HISTORY OF EUROPE. 



33 



The arguments pro and con were, 

 as might well be supposed, the 

 same in substance as those that 

 had been urged in the House of 

 Lords. Tiie motion was made by 

 the chancellor of the Exchequer. 

 Lord Milion observed, that their 

 votes of thanks, from their fre- 

 quency, lost their value, andceased 

 to be an honour. They had got 

 so much into the habit of voting 

 thanks, that it was now almost an 

 insult not to vote them. It was 

 not sufficient to say, that sir Ar- 

 thur Wellesley had got out of the 

 danger into which he had run, 

 with great skill. He should have 

 shown his skill in avoiding it. 

 What thanks would the House be- 

 stow on an admiral, who first ran 

 his fleet among rocks and shoals, 

 and then evinced great ability in 

 getting it off again ? The ambi- 

 tion of sir Arthur Wellesley was 

 conspicuous in both the battles of 

 Talavera and Vimeira. In both he 

 seemed to have fought merely for 

 a peerage ; certainly more with 

 such a view, than was consistent 

 with the conduct of a good and 

 prudent commander. The whole 

 campaign was wrapped in mys- 

 tery, and he was determined to 

 have information before he voted 

 honours. Lord Milton concluded 

 with moving, as an amendment to 

 the motion before them, " That 

 the thanks of the House should 

 be given to the officers and troops 

 iwhoserved underlord Wellington, 

 .for their undaunted courage and 

 gallantry, on the 27lh and 28th 

 -of July, in the battle of Talavera. 

 But while the House gave this 

 praise to the officers and men, for 

 .their undaunted courage and gal- 

 lantry, they had to lament, that 

 the army, since that period, had 

 Vol. LII. 



been unable to resume offensive 

 operations. They had also to la- 

 ment, that after the battle, tjiey 

 had suffered the enemy to pass 

 two days in inactivity, without at- 

 tacking them, and also for having 

 allowed themselves to be cut off 

 at the bridge of Arzobispo." 



Mr. Vernon, in a maiden speech, 

 seconded the amendment. — In 

 proportion as he admired thefirm- 

 ness and bravery of the army, he 

 regretted that it should have been 

 not only unprofitably employed, 

 but unnecessarily exposed. Lord 

 Wellington might have learned 

 more discretion from the expe- 

 rience of sir John Moore's incur- 

 sion into Spain. Lord Welling- 

 ton had not the same excuse, nor 

 the same incitement as sir John 

 Moore to penetrate into Spain. 

 He was invested with large limits 

 of discretion, which that admir- 

 able officer, sir John Moore, was 

 not, and had no officious and im- 

 pertinent interference to encoun- 

 ter. He had not to contend 

 against the arrogant dictates of a 

 rash and presumptuous diploma- 

 tist ; of blind but obtrusive zeal, 

 seeking by the display of devotion 

 to the cause of the Junta, to es- 

 tablish a claim to a Spanish mar- 

 quisate. It was stated, that if two 

 things had occurred, we should 

 have succeeded better. If the Spa- 

 nish Junta had not acted as they 

 did, and if the Spanish general had 

 done his duty, the success would 

 have been more complete. All 

 this might have been foreseen. 

 But if the object of the march 

 into Spain was, to fall on general 

 Victor single-handed, as soon as 

 Cuesta refused the co-operation 

 which was promised, it was the 

 duty of lord Wellington to have 



