The Statesman.
London, England, 1810-02-02 00:00:00

originated in each a 4(411;4 bat wen 1~ MI
similar motions emanated from such
former occasions. He admitted that Me bi

Talavera was glorious—he acknowledged the's 11;
of the Commander,' and the valour of the teisops ;
bet hertboutlat a Genital Wass not, entitles} tit the'
'fbanks or that llonse merely for behaving well on
the day of battle. ,He voted Thaolts for the battle
of Violent with all his heart ; but had he thought
the Thanks voted for the valour displayed by Sir
A. Wellesley in that balttle would have. causediho
battle of Talarera (from a thirst for personal 0)-
11), he would have paused before he,,gwve his
vote. Lord IVelliugtun appeared trhileiily-tase
fought merely for his Peerage. Did the Right
Hon. Gentleman oppbsitu wish them to is out
of the question that the result of the battle had.
canted Lord Wellington to retreat, leaving 3500
sick behind, 1500 of whom fell into the.handi of
the enemy ? Did he wish them not to remember
that that army had never since resumed active
operations ? Not one dispatch from Lord IVel.:
lington had been published since that of tbu 2trt
of August, dated 'frnaillo. Did that circuit.
stance arise from his having sent none, or were the
dispatches he sent of . such a .nature that it was
thought proper nut to communicate them to the
? An air of mystery hung over the whole
campaign. Lord Wellington was not an inactive
man, and how his having lain dormant 'so long
could be satisfactorily accounted fur, he was at a
loss to imagine. After a few further remarks, the
Noble Lord concluded by moving an amendment
to the following effect :
Teat the whale alike origival motion be taken away after
the word " That." for the purpose of adding, " the Thanks
of the !louse be given to the Officers and Soldiers under Lnrd
Wellington, for the nod lunted courage they displayed in re-
pulsing the attack of the enemy at Talavera, on the 27th and
.24th of July, 1809; hut while •theYacknowledge their disci-
pline and valour, they have to regret that Lord Wellington
c mid derive noadvantages from their prowess, being compelled
a few dais afterwards to recross the Tagu', at the bridge of
Arzobispo. leaving 8.530 sick and wounded behind, 1,500 of
whom tell into the hands of the enemy, and finallz to retreat
upon Portugal."
. Mr. VERNON thought if tho question had
been merely as to valour and skill, little differ.
ence of opinion would have beau expressed. 13ut
it was not sufficient to entitle Lord Wellington to
the Thanks of that House, to say he had displayed
great skill and yak's'. at Talavera, as he might be
asked, what business hail he at Talavera ? When
-Citesta fleciined taking his part in the proposed ope:
ralion,.Locil Wellington should have said " I have
done my duty, the moment is lost through your
failing to co.operate with me in it proper manner,
and I have now only to provide fur the safety of
my own army." lie had never thosesangnine hopes
of the Spanish cause that many seemed to indulge,
and which he thought must have proceeded
rather from desire than from sober reason. Wiwi,
we considered the resources of Spain opposed to
these of France, we hail no reason to believe their
leligiun, King, or coustitutiou, would attlwate
'the. Spaniards so fermi to oppose the,viewr of iiii.-
expitete with seeress. He did not whh Ministers
to abandon Spain in the extremity of her distress ;
he would have them scud arms, clothes, Money,
uay, even troops, provided they could act on the
dust, or maintain a constant communication with

,e fleet ; but they ought not to be sent into. the
tountry to depiod for subsistence on a Govern-
ment without cuntronl, and act with an army that
algid beast tto
Mr. M. MONTA.GUE defended Ministers, and
vindicated Lord Wellipwon from the charges pre-
'tweed aphist him.. It would be toijast to refuse
to Lord Wellington those Thanks which had often
been given on occasions greatly inferior to the
brilliant :ash. of Ttlavera. Tito etfeets of the
Expedition he contended wonld he beneficiel to
England. It would have been well had no party feel.
ing opposed the present motion: Such conduct
woold not be grateful t ► the country; and Gelato.
he firmly believed, would .find thernselvni
deceived if they expected thus to ingratiate theta.
selves with the people.
Mr. LEMON supported the Amendment.
General TARLE I'ON opposed the motion of
the Right Hon. Gentlemam, Quid trusted he shoul4
be allowed to otter a few words in his own de.
fence, 'for every day's experience shewed the ne.
cessity of public trial. Thu Hon. General then'
proceeded to lament the state of inaction to which,
he was condemned, which he declared was not his
own (salt, but was to be attributed to Ministers,
who were not disposed to employ him. Though
his tottering limbs and trembling tusk would stasis'
carry him to foreign service, yet he was prepared
to defend the soil of Great Britain with the last
drop of his blood. Whatever opinions he might
otter, they were dictated solely by the love of his
,country ; and therefore, as a military matt, he was
bound, on military topics, to declare hit semi.
meets. With respect to the march of Lord Wel-
lington from the confines of Portugal to the South
of Spain, he went over all his formes: observations,
condemning his ~Lortlship tor havkiis irtittedthe
position he had oceupietllto encounters withtiut the
Inecessary supplies, such a ntaiimOriog army as
the French, and contended that though the enemy
' were repulsed, an victory had heen obtained. He
described the dispatch of Lord Wellington as vain.
glorious, partial, and incur:rect.—N.l.e he was
called to order by Mr. Montague.l*----He could
not admit that the battle of Talavera was to be
compared, as some writece had stated, with the
battles of Agincourt, Cressey, anti Poietiers.
By the battle of Agincourt • a Crown was
gained ; by that of Talasera a Crown wits
lust. After the former, did the Kiog leave. his
wounded to be made prisoners, or extric;:te him.
self from peril by flight ? lle then prueoutled to
make a comparison between the actions of the
Duke of Marlborough and those of Lord. We-
llington ; and cueelnilcd by saying, that though be
could not conseittrn thank the Ntiltle Lord, he
was willing to tin every justice to the bravery and
valour of the officers and army under Ma coin-
luand, whose courage bad never been exceeded in
the military history of the country.
Lord CASTLEREAGH took a very ctsmpre.
hensive view of the whale of tle, operations of tite
British army under Lur&l Wellington; lfr cuu.