HISTORY OF EUROPE. 



1^ 



person to whom the execution of 

 it was intrusted, our histor}' did 

 not afford an example of any thing 

 sodisgracefid andso absurd. Buo- 

 naparte knew it was on the banks 

 of the Danube alone that he was 

 to fight, not only for Germany, 

 but for Spain, Italy, Holland ; for 

 France itself, for all his conquests, 

 and all his glox'ies ; and did his 

 majesty's ministers so far measure 

 his mind by their own poor and 

 inadequate conception of aff"airs, 

 as even to dream that he could 

 be arrested in his career, through 

 the fear of losing Middleburgh, 

 or even Antwerp ? 



-There had been times when 

 even the present ministers, or any 

 other persons of moderate under- 

 standings and attainments, might 

 have governed the country, though 

 not with much credit, yet without 

 danger. But now that the whole 

 power of Europe was concentrated 

 in France, and the whole power of 

 France concentrated in one man, 

 and that man the creatcst general 

 and statesman the world ever pro- 

 duced, and the bitterest enemy 

 England ever knew, it was an ab- 

 solute infatuation not to have re- 

 course to our best means of de- 

 fence, moral as well as physical, 

 to the wisdom and union of our 

 councils, as well as the strength of 

 out' fleets and armies. Perhaps we 

 were already in a situation which 

 defied the efforts of the wisest and 

 best among us, and which would 

 have defied the efforts of those 

 wiser and greater men whom we 

 had lost. But sure he was, that 

 the country could not be preserved 

 by the remnant of a ministry, by 

 something weaker than that which 

 was supposed to have obtained the 

 utmost possible point of debility. 



Mr. Herbert objected to the 

 amendment, as it condemned the 

 conduct of ministers without evi- 

 dence. 



SirThomasTurton thought that 

 the House ought, without delay, to 

 pledge themselves to the country, 

 to call for a rigid inquiry into the 

 conduct of an expedition which 

 had terminated in disgrace and 

 disaster. He was astonished to 

 hear of a fresh army having been 

 sent to Spain, after the disasters 

 that had befallen the former, which 

 had a much fairer prospect of suc- 

 cess. The most infallible mode of 

 securing miscarriage in the con- 

 duct of the war, had been resorted 

 to by ministers, when they divided 

 their force between Spain and 

 Walchcren. Lord Kensington 

 wished the House to present a du- 

 tiful address to the throne, desir- 

 ing an inquiry into the conduct of 

 ministers, but carefully avoiding all 

 expressions that might appear to 

 prejudge one or all of them. Mr. 

 Brand saw no good likely to arise 

 to the country from an inquiry, as 

 he was well aware of the manner 

 in which it would most likely be 

 carried on. He, therefore, liked 

 that part of the amendment which 

 at once condemned the expedi- 

 tions toWalcheren and Spain, bet- 

 ter than that which merely pro- 

 posed an inquiry into them. Buo- 

 naparte was enabled to withdraw 

 part of his forces from Spain, and 

 bring the war to a termination be- 

 fore our expedition could reach 

 VValcheren. Could not the same 

 armament have been sent to Wal- 

 chercn before this event happen- 

 ed ? But ministers had acted simi- 

 larly towards Spain. The raar- 

 quisofWellesley had been appoint- 

 ed ambassador,' from this country 



