3G 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1809. 



with indifference, or without tak- 

 ing a very prominent part in their 

 direction. The question for those 

 entrusted with the management of 

 our concerns, was, to obtain the ne- 

 cessary knowledge, and to bestow 

 upon it, when acquired, the most 

 mature consideration. It is upon 

 this principle the conduct of his 

 Majesty's ministers, with respect 

 to the war in Spain, in my opini- 

 on, is to be appreciated. It is in 

 the recollection of this House, tliat 

 we were first acquainted with the 

 exertions of the Spanish people a 

 very short time previous to the pro- 

 rogation of parliament. The right 

 honourable gentlemen opposite at 

 that period studiously avoided to 

 make any communication on that 

 subject to this House. They had 

 determined to apply to their own 

 credit, all the glory and advantage, 

 which the cause of Europe may 

 derive from their co-operation with 

 the Spanish people. They, and 

 they alone, were aware of the 

 wishes and objects of that nation ; 

 all that was known, was known by 

 them ; all that was done, was done 

 by thera ; all that was advised, was 

 advised by them. When, there- 

 fore, the Spanish nation undertook 

 to resist the power and usurpation 

 of France, and when the govern- 

 ment of this country had deter- 

 mined to co-operate in that effort, 

 the natural course of duty was to 

 decide on the system best calcu- 

 lated to insure the important ob- 

 ject. We had to recollect, that if 

 Spain was successful in its strug- 

 gles, such an event would not 

 only, in its immediate effects, prove 

 highly beneficial, both to them and 

 Great Britain, but that the relative 

 power of France would have been 

 considerably diminished. Had we 



succeeded in placing upon the 

 throne of Spain, a prince hostile 

 to the present dynasty of France, 

 and friendly to this country for its 

 services in its cause, the designs of 

 France against the peace and in- 

 dependence of Europe would have 

 vanished into air. — When, there- 

 fore, such consequences hinged 

 upon the decision of our counsels, 

 ministers should have been com- 

 prehensive in their views, and 

 energetic in carrying them into 

 execution. The most prominent 

 object for their consideration was, 

 the nature of the warfare which 

 was most likely to be successfully 

 carried on by the Spanish people : 

 — Whether it was to be conducted 

 in the field, according to the mo- 

 dern system of military tactics in 

 Europe, or whether it was to be 

 considered as a kind of desultory 

 attack by the host of the Spanish 

 population, supplied by Great Bri- 

 tain with arms and military equip- 

 ments, throughout every province 

 of the peninsula. This mode of 

 warfare has been r^omraended by 

 the advantages which it affords an 

 armed population, favoured by a 

 mountainous country, capable of 

 enduring the severest privations, 

 and of pi'ofiting by every incident 

 to harass the enemy against which 

 it is opposed. When such a sys- 

 tem is carried to its whole extent, 

 the most powerful invading army 

 may be brought to conclude, from 

 its great loss of blood and trea- 

 sure, that it were wiser to desist 

 than persevere in such an hazard- 

 ous attempt. These were the two 

 schemes, one of which, in contem- 

 plating the afJairs of Spain, ought 

 to have been pursued. But his Ma- 

 jesty's ministers seem, from their 

 conduct of the war in Spain, not 



to 



