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

Pasiasala, but merely too defray the additional ez•
pence arising from having 15,000 men in the Penin.
sula instead of at home. Now, in the exercise of
their military discretion, the Noble Lord bad not
scrupled, while they complained of the inadequacy
of our resources, to apply this sum for the purpose
of having the Local Militia exercised fourteen days
at home, %hen there was no prospect of their am'.
vices being wanted, than to apply it to prlnnote the
vigorous conduct of a war abroad, which was likely,
if vigorously prosecuted, to continue so desirable a
state of our domestic affairs. While such a sum u
this was so improperly, in his opinion, withheld from
the purpose to which it ought to have been applied,
he understood that on a recent occasion a vaunt had
been made, that eleven millions had been expended
in eleven months, on the prosecution of the war
in the Peninsula. Now this boast was calculated to
convey a very exaggerated and very unfair view of
the subject, it would naturally beget the opinion that
a million 1 month was expended, which would not
have been expended, had we taken no part in the af-
fairi of the Peninsula ; whereas the sum applied to
the furtherance of our views there, was only the dif-
ference between the sum that it would take to main-
tain the troops serving there, wheresover they might
be serving, and the millions on which the vaunt
was grounded. And he was too well acquainted
i with the principles by which the whole political life
1 of dr, Noble Lord had been governed, to fear asser-
ting, that although we had no army in the Penin-
sula, there would not be a reduction of one man in
the aggregate of our force. From what he had said,
be misted their Lordships would think that he was
justified in saying, that a sum of 46000 would have
defrayed the expenccs of the additional force that he
had contended ought to be sent to the Peninsula, in.
eluding that which had been applied to the training
of the local militia; but he would suppose that a
sum of two millions had been necessary, would not
such an addition to the burdens of the country have
/ been cheerfully submitted to by every man who had
a stake in it, and had sufficient quickness of intellect
to discern the vast importance of seizing with spirit
the unhoped-for opportunity that presented itself ?
But while it was considered impracticable to increase
our exertions abroad, it would be worth while to ex-
amine the manner in which our resources were sip
plied at home. He had selected for the judgment of
their Lordships a few articles from the Barrack, As%
my, and Ordnance Estimates of last year, from which
be conceived some useful conclusions might be drawn.
—For new barracks in Ireland, *there was a sum of
4125,667, this was the estimate of 1812, and it was
rather a singular coincidence, that the estimate of the
present year was to exactly the same amount. For
new barracks in England, the estimate was 844,770.
For the new breakwater in Plymouth S und,a18•000.
Fur new buildings, a new wharf, and chymical lec-
ture-room at Woolwich, 460,000. For Martell*
Towers on the Eastern coast, 45.700, and for what
' purpose money was expended here, unless it was to
protect our shores from the ghosts of the Danish
Beet, he could• not conjecture—(al/au/h.) Another
estimate was fur new works on the western he.ghts of
Dover, where no doubt the danger was very press.
in —(A laugh.) There was another, for a consider.
, able sum, for a new mint—a new Mint! (2.arshier.)
We were preparing, it appeared, for the act of cum.
age, whenever it might please Heaven to send us
bullion. There was an estimate of 4125,000 for the
Military College at Sandhurst ; to this institution
there was no one more favourable than he was, sen-
sible of the service it had rendered the country. But
even here, at such a time, he could not conceive but
there was a misapplication of the public money.
The Noble Marquis next proceeded to examine the
alleged difficulties of carrying on the war in the Pe.
ninsula, arising out of the want of specie, endeavou.
ring to chew that those difficulties had been cleated
1 by the grossest mismanagement. He insisted that the
defence of their conduct set up by Ministers, namely,
the satisfaction of Lord Wellington with the manner
' in which they had supported him, was groundless
and absurd—groundless, because they had mistaken
for satisfaction the obedient acquiescence which it
' was the duty of the officer to render to superior an.
thority; and absurd, because no deference to his opi-
nion could excuse them for having failed to exercise
their own judgment, or free them from responsibility;
deprecated the danger that would arise to the cowl,
try from Bonaparte's being able to impute our fai.
lure in the Peninsula to the avowed insufficiency of
our resources; expressed his confidence that their
Lordships would not sanction such a motion, and
concluded with moving for a Committee to inquire
into the circumstances and conduct of the last cam:
paign.
i Earl BATHURST could not resist the chal.
liaises that had been thrown out by the Noble Mar.
'guts. That Noble Lord had told their Lordships
' that he should admire the temerity of the man who
would tell them, that Lord Wellington felt satisfied
with the conduct of Ministers, during the last cam-
paign. He would evince that temerity—be would
tell their Lordships, that Lord Wellington was com-
pletely satisfied with the conduct of Ministers, during
the whole of that campaign which had afforded so
much ground of complaint to the Noble Marquis.—.
(Hear, hear.; At least. so far had Lord Wellington
voluntarily expressed himself iti the course of his cor-
respondence with Ministers. (Hears hear.) But
this was not the only reason for objection to t4e mo-
tion before their Lordships—this was not his motive
for objecting to inquiry, provided e fair cage were
made out. In strewing that no such ease had beets
made out, in his opinion, he should not pretend ;:t
follow the Noble Lord througn the whole of his ar.
guments and illustratiops, They had been told that:
the Ministers had ;rot employed all the resources of
the country—that the system which they had pursued
had cempletely tailed- .
Marquis WE4LESLEY explained the systems on
which lie had enlarged,
Earl BATHURST resumed.—With deference to
the Nome Marquis, he was mot particular about the
terms in which the idea had been conveyed, but what
had been said resolved itself into this—that the by',
tem which had been pursued by the Government was
The system of the Noble
filtuoluidameinettraallceya
arleln theg means and Resources of the
country ; the Ministers had not pursued any such
w
system, consequently the Ministers had not embraced
all the means and -resources of the country. The
have bean perfected, bad
rkible Lord's sTstem would