Year: 1863

alter his views respecting peace; war must
otherwise terminate in the subjugation of
either of the contending powers. They
were both great; but this was q country of
Fictitious greatness; France was country
of natural greatness" So. General Tarle
ton chad the doctrine Of Mr.. Fox in his
favor. who wished for the pencil of a Ger
vaHtes to beable to ridicule those who de-
sired to enter upon continental war"


The following description of,thc oppo-
sition of that day. taken from the Annuat
Register for 1872, bears so striking a like
ness to the peculiarities of the leaders of
an insignificant but restless faction among
us. that. omiting the old-fashioned drapery
of the proper names, they seem to have sat
for the photograph. ''It may be remark
ed as q most singular circumstance, that
those persons in this country who profess
to have the greatest adherence Of minis
terial tyranny and oppression. look with
the utmost GOODNESS on the tyranny and op-
preston of Bunapartc. The regular op-
position do not mention it with that ab-
horrence which might be expected from
them; bit the leaders Of the popular party
in Parliament go further. They are al
most always ready to find an excuse for
the conduct of Bonaparte. The most vio-
lent and unjustiiable acts of his tyranny
raise but feeble Indignation in their minds,
while the most trifling act of ministerial
oppression is inveighed against with the
utmost bitterness. Ready and unsuspsct-
ing credence is given to every account of
Bonaparte's success; while the accounts of
the success of his opponents are received
with coldness and dirtrust. Were it not
for these things, the conduct Of Mr.. Whit
bread and his friends would be hailed with
more satisfaction, and inspire more conf
dence with the real lovers of their country;
for they deserve ample credit for the un-
daunted and unwearied frmness with which
they set themselves against abuses and
against every instance OF oppression"


Thus from the universal enthusiasm in
favor ofthe Spanish war. public opinion. at
first manifesting itself through the factous
spirit of the opposition, at length spoke
through all its organs. in tones of despon-
dency and despair, of the situation and
prospect of the coustry, and simply be-
cause there had not been that sort of Mill
tary success which it could understand, o
sustain and direct it. Universal distrust
seized upon the public mind, and hal it
not been for the heroic constancy of that


great commander, whose task in support
ing the Ministry at home was at least as
difficult as that of beating the French in
Spain, the glory of England had sunk for
ever. - f.-.


Yet it happened. as it so often happens
in the order of Divine Providence. in the
moral as in the physical world, that the
night was darkest just before dawn. A.
midst all this the next campaign. but it is
curious to observe the effects produced by
assured success upon that public opinion
which had shifted so often and 40 strange
ly during the progress of this eventful
struggle. The opposition, as their only
hope Of escape from political annihilation,
and thinking to swim with the popular
current. abused the ministers for not sup
porting Wellington with sufficient earnest
ness. complaining that they had taken the
advice which they themselves had so Of
ten and so eloquently rendered. But it
was Of no avail; this wretched charlatanism
was too transparent to impose upon any
one, and of the great party who opposed
the var, no one ever after rose to Office or
power in England. 1t required whole
generation, in the opinion of the English
constituencies, to expiate the faults of
those who had sneered at the great Duke,
and had called the glorious field of Vimei-
ro, Busaco, Talavera, Fuentes d Onor, Gu
da Rodrigo, and Badajoz, names which
had become associated with the proudest
recollections of English renown. "mere
barren victories, equal IN their effects to
defeats 41'2o t ''it


We pass now to the consideration of an
other class of difficulties inherent in the
prosecution Of every war, and generally of
far greater magnitude than any other
those connected with the raising of the
vast sums Of money required for the sup
port Of military operations. In this i'm


portant matter, if we mistake not, there
are some striking points Of iresem blancc
between the English experience during the
war, and our present situation. 1t is the
fashion among many who seek to excite
the public alarm on this subject from un


worthy, and sometimes, it may be feared.
from reasonable motives, to represent the
enormous outlay Of the nations wealth
which is poured out to save the nations
life, as wholly unparalleled in history. -
Yet It may be asserted, without any fear
of contradiction, that England, with a
population then little more than half of
that which now inhabits our loyal States,
with resources infinitely less in proportion
1t that time than our own her manufactu-
ring industry. so far as external outlet was
concerned, wholly crippled by the opera
ltions of the French continental system and
her own Orders in Council, expended, du-
ring every year ofthe Peninsular war, as
large sum rs has been required here each
year to create and keep up the gigantic
force now in arms to put down the Rebel
lion. During the five years that the war
lasted, her average annual expenditures ex-
ceeded ninety millions Of pounds sterling,
or four hundred and fifty millions Of dol
lars, which is about the same sum deman-
dsd Of us. None, Of course. pretonds to
say thatthis rate of expenditure is not ap-
palling. yst it concerns US to know that it
is not unprecedented, and that these vast
amounts have been raised from national
resources Sar inferior to our uown.so 1t
should not be forgotten, also. that they rep
,sssaA the imonsy price OF Englsnd's indie
\ n =. A