The Sun.
London, England, 1810-03-23 00:00:00

THE ARMY.

Lord DARNLpy rose, pursuant- to notice, to call
-the attention thein-Lord,hio. to the present state
of the. regular defence: or tiie country. }le had some
time ago-put a question to his Majesty's Ministers
respecting a report that very generally prevailed, of
an:intention, on the part of Government, to send

almost the whole of the regulAr force iu the country
on foreign expeditions.. To that question he receiv=-ed no'satisfattory answer. He therefore resolved to
bring forward a distinti motion, the ohj,ct of which
would k to ascetfain what nuinherpfreplar troops,
and of'What-ch?scription, bad been senrout of the
country sinee,the month of Setitember last. After
thestnelancholy proof we have had of the. disasters

And-disgraces which the ignoraace and incapacity of
'Ministers have brought upon the country after the
gpring indications they have betrayed of theitutter
unfitness to manage the military rr.ean4 of the
country, were they to be permitted blindly to roil in
the sane mad career, and to squander away our
remaining force, - to' which alone the nation could
now iook for protection and kecurity ? With the
fatal effects of the calamitous Expeittion,to Walche.
ren staring us in
.the face, were we to psrMit Mini-
sters to doom the remainder of our regular troops to
the save unavailing- lufferings, to the same dish°.
"tionrable fate ? He .6-Listed their LordshipS' would
interpose and rescue the army, and indeed the cowl-

try, *Dm the indiscretion and mismanagement of
the present Administration ; and not allow the means
of our dochestic security to be fruitlessly Wasted away
on foreign expeditiohs. ,With that, view, he should
wish their Lardships to be informed respeaing the
intniber of troopS which have lately beeh sent on
foreign service; and in order to. procure that in:
formation he should now move an humble Address-
to his. Majesty,•praying his Majesty would be gra-
ciously pleased to giv'e directions that there be laid
before the House a return of the number of troops,
io infantry, ca%airy, and artillery, which have been
ordered for foreign service since the ist-September,,
up to the present
The Earl of Livsaoo4opposed the motion. In-
deed' the Noble Lord had himself, on a 'former occa-
sion,-anticipated the, objektion upon which he should
now ground thatoppositioa. He saw no reason M)ysit.
Should be.supposod that his Majesty's ooverninent
were misemploying t he military force of the country.
The Noble Lord had addtked no atgunteut on which
to jus.ify such a, supleion; He had stated no sped.'
fic reasop on which to.rest the propriety of acced-

- . .
ing to hiy motion. He, however-, felt it liable to
many-objections, and particularly to. the danger of
coniverng information to the enemy;- ~Was the
enemy td be apprised to what quarter we were
direCting t..hq, 'application of this force ? Were we to
tell them-that we were sending a supply of troops to
Cadiz--that we were dispatchit.ga reintorcement to
Port ugal ? Surely the Noblc Lord could not have-seri,
'ousty rtfleaecl on-these effeas of his motion, -and
yet pertie,etein makilig- it.. Upon theie grounds,
however, he should-think it his.duty to oppose the
ructtioti,, ,

Earl GREX,W3S surprised to bear the Noble Se.
cretary contend that, there were no grounds of sus•
piCion that Ministers would continue to Mismanage
,the military means of the country as they had bi-
therto'dotte.
,I;lad'not their Lordships the most la.
• .mentable experience of their ignorance, their im-
prudence, and their, incapacity in this respect?-7
Had their Lordships note seen themiSerable come-
. quences of the fatal campaign Under Sir 3. Moore ?
Yet, with.that sad example acrd adinonition before
their eyes, have ihty seen a still more lamentable
campaign -in 1809, a campaign- fai more -dismal in
its elfeas, as there was 'abundaht iniormation to
'warn us against embarking .in it. .1-lad they not
since Seen the most disastrobs and disgraceful of all
expeditions in'which'this'Country had ever engaged,
ending in 'shame, and sorrow', and confusion, not to.
be described. Yet, with these tepeated• and accu-
mulated instances of'tb incapatity of his Majesty's
IVlinisters, their:Lordships -were to be toldthat no
ground had been oililuced of a suspicion, that these-
ssme Ministers might- mismanage and sacrifice the
remainder of our regular forces. He, at least, had
. .

seen not only grounds-of suspicion, but proofs,, the
most unequivocal; of their 'ignorance and incapacity,
and he shot ld therefore support the motion of his
liort. Friend. - •
The Earl of WEStmouLaND opposed the Motion.
Not a word bad been offered by either of the Noble
Lords in direa justification of the produCtion of such
returns. The only_topic insisted upon, was the ig-
norance and incapacity of Ministers. They went
back to the expedition, under. Sir John .Moore; -to
thebattle of Talavera j• to-the Convention of Cintra ;
but adduCed no one argument in support of the moil
tion before their Lordships. They contended that.
Lis Majesty's Government would' misemploy the
troops that had lately teen sent-abroad, without pre-
tending to say how,'or where they were to be em-
ployed.: They were faithful to their old maxim and
practice--condemn first, and theninquire,
The Marquis of Douti.As supported 'the tnotion,
and admonished- the House not to entrust anymore
our military force to. the direetion of 'Men wbp
had. proved themselves so incapable of managing if:
Auer a few observationsfrotn Lord DARNLEY in
reply, the House divided— _

Contents - . 28
Non• Contents• - 38
Majority againtt the motion—to

EXCHANGE OF PRISONERS.

O. our return below the B?r, we found
Lord HOLLAND oti his legs, arguing in support of
the motion of which he bad given notice, for infor-

t motion respening ;the -late diseussione relative to an
exchange of ptiseners between this -country arid-
Frence. The.quastion Was one which deeply af-
feCladethe honour- and cliaredet Of the country, as
well as the private tdclings _of those to whom it
more iminediately related. When the condition •of
• oat brave sailors, and .of our. gallant soldierse who
have so long lingered in the-hands of :the. enemy,
and in a foreign land, was duly considered, nothing
perhaps could be well conceived more discouraging
and desolate. - They were at that time of life when
hope, is most active in the hernae breast. They had
, • embrac, d a profession which held out to them pros-.
peas of honour and glory, and what has been their
fate -?- - For a number of years they have now been
lingering in captivity ; and though they may' not be
doomed to dungeons, yet are they-deprived of what
'is most dear to men. They are deprived of all in-
tereourse with friends and relatiense--theyare
deprived of all means of advancing their views in.
life—they are deprived of every opportunity of dis-
itlayieg that zeal and courage for the glory and in-
terest of their country, which prorpised to be the,
reward and solace of their arduous toils ;
.and ebey
are deprived of all these consolations, not for months
or for-yearse but for a dreary uecertainty eespeeling
the termination of a war, "of va tech no hu'man fore-
sight can calculate the close. Unfortunately, such,
it is too well known, has long been
~the: condition
of our hrave countrymen,
.now prisoners of war in -
France; and if aay opportunity has-been omitted
of rescuing them ,f=inial that long and sad- capiiyity,
or rather" if every offer of an acconnondation that
'promised to have that efTea, has nor been eagerly
and instantly embraced,ebi Majesty's Ministersare
guilty of the most callous " and cruel: indifference tp
the sufferings of these brave men; and that neglect
and indifference. he would consider as ateong the
blackest of their crimes. No doubt for a-length of
time the charge of this cruelty had' been wholly
imputable ,to the enemy. By the most wanton
and unjustifiable abuse of power, and by the worst
violation of the practice and law of civilized war-
fare, the Ruler of Fronce, when Firit Consul, or-
dered the British subjects travelling in -France to be
seized,, and treated as prisoners of war, on she break-
ieg out of the ,presenr war. This .unprecedented
vi•_ilence qu his part gave rise to the discus eon of
questioris, which threw an insurmountable barrier- in
the way of an exchange Of prisoners.' Not only' did
Buonaparte thus treat with contempt _the laws of
vilized warfare, but he set up pretensions the most
extravagant and extraordinary respecting the nature
and mode of the exchange of prisoners, The-Ha-
' noveriens, who- laid down their arms ih Hanover,
he wished to. have considered ris British suhje&s,
and as such to be exchanged for French soldiers.
These, and other pretensions not less inadmissible,
stood long in the way ofanyarraegement for the ex-
change of prisoners. In the admission of -these pre-
tensions it was impossible for the 'British Government
to aceuiesde, $o far therefore the charge of cruelty
remained with the enerne. But it would appear that
of late the French seem disposed' to relax from these
pretensions, and to have made an -offer of coming to
arrangemeet on this delicate' and impoi font
point. ,How has-that offer been received and treated
by the British Government is the question which he
would now discuss, and of which he wes moat anxious
to obtain any -ex planation. More, than once has the
s enemy asserted that' he had' made a proposition
for the appointment of Commissioners to meet at
Merlaix, at
.d-treat for a basis. on winch to establish
an exchange of prisoners. That proposition, the
enemy assertee was refused or eluded by the British
Government; lest; as -it is observed in the kloniteur,
,that negociation for exchange of prisoners .should
lead to a negociation for peace. This chareee,,thougli
made in an anonymous unofficial paragreplt, carries
still some weight with it, especially when it is con-
*sidered that it appeared- in the official, paper of 'the
French Government, and that such is the degraded
state of the Press in France, that nothing was likely
to appear there that Could be pffensive to the French
Government. But this charge does not rest solely
on this loose anonymous paragraph It is repeated
in the most solemn-and public manner in a solemn
and offiCial document addressed- by the French Mi-
nister (qe Foreign :Affairs to the Dutch-Minister of
Finance. Coming in such h shape, and from such-
authority, the charge cannot be overlooked. If it
be not rebutted by the British Government, must
not the stigma of the inhumautty which, attaches- to
this protracted disregard of the usages of civilized
war now attach to the British GOvernment and to
the "British nation at large ? And is it possible -that
Ministers can refuse inlorniation on such a subjeCt,-
ih which not only their own condud, but the cha-.
meter of the nation is so deeply involvdd ? They
surely will not pretend to say that a negociation for
an-exchange of prisoners is to be compered to -the
complex negociation for peace; and that, pending a
negociation, it would be improper to proceed to any
open declaration respecting the nature of its condi.
tions, or the progress it mfy have made; The facts
here to be disclosed can beget no ieconvenience 5
nothing more is required than a statement of the
dates when this- proposition was made. How 'it
had beeri loceived, and what truth there may he in
the assertion of the Duke of Cadore, that the British
Government refused to entertain the proposition, or
purposely eluded it lest it should lead. to a negocia-
tion of a ireaty'erf ,peace, poor as was his-opinion of
the present Ministers,of the Crown, and lie thought
them by far the worse of any by whom this country
had- ever the misfortune to be ruled, lie could not
'bring himself to believe they-could be capable of
such conduct. It they have been guilty of it, then
he would not hesitate to say, that they had filled
the measure of their crimes. The -motion with
which he should now conclude, would afford them
a fair opportunity of exculpating themselves. .The •
Noble Lord then'moved an humble address to his
Majesty, praying his Majesty would be 'graciously
pleased to-'direct that there be laid before that House
copies-or extracts of such correspopdence, and the
dates thereoG as may have passed between the Trans-
port Board-and the Fretich Government, relative to
the exchange of pi isciners. .• .
Lord-Au LGRAVE observed, that the eery objection
which the Nuble Lord had stated vviie of such force
Lim, that it induced him to oppose the motion
of the Noble Baron. /Surely their Lordsbies mot
feel bow novel' and unprecedented such a motion
must be, under all the circumstances of the moment.

-That House and the Government would ill consult
their dgnity indeed, if 'they were to institute&so.7
lemn proceeding in' that House, merely to notice
some,loose 'anonymous squib of a French news-
paper. Besides, the question was a most -deli-
cate one; and, instead of forwarding the .ob-
ject which ~the Noble Baron had in view, of
accele'rating- the release ,of our brave. sailors and
soldiers from captivity, it might have- thei very
.contrary .effect, and not only retard, but de!eat
the accomplishment of the object-altogether. It
was still expected that the arrangement would pro-
ceed,and that a cartel might be established; and could
any thing be` more unprecedented and imprudent
than thus prematurely to drag into discussion an un-
finished- negociation. Ministers helchhemselves re-
sponsible for wlrat they had done and were doing,
and he never'woeld consent to any untimely disclo-
Sure of a begociation; which might be frustrated en-
tirely merely by having been disclosed. Before he
sat;doxn, he Could not- hut advert.to some observa-
tioes which had fallen from the Noble Baron,when
he gave notice of his present motion. • -It so hap-
pened-that he was not in the House at the time, nor
did he indeed expect that the Noble Lord could ever
have seriously thought.of bringing forward such a
motion. It appeared, however, that in giving notice
of this motion, th, Noble Baronet had indulged an
Observation respetting him; and the cause Onfis ab-
,sence, Which were as destitute of candour'a's of, all
foundation. Indeed, he could not help saying there
'Was a degree of impropriety in the . conduct of the
NAble Ihron'whicti he not expea, and which he
should not have hazard d- on no better ground
than a street report. I:tte Noble Baron had,stated
that he, (Lord' Mulgrave)
.was not in the confidence
of,his colleagues,. of th tt if yet there was any inter-
coui:se still between them, some of them, he hoped,
would find .meins of making a communication to
him of the Noble Baron's notice. Now there was
not a shadow of, foundation for such insinuation.---
He trusted he enjoyed the confidence of his-col,
leagues, and that nothing bad occured to interrupt
the harmony which subsisted between him andmeni.
He should be glad•to ke,any Noble Lord get up in
his place, and'point out any action of his life which
could justif} q belief that- he would continue to act
with any set of men whose confidence ne.had lost,
or whO would
,hold no intercourse with him.

Lord HOLLAND, in explanation, said,, that the
d Noble Lord should be able correctly Co state what he
he. had said, before he had charged his conduCt with
improPrieiy.—VVliat he said was, that after the
shameful concealmentsy which. had taken place in
other important matters, and the want of confidence.
and cordiality' which had betrayed itself between
some Members of the Cabinet, it was nut unnatural.
• to suppose that the notice he had given might nut be
communicated to the Noble Lord.

The Marquis of LANDSDOWNE adopted the same
line of argument as Lord Holland, and contended
that all that was-asked of Ministers, was to give. a
short, plsini:and explicit answer to a single questibm,
Had tne, negotiation for an exchange of prisoners
been refnsed,or eluded by them ?—when had it tom.
murced ?—bas it terminated ? It was unfair to
treat tiheaSsertins in the Aloniteur as anonymous
squib's., Was the' solemn acid public declaraiien of the
Duke of Cadore an an squill ?—No answer
was given, to that public charge. Why not directly
deny it it it was false ? But the Noble Lord said, that
the'present motion was unprecedented, . and that-it
was beneath ihe dignity of Parliairkent to take notice

1 of the atiOnymous -squibs of newspapers. • But did
1 the Noble Lord, recollect the proceeding of the
i other -House of Parliament, which really had been
instituted on no better ground than an anonymous
1 paragraph in a 'French newspaper. A French news-
I, paper bad asserted that the French prisoners in this
l country had - been treated With inhumanity. The
! 'charge was .thought so injurious to our nationatelia-
I racter, that a Cornmittee was moved for in the,.
i House of Qoiritnons in
.1797, to inquire into the
1 grounds of the charge, which Committee- in its re-
f port completely refuted the charge,. and vindicated
1 the aspersed charatter of . the British Government
. and 'nation.' Why not institute a similar proceeding
• at present, %-vheresa far more serious charge is made,
4 not 'anonymously, but by. the first authority in
IFrance, against the charader of the British Govern-
ment ? • . , • ' .

The Earl of LIVERPOOL '6:)ntended, that the ans-
wer given by. his Noble Friend (LOrd;grave) ap.
peared, to him so satisfactory, that he did not feel it
necessdry to make any addition to it. Their Lord-
ships must feel how indiscreet it would 'be to hurry
into public discussion the particulars of a nepciation
which reds not brought to an issue.

; ~Lord GRiNVILLE; professed himself• to be'one of
those who was not satisfied with the answer of the..
Noble. Lord at the head of the Admiralty., In fad
it was no answer at all, and it betuved a levity and
an ignorance vibich•cou!d not well be supposed to
_exist. in a Cabinet‘Minister, who did not seem to'
know till that moment that such a document was in
existence as the Letter
pf the Duke of Cadore. to the
Dutch Finatx:e.Minister. 'As little satisfaction did, he
give, when he ' treated the Motion of his Noble.
kriend as novel and unprecedented. The precedent
which had been mentioned proved the contraryr—
and attested the sense .% hich the Parliament and the
GoVernment of ;the country then felt of the attpnOt
to asperse the character kof both ; and be entreated
their Lordships to consider the great :difference
which occurred b4weeti the two. cases. 'The accu-
sation
against this country then was; thaithe.F.iench
prisoneis A'ere treated with iniinmanity that.accu-_
satiun' was 'refuted in The most • suiekun and
manner. What is the charge now ? Wny, that
the (.4overnment of this country have,refused to 'its-.
ten to a prypusition for -an exchange of prisoners.
By so doing, if • the charge _be true, . would they nut
be guilty o( much greater and more cumpreheusive
erkielly than was netoro itnputrd to tin 4 country, •
for the French Governitient,
,only charged us with
want of Iminapity towards the .i.:iench prisoners ?
but here Ministers wuuid he guilty of cruelty, not
only towards our own countrymen, out also towards
the Fieneii -pri,oaers. Ilkdeed, 'St charge could'
be made good against tikein, they would stand con- .
vi:;!secl'ot a most airpelo.,s k Owe. fhere,wassome-
thing behind in this ilid!iet Ministers were
afraqi to AVOW.

Lord WEsTMOKLKND opposed the motiou, and

MARRIta
On the the Bth inst. S. Hamilton Rowan, Esq. second ip
Archibald Hamilton. Rowan,, Esq. of ic iltelagh Csstlct
the County of Down, to Elrep, daughter of John
EsAt Dunbrociy Abbey,• near Dungannon Fort,
lohns, Esq. of the Ordnance,, to Miss Bridget Mac GI
cundy, of Fintern.
Yesterday morning, at St. Bride's Church, Mr. 06'-'t ticfA.
of Ryder street, St.- lames's, to, Miss Fraiices Svnior", f
New Bridge street. .
Lately, at PyrtOn, in Oxfordshire, Dr. Harty, of pub'
to Mits Kent, et Kent.