52 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1809. 



though no notice was taken of it 

 either in the speech or in the ad- 

 dress; he meant the present state 

 of our relations with the United 

 States of America — So also did 

 many of the speakers, in opposition 

 to ministry, in both Houses, on 

 various occasions. But into their 

 discussions oa this subject, on 

 such occasions, when the subject 

 wasnot formally before the Houses, 

 it would be both endless and idle 

 to enter. It is remarkable that the 

 debates were more than ordinarily 

 keen, on the side of opposition, 

 when the subject related either to 

 America or to Ireland. 



The Earl of Liverpool said, that 

 with regard to the aftairs of Spain, 

 the address only proposed to give 

 his Majesty a general assurance of 

 support in maintaining the cause of 

 the Spaniards as long as that nation 

 proved true to themselves. In what 

 way this support had been given, or 

 how it was in future to be adminis- 

 tered, would be a subject of dis- 

 tinct and detailed consideration : 

 nor would the House, by now 

 agreeing to the address, pledge 

 themselves to approve of those par- 

 ticular engagements which had 

 been contracted. All that they 

 were now called upon to do, was, 

 to record a public avowal of their 

 determination not to desert that 

 cause which the government and 

 the country had espoused, and 

 in which it was, in consequence 

 of reverses, even become a more 

 sacred duty to persevere. Those 

 who inferred that the cause was 

 desperate, from those disasters 

 which had already happened, rea- 

 soned upon a most imperfect view 

 of the relative situation of the par- 

 ties engaged in the contest. And 

 he entreated those who were in- 



clined to despond, to consult the 

 records of history, and to review 

 those instances of nations who had 

 been compelled to struggle for 

 their independence in circum- 

 stances similar to those in which 

 the Spaniards were now placed. 

 There it would be found that na- 

 tions, after maintaining struggles 

 for ten or twenty years, in the 

 course of which they had been al- 

 most uniformly worsted in battle, 

 had eventually succeeded, in spite 

 of the triumphs of their adversa- 

 ries, in securing the object for 

 which they contended. It was dif- 

 ficult to conceive any situation 

 which would better warrant hopes 

 of ultimate success, than that of 

 Spain at this day. It appeared a 

 little extraordinary to Lord Liver- 

 pool, that Lord Grcnville should 

 have objected to the policy of the 

 expedition to Portugal, which was 

 almost the only point of the coast 

 which was, at the time, in the pos- 

 session of the enemy. A large 

 force had been prepared with un- 

 exampled expedition, and in its 

 application ministers had taken the 

 advice, not onlj- of military men of 

 high reputation, but had consulted 

 the Spaniards themselves, who, 

 both in the north and south, had 

 recommended the reduction of Ge- 

 neral Junot's army, as the most 

 acceptable service, that it was in 

 our power to perform. The con- 

 sideration due to an ancient and 

 faithful ally, he admitted to have 

 had considerable influence with his 

 Majesty's ministers, in undertaking 

 the deliverance of Portugal. He 

 requested also thenoble lordtobear 

 in mind, that at the time when 

 our expedition sailed, and which 

 he seemed to think might have act- 

 ed with greater advantage in the 



north 



