Star.
London, England, 1813-03-13 00:00:00

ATURDAY, MARCH 13, 1813.

nation. Were. tbs. sad occurrences that had been
witnessed to be attributed to the .weakness of the
'empire ? Had the great contest in which we were
engaged eihausted all.our.means ?- WAS the ineffi-
ciency in the thunderbolt itself, or in the hands that
wielded it ? These were questions which be and
every Noble Lord had a right to ask. They had a
right—and it was their duty to ask, whether the re-
sources of Britain were unequal to the, maintenance
of that great attitude which she had taken in Europe,
or whethei the weakness that had been evinced was
to be traced to the persons who had the administra.
tion of those resources ? On the face of the inquiry
it appeared that the failure was to be ascribed, not
to the weakness of the empire, hut to the. weakness
of the Ministers. Inspired as we had bn by the
strongest sentiments of justice and policy, were ne
tamely to admit that England could go no fastlier—
that 'she had done her utmost iu the 'great cause,
without any approtimation to her ultimate object ?-1
In every view of it this great question called for in-,
vrstigation. When any difficulties presented.them-1
selves to a nation—however sudden, however unex-
pected, the nation had a right to expect tVt its Go-
vernment, if not immediately prepared, would make
every possible effort to meet them. Still more right
had a nation to expect, that its Government would i
limprotre to the utmost any sudden and unexpected
advantage that might occur.. Oti the original policy
of aiding the Spaniards in their attempts to resist the
oppression of France, it, was well known that great i
difference of opinion had existed. He, and those
who thotight with him, bad maintained the expedi-
ency of making every possible military exertion, in
order to establish a system, out of which might
grow, and out of which had happily grown, an ex- '
ample to Europe, in the efforts of Spain and Portu- I
gal, and an admonition to all other States who had
sacrificed, or were about to sacrifice, their indepen-
dence to the ambition of France. Entertaining a great
regard for some of those who had held that it would
be prudent for this country to wait, until it saw how
far Spain was able, unaided, to contend successfully
with her oppressor, he had yet a right to dwell with
peculiar emphasis on the advantages which hid re-
sulted from a different course--tiae failure in seizing
and improving which did not rill alter his, opinion
of their magnitude and extent. The great hope en-
tertained by Close who originally asserted the expe-
diency of assisting Spain and Portugal in regaining-
their independence, was the example that it would
hold forth to the world. What had been the result ?
He betrayed no Cabinet secrets when he stated that
so early as April, 1811, it was known to many per-
sons in this country, and. above all, it was known to
his Majesty's Ministers, that Russia was laying the
foundation of the efforts which she had recently
•made. This was manifested in a regular, plain, and
intelligible manner. The recent conduct of Russia,
therefore, could not have burst upon our Govern-
ment as an unexpected and astonishing event. The
proclamation of the Emperor Alexander himself de-
clared that he had long been preparing the means of
which the late occurrences in the North had been the
result. Similarly, in all probability, would the ex-
ample of Spain and. Portugal operate upon Austria ;
which had hitherto been under the necessity of re-
ducing her military power ; but which, by the pre-
sent crisis, had an opportunity afforded her ot re-
establishing her forces. Had we urged Austria by
our counsels ? Had we assisted her with the means
of_ regaining her independence ? In Sicily, owing
to the exceLent conduct of that Noble Lord (Lord
William Bentinck), towards whom the warmest
panegyric that could be bestowed on him would
I be but justice, a great disposable force was set at
liberty. There were many other circumstances-
in the general aspect of affairs all over Europe, of
a nature peculiarly advantageous and promising.—
' —What use had his Majesty's Ministers made of these
circumstances? In the commencement of our inter-
ference in the Peninsula, we carried on the war there
on a limited scale, with a view to a particular object.
But when the result was the production of the crisis
that had been anticipated, was it wise to adhere to,
the limited efforts prescribed by the original and nar-
row intention?l When the Peninsula was placed in
a state wholly different from that in which it had
been from the commencement of the struggle, was
it not incumbent on the British Government to change
the character of their exertions ? By these two mag-
nificent successes, the reduction of Ciudad Rodrigo,
and the reduction of Badajoz, the situation of the
French armies in Spain became such that it could be
compared to nothing short of the weakness which
pervaded the different States of Europe in their for-
mer attempts to combine against the aggressions of
France. The French armies in Spain were deprived
of unity of counsels. They were deprived of unity
of action. Dissatisfaction reigned among their Ge-
nerals, who were placed in circumstances almost too
ludicrous to be described to their Lordships, and
which he was at a loss to designate in terms of suf-
fa:ient baseness. They possessed no decided power
over those who were nominally under their atitho-
rky. They were in hostility to each other. The
Commander in the South was unable to draw aid
from the North ' • and the Commander of the Ninth
was unable to draw aid from the South. That
energy which the Ruler of France possessed, and
which he bad so frequently inspired into those who
were the instruments of his designs—that energy
which alone could have created union, was exhaust-
ing itself in ambitious projects in the extremity of the
world, and Spain was left to a Government of hesi-
tation and imbecility. Was not that a moment for
the exertions of the British Government ? It had
been insinuated, that he had said the British would
never make an impression on the Peninsula until they
possessed a force equal to that of the French. He
had never said so. He had always been of opinica,
that the expulsion of the French night be effected
with a force not equal to that of the French. For
while the French farce was, for French pureoscs,
spread over Spain, the whole of the British Nice