The Statesman.
London, England, 1810-03-30 00:00:00


proeiple to.) far. Collateral advantages jet such
e,,,e might be looked to withon t ap-
leo ince or the reality of a sordid rdotive. A
'4 long period had not elapsedlince a force was
5, from this country to the North of Germany.
was the conseqeence ?
,Onr- army arrived'
there het just in time to bear of the defeat of the
nustiiaos at Austerlitz, and Were. 'obliged immes
distety to return. But what was the situation of
things at the period that force was sent from gig-
Iva ? A large body of Russians were then corn_
to 4 ben to the assistance of Austria in one di.
recti.ei ; 15,003 Swedes and RAl:miens were as-
sembled in another ; Prussia was then unbroken,
sod though she preserved a neutrality it was the
toterest of France to respect her territories, a cir.
romnance in favour of Austria which had ceased
to remain to her. Denmark at that time preserved
'similar neutrality. NJW Russia and Denmark
were in a state of decided hostility to this country.
Prussia, overwhelmed by France, her arnirbroke
▪ and no longer able to defend herself against that
rower, was also hostile to us, and it her hostility
vomit mortal, it was only because we would not
retort, blow for blow. • Though some of the petty
sato of Germany were in a state of discovent,
such 3 siiirir of resistance had not manifested it-
elf as would justify England in countenancing
jeSaff,Ction, as so doing would only spread the
rands of more oppression. Prussia had still
seamy, which; though broken, was still an ex-
per;sieoll and a warlike army, with which wensust
have coate.in• contact ; or, if it was avoided
thrash aa understanding between this country
sad Prussia, we should only have given Bonaparte
a pretext fur wresting the bauble of a sceptre still
,ersyed by its fallen Monarch. Thus, we were
obliged to enceiseter an army stronger than our
on, or act in a manner which would excite sus.
piciON which Alight tend to the total destruction
of Pnissia. Ministers were restrained front
ailoptiug suds a line Of conduct, from the consi-
deration that acting this Noy Woisfd annihilate the
yet remainiug hopes of the unconquered part of
Eder. Tile Sovereign of Hesse and the Duke
of Brunswick hadefsestu a disposition to espouse the
tense; the latter hidiloriu what he believed had very
s•lslaat been thine ',Afire, marched from one end of
Germany to the other. This exhibited the spirit of
a ben), Lnt it was not fur England ie encourage
heroism, which though great in itself, was too dr-
eustsrribeit in its influence to permit a hope to be
tote/Wiest of its leading to any beneficial results.l
Tad landing an army there would have callcd an.
•1 partof the force of Bonaparte, lib admitted; but
~,Sen such an advantage would be too dearly pun. I
chased to ourselves, atidnitill more when it would 1
lieso to others, he knew of no right that Austria,
wild have to expect such an of in on our part.
Is affairs of natious, as in those of private bullet
dads, the most honourable lino of conduct was
often that e hick trite policy dictated. It would
sot be liumeirable to pursue such a line of con-
Aland that he had described, and tee interests or.
*common caivecon Id not be better consulted than
hey were in sending ao Expedition to the Scheldt,
which, while it- embraced objects of the greatest
importance tn its, was -likely It give a -b1i11440-
tare to the affairs of Austria, though there was nu
time of any co-operation on the part of the in.
bibitaists of Antwerp. That he had no expects.
bet or desire of causing such insurrection, he was
mat particularly anxious to stale, in consequence
of some remarks having been made in the Moni-
leer, on what so humble an individual as himself
Mad been represented to have said in that House.
Ile had been made to say, he had hopes of being
able to excite insurrections in Flanders and other
places in its vicinity ; ho denied ever expressing
well a hope ; nothing was further from his inten-
tions, and he trusted those who had caused the re-
marks to which he had alluded, thus misrepre-
wing what he had said, would make his abjti.
ration of such a design known through the me-
dium in which the misrepresentation had been
esoreyed. Antwerp was the last place in
'which he could think of exciting au instir.•
section.—Whatever other places *might have
offered from falling . under the dominion of
prance, Antwerp -had- reason to rejoice at
hat circumstance, as, from a deserted town,.
pith grass growing up in its streets, it had
h consequence been raised to be the flourishing
allporium 'it is at the present day. • He hoped lie
tad here sufficiently explicit in stating that be had
tie wish to find a spirit of insurrection there. The
only object of the Expedition was to prosecute
in open legitimate war. His object was to take
Antwerp unprepared. That Antwerp was not in
a proper state of preparation was most uoiquivo.
tally proved by the Moniteur itself in a 'corres.
pontlence between the Minister of War and the
emperor, which was evidently published with a
view to make the people believi Antwerp had not
been neglected. The correspondence set forth,
that our Expedition was originally inten4lol
for Span), but that in consequence of the con.
(tonna of the armistice between France stud
Austria, its destination had • been changed.—
This was followed by an order for the
GM-tins:ones and Guard Nationale to march
thither immediately,
and put it in a proper state
a defence. From this it was most obvious that
Antwerp had not previously been put in a groper
state of defence, and thus a. sort of retrospective
acknowledgment was made that the plan of the
Expedition wag so far wise. But they it had
been said Ministers knew there were great diffi.
"hie, in the way, but still they persevered in
their design. In concerting the plan of an ape.
ration, it had been said, -than they should knoSe
timost every step it might be necessary to take.:
The best theorist might be foiled in action • ' and if
Ministers, taking a proper responsibility on them.
le
itcs, assigned the various parts to these on whom
they could best depend, they did their duty. He
Then took a view of what had been said with
respect to the opinions of the Commander in
Chief and Colonel Gordon. The latter, in stet.
Ing it to be
a " desperate" enterprise; had' been
understood
to mean, by the word desperate,
that there
was
existed no possible hope of success.
not his meaning. He admitted, that
'with a
celerity of movement, the object. in view
be accomplished. The evidence of General

larnwasigg had-been in faviont of. it, bat theitapo
„peered a disposition to dispense the testiest/0y 41
this evidence. What would have been said had;it
been attempted to shake the testimony of thossi
who had spoken against it ?, The evidence of Ge.
neral Brownrigg was of the greatest importanee.-
It had been endeavoured to weaken it, by Immo.
gating him as to the autheritieson which he 'poke.
When a disposition existed to discredit the testi-
mony of a witness, it was easy, by tracing it-back,
to fix on some circumstance or other that might in
some measure tend to confirm the suspicion in-
dulged. When informed on whose authority he
spoke, they might wish t know the authority
on which his informants had spoken, and so on,
till at last no authority could be found at ell,
as in the Indian fable, it was said that the world
stood on the tiack of an elephant, the elephant on
that of a tortoise, but on what the tortoise stood
nobody could tell. Before the Expedition sailed
he had bad the opinion of Lord Chatham, which
he could prove to have been most satisfactory.
He, it could not be thought, would have expressed
a satisfaction he did not feel, as his was not the
approbation of a plan which another was to carry
into effect, but one which he was to attempt to
execute himself. In the glory told of two French
Officers who were consulted on each an occasion,
both were said to be for it ; but the one had said
Aliens; but the other Allez eons. Ile who had
said Aliens., as-his own safety was concerned, was
most admired fur Ms counsel. Lend Chatham,
when consulted, bad not said Allez tows; but
Allan,. The Right Honourable Gentleman, in
reply to what had been said as to the impractica.
bility of taking Antwerp without a siege, in-
stanced the fall of Copenhagen ; but that, he sup,
posed, would be imputed to indignation, which in
that case would be expected to produce a contraty
effect to what it had in any other. He thee in-
stanced the fall of Breda, Bergen-op-Zoom, and
other places before Dumourier, in the infan.
cy of the French Revolution. Those though' he
thought would be ascribed to the effect of Revolu-
tionary principles. Was it necessary then to go
back to that of Prague, or to that of the gene. '
rally accounted impregnable fortress of Sweidlits,
in Silesia? Another instance he might bring for.
ward was Lerida, before which the great Conde
Paned, yet afterwards when the Duke of Orleans
sat down before it, it was -tarried in • fortnight.
From these instances he only wished to infer that
what was sometimes deemed impracticable* might
be accomolished. lie did not mean to say they
should place a dependance on improbabilities ;
but w;io in war would never run a chance?—
Who,, like the Austrian General at Ulm,
*wild resign hope because success was improbable,
and calculating the chances against him as if he
were engaged at chess, givoup the contest because
the moves were against him ? Such a person might
he :.good tactician, but nothing more could be
said in his praise. They all remembered a book
dtat came out some years ago in France on the
*object of a carriage, or something of the kind,
in England, which was to go 'a certain distance in
a certain tinte. In the work alluded to, A was
the friction of the air ; B was the horses; C was
the harness ; D was-the driver, a5e.....E4
The book came out : the thing was clearly demon.
strated to be impossible...it was proved to be so
to the satisfaction of every one. But the thing
was. done.---LLeud sheer:.]-01m of the great
hinges ott which the Expedition turned was that
circumstance which forced the armament injo
the Roompot. A, might be put down for
ooe incident connected with the Expedition ; B for
another, and so on ; and thus, as in the ease to
which ho had just alluded, the thing proposed to
be acco&plished might'be shown to be impossible.
But would any man say, that if Cadsand had been
'taken, and the Expedition had at once pushed up
to Antwerp, that it would not have attained its
object? Would it, rinder all the circumstances,
be just to vote the censure proposed ? Ought
so severe a punishment to be inflicted ?
Ministers had not only been called to a se-
vere account for miscarriages, but they have
been called to an account for successes. They had
not only been called upon to excuse defeat, but to
render victory bearable. The Gentlemen op.
posite viewed the acts of different Governments in
a very different manner, and so of Generals.—
They had frequently heard the praises of Wine-
parte from the Gentlemen opposite, but they
bad' not censured his couduct in assailing Acre,
and in placing his troops (as he did in the last
Campaign) in the island of Lobau, where his
whole army was at stake. They had not regarded
his conduct ea those oecallohll as bordering on in-
sanity. What would have been said, had Minis.
ten, instead of defending their having captured
Walchercn, had to vindicate their having suffered
the Isle of Wight to be taken; end exttavagant as
this sight appeals, a fair cdmparison existed be.
Urges the two eases. At one time he had hoped
that after defendiag MINA .fientight decline giv.
ing a vote; bat thinkissusis he did, the sentence
proposed unjust, and Ituatesteureably severe, •he
should certainly feel It to be hi: duly to vote
against it. Much bad been said against 'Ministers
foe sending an Espeditioa to a place where the
diniate was known to be oawholesume. If the
authority of the book thiellad beets mentioned
were to guide the conduct of Ministers, no Ex.
pedition should be sent to Flanders, es the same
objection could be made to theta which' the policy
of two centuries had been so frequently send.
Ing.—They ought hot to be too severe on
those who had planned the etpeditiun on account
of the climate, because it might suit particular
purposes. They must hot think by visiting on
the heads of those win" had sent out the Expedi-
tion the calamities occasioned by the pestilential
climate, to conceal the tenure by which we hold
the West India Islands. They ought not by di-
must all their resentment against Ministers On
the present occasion, and by bestuwieg all their
compassion on the sufferers at Walchercn, to think
they could purchase absolution for other cases.
Walchercn had been before an object of policy,
of attack, aye and of possession to the British.
It was not more pestiferous now, because it was
more impatient titan fortnetiy. He did net know
that there was a clause in the capitulatlmi
.00

• •

tUt the Sarin
shbuld sot: One L Weidner,- bet •he
that within the kit ltsrllnty yeah lt;ited
seen twice, garrisoned by Swiss soldiers.—
,If however there were snob a• claitse, what
.did ft prove.? --- had not the*,
stispecting some of 'tie r present-poisessionsi Vbel:
Aaron was a place 'of such military importer**,
that he thoeght nO. Minister could at once diary
'no on evaciating it. Rut if MittistersiblolP/:
abandow it, he was not priOdrodillbi

wolfed to
mit the propriety of retaining it, white the works , .4ins, Which was not intelligible to him. Itswenit
of Flushing were destroyed, or In cotapliatice`with 'remain; therefore, for that Right Hen. Gentlemen
the wishes of Austria., If in the then siltation of `to thew in *hat that-distinction consisted,' if the
Austrian affairs, Our army watrutpeeedte ten days qesstion coula be reduced to. a shape -in *hick
unnecessary sickness to aid them, there was no
.they could teach it. Had not the Right Honour..
proportion' betweea the good we did, and the sa. able Geatleinai pronounced a Noble Person guilty
crifices we made. It hail Agess said by the Am.. for meting an official cemmunication fo his Ma.
trian Government, that if we Niftiest-oer eon. jesty with a request of secrecy, and 'in hat
quest, some of the dependmieles.of irises might 'did the case of the Right Honourable Gentleman
be encouraged to throw off the Yoko; •Inct this be differ flora that? The Right Honourable Gentle.
did not wish, for the reasons he had already Melt had told then that they never found faUlt wills
given ; and, besides, be did -not" think !flat' Bunaperte. He had told them that they had often
the time when. an • inenensction was likely found fault with his Majesty's Ministers, and
to break out in teapot of the Romer of Austria, asked whether they had ever, in' an instances
just after he had.abandoned the ill.tated Tyrolese. blamed the conduct of Bonaparte for haling been
For the reasons he had given, he sitobld vote foiled and -defeated at Acre? But what had that
against the Resolutions, but at the proper time be Hoestto do with Bonaparte ? Their business was
might move an amendment letting them off ust. sot with _ his projects,. or his failures,
blamed, but not cOunteaancing the retention of bet white the 7,7 failures, Hon. Gentleman and the Nelda
Watchmen: on such grounds it, !Geld not be Lord ; hues above ails with the Right .Hoot Gen.
well to punish 'KIM tiguar which Gentlemen damn, for the sanest In which he had inadacted
screed ifipsdit itr-esen)ll.o as • crash himself, is leaving the isanagemenrof Ike' cam.
every Min who might be placed at t it. af.4"pcdgniwiioisands-of.a: whom he had de.
Aka, tweeter splendid his talents miglitilekirite ttOmmedM incapable. MolitalLisirblit-ta.
inquiry was well called for, and had bake's*. •dertaken and canducted the Expeditiise suPimeieg
dotted with great ability, diligence, andloodook. himself Competent to it: the Right Iftmoiratlie
lion; but the .Resiilotioa was infittitely too harsh. •Giatierian, on the cootrary, sufferedtsperion to
•If Ministers &nerved such opprobium, iie punish. ` rtalideteai snkead houmeasuoreur ofofso themu tion tho
chnitutpottieeteti le lhe
meal that touts be inflicted on them would be too istist
severe. • •
... .. intked upon as incompetent. into, hear tj
Mr. WHETBItEAD said, much as he had been Tice Noble Lord was responsible for Hie failure
Iserpriesdat many things which had been tittered of the Expedition :. the Right Hoe. Gentleman
Inuitidepeoch by•the ItightHonourable Gentleman •wsia responsible for. baring 'Offered it th• beta-
hotedlehad just eat down, he was still more iturpriied ffeetollify one whom he thOught incaPahle, *lid
tbee omission which that Right Hon. Gentleman in wifose management it had ultimately faited.-
id• made. To supply that • omission, he had a The Right Hon. Gentleman had entered into' a
right loball-upon that Right. Hon. Gentleman, on long aid fanciful detail of observatiOns respect.
the pan of that Hquse and of the country. Be ing itin Mimes of power in Europe, a *system
looked upon him as a man more responsible than r which had altogether vanished from the political
the Noble Lord (Castlereagh) for the failure of world. There was no longer any posdbigty *feu&
the Expedition ; he considered him as deeply re. a combination in Europe, as in them times could
sponsible for ltaSina done that which, in the be looked to with soy good Prospect of-resturirq
history4if the country, no other 'matt could 'he galled equilibrium. After tridiethigheriqualifted
found to. have done. That "tight alnanntabla terms the idea ,of -an an Expedition directed to *
Gentientan, knotting what the interests of the -Adriatic sod Trieste, and bestowing (ready eqaid
country reqnired—tnoWing too all those Nis. ,sedicale on the notion of an Expedition Wan
sures which-were in contemplation, and goliig its 'North of Germany, the Right' Hon. Giegliddia .
and having informalion of the Expedition witeli thedtalsek eredit to himself, and the Gefekheigiif
was in preptration,ditit on the 16th day of Kpill "OM (Weir he had beets a Member, for theitilitiMil.
last, go and declare to the Duke. of Cardenas .ait, and forhearunce is not exciting or' a:
then at thoibend of tho Government, that the Mi. Tag en iaserrection in any partsf the Cos.
ulster who ethirto 'Mae the conduet of that Eape. . which they had nee the MOM of supporting,! AI
dition.was 'toreoMpetent to his situation ;• that -if arty muck coalliersitons had inflneeced dill,
the man on 'arbom that-duty devolved, however he conduct 1n abstaining Gem such a* in'oceed.
might esteeetn'hhtlio pileate, however 'he might tog I—*oh4 thole Milder- Iznik of Onlatintit.
value him essa.kilifteinj gaieties and 'swami wag net gen I Oh ! those humane. and merciful so*
,ornpeteet to his public situation [hear, heart] ; who shrunk, front'. the cruelly "et eacitrug to
that the sus with whom he was in habiti of friend. insurrection those infortuaek persons who may
ship anti eriedgentiatintereeerse was so aftstitfor Mg hue been disposed to rise agalast their reseal but
'officeras to be incapable of conducting the exisill. ' ebb cold notwiets.wiith of .1 What.an wile.
• -.....-
tion. Not sithfied with this, the Right Honnor.. • flow of human kioduess
,it must have.-
able Gentleman went to his Majesty to make the could make make tied abstain front the atrocity of die.
tame communication, for fear of any mistake:—• ring op to ftnitlens efforts an unruly popatatlons
Bet to the Noble Lord himself he never •comion. even though for an object which they thdinelete
ideated his opinion, that he thought him incapable looked upon as important' It coup -
of performing the duties of his situation, but suf. nied dug the moment was
fared him to origin ate, and conduct to a close that. tack upon Bonaparte at la th.
Expedition, which had terminated so disgracefull been withdrawn from the cos
5
.and when his fortune had
for the country. [Loud series of hear, hear !
The Noble Lord, on a former occasion," in a-1 fate suspended on the Danube.
speech, which wat said to have produced much Lord and the Honourable
impression and effect, but which had certainty site (Craufurd) had asserted,
produced no impreision on his mind, used an ex. in the North of Germar
.
premien* as applied to the Government, which ho had also stated, that
ehould have occasion to notice by and bye. .In, fifty thousand men at the
that instance the Noble Lord had stated, that the Could it be doubted,that if k
Administration was founded upon a rock. [dear, tish troops hail been landed ,
hear!] Little did the Noble Lord on that octal. many, it' would have turned
lion suspect that the rock -was mined. [flear, campaign, if there was any
hear !] Little did he think that he was in danger an insurret tion. in the Norths
of beilig blown aloft id tile springing of the mine. he never entertained ? But if
But as it often happens to him who kindles thetralts, reason to calculate on such
the Right Hon. Gentleman - who-laid it was also would ask whether 0 Bridale it ..4 40,000 to, .
blown up with him: It was the wish of the Right landed at that period, in that quarter, world not
Hoe: Gentleman, to place the Noble Lord in ano. have afforded the best prospect of overturning the
N
ther situation, a change which the generedsfeelings. fortune and power of Bonaparte! The obis
of that Noble Lord, and he was ready to give Lord had talked, Ina straits of bouteings.of Jikt
him ,every credit for• those generons feelings, could projects, aid the _operation, whist, bat.been its
di* be brought to Mbar qty submit to. •It • was contenplation. But after the evishotio they
nist•his intention to impute improper motives to had heard, they . mist be sensible that it _woe .
the Right Honourable Gentleman; but he was their . poverty .. shoe 'that kept • their .forces *al
*tire that he was bound, both as a public man, a home. To 4 :feet tsy kiwi the. cogolotoini
-Minister, and a Statesman, to pieeerve his charac. evidence of Mt. lioehthooleveimideoce to whitbt
Iter free from, such imputation. If it appeared hilitiimi .tp 'la .the iiiEt ,Agilooi: **Om ot
.treat history, that men frequently engaged in Ware 'that /lenses Mt which the #itat Hoe. Gantletnerta
with a view to preterve their situations ; if they free tise.natara lit.bi! o%wmetiona, eatoned nei. .
were told of Lituirois, that when he incurred these: tiler to have heard apt pa: • It was of no signia.
ger of Louis it V. tie induced his master to embark' caties whether they had 100,000 diiposaable
in a war which was to bring destruction upon trooin or sot ; whether an opportuoity presented
thousands of tee' Infiniti race, these instances itedf for employingthern with effect on the Con.
should be a warning to ilia Right tion.Deetteseathi Hong or ant; whatever eptnierrmight be enter.
and make him careful hoe he should:suffer hireself. Veined of the practicability of particular opera.,
to he influenced by ,slthilar 'motives. ..lie was ow tionb the want of money was an insuperable bar. -
disposed to enter ISO the .conSiderado of the peri.: thatfbeen•said, by the 'Right lion. Gentlemani,
tonal feelings and oireumataeres of_the teansadieet • . i tAtt purir of the .Gooernments of which-
between the Right lion. rri
Gentlean'andthalloble Chid beet? a. ember, had considered the militia&
Lord. But the Right Hon
uenible.Gentleman. circimstances j advantages, and prospects of se
had twice appealed to the public, and once:again' '!aeration io Indy, in the North, or ellsewiterea.
by , his friends. .As one of the public, he leaf. before •the. fiat had been issued for direct,o,
ing both the Noble Lord and the Right Hon. Gen'. big it' to the Sciteldt. Bet, .he must
.cdutenda,.
tletnan at the thresholds of their offices, and pass. that before the war ktilitakets out between Ilons
ing over every thing private or personal in the parte and Austria,- tholExpetiltioti to the Scheldt
case, had a right, upon public grounds, to dal hatirliesi decided oport..Aneengefotlter facts pr?:,
mend front the Right Hon. Gent. some satiable. ductid by. the Right' lourable (leadsmen,
tory explanation. With regard to this whole had alluded tan 'sr-
proceeding, he professed himself to be the pug: dear eiletireof '
men of the Noble Loyd, and not the abettor of be qeitted officer
Are Right Hos. Gentleman. [Heat ! hear! hear !] mended lo the cent
So far ai regarded the public, he would ask the succeeded hi--
Right Hon. Gent. how 'he Could answer the clues. Antwerp:
lion which Ite'then called upon itim 0 answer, klumau, took
slid which had been put to hint before, a month, 'Oaten hid
since, without Obtaining any reply flb would alt• he aid Aiat IL
the Right Hun. Goat. how he could answer to his that in a speech
. ~

sore'

- -- ;
oreiNga, he* to that /Louie,- how to th,.. c'ziOntry /
The Rt. Lin. Gent. had had. on that occation oral
. Illie:lntou'dniectaatidtiu.nhts swiotwbnhiscoSaudr tie reictginn,
h"whichtiy thafn!
ehea
id
esiaccaled from his colleagues. After he had con.
Awed) that by his vote he had conilenined the se.
edit traessitissien of written etiom'niunieations to hi§
Majesty; how wai the Right Honourable Gentle.
Het wits aware that the Right Honourable Gentle.
nine had, an the former night,'attempted to put a
distinction between oral and written comMunica.
The
ti;

-.

. ^

.. ..

•
Jr. t,/ t 1.41
ViVell • :NW":
. . •
plt theitap?l,ll4tVieeti_. ipsketin. At I~Fpelaljp~

- - -
I It could opt be As.
favourable for an 4.
Lime when his fore"
coast and the interios
!No.' baleen', sit&
ebe. Both the No
Able General opyo.
vtedo 'that the people
kny, would rise; they
Bonaparte had io*
he- battlo' of Ati#Bl4l.
'an army of 40,000tL
d 'in the North Qt. Gate
ned the. fortune of tiop
iy around for swung'
than expectation
t if there' m$ been arty
tcb an, tosuirctian, be
ilk army' of 40,Q0011 mons •
_1 -A

-- - lb', • .7, & y... ..mr. • r
the likelOignourabit tile,thmipint ,ks,
ta.l 'speech d4tvereti by,
.a net. 44,
eof bis (LaralilreyY iiiiust tugs #14% ~• .. , .
ins
(Ace,. lit *bier.' Ittartelcilie teloclr
lhe consitlerti*O" 'thislktr,_itr.Vera wi , . • -'
iitn the ii!ipareatet or Me shbl44l . , ", -.... . -
.Whether (ho Right Adisolirible*Ge4si . • ..- • - '• _
tup the idea before' tW•iikbeir,'l4!oltjqs, . •
.: ,
I beep teiti:tal iteice.stroirtitzt it to hiei+
linow; tut flits he could. well recollect,
peach ot that Hight lionourahlc Gen.
, . .
_ .