The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1810-03-20
CT TY II d K d T. S S.
To rHE KINGS MOST EXCELLENT MA
JEsTy.

| The humble and dutifiAi .dddress and Pc
Htiom ofthe Lord Mayor, .dldernen and
Livery offhe city Of London, in common
council assembled.
" Most Gracious SoUereign,
1--WE, your majesty's most du-
tiful and loyal subjects. the Lord Mayor, AL
dermen and Livery of the city of London,
in Common Hall, assembled, most humbly
approach your Majesty at this awful crisis,
to exercise duty no less painful than i'm
perIous. It's to represent with humility to
your majesty the dePlorable situation of pub
lie affairs, that we have again approached
your Royal Person
Attached to yoar majesty's illustrious
house from affection & from duty, we should
Ill demonstrate the sincerity of our loyalty,
were we to conceal from your majesty that it
Is not amongst the least considerable of our
grievances. that attempts should have been
| made 20 brand your majesty's faithful CUB
jects with disaffection to your person and
government, whenever they have exercised
their indubitable right to complain of gross
abuses IN the state, or to attribute the dis
graceful failure of expensive and calau.i-
tous enterprises to the ignorance and inca
pabiity of those who either planned or exc
cuted them, as if infallibility were the
appendage of Office, and belongs of right to
those who may be called into your majesty's
councils
with equal grief and indignation we
have seen the disastrous result of various ex-
peditions in which your majesty's armies
have been unhappiiy engaged, and which
most torcibly mark the disgracefu mbecili
ty of those distracted Councils, which have
SO scandalously lavished the blood and trea
sure OF patient, loyal, and burthened
people.
"Towards the close of the preceding
year, your faithful citizens humbly exnres
sed to your Majesty their deep concern and
disappointment at the disgraceful convent
on of Cintra; but we have yet to deplors,
that due and efficient enquiry has not been
made into that disgraceful transaction.
cit is equally painful to call to your ma
jesty's recollection the melancholy fate of a
| second army, assembled within the pennsu-
la under the gallant commander Sir John
Moore ignorant alike of the state & dispos;
ion OF tie Spaniards, & the force & designs
OF the enemy, this army being sent into the
interior OF spain, was in imminent danger
OF being captured in this critical emereen.
cy. and state of agoniSimg perplexily, aban-
doned to his own resources, this hapless bu,
meritOrious officer a. length discovered tina,
he had no safety but in flight; with the los.
| OF his AMMUNITION, horses, specie, and bag
gage, and harrassed and assailed on ali
sides, he secured the retreat of his gallant
followers, by the sacrifice of his own inval.
liable life. ~ ~'''
Deriving TO benefit from experience, a
third disappointed army, under the com.
| mand of Sir Arthur Wellesley, was hurried
into the interior of Spain, alike ignorant O.
the force and movements of the enemy
where, after an Improbable display of Bri
fish valour, 'gnd dreadful slaughter, thi
army ike the former, was compelled to seek
its safety by a precipitate retreat before
| (what we were led to believe) vanquishet
foe, leaving thousands of our sick and woun
ded countrymen in the hands of the enemy
This loss, like others, has passed Hithof
enquiry, and, as if impunity he 4 placed tn,
servants of the Crowa above the reach O
justice, your majesty has been advised T.
confer titles of honorable distinction on tn,
General who had thus exhibited rasf
and ostentatjOus display of improbable bra
| very.
After thc9e multiplied errors, and il
! defiance Of reiterated experience, we hav
seen another Expedition, yet more expen
sive, more disgraceful, and more calamitou
than the former. This armament, delaye
until tine fate of Austria was decided, Ian
lded on the unwholesome shores of tn. Scheld
where. after an unaccountable state of mac