Star.
London, England, 1810-01-24 00:00:00

of Germany ? This would have been. a thing altoge-
ther impracticable, and therefore it was useless to
ineditate,such an enterprise. Tx surely *as no easy

dication of the measures
sued respectinf the two
dition to the cheldt,•

se surely was ..
matter to collect such a force as that Which had bet; into execution, he had
assembled, with all the means necessaryikor its equip- nothing he believed, h-atl
titan ; and as such time was necessary to prepare so that could secure its cot
large an armament. When it was prepared, 'radii- plan and the means for is.
gence was received of the armistice entered into be- sidered, he was confident i.
tween France and Austria ; yet it was still uncertain have been contrived mid ;provided
whether that armistice would end in- a definitive peace. attention ; and that nottlame was consequentl;
The contrary, for a time, appeared the more probable. e putable to-the framers of the-Expedition. :Equally
Wherever it was employed, it might therefore contri- free from blame would those appear. to whom the &-
bine to produce a diversion in favour of Austria, and ecution of it had been entrusted.. If therefore, nei-
sustain her firmness in resisting the terms of an une- ther the framers of the Expedition, nor the officers
gual and ignominious peace. Looking at all the who executed it were blameable, how hard would it
points within our reach, and where our means might [be without any enquiry to pass the sentence on both
be effectually exerted, there was none which promised which was pronounced by the Amendment moved by
so favourable a result as an attack upon Flushing and the Noble Baron. He was confident their Lordships
Antwerp. There the enemy had for years been ex- in their justice and candour would never consent to
pending immenet labour and money in erecting a adopt it.
naval arsenal and depot, and in erecting a navy by Lord GREY supported the Amendment in a speech
which he would be enabled to menace the most vul- of considerable length, in which he followed and en-
nerable points of these realms. He boasted of hay- forced the arguments urged by Lord Grenville. He
ing opened a i Ner which had so long been shut, and 1 never was more astonished than by the tone assumed
of having made it the seat of a naval power, and the 1 in the Speech ; and the credit it took for the advan-
source of commercial wealth. It enabled the Ruler 1 tages and
.glory our army had acquired in Spain. In
of France to cherish the fond hopes of gratifying his i what consisted these advantages and that glory ? The
animosity against this country, and it was well known i British army bad fought a battle and gained a
e ith what indefatigable zeal and activity he followed 1 victory, which was much boasted of in this coon- i
every favourite design formed by his revenge or his . try. But what was the result ? This victorious'
ambition. He loudly boasted of having brought his ' army was compelled to retreat, and was nearly
designs and his means at Antwerp to full maturity and i cut off by that very army under Soult, whom
perfection • and, indeed, when he had a main object to i the British Commander had boasted of having &-
gain, he left nlYthing untried and unexerted to accom- : stroyed. Indeed his misfortune proved his salvation f
plish it. Was not this therefore a proper object to en- • for had he not been destitute of the means of advanc-
gage the attention of a British Government, and to ing further, he would have used those means to ea-
point out the necessity of frustrating so formidable a I tangle himself in difficulties from which he could
.'
design. Accordingly it was resolved to destroy the , never have been extricated. The necessity he was in
arsenal and navy, and to deprive our bitterest enemy I to retreat at the time he retreated just saved the.
of the mightiest means by which he was enabled to 1 army. Had it continued to advance, not allan
annoy us. The design, through various unexpected ; would have escaped :.and here, however reluctantly,
and udascertainable difficulties, has not been wholly ; he feared he must take some of the blame from Mh,
accomplished; but it is so far accomplished as to ren- I nisters, and throw it on the.sboulders of the Comsl
de: abortive his schemes of hostility from that quarter : 1 mander. Lord Wellington, fie was ready to confess,
the complete demolition of the- harbour and arsenal ; was a bold and enterprising officer. On this occasion
of Flushing has secured that end. What disastrous his boldness degenerates into rashness. He advanced
effects have arisen from the operations necessary to its ~ into the heart of the country without having ascer-
attainment
are indeed to be lamented ; but they were i tanned his means of subsisting his army, his means
not to be apprehended.. The design promised to be lof transport, or his means of information. He fights'
executed in a short time, and before the season set in, I the battle of Talavera, which the Speech styles a glo.
whose pestilential influence was to be guarded against. 1 rims and decided victory e but a victory attended with
The Expedition was ready to sail about the middle of i such consequences as must deprive it of all merit ; a
July ; but was detained nine or ten days by contrary 1 victory, remarkable only for a fruitless display of
winds; other unforeseen and uncontroulable obstacles 1 courage and waste of bloiel ; a victory which was
afterwards occurred to protract the operations till I ostentatiously extolled in this country, and for which
the unhealthy period of the year—but all these ob- I a peerage had been bestowed on the General who
structions could not Wave been foreseen or guarded j gained it, and to whom, no doubt, the Thanks of that
against. This the information would shew which House would be moved. He should, however, give
his Majesty had ordered to be laid before their Lord- this early notice, that he would oppose such a met-
:hips, and until that information was in the possession tion whenever it would be made. The Noble Earl
of their Lordships, it would be impossible for them to then insisted on the advantages that might have been
institute a fair inquiry. These, he conceived, would derived to the common cause, by sending the large
be of themselves sufficient to induce the justice of the force, which appeared to have been in the power of
House not to admit the Amendment proposed by his i Ministers to collect, either to the Adriatic or to the
Noble Friend. The other point so much insisted j North of Germany ; if to the former, it might assist
upon and reprobated by his Noble Friend was the Austria either on the side of Italy of Vienna. It
Expedition to Spain and Portugal. Here again his might have drawn away a part of Bonaparte's army
Noble Friend's strictures and censures were almost at a mast critical moment, and even endangered the
,ioi every respect without foundation. Great and im- safety of the whole of his army. If employed on the
portant objects had been achieved by that Expedi.• Ems and the Weser, it might there also have pro-
tion. Ithad rescued Portug;d from the French. It duced the most beneficial effects. It would be found
lied covered the British arms and the character of the to co-operate with it, not an undisciplined rabble, but
British army with glory; and, by the position it a numerous band of disciplined veterans, animated
afterwards occupied and maintained, it rendered in- with the best disposition, and fired with the fierce:•
finite service to the S punish armies. It covered them hatred. against the oppression of the French. But all
in several points. It secured the defence of Estre, those, opportunities were neglected, and the neglect is
maditra, and in a great measure that of Le Mancha. justified by the most unsausfactory reasons. They
To this Expedition was also owing the deliver of could not pay an army in the North of Germany.—
Galhcia, and the securing of the slops at Ferrol. Were The expellee of conveying troops to the Mediterra.
not these important objects, and did not the attain- nean or the Adriatic would have been enormous.—
Inca of them afford very just groutids of triumph and Yet have not Ministers incurred enormous expence in
congratulation ? Would it, therefore, be fair to con_ sending this devoted army to purchase discomfiture
demn in the gross the conduct of his Majesty's Mi../ and disgrace in Walcheren, and to perish ingloriously
nisters—to precipitate an inquiry into the measure in the pestilential swamps of that island ? instead of
d
they had pursued, or rather, to pronounce judgment defending such unwarrantable measures, they endea-
end condemnation on them without instituting any your to censure the conduct of a former Administra-
kquiry at all ? Such, he thought, would be the Lion, thus resorting to the pitiful shift of endeavour-
effect of adopting the Amendment moved by his i ing to divert the censure of the country from their
Noble Friend, and he therefore felt himself called I own conduct, ant fixing it on that of their opponents.
upon to resist it as unprecedented and unjust. But this sort of diversion will not avail them. It
The Earl of MOIItA contended that it was need. will not divert from the rage and indignation of the
less to wait for any information which Ministers would relatives of those brave men whom they have so wan-
produce. They would produce none but mutilated tonly consigned to a premature and inglorious grave.
and imperfect documents, and such only as would It will not resue them from the contempt and execrae
tend to palliate their own misconduct. There were tion of the country, whose interests they have betrayed,
sufficient facts before the country, on the face of I
whose resources they have shamefully squandered,
which their incapacity and misconduct was fully ap- whose character they have wantonly exposed, whose
parent, and their condemnation was already sealed in 1 honour they have indelibly tarnished ; surely no
the mind of every observing man. His Lordship then / Amendment meld be thought too severe that went to
adverted to the various points where a British force 1 censure such conduct and visit it with a punishment
might have, been most advantageously employed in . that would effectuai4 prevent the recurrence of such
fivonr of the common cause. He animadverted on i abuses for the future. The Amendment moved by
the improvicLnce which has involved the army in i his Hon. Friend had that object in view, and as such
Spain in difficulties and disgrace ; and dwelt with ' it had his most cordial suwort.
eonsiderabe asperity on the ignorance and incapae.ity Lord SIDMOUTH explaned.
so glaringly, betrayed in the expedition against Ant.. The Earl of LIVERPOOI• observed, that the
werp: 1. Irese were facts which could not be disguie. , amendment was unprecedented in Parliamentary his-
ed, and v, Bich furnished sufficient and indisputable : tory. It first went to condemn Certam measures, and
proofs of the criminal neglect and unpardonable ig. • afterwards requested an inquiry into them. It was
norance of Ministers. - I completely the judgment of Rhailamaeohns, audit
Lord SIDMOUTH could not but acknowledge, radigatgu4 t by which .the House might, if they
that there was much to regret, and perhaps much to adopted it, reduce themselves to this situation, that
reprehend, both in the Expedition to Spain, end espe- they might first condemn Administration, and upon
ci.dly in that to Walcheren. He could not, however, i investigation, it might turn out that there was no
brine himself to think, that the Amendment proposed . cause of blame. He next adverted to the operatiovs
by his Noble• Friend was -altogether unobjectionable. .of our army in Portugal and Spain, and insisted that
et would condemn without inquiry. There was much they had been most beneficial for the interest of this
of inttatien, and ranch of despondency in the public country, and whenever the details came to be inquired
mind,c and the adopting such a proceeding would not . into, he pledged himself to prove that the conduct of
,
tend to soothe the one, or to reanimate the other.— our General and army had been most wise and bene- ;
He teas a friend to moderation, and he trusted his ficial. He instanced as a proof that the provinces of '
condtict had sliewn him to be a friend to justice on : Estremadura, Gallicia, and Asturias, had been corn-
all occasions. In the present instance, a regard to , pletely cleared of the French forces, and although it
justice and moderation would dissuade him from ac- was true that they had by surprise defeated two Spas
ceding to the Amendment as it now stood. The se- nish armies, yet they had not been able to gather any
cond paragraph of it was inadmissible at the present fruit from their victories, for they had not advanced
moment ; it was for inquiry, but he did not see the a single step. With respect to the Expedition to
necessity of coupling it with the Address to the -Walcherere his Lordship admitted that the Ministers
Crown in the manner proposed by the Amendment. knew of the Austrian armistice before it sailed, but
He wished an early day might be fixed for going into .he was ready to contend that it nevertheless operetedi
that inquiry, and he wished the inquiry to be full and as a favourable diversion for Austria. But it was
rizoilus ; but he was not for prejudging the conduct not merely with that view that it was undertaken •
of his Majesty's Government, which would be the He had also other objects which were wholly British.,
case it the Amendment of his Noble Friend were It was known to be a favourite measure of our enemy'
ndgeted without any alteration. t. foint a lOW arsenal and dock at the mouth of the,


__ the , which
ig. Nor was this the only . object ..
zected. It had been serviceable to Austria; for it,
had diverted a large .body of conscripts which were'
intended to have acted . against her. And this be
knew, it was the desire of Austria that we should re-
tain Walcheren until she had made terms of peace;
and bad and hard as those, terms were for her, who-
ever compared the threats of Bonapartp with the
terms which he afterwards granted, must admit, that
some cause reduced him to the necessity of relaxing
from his threatened severity. His Lordship declar-
ed, in his opinion, it was occasioned by our hold-.
leg Walcheren, and in fact, that was the reason why.
we held it after the ulterier objects of the Expedition
were known to be defeated, and at the request of
Austria. His Lordship concluded by supporting the
Address.
Lord €ARYSFORT spoke in favour of the:',
Amendment, after which the House divided, .
For the Amendment 55,Proxies 37-92.
For the original Address 89—Proxies 55-144. '
Majority in favour of the Address 52.
The House Adjourned at HALF'-PAST TUREE this
MORNING. C

_.
it:hasditnbsgeehleenhvaila:
battle.
,
a crime to the •.I
. anxious to give bet
Bonaparte had declare,'
truth, acknowledged
• the same do
A the season for •
was to be more •
airectiotiß that aid were
gassed 3 'Spain, the. Moth of Germany; the p
coast, the Austrian dominionsi were alternately •
ed out for the dispoSil or that force which this
try was willing to pat forth in the Commfate
civilised Etinatte.- It wonld be easy now o ..,
ai
the plan which was adopted by the wisdom of
Government ; but the amusement was an idle
worthless one. _ It was easy to feel the difficulties
What had been tried, and to imagine the facilitirs
what had been Mity projected : but wise men
judge' according measure of reason_
die essential difference between the solid impet ...
of an actual practice, and the smooth and far*
progress of an untried theory. Austria suffered
feat, but she was not undone ; she had an armistie.
• she was still not unable to struggle, and struggle
cessfully for etripire. The armament in the t •
I
ports might still protract the evil day. Even in ,
I final defeat of Austria there was much to be dc,
1 it was not unsuited to a wise Government to
i hostile force which was growing up on the opp, •
I shores : there was no additional expence to be in
red ; no further deduction from the strength of ,
I British people. The force which had been assail .
for the aid of Austria was directed to the coasts
arsenals of the enemy ; thus, attracting the attea
' of the hostile forces, and at once operating an he..
tent diversion infavour of Austria, and an es - i'•
service to the security of Britain. He lamented
misfortunes of Spain. He felt a high and so -.
' regret at the evils which even the brave efforts of . •
devoted people had not been able to avert. There
I evils in the constitution of that country which in'
have made its energies feeble • but the British n
I had come pure out of the trial—(hear, hear!)
1 army of the empire supported the character of su.
! riority, which they have always upheld in the ban .
I of their country, On the 22d of April Lord Wellies
ton took the commend of tlse British army. In M
he drove Marshal Souk before him, and rescued Pa
togal. He advanced into Spain. His advance
met by the force of France, under the immed'
command of the person who called himself the • ; ,
of Spain. Io a Moody and unequal contest, bees.
blished, brone more brilliant evidence, the comp
rative bravery of the British soldier, and earned ,
his troops the praise which we have been accuso .. -
to give to our arielipi.. when they meet the enemy !
(keer, 4ear.). Thatarmy retreated from the scex .
its triumphs • but there -wag no shame in a RIM
like theirs. We are still a civilized people; we ha
not learned to discard our humanity, we have not y
reconciled ourselves to throwing .off the burden ,
human feelings, that we may go on light and dent
ous to the work of human misery,, : We cannot a, o.
the summary expedients of metier* war we will n
volve the wretched peasant in the calamities from
which our own privation may spare him. We time
bling ourselves to fome its bread from the lip cfpo-
verty ; we cannot feeclupem requisition, and calculate
our revenue upon plunder—(Hear.) Our army w3l
not subsist where the troops of our enemy will nut.
There was no shame in such a retreat. In our nego.
ciation with America, an unhappy difference had oc-
curred : he felt it indecorous to allude more distinctly
to the circumstances of that transaction—how far the
ordinary rules of diplomacy were infringed, and how
far an unnecessary spirit of offence might have re-
tarded the natural approach to amity of two friendly
nations. But while Britain deprecated, she could not
fear war. The power of America had been Wort
exerted, and its injury was found feeble. The Noe,
intercourse Act had thrown a temporary weight upne
our trade : but the radical vigour of that spirit which
made England the first among commercial powers,
bad risen against the pressure, had thrown it off, and
bad acquired fresh vigour by the effort. The direct
traffic with the Spanish Colonies was the immediate•
result of this act of American hostility. The imports
of America, and with it her revenue, were at the mercy
of Britain. France had, like America, struck at tbe
commerce of Britain. The blow has rebounded ea
herself, and only proved that our commercial gran-
deur is invulnerable ; that our trade can flourish in
war with a vigour which it has never attained in pease;
and that the great resources of a free renple are not
within the power of her enemies.—Hear I—Our cap..
cal, our inland navigation, the care of our Govern-
ment, had sustained commerce under the difficulties
of a contest which was commenced and continued for
the peculiar purpose of its extinction. The returns of
the last year amounted to millions more than in any
preceding year of peace. He hoped that there would
be no opposition to the Address. It contained nothing
to irritate opposition. It was natural, and perhaps
not unfit or unprofitable in the sum of things, that
men.of weight and wisdom might differ on important
subjects : but when those subjects involved the loftier
feelings of honourable men—when the question wo
about the renown of the country, whether they 'vete
to stand the bulwark of aggrieved and sufferio;
Europe ; whether they were to open the gates of A
generous protection to the remnant of European free-
dom ; whether they were to bold the shield of British
valour over the tainting and prostrate forms of eatri•
otism and,yistue.?—he felt that they must be unani-
mous ; e felt that there could -be but one sentiment
among e men to whom he addressed himself, mkt
that that timent must do honour to themselves Rob
~.,
rata their cobrury,-(1-/ter, hear.)
Lord GLOW ER had some objections to make 0.;1
'the Speech, Which he would state as shortly opigi-
ble to the House.. At the conclusion of last Sessioni,.
from the assertion's in his Majesty's Speech, the alun:.::
try was led to expect that some great Continental of 1
fort would have been made. How far it was politic ,:
.in England ..a interfere with the continent, was a ..;
question for discussion ; but certainly it could be no ,
question, that when we did resolve to give assistance -
we should give that assistance in a manner the most '.
likely to prove effecural (Neer.) We should give
it also with the utmost attention to the exigency a,
the times, and with the most strict observance of onb-
lit economy, at a period when the people were so o.a-
-• pressed by taxes aid every domestic bortheu 110

•
t spoke at some length in yin- Scheldt. and it had been always adsnittoi by proles- imputed as a folly to Austria, thi
es which Gov . ' ~ -
a Extions.
~. , _
t .:;..c .t. 'be attempted, it. could over be effected but Ministers, that they were anxious t 4
and theme
m— • • t.. le Scheldt. 4 was therefore an obiectiof im- to emulate its renown ? -Bonaparte
paid particular -
.. •• ', , ,
, '• ' -''uce to defeat the views of :our:enemies, in des--; the fate of Austria depended on a
hatl been omitted Vir . - ~ tioying that port which hehadwitiv 111. a sell industry' might have, with still more truth, :
complete success. Whet i , and at such greatexpence been ''
g. And in his own destinies were balanced on
r giving it effect were duly Won- this object we at least had suc
ceagkin
4. or, in the opf- -and unford-deelskm."-Ifiiii-trien
dent Aey...would be found to nion of professional men, it would require much less ing our effectual aid. Subsidy ha
ad tortivided with wisdom and time and expence to form a new harbour and arsenal the aid of a generous people was I
Abuse was consequently im- than restore the
_one which we had destroyeit-ii-:Different plans for the directiotiß
r of the-Kxpedition. :Equally Flushing. Nor was this the only . ebiect -it- hadef. gested 1 . Spai 6, the. North Of Ger