The Sun.
London, England, 1810-04-21 00:00:00

BRITISH

A Letter to SAMUELWIIITBREAD, Esq. M. P.
up.m tt•e Military Conduct of Lord WELLINGTON,
i h some Remarks upon the Marquis WE'LLlts-
txy's Govv..riffnent in India, and the fatal effects of
Patty Spirit. By Britaunicos.

We resume our Extraas from this spirited Pam-
t, in answer to the malignant asperity and sap;
'castic insolence of the Edinburgh. Reviewers.
"" But I proceed
,with these gentlemen's Criti-
cismi.-

- ." :They affirm that the army which came down up-
on Lord Wellington, ' was the very same, which
he hid somewhat Whimsically boasted of having'
dein dyed some weeks before.' •
"I have olri•adv sheWn thetinpardonable misrepre-
s:mtation contained in one of their assertions ; and
it is ()lly necessary to observe 'that their last affir-
mation. (viz. that it was the very same army) :was
tompletely and decidedly contradiacd, by one of
the responsible servants of the Crown, in the' par-
liamentary debates upon this su.bje&. His words
are these : I have to state, however; that the
army which appeared at Placentia, was not that
which had been defeated by Lord Wellington.—
,Soult's force consisted of two divisions"; Soult vas
a senior commander, and was notninally the head of
that force commanded. by Ney and Mortier.'*
"The public must decide between the two autho-
rities ! • -

"Bit indeed', Sir, I could readily have pardoned any
misstatement which might have arisen from Mar-
shal Soules being the nominal head of Ney's and
Mortier'sdivision; had it'not been accompanied by
the assertion that Lord Wellington had boasted
of having destroyed completely' "the army corn-
manded.by Marshal Soult and, stated in the most.
Ungitalitied.manner, without even hintinget the con 7
tinned reinforcements from Bayonne and-elaewheFe,
that this 41,.ras the ' very same' army.i--,and I should
not have even condescended to notice had it not
been accompanied by a sort of malignant sarcasm
and triumphant satistaplion, . on the Tart of the Re-
viewer's, in-being thuS enabled to wound Lord Wel-
ington in the tenderest part.
Lastly, the Reviewers state, ' that our-rulers,
reflecting upon the vote of last session; voted, the
highest honours on, this great Commander, and, by a
refinement of mockery, elevated him to a distinguish-
ed place among those 'Peers who had passed the vote
of last session.'

" Really, Sir, it is impossible not, to admire the
modesty at least- of these gentlemen, who thus eldre
to insult with one breath the King, Lords, and Com-
mons of the realm ; and to Style a Solanin act of
Nitinnal 'areitirde for the most herOicr deeds; as `a
refinement of mockery !'
Is it thus that the. Edinburgh Reviewers flat-
tered themselves, that by a few short sentences, and,
those disgraced, as :I have demonstrated them to bd,
by the grosst mis-statements, they should blast
the honoured name and professional charaCter of
Lord Wellington ?--If this be, a specimen. of their
candour,' their equity, their talents, their amiable
dispositions, and upright minds; I t.hink it needs
not the spirit of prophecy to foretell that such criti-.
cisms will never fad to produc4, as they will richly
deserve; the abhorrence of every man who possesSes
the common feelings of humanity and of justice :
exclusive of all those more exalted motives which
ought to actuate men of cultivated minds and ge-
nuine patriotism.
" Had -their remarks contained only a fair and li.
beral critique upon the pperations of our Commander,'
no one could have had a right to cornplain,however
they might have differed as to the wisdom of his
measures : but combined as they are with the
injurious tnisrepreseittationi,.sarcastie ridicule, and
insolent attitek upon the legislature of the country,
their conduB is without apology ; and' I will leave
them not only to ihe,well-merited indignation of my
fellow-countrymen, but to that Jurist severe of ill
.punishments, the.shaine and remorse which must
plant in their. ovin_ hearts. the weapon with which
they attempted to dqroy the military reputation of
Lord Wellington ! •
"I shall only add, that what the people of Eng-
land most love and admire in their Admirals or Ge-
.
.nerals is, that ardent spirit of enterprise and enthu-
istie valuer, which has charicierized their beloved
Nelson, and endless. scroll of Naval heroes, .and ob-
tained for them the sovereignty of the ocean ; and
which has iMmortalized their Henries and Ed-
wards, their Marlborough,Wolfe, and Abercombie,
by land. It is thiS spirit which,,when direeted by a"
'scientific education, long experience, -great ablit les,
and confirmed by uniform success, all of which have
been found united in ,Lord Tellin gton, must ever be
the sure 'bail to •Vietory and to.glory-: and it appears.
to me,.Sit, to be an a& of unparalleled lolly. in. atiy
man or body of men, to disgust such a Coretnander;
'and of unparalleled ingratitude to make such a return
for his splendid acid Multiplied services !" •

The-author having effeetually vindicated the con-
dm% or rather having illustrated the high merits and
important. achievements of Lord Wellington, pro 7
cfeels to a defence of his Noble Brother, who has
bcen (-Oath, the obj'eta of envenomed patty Spleen,
an(l vc-116 indeed has raised A hoist of enemies.by 'the'
f,>; ce and extent -of his takits, and the distinguished
scrt ices which he has rendered to his country by im-
..
provineand' securing her Eastern possessions, as well
-a, by other erninent'proofs orpublic V!itae.
"I must now beg leave to off,v-r some remarks up-
on an.illu-sirions individual, not the immediate ob--
jeo of this address to yeu,,Sir,;.but whom it would
.1) in the highest degrecunjust to pass over to silence.
',lron this occasion: I ailtide- to. the Alarquis of
Wolle.dey. • ••
I hose observed with equal concern ancl•,asto-
uihment the manner iti which you, Sir, as well as
too iminy caters, have treated-the charaeterof:rhis
di,tinunisited.Nebit. man. I. do not hesitate IQ
t bat you were eitbo,. as. a statesman, unparclon-
4;,..ratit- of the pilitical, and military affdils,
11,;:iiner4 ;ind-.cus: oats, dispositions and 'habits of the'
%pie .4.:1111:1:nt; or that you havt!l'svilffered'youliiii-e.
44„,.);,-v4 n.Att party freltns to get the,..better of
i fOrnration, if. you possessed it. It is. lament-
ti) beo the prpfound ignorance Of every

CAPTAIN FOSKETT'S PETITION.

To the Honoutablai the House of Commons, in. Parliament
assembled; the humble Petition of Henry Foskeit, Cap-
tain in the Isth Regiment of Light DragoJas.

SHENVETFI,

That your Petitioner has been an Officer in the
15th Light Dragoons about 13 years, and senior-Cap-
tain in that regiment above four years: That during
the last Mentioned space of time, he has, in various
ways, been made to suffer, from his Colonel, his
Royal HighneSs the Duke of Cumbeiland, the most
injurious treatment, amounting to no less than a,
course of systematic oppress on.
That in the year 1806, in a manner contrary to
the acknowledged custom and constitution of the
army, his Royal Highness endeavoured to promote
an Officer of the.lsth Light Dragoons, and junior to
your petitioner,' in preference to him, to a Majority
in the regiment, which purpoe he was pre►ented
from effecting, stylely: by the interposition
,of_ his
Royal Highness the Duke of York, at that time
Comm nd in' Chief.

That yq ir petitioner having, on the above occa-
sion, solicited a week's absence, in order the mere
certainly to obtain such interposition, by, means of a
personal appeal, in support' of -a Memorial transmit-
ted to the Commander in Chief, he was, for five suC.-
cessive months" most vexatiously refused that indul-.
gence, although he was at that very time •entit.Ld,
under general orders,cto leave of absence foetwofor
three months, and although junior officers were then
actually allowed that-permission. Tnat,,your peti-
liononer;:notwithstanding his final. success in thus.
preventing a junior officer from being raised above
him, has, from ,that -tip-lei, been .unjustly depriv-
ed of promotion,. itt the -usual. course -01, his regi.-
ment, to. the injury, not, only of your petitioner,
but of all the Captains and • Subbernsof-the corps,
whose proniotion has thereby been, and minis, 'en-
tirely stopped. , •
- ..ThA in he year-1808,, when the I.sth. Light Dra:-
goonS was ordered • upOn forvign ervice, in Spain,
-yew pet tioner, though senior. Captain, was directed,
by his Royal Highness the Duke of Cumbeiland, to
'remain at home with the . recruiting squadron.--
-That upon complaining to the commanding • Offi-
cer of the regiment, -of a management so inconsis-
tent with the established custom of the, army, and
fraught,with such extreme hardship to your peti-
iiOner,' he (the Commanding Officer), disclaim-
ing all, participation :in the transaaion, referred
your petitioner's complaint officially to his
Highness, the Duke of CuMberlatici, by whom. it
Was dismissed,. and who declared .the arrangement
to be unalterable.

That your petitioner thereupon thought himself
bound to solicit the interference of the Commander:
in. Ctiief, when the Duke of Cumberland,
planation of his own conduct,, permitted himself to
cast on your petitioner's character the most, in-
jurious aspersions, which, notwithstanding th►e au-
thority from whence they came, were soon proved:
to be utterly unfounded; as the Commander in chief,
• though at first induced by them to sanction the ar-,
rangement of which they were the assigned cause,.
yet upon further remonstrance on the part of your::
petitioner,
.and on--further consideration of the case,.
his Royal Highness was graciously' pleased to revoke
his consent to the arrangement in question, and to
direct that a Captain should be sent home: frog the
regiment in Spain, upon whose arrival the petitioner
was to be at liberty to join ; a permission, however,.
of which, gracious. and acceptable as it was, your
petitlober was,not able to take advantage, as the re-..
giment soon afterwards returned home, and- thus
your petitioner was oppressively made to sustain the
irreparable loss of an opportunity so anxiously
-desired by every British Officer, of serving his
Sovereign and his Country against --their fore:gti
enemies. ,„

. .That your petitioner having suffered, during so
long-a time, such heavy and complicated injuries;
finding himself shut out flora- all hopes pf advanee-'
mentin his profession, by the avowed determination'
of his Commanding Officer (expressed in terms the
most injurious): not to recommend him for promo-.,
tion, and at thesame time rendered an -insurmount
able obstacle to the advancement of every officer,
junior to himself, in the regiMent ; having in vain,
repeatedly called for the "strictest' investigation of
his Conduel, and declared his readiness, and and
even his anxiety, to meet any charge that could be
brotight against him ; and perceiving that fresh com-
plaints of ill treatment only served to subject him to.
fresh aspersions, your petitioner saw that he had no
chance for redress, but from the justice of the-Com-
mander in Chief.' That he therefore in the month
of July, 1809, 'laid his case before his Excellency,
imploring his interference and 'protection.' fiat
this communication was accompanied with testi-
monials to' the undeviating conduct of your peti-
tioner, from almost every Commanding Officer of
the' regiment, under whOm your petitioner had
Served ; and wfio must have had far better op-
portunities of observing his general deportment.
than his Royal Highness • the Duke of Cumber-
land. That while your petitioner'S complaints were
hrfore the Commander in Chief, his just claims
to prOmotion were, again defeated, by the in-
trodualion of officers from other regiments, to
fill up the two Majorittes of the. i sth Light Dra-
goons, -which were -then vacant. That seeing him-
self thus excluded from all prospe& of relief, in the
oidinary course, your petitioner was reduced to
the necessity of soliciting trona the -.Commander-
in-Chief, an• application in his favour of the
f2th section of the- Articles of War, which states
-that—

if any officer shall think Ilimself to be wronged
by his. Colonel, or the Commanding-Officer.of, the
regiment, and shall; upon due application made to
Min, be refused to nbe redressed, he may complain
to the General: commanding in cchief our forces,
in order-to obtain justice, who is hereby required
to examine into such .complaint, and either by hint-
Self, or by our Secretary at. War, to make his re-
port to us thereupon, in order 'to roceive our farther
dired ions." ,

That your petitioner accordingly, on•thetWtli of
September, 1809, addressed a le, ter to Colonel Gor-
don, Military Secretary, for the consideration of the
Commander-in-Chief ; in which, after briefly reca-
pitulating the injuries of which he had ineffedually
coMplained, he expressly • requested .the Coni-
manderrin-Chief, in conformity with the 124 i) sec