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

might you not have prevented Swift from turning
the Sierra Morena, which happened in January,
and have prevented him from driving the Spaniards
into Cadiz, for the defence of which, you are now
sending in dribblets and parcels those very men,
whom you had 32„000 strong in Walcheren ?--
Every one of these measures, perhaps, Ministers
may say, would have been unadvisable and despe-
rate. I think, however, that, if they would allow
me, I could mention a measure )et more unadvis.
able, and yet more desperate than any one of thole,
;lamely, the retention of the island of Walcheren.
Then for what purpose, Sir, may we beallowed to
ask, was the island of Walchercn retained ? I
dare scarcely so far stigmatize Ministers, as to
suppose that it was still with a view t.wards a di.
version in favour of Austria? Was it in hopes of
some corresponding delay on the part of the Em-
peror of Austria, it signing a peace with France?
'That peace was signed above two months before
the evacnation. Was it then from the dissensinns
end feuds of (Air Cabinet at hoe..•? To that sub.
ject we are told that we arc not to advert.. And
why are we nut to advert to it ? Is it because we
are nut to iiiiesire into the intrivies of a Cabinet,
when they impede the course. of public business?
Or is it because we have nu interest in their result ?
No, Sir, it is because fortunately we have not been
accustomed to have scenes an disgraceful submitted
to public view and public animadversion ; be.
cause we have nut beets. accustomed' to see the
private discussions and disputes of a Cabinet made
matter for the columns of a Newspaper. We then,
Sir, as part of that public, have obtained, as it were,.
a prescriptive right to inquire into the result of
those disputes, to ask Ministers whether it is a time
to cabal, to plot, and to counterplot, against
each other, wheii the brave men they had sacrificed
were falling victims to the diseases of Walcheren,
when the dearest and last hopes of their country
were sinking into the grave their infatuation had
prepared. There is, however, another cause to
which, I fear, we must refer the retention of the
isle of Walcheren--to a conviction, on the part of
Ministers, that they had disappointed and beggared
the hopes of their country, and to a hope that
they yet tnight deceive the public into looting for-
ward to some ulterior view, they knew not what,
and on which the Ministry were as ignorant as the
Public. On this bubble, then, have Ministry rest-
ed their own characters, and the interests of their
country—on a bubble, which they knew ultimately
must burst, and that at no very distant period,
and which must, in the mean while, be atipported
4nd kept afloat, by the sickness and death of those
thousands, for whose loss they have to answer to
their families, to their friends, to. their country,
and to this [louse. pear, hear, hear !] -
Mr. W. FITZGERALD rejoiced that it was agreed nit
el hands that no imputation ratedun the Naval:int! Military
Comiaamers of the Ezpedit ion;and that their conduct might
beset out of the consileratian of the subject, which must be
discussed solely with is reference to his Majesty's Govermumit.
e contended that it had been distinctly proved by the es i-
nce of the Quarter-Master-General anti the, A djutant-Ge-
ral, that our military means would ant allow ma-
sonthe•for
of any prior Expedition. With respect to the risk, the
pnowledge of that tisk accoinpanied not only the progress.
ut even the contemplation of the plan: Government, how-
*ter satisfied of the advantages „hick she Espeditiats wa.
Wended to proddee, by the destrtertion of the accumulated
*teal ineana of the enemy, hazarded their Own responsibi-
lity, and the minor consideration of the tenure of their offi-
eial situations. The Gentlemen opposite at one time emi-
tended that the force at Antwerp was so great, that it was
inipmeible surcemfully to attack its and at another time that
.the Experti.iim had not ireated any dise,sitei by (tie meal
of troops from the Danube, for that the garvaon of Antwerp
was in an efficient state. One or other of these assertions
must he tree. The fact was, that the Unica army had been
recalled from Stralsund vilely for the defence of llollaud.
The Noble Lord by whom the debate had been 'breed had
assumed ton much, when he said :hat the opiaion of every
military man who had been chn-ultcd on tiusteibiref ouiht to
have deter. rd Government from the attempt. To refist.. this,
he entered iota an evainiaation of the riilitary eitinime in.
evidence, and coatended that that of General- flrownrieg par-
ticularly,. whose sentiments (without making an insidious
comparision) were as worthy of attention as those of any
oWcer whatever, thought favourably of it ; having declared,
that even on' the 25th, had it not been for the sickness of the
army, he.should Nave recommended their advance in the
conlelence that they would ha** done midi to meet the hopes
of the coin-Ivry. 'There was *thee question also which
mingled itself with the considerafkm of the possible surrender
of Antwerp to a boinhardinent, and that was the probability
that that town might he indisposed 'upwards the present dy-
nasts of France. As to the retention of Walcheren, he as-
sured the Honourable Gentlemen opposite that they did not
. monopolize the feelings of sorrow for the valuable iises
which had there been lost by disease. The qaestion was,
however, whether the importance of the ob!ect 4an import-
ance acknowledged by several successive Administratious)
coma have justified his Majesty's Ministers in the peculiar
circumstances of Europe—in the balanced state of the' war
between Fracce and Austria, to ndinquisli such a possession.
Walcheren was evacuated in October; how much sooner
would the lion. Gentlemen opposite have had it evacuated ?
Would they have hail it evacuated when Lord Chatham
urged its retention, at when Sir Ilichsrd Strachan wrote
home, conjuring Ministers not to take any hasty step on a
s.:hject of such importance both in a naval and in a niititarY
point of view ? Before it was evacuated it was incuirthent on
us to rendes-it less avail 'bk to the enemy as the means of me-
nace and anitoyance. Orders were given to that effect as
won as the treaty between France and Austria was Known,
and as WOll 119 those orders bad been carried into execution,
the evaenatinawaseffected. if all the argurames ,shich.he
had usetwite well grounded—if there was no doubt of the po.
!icy `of the EifeenTi;m*,-trno Espedtt WWI could hamster, un-
dertaken at an earlier period ;.if no other Expedition could
have been undertaken with so fair a prospect of sutras, or
indeed with such combined hopes fif adientage—if the naval
an,l military reecutionot theenterprize were free from blame
---if no dishonour bad tarnished his Majesty's arms, then he
thought the House bound to concur in the Antra:lama of the
Norm. Gentleman, to whirls he tmaffet tedly declared, that he
agrFeri with greater satisfaction than on ^sly former occasion
of a similar nature. „ .
Mr. GRATTAN thought the attempt on
Flushing, if it had been tarried in.!) executiou at
the time it was planned, would have been warrant.',
able. Sir Iticharil Strachan had given several
opinions on the Expedition ; although ' the last
. opinion he gave wasin contradiction to his former
ones, yet he must suppose his last opinion as the
most deliberate! Mia last opinion was not in fa-
vour of the Expedition ; he said it was not iiilvis.
able. As to the retention of Walchereii, he (Mr.
Grattan) could not think it was advisable. If it
were retained, the nattire of the climate was such,
tliar the annual diminution of the men by deaths
would be such-that it would; require an immense
and constant •suPply of fresh troops to continue,
piope.rly manned, tlfe rents of a dying army. As
to thaopinireu that had been taken, they were not
so universally in favoie,of the Expedition as had
been represented. One, opinion concluded with
saying that Wyss impossible to accomplish the alt.
feet of that Expedition. No notice seemed to Imo
_Men taken of time and events. %Viten the Rape-
ditiott was Grst in contemplation, Austria was at
war ; but ere it sailed she was no •longer .at war.
But still it was
-thought proper to cadearoet to

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