The Statesman.
London, England, 1812-01-11 00:00:00

HOUS4 OF COMMONS, .1.104. 10.

NIGHTLY WATCH.
An rose, in pursuance of his Rotici of a
motion relative to a Committee to take into conside-
ration the Nightly Watch ; but observed, that it
would &tile:proper to enter into a discussion of this
subject while so many Members, who were best ac-
quainted with it, were absent at the Quarter Ses-
sions: he should, therefore,, postpone his motion
till Friday rice, and conceived that there would be
no apprehensions of danger from this delay, since the
late disorders had produced increased vigilance oh
the part of the Magistrates.
The House, on the motion of Mr. WHARTON, resolved it-
self Won Committee on the Coal-trade Bill, which was read a
second tine, and ordered to he committed on Monday next.
The llo•tse resolved itself into a Committee of Supply, when
n Resolution was adopted that the Report be received on Mon-
day wit
Mr. witAwrox presented a Bill to permit the sugars and
eolfw of Martinique and the other conquered islands in the
Wes' Indies, to he warehoused in the same manner with British
stor, irs. Read a first time, and ordered to be read a second time
on Monday next.

fIIAN KS TO LORD MINTO AND SIR SAMUEL AUCH-
MUTY.

The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUERsaid, under which his personal presence became essentially
that rising to move for the Thanks of the House, necessary to superintend all the operations. Lord
he thought it necessary to state, that though the great t Minto had been commended by the Right Hon. Gen-
• and brilliant exertions in Java more directly present- I tleman, for taking upon himself the important plan,
ed to them an object of admiration, yet it would not and for his careful and skilful preperations of all re-
be just to confine his observations to the immediate quisities for the expedition ; but he must observe,
agents in that successful etiterprize. The Governor- that the project would, after its check from the French
Genera! of India, Lord Miuto, had long since men- superiority in those seas, have been defeated in the
tio-ed to the Government at home, the importance very commencement, except for the extraordinary
of this acquisition, which he had described as essen- exertions of skill and courage evinced by Captain
tiaily necessary to the security of our possessions in Rowley-, who had rallied our broken naval forces,
that part of the world. ,At the commencement of and led the way to the subsequent successes. Surety
the war, orders had been given to Lord Minto not this circumstance alone must detract muclr from the
to embark in any expensive' operations; but at the merits of Lord Minto, when it appeared that the
end of the year 1808, he had been furnished with in- I plan must have utterly failed but for the uncom-
formation, that a well-concerted blockade of the mon efforts of that justly eulogized officer.—
Mauritius would succeed. In pursuance of such ad- Great merit had also been ascribed to Lord
vices, forces had been sent out ; and in September, I Minto, from the time at which the expedition was
1809, the town of St. Paul bad been taken by Col. sent out. It seemed that every other person, even
Keating; the result of whose investigation was, that the Admiral on the station, despaired of success :
3,000 men would suffice for the capture of Bourbon.' but the Governor-General was so thoroughly master
At this period the Governor-General's dispatches lof the navigation of those/bees, that his opinion suf-
evinced his determination to follow up his successes I Iced to overrule all the apprehension, and even
in this quarter by a more important attack on the despair, of the Naval Commander. He (Mr. S.)
Mauritius. By a fortunate coincidence, inforMation was happy to hear that the Governor-General was
similar to that counnunicated to Lord Minto reached as good an Admiral as he was a General, and was
'England in 1810: in consequence of which, instrac- rather surprised that he had not taken upon himself
time' were gent to India to prepare for the very ex- the direction and command of the naval operations.
pedition already projected by the Governor-General ; ! At any rate, if the opinion of the Admiral was to
so that the whole equipment was ready to sail as; be postponed to that of Lord Minto, who had picked
soon as the instructions arrived, and nas crowned; up his knowledge for the occasion, he supposed, in-
with complete success in the very same year. He then `deed, from Naval Officers, as the Noble Lord could
observed, that great credit was due to all the persons i not well acquire such knowledge from instinct—this
concerned in that orration,and that Gen. Abercrombie I was a circumstance which, in his mind, detracted very
had done all that was possible to be done; still it was much either from the character of the Naval Officer,
the impression of the Members of his Majesty's Go- I or of Lord Minto. The Rt. Ilon.Gent. had stated that
aernment, that the affair was not of sufficient cense- the only subject which could admit of dispute
quence to require Parliamentary thanks. lie then pas- , was the value and consequence of these East India
sal a warm eulogium on Capt. Rowiey,n Ito had, by his possessions. He was not indeed inclined to dispute
activity, gallantry, and skill, wrenched from the I the exhalted merits of Sir Samuel Auchmuty and of
hands of France the temporary superiority which Colonel Macleod; but when he reflected on the I
they had acquired in the Indian Seas; and had, by great risk, and peril, and expence, with which the I
his judicious and spirited conduct, facilitated the plan was effected, he was bound to consider the va-
success against the Mauritius. He then adverted lue of the acquisition,---whether, indeed, the con-
to the dispatches of Lord Minto, in which he insist- quest could be abandoned without leaving the Dutch
ed on the necessity of the conquest of Java ; and j to certain destruction, or maintained without expos-
expressed his hopes, that instructions would arrive! hag our own troops to equeruin. And here he could
from Eogtand before the' Expedition sailed. The' not be surprised at the absence and dereliction on the
Expedition sailed in April, and in spite of the ad- I part of the Fast India Directors, not one of whom ,
vaticed season of the year, and the several naval; he saw present to defend the value of these pos-
uhich presented themselves. And here he sessions. He then stated, that greater dangers never
begged to call the attentiotkof the House to the great I encompassed any army than those in which Sir Sa-
merit of r,ord Minto, who had made himself so well muel Auchmuty had been involved. That gallant
acquainted with all the circumstances relative to the General had no alternative but a disgraceful retreat, j
navigation of those seas, that he was able to remove lor an assault by storm, in which the safety of the I
the aeprehensions of Admiral Drury, w hich, at first, whole army was at stake. lie then expressed
amounted to complete despair of success. The Right his strong disapprobation of that civil controul
/Immutable Gentleman then entered into a detail of ' which Lord Minto exercised over the General ;
some length; and stated, that after the landing bad it was too like the system adopted by the French
been effected on the 4th of August, and possession In the revolutionary war, when Civil Deputies from
had been taken of this city on the quiet evacuation the Convention were sent to superintend the Com-
by the French, the enemy appeared in great force in menders of armies. He was the more jealous of
anotherquarter—that Sir S. Auchmuty at this period, Lord Minto's' conduct in this respect, for whom,
though hitherto successful beyond his expectations, however, he professed great personal esteem, be-t
conceived tha, his farther progress would be doubt- cause he could not but recollect the conduct of that
ful ; the enemy's position was strongly fortified by Noble Lord, in Corsica, towards General Moore; I
intrenchments and redoubts—the season was far ad- which, if it had succeeded in influencing that highly
vanced—the heat violent, and our numbers very valuable officer, would, have rendered him a pro-
inferior—indeed, the difficulties of every kind scribed man over the face of the earth. He concluded
were so great and overwhelming, as under a dif- by saying, that he must be informed of the essential
ferret Commander might have Jed to a fatal re- necessity of Lord Minto's leaving his seat of govern-
suit.—ln this alarming and critical situation, Sir ment to superintend the operations of the expedition;
Samuel_Auchmuty determined to take the redoubts and till fie had official proof of the great merit and
by assault. Gee column was entrusted to that gallant value of his personal attendance, he could not,
Officer, Colonel Gillespie, who carried at the point though it might appear invidious, concur inliie pro-
of the bayonet the redoubts, which seemed to pous and elaborate panegyric which had been framed
fall before *him as if they had lost all means of re- on the wisdom and vigour of his system of opera-
sistance. In an attack thus ably executed, it was tions.
difficult to select particular objects of praise; but he Mr. YORKE w'shed to state, very shortly, the
could not forbear te mention one circumstance which reasoas which induced him to support the present
peculiarly tended to the honour of Col. Gillespie. motion. It was certainly a matter very It for the.

''l'-

`.7

•:.•Vr. • ri I •