The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1863-03-26

4
then as it is now, her life). but also to pro
tect her own soil from invasion by tn
French, by transferring the scene Of con
Rict to distant Spain. The general purpos
of assisting the alliance against Napoleon
seems always to have been a subordinat
motive. It is now admitted by all histori
ans, that upon success in this war depend
ed not only England's rank among nations
but her very existence as an independsn
people. The war was carried or for NOR
than five years, and on a scale, so far as tn
number Of men and tho extent of the mil
itary operations are concerned, until ther
wholly uninterrupted by England in her En-
ropean wars. The result, as it need not b.
said, was not only to crown the British
arms with the most brilliant and undvine
lustre, but also to retain permanently il
their places the party whose only title tc
public favor was that they had carried OF
the war against the most serious obstacles
and brought It toa succeasful termination
Thus was delayed, it may be remarked, fo
at least twenty years, the adoption of those
measures of reform which at last gave t.
England that place in modern civilization,
which had long before had been reached by
most of the nations of the Continent by pas
sing through the trials of a bloody revolu
ton. five then. in our dark hours, are
inclined to doubt and dependency as to thu
final result, let US not forget the ordeal thro'
which England successfully passed. W.
shall find that, in the commencement, there
was the same wild and unreasoning en.hu
siasm with which we are familiar the same
bitter abuse and denunciation of the gov.
ernment at the first reverses the same I'm.
patient and ignorant criticism Of military
operation the same factious and disloyal
opposition on the part of powerful party
the same discouragement and dependency
at time on the part of the true and loyal
the same prophesies of the utter hopeless.
ness of success; the same comllaints ol
grievons and burdensome taxation, and
predictions If the utter financi ruin of the
country the same violent attacks upon the
government for its arbitrary DEGREES, and
particularly for the suspension of the writ
of habeas corpus the same difficulties arri.
sing from the inexperience of the army and
same weakness on the part of the govern.
meet in not boldly and energetically sup.
porting the army in the field. These are
some of the most striking parallel;sms be-
tween the Peninsular War and our own
struggle, which slight sketch Of the pro.
gress of tat war win render very appa.
rent,
The insurrection in Spain which followed
Immediately upon a knowledge of the in.
| trigues of Napoleon at Bayonne, in April
1907, by which the Royal family was en-.
trapped into an abdication of its right to the
throne, and Joseph Bonapartc made King
of that country, reused universal admiration
and enthusiasm in England. 1t was thong hi
by all parties that an obstacle to the fur
ther progress of Napoleon's schemes of the
most formidable character had at last been
found. 1t was the first popular insurrec.
ton in anv country against Napoleons pow
er, and consequently, when the deputies
from the Austrias reached England, implor.
ing succor, their appeals excited the pop.
ular feeling to the highest pitch, and the
opposite parties IN Parliament and the
country, We'd with each other in demand
ing that England should aid the insurree-
ton with the whole Of her military power.
1t is curious to observe, that when the ques-
ton of aid was brought before Parliament,
Mr. Canning and Mr.. Sheridan, who had
probably never acted together before on any
political question, Fiyaled each other in their
praises Of the Spaniards, ana in their ex-
pressions Of hope and belief that Napoleon
had at last taken step that would speedily
prove fatal to him. Large supplies were
voted by aclamation, and an important ex-
pedition, afterwards operating in two col
umns, one under the command Of Sir John
Moore, and the other under tha. of Sir Ar
thur WELLESLEY, was dispatched to the PEN
insular to aid the insurgents 1t is not our
purpose to trace the progress of this expe-
ditiop, but merely to notice the effect which
its immediate results, the retreat to Corru.
ma, and the Convention Of Cintra, became
known, can only be explained by recalling
the high-wrought and extravagant expecta-
tions Of immediate success, with which the
war had been entered upon. By this Con-
vention, and as the result Of . single battle,
Portugal was wholly evacuated by the
French yet such were the unreasonable
demands of public opinion, that because the
whole French army had rot been made
prisoners Of war, the ministry were almost
swept away by the outburst, and it could
only control the storm by removing the
two Generals highest in rank. 1t required
all the family and political influence Of the
third, Sir Arthur WELLESLEY, to enable him to
retain his position in the army. The dis.
astrous retreat of Sir John Moore's army to
Corunna, and the easy triumphs Of the
French at this period throughout all Spain.
plunged the English into despair. Going
Tom one extreme into another, men who.
only three months before, bad quarreled
With the army in Portugal because it had
not given them the spectacle Of French
Marshal and twenty thousand Of his sol.