Whenever an
officer, however young, succeeded to the command he
was entitled to the medal. Thki principle on which it
was granted was a very intelligible one—it was this, that
the officer who had the responsibility of command upon
him was to have the medal. The same principle was
adopted in the navy. Captains of vessels obtained the
medal, but the inferior officers did not. - Medals were so
granted for the battle of the Nile and Trafalgar, for
Lord Howe's and Lord St. Vincent's victories, and for
several spirited single actions, as that between the Shan•
non and the Chesapeake. .These were not granted
to the bravest men, but to the person highest
in command, thereby reflecting honour on those
whom he commanded. (Hear.) This principle
was observed in the army .during the whole six years
of the Peninsular war, and afterwards with regard to
several actions in 1817, which followed after the. Penin-
sular war. The principle N'L as adopted in the Nepaulese
war, in the action at Bhurtpore, where the present Lord
Combermere commanded, and in the war in which Lord
Hastings and Sir T. Meslop distinguished themselves.
Till the war of the Peninsula no mdals were granted.
Medals were granted to those who were engaged in the
battle of Waterloo, but they were not in that instance
confined to the officers, but to the whole army.--(Hear,
hear.) He did not mean to say that they ought not to
get it, but if that was so, they must grant it indiscrimi-
nately to all those who were engaged in the Penin-
sular war. He would not now; discuss the question
whether it would be right to grant medals indiscri-
minately—he believed that it was never done until
the battle of Waterloo, but he believed the usual practice
was departed from in that instance because that was the
last battle of the war; it was attended with great politi-
cal consequences, and' the medals were granted as a spe-
cial mark of the favour'of the sovereign of the country;
but certainly the practice of the service had been not to
grant medals in the manner contended for by his Gallant
Friend. If such had been the mode in which this
Honour was conferred would they now, by a vote of
the House, force the Administration to rectify what
might have been an omission on the part of the Govern-
ment of 1813 or 1814, in not Granting medals indiscri-
minately to the army in the Peninsula? He had now
come to the last instance in which medals had been
granted, viz., to those who fought in the East Indies.
Hon. Gentlemen would recollect that these medals were
granted after a great disaster had befallen their
arms in Caubul. It became of , importance to,
raise the spirits of the army, and nothing seemed
better for this purpose than to grant medals to Sir R.
Sale and his troops who merched to Jellalabad, and .to
General Nott, who marched from Candahar, and to
General Pollock, who advanced upon Caubul. Sir C.
Napier had nobly earned the medal he had obtained by
the battles of Meanee and Hyderabad. His Gallant Friend
would confine the granting of these medals to the of-
ficers of the Peninsular army, or to the relatives
of those who were dead. He did not see how they could
stop there. He thought they must go to the survivors
and relatives of the officers who fought in' Egypt, and
even to those who fought at Queen's-town, Lancennes,
Java, and the Mauritius. There would be no end to the
details they would have to enter upon if the motion
were granted. He doubted -'whether the motion of his
Gallant Friend was pleasing to the army. He
had received a letter on the subject, expressing
the greatest dissatisfaction at the motion. He stated in
his letter that it would not only be offensive and unjust to
other officers of the army who had served in other parts of
the world with great zeal, but that it would be unjust to
the men, who were exposed to the same danger and the
same hardships with, the officers. He asked why
the common soldier should be excluded, see-
ing that the Waterloo medal had been grant-
ed indiscriminately, and that the Field-Marshal and
the drum-boy received the same honour. He had re-
ceived this letter from an officer in the' army, and he had
also seen in military publications that the motion
was not satisfactory to the army. - It had been said
that the Duke of Wellington was indebted to his
men for the ducal coronet which he wore upon his
brow. The Duke of Wellington did not deny it.
buh every d
Notro olydidthe Duke of Wellington owe a debt of gra-
toitutdbee tGoalliliasnmt men, but
o He
totid.herememn.oowed a debt to' the Noble
Duke, who, by his great ability as a General, led them
t
trheoujugshtt
thtahne
that
tpoosf theition difficulty.
Gal/alit I°-114er who brought Airmail the present motion.