The Statesman.
London, England, 1810-03-27 00:00:00

STAT

without. tine medical man being previously •,e.on.
suited, and without any imitable prevision Win
made. If it, were alleged that secrecy, which was
considered necessary to the success of the enter..
prize, would have suffered by such a precaution-
ary step, why, he would ask, when the destine-.
lion of the army was notarises, darthey not con-
stilt medical men ma the subject before they were
told that 3000 lien were sick and in a most dread-
ful situation. On the 3 ist of August Sir FL Coote
wrote home on the subject, inciosing a letter from
Dr. Webb, setting fords the deplorable state of
the army. and pressing most urgently for inune.
diets sissisamice. He (ir E. Coate) blamed na-
vigation as titily on an occasion so important, mill
that the swiftest vessel sailtal too slow when relief
was necessary fur the sickening soldiery. On the
211 of September the Noble Lord wrote to Sir
David Derides, inclusive, the note received from
Dr. Webb, yet through something, that did not
reach the War Office till a.cember. Subsequeut
applications were made, but it was not till disease
had made the most alarming progress in admire;
our ranks that any medical men were sent to int
vestigato the nature of that disease anti that cli-
mate, which ought to Nam: been tkartaughly,
known, and tartly ascertained, before* mu was
sent from oar own shores. This policy was of a
piece with that which sent Lord Chatham, with
In immense force, to a place in order to ascertain
whether or not that place wee assailable, a mode
of proceeding never considered as convenient or
eligible before. • Ho now came to the last but not
the least important charge, the retention of Wel-
cheren. He had now to ask what possible motive
Ministers could have for, so doing. After
what had been said by. Sir Eyrc Coote and others
on the subject of the distress of the teoops; after
the nurnerout representations that had been made
oC their wants, and of the afflicting hardships to
which they were exposed ftom the want of cloth-
ing, of baggage, and from beirig in hospitals want.
ing roofs, expesekto the incleinency of the season,.
This was not all, their stock of medicine had been
so low, that had it net been for the succour afford.
ell them by Asmugeler, the. army most actually
lave perished for want ef bark. The protracted
delays which occurred, he imputed to that miser-
able subordination which had been established,
and which rendered a number of orders necessary
from one pence' in olfiee to another; before any •
efficient measures could be taken to remedy the
esil deplored. Three or four orders were thus
rendered necessary to the attainment of one ob-
ject. The Medical Board, had it been what a
Medical Board ought to be, instead of wise it
was, with such a system, could not bat be back•
ward in • affording the assistance required. The
health of *he army ought not to have be. en-
treated teaueh • Board as the lest, which it_ alai
intended to abolish probably even before the •
sailing of . the Eepedition.• What eectiso could
they make for reposhig each 4 trust is Such
persons? None, but trot private digerati Ilsastob.
'iterated from area:bosoms all feeling for the pub.
lie intemt. 'With what view could they ha;e
kept our languishing soldiers 'in the unhealthy,'
filthy marshes of Walcheren, fur so long' a' pe.
riod ? Wete they to be told that it was-considered
to be a good military position, and as such worth
retaining. had they cot been told by a high mi-
litary Officer that .it could not be kept elikett
maintaining a force of 22 er r 23,000* men, nor
even with such a tures wit out erecting fortifica-
, (ions. Had they not also been told that there
was so relying on naval „assistance. That during
three months in the year, the shipping woititl, be
under the necessity .of going.into Fleshing, thus
affording the enemy an opportunity of
,enneyiitg
us. Gen. Don had said, that at no time the ship-
ping could be mire of keeping their positions...,
Other testineasies to a similar effect could be addle;
cal. Now, puttiug feeling and humanity out of
the question, could it be ',alley to rotate it under
such circumstances ?—Could we supply from.
our population the annual exhaustion by disease?
Could they think of retaining it with suck Mier-
mous sacrifices ? lirere they nut told too II Gen.
Dan, that the island was in a defenceless state,
and that he was apprehensive, f the enemy could
, break their line of sea defence, the hospital- mist
be taken? What could make llinisters callous to
their reflections ? What could induce this' to
suffer our brave army to remain there to With ?
Why, after the representations on and before 2d
Sept. was the order for evacuating the Island not
given till November ? It was not because Minis.
tors were anxious for the retention of Walcheren,
but because they could think of little but the re.
tendon of their own offices. The intelligence
from Welchem ought to have made a deep im.
pression on those who tent out jp.Eapcditltut -a.
flnitres's, 'or rather so fruitful of evils, which the
country would long have to deplore. But at that
period Ministers were tocebasy at home to think
of our poor soldiers, engaged as they were in a
disgraceful scramble for places and for power.
The communications from Austria proved that no.
thing of the kind had been dune iri consequence of
their wishes. When such an offer was made last
war, their only reply was, at Where is this bland of
Walcheren ?" Austria could derive no benefit
from the retention of Welchem. When it was
known at Buda that Lord Chatham had retreated,
leaving a garrison at Welchem, they expressed
-disappointment, and declared they heti no Wipes
of our doing any good there, and only wished,
some effort to he made in the North of Germany.
As early as the Gth of October, Sir Eyre Caaote
had pressed to know what were the bantams* 4f
Government respecting Welchem : yet -nothing
decisive was done; our remaining there coalddo no
good; but Ministers chose to immolate the•reenias
of oil r garrison to the manes of Alistrien greeteeste
Our owe veteran had beat thus Mt to succour
the Austrian cause thirteen (toys after peace bad
been concluded ! When our hrasosislificnoltrodies
warted, it was not too much to sett if OS beimme
taps gained Avers equal to the *Mass Ade
,That' 16 Sri* campaigner," General Beisintriti,
`r had said that some of the troops of Francs bat
been called from the banks of the Dumb* by WO
; diversion ; but if a few woes basally so *Mud of
from ost illy, was that eboseffair each sit Etna.

'AN.

began jon ignorance, conducted in impotence, and
terminated in the loss of the finest arshy that ever
butt oar shores—in national 'disgrace, and almost in
national despondency. The Noble Lord con-
cluded by awing the following Resolusions,which,
froth being much eshausted by speaking so
long, Lord Temple read to.tCe HQUIC:
1. That ea the I9tit ef July and following dyes an Expedi-
tion of 29,000 soldiers, .17 ships of the line, three of 44 guns,
2) frigates, 31 sloops, &c. &c. &c. sailed from our short*.
hasiog for its object the capture of the enemy's ships in the
Scheldt; the, deoructioe Of these biiildiy, the reduction of
the Islatad of Walcheren, the capture of Antwerp, the de-
struction of 'its dock-yards and amiials, sod the rendering of
the Stheldt no longer otvigabl. .
9. That Flushing surrendered oo the I.sth of August, and
on the 29th it was judged -advisable to abandon the ulterior
objects of the Expedition.
3. That after accomplishing the destruction of the basin
and works of Flushing on the 11th December, the Island wus

evacuated on the 41d.- .
4. That this Home is of opinion, that no blame it imput-
able either to the military tar naval pan of the armament.
5. That on or about the 19th of September a malignant dis-
t order made its appearance in the army, and on the Bth of
October, the number of the sick unwanted to 10,918.
• 6. That It appears from the' tepee% of Physiciate sta.
!pointed to investigate the sphject, that that disease perfodir
cally breaks out,iu Italchereta with great violence, and con-
! Hones to rage throughout the Antonin till the latter end of
October: That recoveries from the ellicts of it are very
rare; and That it is the cause of complaiots which render
men ineMcieut for military purposes.
7. That of that-arsay there died, oa 'or before the Ist of.
February, 1810, 60 oMcets and 3900 min, exclusive of those'
hiked in action; and the camber of sick, no tile Ist of Fe-
bruary, amounted to 467 oilliers, and 11,996 mei.

8. That the Expedition was undertaken at a period and
ander circconstanees precluding every rational hope of suc-
ems t and that the advisers of this ill-judged Expedition are
deeply responsible fur the heavy calamities thus brought on
the country.
A second string of Resolutions was here pro.
duced, in substance as follows
1. TWO Sir E. Conte being left is Watcheren with 15,000
Men, did represent to Iris Majesty's Alinisters, that the Island
coshlttot be retained without an immense sacrifice of blood
gad treasure.
2. That On the 23d of September be noted the disease among
the trorree have made such an alarming progress, that if it
essadaued so to increase for the following three weeks, our
possession of the Island would be precarious.
$. That on the 6th of October, Sir E. Ccrote stated our
possession of the Liana to be precarious, and desired to be
informed of the intentions of Goiernment as to the line of
conduct they had it in contemplatioa to pursue, with ressect
to its retention, Ste.
4. That Rota ithstanding these. apdsimilar represehettions,
his Majesty% Ministers neglected, Oil the 4th of November,
to order WitiCheren to he evacuated, and it was not finally
evacuated till the 23d of December.
4. That subsegaemia to„use-Inh of /eptember, 6938 sick
ware embarked for England, which, by the time the Island
was evacuated, were angtnented to 11,199.
6. Tait after the attainment of the great objects of the
Xcpedisinn bad ceased to be considered as practicable, our
army was kept by his Majesty's\ lifinisters, witlumi any
great object in view, iu Walcheren. in the greatest danger,
And expoed for more than three months to a.disense which,
ace:arty as the 31st of August, had assented a most Javelin,:
appesirance.
1. That the conduct of his Majesty's Milliners calls for the
severest censure of this House. •
Lord CA'4TLEREAGH then rose. He was.
sure that the House would think k extremely via-
tura, that he should he anxious' to avail himself of
the earliest opportunity to vishniit to them lire
grontids on which he had aunceived That the ntea-
su're under discussion was justifiable and politic.—
•He felt, however, that he could accomplish ibin
object Only by experiencing their extraurdinafy,
indulgence. lie was perstimied,-fndied, that
Hown• would be-aware, from the cOttric pursupl
by the Noble Lord, that with every effort on isia
part to avoid dilation, it would be iniimsible to.
comprise *hat he ktit to say into a very narrow'
compass. The Sit.hielitairsts incumbered with many
dilficultice. A grebt pert of it was of a profes.
sional nature, in the discussion of s hick he must
enter with dOebt and hesitation. Solicitous how-
ever tolare the time of the Houle as much as pos.
Itit should discharge the 04V imposed upon
anion as briefly as circumstances would permit, and
fOr that purpose would trust chiefly to the reeol.
iection of the House with respect to the evidence
that had been heard at their. Bar, and quote those
passages only winds it ttu easentiallynecessary to
canlider with minuteness. He felt that lac should
be guilty of ingratitude to the Noble Lord if he
did 'not express *titakhowledgments for the op-
portunity which hid been afforded him of die.
charging a great duty, by submitting to
the House of Cgll4llolll his view Of the important
~.101444. in question. • However the profcnffonal
parts of the subject might he better considered in
another tribunal, there was nu place but that
House in which be would . have beet, enabled so
fully to state the nature and the objects of the
Expedition under discussion; to separate those
objects from the mass of, calumny attached to
them, and to bring them to 'that bearing upon
which rational men might justly differ. There was
another important advantage attendant upon Mt!
Inquiry in that House r' If the subject hail beets
before anutht•r tribunal, the country would not
have given credit to the studious of a-Jodge-Ad-
vocate, directed es those exertions must have been
against his Majesty's Guvernmetst. Lt was only
to that politicallsontility which was interwoven iit
our Constitution that the Public would trust on
occepions like the present.. Without iissiostiag to
the Noble Lord opposite ossy,verit of which he
(fibord•Castistreagh)- to complain, he
hod a right to RUSIN AM lite • chararter.or ac.J•
cider was not- so -Mined in the... Character
Judge in .-that NolOsa J,g d, at to had the
,tosstatry to disbelieve that 'every disposition exist.
*tea fasten upon hitMaistety'i Goverument the
I.sionces of witieli they Witlest beeitsed. &t trust Weal
bo: satisfactory to the Pah*e to know, that 4-
[basso some inditittual4 bill' tisouibt that f
the Inquiry would bi &eller tonsteetrd in the sliT
MOO of strassimp, yet that Reareely sa
actitenne
had bees uttered in lie 44.wiestput the .lasialey. of
which *a mew sot in poplesst
• counitaseraosesot

~/A.