HISTORY OF EUROPE. 



75 



brilliant specimens of wit and elo- 

 quence, that is b}' any means so 

 much ourobject,asto state the most 

 solid and weighty reasonings, whe- 

 ther in condemnation or justifica- 

 tion of the great measures of go- 

 vernment. It may, and does not 

 unfrequently happen, that the 

 same arguments that have been 

 used by movers, and those that 

 second, or by those that step forth 

 early in a debate, are placed in a 

 more striking light by subsequent 

 speakers. But we beg leave, and 

 we understand that it is not alto- 

 gether unnecessary, to remind 

 some of our readers, that it is par- 

 liamentary proceedings, with the 

 views on which they are founded, 

 not eloquence, that is, or ought 

 to be, the principal consideration, 

 in Brief Annals of Europe. In 

 our accounts of parliamentary bu- 

 siness, we are restricted in some 

 measure, to the order in which 

 the different speakers appear in 

 the conversation, or the debate. 

 If only a few passages are selected 

 from the speeches of some mem- 

 bers, and those of others wholly 

 passed over: this is by no means 

 intended, and ought not to be 

 considered as a test of their com- 

 parative excellence or merit. They 

 who wish to enter minutely into 

 the particular talents and turns of 

 all the different speakers, and 

 when there was a laugh in the 

 house, or when a cry of hear ! 

 hear ! &c. &c. must have recourse 

 to newspapers, or to the ponder- 

 ous volumes, from thence princi- 

 pally collected, of Parliamentary 

 Debates. 



General SletxaH observed, that 

 the junction of Sir J. Moore and 

 Sir D. Baird, was not at first cri- 

 tical, though it aftervvards became 



so, in consequence of the defeat 

 of Castanos. Mr. Colborne main- 

 tained that the honour which the 

 British army had gained in Spain, 

 by raising its character, had done 

 more than all the plans that had 

 been devised for the recruiting of 

 that army. Lord Milton said, that 

 had the expeditions to Ferrol and 

 the Helder been inquired into, 

 they should not now have to regret 

 the failures to which the motion 

 referred. 



Mr. Secretary Canning labour- 

 ed principally to show that the 

 military movements of Sir John 

 Moore were not dictated by the 

 British ministry, but spontaneous 

 on his part, and arranged in con- 

 cert with the Spanish government. 

 On the tender point of the inter- 

 ference of Mr. Frere in military 

 plans and operations, he affirmed, 

 that nothing had been done by 

 that gentleman, but what was cal- 

 culated to raise the character of 

 this country in Spain, and to con- 

 ciliate the attachment of that coun- 

 try to Great Britain.— It had been 

 urged by Mr. P. that before the 

 assistance of this countr)'had been 

 given to Spain, it ought to have 

 been ascertained whether or not 

 the Spaniards were instigated by 

 the monks, by a spirit of popery, 

 or encouraged by the higher ranks. 

 These were questions better suited 

 for a period of learned leisure, 

 than for the hour of action. His 

 majesty's ministers, of whom he 

 was a humble one, felt that the 

 Spanish nation wanted other aids 

 than lectures on municipal institu- 

 tions. They were content that a 

 British army should act in Spain, 

 though the grand inquisitor might 

 have been at the head of the Spa- 

 nish armies; though the people 



might 



