HISTORY OF EUROPE. 



27 



ration of the immense interests at 

 stake in the war noiv cai-rying on, 

 that they should proceed with as 

 little delay as possible, to consider 

 the most effectual measures for the 

 augmentation of the regular ar- 

 my * 



An Address to his Majesty, 

 which was an echo to the Lords' 

 Commissioners speech, was moved 

 by the Earl of Bridgewater, and 

 seconded by Lord Sheffield. But 

 the Earl of St. Vincent rose, and 

 said, That the Address just read 

 was such, that no man who had a 

 veneration for his sovereign, or a 

 love for his country, could ever as- 

 sent to. Some parts of it, which 

 went to express a determined hos- 

 tility to the common enemy, and a 

 firm resolution to carry on the war 

 against him, all must approve. But 

 when he adverted to the manner 

 in wiiich that opposition to him 

 had been conducted on the penin- 

 sula of Europe, it was wholly im- 

 possible not to express both sor- 

 row and indignation. He would 

 assert it in the face of the country, 

 and in the face of the world, that 

 it was the greatest disgrace that 

 had befallen Great Britain since 

 the days of the Revolution ; and 

 this he openly declared, whether 

 he took into consideration the man- 

 ner in which the war was carried 

 on in Portugal, or the way in 

 which our troops had been sent 

 there. Transports were hired, 

 and great merit was to be attribut- 

 ed, forsooth, to ministers in pro- 

 viding these transports. But the 

 public ouglit to be undeceived upon 

 that head ; there was not a tittle of 

 merit in the case; it was only going 

 to market, and offering a little 



more than the market price, and 

 transports were to be obtained 

 in abundance. He wished, how- 

 ever, to notice the important ser- 

 vices to which these transports 

 were eventually applied ; " why 

 truly," said his lordship, " they 

 were at last employed to convey 

 the rascally rufhans whom Junot 

 commanded, to that part of France 

 which was nearest the boundaries 

 of Spain, that they might, as 

 speedily as possible, be again 

 brought into action, with more 

 effect against our soldiers. So 

 that those devils," added his lord- 

 ship, " are at this moment harass- 

 ing the rear of our retreating ar- 

 my." The impolicy of sending 

 British troops to Portugal he al- 

 ways disapproved ; but the result 

 of the war there he was disgusted 

 with : and then the delay that 

 prevailed before we sent a man 

 from thence towards Spain, was 

 disgraceful. In fact it would seem 

 as if ministers had not even a geo- 

 graphic knowledge of the country 

 through which our troops were to 

 pass, insomuch that they ought to 

 go again to school, to make them- 

 selves masters of it. But their ig- 

 norance of that species of know- 

 ledge, one would suppose, was offi- 

 cial ; for a " Heaven-born Minis- 

 ter," just after he first came into 

 power, asked whether Port Ma- 

 hon was in Europe or not? and 

 the persons at present in power 

 manifested just the same local ig- 

 norance, when they sent an army 

 to traverse a wild and inhospitable 

 country, nt the very commence- 

 ment of the rainy reason, to drink 

 new wine, and to be overwhelm- 

 ed with disease as well as fatigue. 



So 



Sec the whole speech, State Papers, p. 738. 



