GENERAL HISTORY. 



I 137 



CHAPTER XII. 



Provision for the Duke of Wellington. — Congratulation of the House 

 of Commons, and his Grace's Visit to that House. — Proceedings rela- 

 tive to the Princess of Wales. — Debates respecting Lord Cochrane 

 and his Expulsion frojn the House of Commons. 



THE national gratitude to Lord 

 Wellington, which had kept 

 ))ace with his services, received its 

 consummation when those ser- 

 vices were brought to a conclu- 

 sion by the general peace in Eu- 

 rope. On May 10th, a message 

 from the Prince Regent was com- 

 municated to the House of Com- 

 mons, the purpose of which was 

 to inform the House, that his 

 Royal Highness had conferred 

 upon that victorious commander 

 the rank and title of a Duke and 

 Marquis of the United Kingdom, 

 and recommending the grant to 

 him and his successors of such an 

 annuity as might support the high 

 dignity of the title conferred, and 

 prove a lasting memorial of the 

 gratitude and munificence of the 

 nation. 



The message beinsc taken into 

 consideration on the 12th, the 

 Chancellor of the Exchequer rose 

 to call the attention of the House 

 to the distinguished services of 

 the Duke of Wellington. Of the 

 substance of this speech it is not 

 uecessary to recite the particulars, 

 •ince no reader can be unac- 

 quainted with the actions which 

 tluriiig a scries of years had been 

 accuniulHtiiig fresli laurels on this 

 emiuciit character. The climax 



of praise in this, as in other par- 

 liamentary eulogies, was a com- 

 parison between him and the great 

 Duke of Marlborough, the only 

 British commander who, in the 

 general estimation, could be named 

 as his rival in military fame ; and 

 the public rewards bestowed in his 

 day upon the latter, were appa- 

 rently the measure of those des- 

 tined for the hero of the present 

 age. The Speaker concluded with 

 moving a resolution, "That the 

 sum of 10,000/. be pad annually 

 out of the consolidated fund for 

 the use of the Duke of Welling- 

 ton, to be at any time commuted 

 for the sum of 300,000/. to be laid 

 out in the purchase of an estate. 



Mr. Whitbread, Mr. Ponsonby, 

 and Mr. Canning, who followed, 

 all agreed in the high merits of 

 the noble Duke, and objected to 

 the grant as too small, especially 

 since a large sum would be neces- 

 sary for a mansion suitable to the 

 dignity conferred upon him. A 

 motion was in consequence made 

 for an additional 100,000/. mak- 

 ing in all the sum of half a mil- 

 lion granted to the Duke, which 

 passed nem, con. 



A similar message from the 

 Prince Regent being communi- 

 cated to the House of Lords, an 



