Star.
London, England, 1811-04-27 00:00:00


House to see the amonnt of the expence, and not ta
eeglert any opportunity of making it less when pro-
w time should arrive. The contest, they bad been
!A* told, cost the country ar.nually near 21.,000
men, and thii, he contended, imposed a twofold tax
on the people. He then adverted to the expence
and loss which attended paying the army in Poi- •
togll, as sending money there ; and to the Mediterra-
nean, it had been said by one• of his Majesty's Minh.
ters, a loss was sustained of 80 per cent. on every
a.; 90. He did not undervalue the brilliant successes
of Lord Wellington ; and repeated, it was not his
will that we should withdraw from the contest, or
that any present alteration, should be made ; but he
thought tt right to give this warning of •the magni-
tude of the expence.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER
:ad wished to abstain from discussing the policy at
the contest in Portugal ; but on the present question
:.e should be as happy to enter into it, as he had been
.;esirocs of avoiding it then. He hoped he might
.:,,,isiJer the Hon. Gentleman as approving, not only
Cie vote of Thanks to I,ord Wellington ; but as
...pproving 9f the line of conduct pursued with
respect to the Peninsula, and feeling• the wisdom and
;niponance of acting on that policy which had been
adopted. 'Leaving this subject, rather sorry that it i
had not beets more fully entered into, he observed,
they were now on the Army Extraordinaries, which,
it appeared,. exceeded the graiwoflast year by about
e 600,000. This, he thought, was not so great an ex-
cess as might have been expected. There would not
have been even that, but for the unfavourable state
of the exchange. The Hon. Gentleman had said it
was stated by one of his Majesty's Ministers, that 30
pet cent. was last on every .4100 sent to Portugal.--
He (the Chancellor of the Exchequer) knew of no
such assertions having been made by any person con-1
fleeted with Government. He remembered such a
statement coining from a Gentleman opposite ; but
as he unfortunately was nor one of his Majesty's Mi-
nisters, his intormation might not be quite correct on
that subject. The Hon. Gentleman had enumerated
the expenses sustained by the country ; as he had
thought it right to give a warning on that head ; but
if it was clear that no reduction could be made ; he
did not see what benefit could be hoped from the
warning. He (the Chancellor of the Exchequer)
would lament with the Hon. Gentleman the necessity
of imposing such burdens on the country, but when
they could not be avoided, he thought it better to ex-
hort the public to bear patiently that which wits ne-
cessary, instead of anticipating and exaggerating the
inconveniency, which might, but which he trusted in
GOD would not be felt hereafter.
Mr. FREEMANTLE explained, after which the
Resolution was carried.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER
seized this opportunity of moving the Grant for the
present year. He thought it better to vote the Extra-
ordinaries for England and Ireland in one Resolu.
tion, and therefore moved, That a sutra not exceeding
£3,200,000, be gran rd for the Army Extraordina-
rics of Great Britain and Ireland for the year 1811.
The Resolution was put and carried, as were seve-
ral others for smaller Grants, without opposition.
The House then resumed, and the Chairman made
his report.
On the motion of Mr.' FOSTER, a Committee
was appointed to inquire into the state of the Road
leading from Shrewsbury to Holyhead, and to era-
ar.ine the state of the Funds atising from the Tills
collected at the Turnpikes.
Lord PALMERSTON obtained leave to bring
in a Bill for increasing the rates of Subsistence to
Innkeepers forquartiring Soldiers.
THANKS TO LORD WELLINGTON.
_ _ .- •

The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER.
in pursuance of -a notice which, we presume, was
given at a period when strangers were excluded. from
the gallery, ..then rose, 41(1-addressed the Speaker to
the follOWinjeffect t--
• Mr. Seenesa—lt is the misfortune of a person
who holds the official situation which I have now the
• honour to fill, not unfrequeatly to find himself under
the necessity of submitting to the consideration of this
House, various measures which it is as unpleasant for
him to propose, as it is for the House to adept. In
a state of liar, such propositions '44C multiplied in
proportion to the duration and extent of the contest,
and to the burdens which it becomes necessary in con-
sequence to impose on 'the country. But the same
state of war is not unfrequently also productive of
propositions of a very different nature—of proposi-
pans the most pleasing that any man can be called
upon to make to such an Assembly. It is in the si.
tuation, Sir, to which ). have last alluded, that I now
conceive myself to stand. When an opportunity oc-
curs to recommend to the approbation and gratitude
of Parliament the distinguished exertions of our Naval
eir Military Forces—to point nut brilliant instances
of individual or collected merit, and vs- dwell on the
advantageOus results whiA may fairly be expected
from such gallant atchievesnents, all are prepared to
sympathise with the individual on whom the delight-
ful task devolves, and to share with him in the gene-
,.d of gra ct ['mat lon. ( Hear, hear, hear!)
Sir, the case before us is one which furnishes as many
circumstances of pleasing and animating contempla-
tion, as can well be conceived to be united in a single
instance. I am not aware that the merits of any cam-
paign can be said to have exceeded the merits of the
• campaign in Portugal. (Hear, hear, hear.)-
-Whether we contemplate the wisdom with which
:the plan of that campaign was conceived, the success
which has attended its execution, the glorious prospect
which the result opens to the world, or above all, the
little loss which remains to be set against so great a
gain, I believe, that there has scarcely ever occurred
an event whi.eh warranted such unqualified applause,
or excited such wellioanded exultation. (Hear, hear.)
I particulaeise the comparatively small loss with
which this great gain has been accomplished ; because
.1 am persuaded we all feel that there have been many
occasions—occasions on which the approbation of
Parliament has been justly bestowed—in Which the
splendour of victory has been darkened by the me-
lancholy resulting from the contemplation of attend-
ing aid 116 icting events. In the recent instances at
Talaveri and Barrosa, glorious as were those battles,
the mind was compelled to dwell, with pain on the
-number of valuable lives by which that glory was
pprchased. This is a sentiment, .Sir, which does not
in the least alette our sense of the merit of those gal-
issotechiesonteists, although it prevents tit from con-; ranee
sidclAthetn with• a feeling of untninglad and un- &Wad

L-

Oteyed satisfaction. T wal an to the recollection of
the House ftne of the most distingui.hetl victories
on our naval am-la/m-411e rattle of Trafalgar. I ask
them if they do not well remember; that (mt the re-

'ceipt o'.-* the intelligence of that most glorious victory,
there was no: a suspension iii the public mind whether
to consider it as an event of joy or of grief—a doubt
whether the extraordinary advantages which the
country derived from the occurrence, were not coun-
terbalanced by the loss of Lord Nelson and the brave
men who fell with him ! lam satisfied, that if
the question had been put to the nation, whether they
would agree to efface that day from our history, on
the condition of recovering those to whom the glory
of it was attributable, many voices would have de•
dared for relinquishing the victory, if by so doing
the victors could be reiecm2d ! (Hear hear,
T do not contend that such a sentime•;t
is politically correct. All I contend is, that such

. .
a sentiment does exist, and that it will continue
to exist ;—and I will add that it is a sentiment

asp connected with the best feelings of our nature,
that I should hes:tate long before I ventured de-
cidedly to condemn it. Little of this sentiment, how-
ever, can mingle with our feelings on the present
occasion, free as it almost entirely is from every cir-
cumstance which could damp our joy and gratula-
tion. I trust, Sir, the House will do me the jus-
tice to believe that it is not my intention to attempt
to enter into any detailed statement of the cam-
paign ; but I conceive that it is due to my Lord
Wellington distinctly to recollect, that while we at-
tribute to his skill, activity, and unexampled exer-
tion, the extent of the success which we have gained,
we must, to the caution, moderation, fozbearance,
regard for the lives of his soldiers—and above all, to
that enlightened foresight by which, at the com-
mencement of the campaign, he anticipated its
close.— I say, Sir, we must to all these great quali.-1
ties ascribe the comparatively small less by which
that success .has been purchased. (Hear, hear,
hoar !) I repeat, that it is not my' intention to
enter into a detail of the campaign. Such a task is
perfectly out of the reach of my powe,s, and indeed
'of the powers of any one at present. It must he'
left to the Historian, and by him alone can that full
justice be done to Lord Wellington which his merits
demand. At the same time the objects which Lord
Wellington had it in view to accomplish, and the
means confided to him for the accomplishment of those
.objects, it may very naturally be expected I should
briefly describe to the louse, in order to enable them
in some degree, however imperfectly, to appreciate the
recent events. It is not for us now to consider the
wisdom of defending the Peninsula in one way or in
another. We are not to inquire whether it was ex.,
pedient that we should apply our military force for
the purpose, in the aggregate, rather than in separate
bodies—or whether it w.ts wise to choose Portugal as
the spot on which to contend with France. All these
considerations are unconnected with the present
question. The defence of Pot tugal having been con.
fided to Lord Wellngton, his me; its must be esti-
mated by the way in which ,he has t xectited the trust
reposed in him, and depend in no degree upon the
expediency or inexpedieacy of the original plans at
home. From this observation, however, I must make
a simple exception, nsmely, that I have a right to,
call on those who formerly declareittliai the measares
of Government in this respect were most unwise, and
against all rational calculations of a successful result,
most readily and warmly to applaud My Lord Wel-
lington for having overcome difficulties which they
proclaimed vi be insuperable. (Hear, hear, bear.)—
Sir, Lord Wellington knew it to be the intention of
Government t!iat the defence of Portugal should be
the primary object of his attention. He knew that
for that purpose there w.ts con:lied to him a large
portion of the military force of this country—a por-
tion, indeed, too large to be lightly hazarded. He
knew also that, as additional means of effecting his
object, he had the population of Portugal, which,
however, it was necessary to discipline, before it could
be available in the common effort. Lord Welling-
ton had deliberately considered the best mode by
which Portugal could be defended. I think it right,
Sir, to state, that it never entered into his contempla-
tion to imagine, that if' Portugal were attacked by a
large and imposing force, he should be able to effect
any thing like a complete defence of that country on
the frontier ; but that he always contended, that in such
a case, Portugal must be defended, where it actually
was defended, in the lines and fastnesses of Lisbon. I
may be asked, why then all the trouble and expence
of carrying the British army to the frontier ?"f be
reason h obvious. To gain time for disciplining the
Portuguese army—to gain time kr the purpose of
obtaining reinforcements from this country, and from
other parts of the world. Lord Wellington had also
in his view the impoitance, by delay, of increasing the
.difficulties under which the enemy must labour in
Maintaining a great number of troops in the seat of
war. By waiting on the frontier lie secured the cer-
tainty that no attack could be.. made on Portugal,
but by an army so numerous, as, on that account,
speedily to operate on ha own resources ; and such was
the event. • While, however, Lord Wellington was
defending Portugal on the banks of the Coa, he was,
fortifying Lisboa on the banks of the Tagus. While
limping the enemy off the frontiers, he was strength-
ening the heart of Portugal. At length, finding k
necessary to retire, he retired to Lisbon. I say this,
Sir, to obviate a most unfair criticism on the campaign,
namely, that the result was accidental ; that Odious')
It was a subject of congratulation, it was an occur-
rence which could never have been reasonably ex-
pected. Now. Sir, nothing can be mere unjust. If
there be any thing certain in the whole history of
the campaign, it is that my Lord Wellington distinctly
calculated on the difficulty which the French would
feel in maintaining their large army before Lisbon for
such a length of time as would enable them to force
his works there. Whatever may be said of other mi-
litary opinions, that of Lord Wellington has been
completely justified by the event. I will read to the
House extracts from two dispatches written by,
Lord Wellington, after he retired from the frontiers,'
in order that they may judge of the accuracy of nir
statement:—ln the first dispatch, dated Cartaxo, De:
camber I, his .Lordship says, ' I do not propose
making any mov: vent by which I-may incur the risk
of bringing on an action on less advantageous ground
han that which lat present possess. Theenemy can •
relieved from their difficulties onlrby she occur-
soUtc misfortune to the alliestarmy, and I
- r_ their übiectome I, hum"

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