HISTORY OF EUROPE. 



55 



of that court had been, that no 

 further proceedings were neces- 

 sary. But still this opinion lefc 

 it open to that house to consider 

 what had been the origin of the 

 transactions, by which, in the eyes 

 of the public, the principal object 

 of the expedition to the penin- 

 sula, notwithstanding the success 

 of the British arms, had been 

 completely lost in disappointment 

 and disgrace: — By the course of 

 unexpected events, his Majesty's 

 government, at the moment when 

 called upon by circumstances for 

 co-operation with Spain, had in 

 actual readiness three distinct 

 masses of disposable force. An 

 intention was conceived of afford- 

 ing to that country the aid of a 

 large military force under the 

 command of that gallant military 

 officer, Sir Arthur Wellesley, and 

 the ultimate destination of the 

 expedition was Portugal. There 

 was nothing in the possession of 

 Portugal itself: nothing in the 

 possession of the port of Lisbon, 

 that could be a source of imme- 

 diate succour to the Spaniards ; 

 nothing connected with the real 

 interests of even our faithful ally, 

 the Queen of Portugal, or of her 

 subjects in Portugal that could 

 point out and justify that des- 

 tination ; for of all the calamities 

 that could be inflicted on a coun- 

 try, the conquest of it by a power 

 that is not able to retain it is the 

 greatest ; the countr}' being there- 

 by exposed to the calamities of 

 two revolutions. There was, how- 

 ever, in that country a French 

 army, and in its great port a 

 Russian fleet. The capture of 

 that arn.y, and the possession of 

 that fleet were of the highest im- 

 portance to this country. We 



saw a French army in a position 

 in which it was cut off from all 

 means of assistance. Every man 

 who looked to the French army in 

 Portugal might say, that whatever 

 should be the fate of the other 

 armies of Buonaparte, here, at 

 least, was an army cut off from all 

 possibility of relief. 



Lord Petty pointed out the con- 

 siderations that were required to 

 be most particularly attended to 

 in this expedition. It required 

 the most positive and clear in- 

 structions, with regard to the na- 

 ture of it, to be given to the 

 officer who was to have the com- 

 mand of it; the expedition being 

 intended to act in different situ- 

 ations, according to the different 

 circumstances in which it should 

 find the country that was to be the 

 scene of its operations, it was 

 above all things necessary that it 

 should be properly equipped for 

 the service : that the commander 

 of the expedition should at least 

 have had the opportunity afforded 

 him of choosing his own ground ; 

 and that after sach discretion was 

 confided to him, he should at 

 least have been continued in his 

 command. In all these respects. 

 Lord H. P. on a review of the 

 campaign, considered the conduct 

 of ministers as deficient :^-The 

 shores of Portugal were not the 

 first objects of the expedition. It 

 fluctuated between the northern 

 and Southern coasts of Spain : 

 ministers had been in important 

 instances mis-informed : their in- 

 structions to the officers com- 

 manding our forces ill concerted, 

 wavering and discordant. The 

 suggestion of carrying the expe- 

 dition to Portugal, far from having 

 been founded upon any original 

 determination, 



