Star.
London, England, 1812-04-28 00:00:00

ORDERS 111 COLIACIL.

Tlie Earl of DERBY presented I Petition from the ?dem
chants Traders, dm of Liverpool. against the Or in Councils
His Lordship stated that 6,000 eignatures were attached to the
Petition, and observed, that he was authorized by the depute*
thin from when Ise received the Petition, to state, that they did
not conclave that the Declaration mainly issued by his Majesty's
Government would have the ellixt et at all relic via; the distresses
%chid% the Petitioners suffered in consequence of the operation
of the Orders in

I:he Pendent after bring read, W. 13 ordered to lie on the tables
The Earl of LAUDERDALE, adverting :u the otijetta of the '
Petition, observed, that the Right I-Lwow able Ges.tlinuan win
was the Vice•Presnient of the board of 1 rade, had in a con- i
Terence with a deputation of Manufactures upon the sublease
stated, that England and Enact were like two renews with
their heads an two pails of water, and the trisi must be wh ch
could stand drownit g longest. The declarviou nutted by Mi.
niters made the cuotinuanee of this system depend upon the
pleasure of Eonsparte, and if he thus& he saw the &Iglu*
merchant was nicer in danger of drowsing than the French
merchant, Was it to be supposed that he wouid not still co:Aaiun
the system
Earl IIATHURST ob,erved, that the Right Hon. Vice Prod.
dent of the Board of Trade had public y contradicted the use of
the expression which had been attributed w Linn, and which had
been mentioned by the Noble Lord.
The Earl of LAUDERDALE contended, that the public coo.
tradiction of the Right Honourable Urntieman, amounted only
to this, that he bad been hardly dealt with, with respect to tI4
expression atuibuted w Lim, but not to a denial of tae ewes*
sion itself.

CAPTURE OF BADAJOZ—VOTE OF THANKS.
The Order of the Day, ur.bn which their Lir&
ships were summoned, being read,
-' The Earl of. LIVERPOOL said—" My Lords, r
rise in pursuance of the notice I had the honour of
4iying the last night of our meeting, of my inten-
tion this day of moving the Thanks of this House to
my Lord Wellington, and to those Officers and Sol-
diers of the Allied Army who were concerned in the
siege and capture of l3adajoz. In calling your Loicl•
ships attennon to this great and brilliant exploit, it is
scarcely necessary to point it to the consideration that
in this exploit and operation are to belound the two
circumstances which are in getieral held to characte-
rise an important military operation, namely, an im•
portance in the object obtained, and a magnitude of
the effort in the resistance which took place air the
conflict. 'lf we look, my Lord, for the importance
of the object, in the possession of the town and for-
tress of lladiajoz, we shall find it best recorded in
the military history of the Peninsula. Front this we
must be :male that it is the only Spanish fortress on
the southern frontier of Spain, and that in all the wars
in which the Peninsula was engaged, itspossessiun was
considered as an object cif.pr; marl military im
In former wars the same importance was al=islcaet-
tached to the place—and it is somewhat singular in
former wars, the degree of resistance and effort made
to save the place was such, that it never had ben
captured. In the year 1638, during the struggle for
Portuguese independence, it Was made a most im-
portant object of contention between the twu Military
Powers ; and though attacked by the Portugut se, wha
made efforts against it during more than four months,
it cost them tile loss of half their army, and thty wire
compelled t., abandon the siege. In the war of 1705
the succession war, it was again attacked by the com-
bined allied army then in the Peninsula, under the
command of the ancestors of a Noble Lord then in
his eye, and on that occasion your Lordships are
aware, that after a series of operations against it,
for more than fourteen days, the enterprise was ob-
liged to be abandoned. In the present war, my
Lords, we know the great military importance which
was attached to it. You are aware it was attacked
by that distinguished officer Marshal Soult, in the .
early part of the last year, viz. on the 3,1 iof &brie.
ary. The vigorous and gallant resistance that was
made in its defence, would in all prubability have
.seen attended with success, if the Governer welt
not killed in an early period of the oper..tions. Its
defence then fell into other hands, and wiicther from
misconduct, or some other causes, the event was
the loss of the place. It was certain, however, that
.the fortress held out against all the efforts of the
enemy, headed by an able officer, fur more than 36
days. In that campaign, afterwards, a siege was
regularly commenced by the allied force under the
command of Lord Wellington, when the French col-
lected all their forces from the North of Spain, a great
past of the garrison ot Madrid, and a numerous force
from the Eastern Coast of Spain, in fact,. all their
then disposable troops, with a view of saying the
plate. Under such circumstances, Lord Wellington
with prudence and propriety, determined to
raise ri:tege, and your Lordships are informed of
what soon alter took place. lu tbeinvseut campaign,
after the vapture of Ciudad Rodrigo. the views add
efforts of Lord Wellington were naturally directed.
to the possession of Badajos. Its great; military ina-
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pertasce, in the estimation of the enemy, we have
seen by their collecting their whale force id order to
oblige the British army to raise the siege. Feeling
the essential importance of the acquisition, the illus-
trious Commander of the allied troops pressed on the
Investment of the fortress—your Lordships are in-
formed with respect to the circumstances of the great
and unparalleled display of bravery and fortitude on
the occasior. Your are aware of the great and ex-
traordinary efforts of resistance made by the French
Commander for the salvation of the place. But such
was the nature, the vigour, the energy,. and the per-
sever:thee of the attacks and the operations against it
that in the period of twenty days, from the opening
of the trenches, the place was in the possession of
the British army. From a view of the whole cir-
cumstances of this glorious exploit, we cannot but
feel our breasts glow with admiration at the conduct
of the brave officers and gallant troops who were en-
gaged—( Hear, hear.) 'the conduct of those gallant
' officers who led the various attacks was in this, as
'upon all the other occaions in which they were em-
ployed, such as excited fie utmost spirit and confi-
dence in their troops ; their conduct on the memorable
night of the Gth of April was such, as cannot fail to
excite admiration in the minds of all who knew it.
—Hear, hear.) On that day three practicable
breaches were effected--but let us look to the means
of the exertions made by the enemy with a view
to effectual resistance.— I speak, my Lords, on the
authority of an eve-witness, that these exertions were
Pp among the most formidable efforts of the kind ever
seen ; and this, indeed, we may well judge from their
effects not liable to be deterred from action. We
leant their descriptions from the nature and effects
• of those gallant attacks made under General Picton,
and under General Leith, though more immediately
led on by General Walker, and which succeeded by
escalade at the different places of attack. It is im-
possible to contemplate the latter of these without
peculiar admiration, when what was originally in-
tended as a species of feint, was, instantaneously, as
the occasion presented itself, converted into a real
attack. It was impossible to consider she circum-
stanees under which General. Walker escaladed a
strong and formidable bastion, w ithout feeling those
sensations excited by the conduct of that gallant and
respectable Officer, on so arduous and critical an oc-
casion. (Hear.) Not only on this, but on the occasion
of the memorable battle of Vimiera, under the same
illustrious Commander, did this Officer lead on suc-
cessfully the Fifteenth Regiment against a French
force of five times its number. Such admiration did
his conduct excite, that the French General who was
then taken prisoner, particularly requested to be in-
troduced to the company of the individual Officer
who had so gallantly and conspicuously distinguished
himself. It would be superfluous, my Lords, to enter
into a detailed narrative, as to other particulars, of
this brilliant and important action in its several parts.
—Those who led on the troops are entitled to the
greatest respective praise. The conduct of Major-
General Colville, General Kemp, and other General
Officers, are equally entitled to your Lordships' ap.
probation : the conduct of Lieutenant-Colonel Bar.
nard and his division particularly calls for the high-
est eulogium. Another point of view, in which we
may contemplate these operations with conscious sa-
titiaction is, that we have a race of Officers, about
the rank of the gallant Officer i have just mentioned,
rising up, who, I behest!, bid as fair to render them-
selves essentially serviceable in fighting the battles,
or in defending their countryvas were ever known to
belong to any country, even the most military na-
tions, at any period whatever. (Hear, hear.) It is
impossible not to consider without feelings of regret
the great loss we have experienced in achieving this
important exploit. They have fallen in a cause glo-
rious indeed, and under a Commander to whom they
all looked up with an admiration bordering upon
enthusiasm.—(Hear, hear.)—ln no point of view can
the conduct of the great and noble Officer in question
be considered to more advantage, than the anxiety
- he has always manifested for the lives of those whom
he commanded. It is a ruling principle in his con-
duct never to gain by a battle, that which may be
gained without one.—( Hear, hear.)—During the
whole of the last campaign, this principle govern-
ed his conduct. At Torres Vedras, particulaily,
it was proposed over and over again to attack the
enemy, and rep esented that he may do it succes-
sively. His apswer was, " I think 1 can carry my ob-
ject without such a risk." (Hear, het r.)—This prin-
ciple, my. Lords, founded upon the purest ones of hu-
inanity, perhaps aught more especially to prevail with
reference to a British army. This principle eminent-
ly guided the conduct of this great Commander, in
the case before us ; his pressing the operations and
bringing the conflict to a speedy issue, proceeded
from a view to the eventual saving of life. We must
also, my Lords, contemplate with satisfaction the
great accession of (military character this country has i
obtained, and her assuming more and mole of a
military character within the last twenty years.—
This is more especially necessary in the present state
of the world, when no country can safely build its
security but on its own intrinsic strength ; and this '
country cannot sufficiently confide in the native
valour of her troops and officers unless the necessary
• talent,art,and science of war be superadded ; and these
we are every day of late years progressively acquiring,
especially in that part of such peculiar importance in
the Continental warfare in which we are now enga-
ged, namely, the carrying and occupation of places.
This, your Lordships are aware, is to be acquired by
experience alone, and this to no small extent yoe,
have the satisfaction of seeing, in the cases particu.
larly of Ciudad R':drigo and Badajoz, has been ac-
gutted by, our willies. The military skill and science
to befound in the British armies is daily appearing
more commensurate to their bravery and valour.—
From what we have seen the most auspicious results
may be looked fur with respect to the war in the Pe-
ninsula, and in other points of view the creation of
new sources of military strength to Great Britain,
when necessary to be exerted in any line of opera-
tion which circumstances may call for, either on the
part of this nation or her allies. I have, id some
points of view, I fear, unnecessarily detained your
.Lordships ; but the occasion is such, that I could not
refrain from offering those observations with which
I have troubled you."—(Hear, hear.) The Noble
Secretary then proposed, in the usual form and lin-
guage, their Lordships' thanks to General Arthur
Earl of Wellington, K.B. for the great military skill,

bravery, &c. displayed by him in the command or
the allied troops employed in the siege and capture
of Badajoz.-0a the question being put;
Lord HOLLAND begged leave to add his tri-
bute of applause.to what.had been so eloquently ex-
pressed by the Noble Lord, and was so justly due to
the great military character who formed the subject
of the present motion. It was to him they were to
look for what hope still remained of rescuing Spain
from the grasp of France. He must say at all events
that the great skill and judgment displayed, both as
to the time and the mode, in that important capture,
well deserved the thanks of that House ; and he must
add, that on signal occasions, either by storm or on
the field, the loss experienced was more apparent than
it was is reality extensive—( Hear, hear.) He could
not sufficiently pm:se the promptitude with which the
operations were followed up to the capture, before it
became necessary to risk an action with Soult. They
should be cautious, however, not too confidently to
indulge hopes as to the general event of the war; .on
casual brilliant successes of this kind. Other circum-
stances were more to be considered. It was certain
that from some cause or other France did not now
seem able to make those exertions which were neces-
sary to execute her project upon Spain, and he hoped
that those favourable expectations which were enter-
tained of the new Government cf Spain would be
realized by that Government's avoiding the errors of
its predecessors, and by maintaining a system of cor-
diality and confidence with respect to its allies, and
of ccnciliation with respect to America. Deeming
as he did of the Noble and gallant Officer in ques-
tion in every point of view, he most cordially con-
curred in the motion.

It was then put and carried, as well as the subse-
quent customary votes of thanks to the subordinate
Genergl and other Officers, and to the whole of the
Allied Army employed in the siege and capture of
Badajoz, nemine dissentiente, and the same were voted to
be communicated by the Lord Chancellor, as usual.