38 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1810. 



that of posterity, which will try 

 all our actions, and judge impar- 

 tially." 



Mr. Tierney said that the noble 

 lord Cochrane ought to be heard. 

 His judgment and character, his 

 signal gallantry, and signal honours 

 (|a red ribbon], deserved the se- 

 rious attention of the House. Even 

 his feelings, led as they were, 

 perhaps astray, by an excess of 

 strength and sensibility, deserved 

 all the attention that could be 

 paid to them. 



The question being called for, 

 there appeared, for the amend- 

 ment that had been proposed by 

 Mr. Perceval, 171. — Against it, 

 19. So that lord Cochrane's mo- 

 tion was lost by a majority of 

 152. 



The chancellor of the Exche- 

 quer then rose to propose a vote 

 of thanks to lord Gambier, for 

 his eminent services in destroying 

 the French fleet in the Basque 

 Roads. Having stated the prin- 

 cipal circumstances attending the 

 accomplishment of thatservice.he 

 moved the following resolutions. 

 1. " That the thanksof this House 

 be given to admiral lord Gambier, 

 for the zeal, judgment, ability, 

 and anxious attention to the wel- 

 fare of his majesty's service, which 

 marked his lordship's conduct as 

 commander-in-chief of the fleet 

 in Basque Roads. 2. That the 

 thanks of this House be given to 

 rear-admiral the hon. Robert 

 Stopford, captain sir H. Burrard 

 Neale, captain of the fleet, and to 

 the several captains and officers of 

 the fleet under the command of 

 admiral lord Gambier, for their 

 gallantandhighly meritorious con- 

 duct on that glorious occasion, 



particularly marked by thebrilliant 

 and unexampled success of the 

 difficult and perilous mode of at* 

 tack by fire-ships, conducted un- 

 der the immediate direction of 

 captain lord Cochrane. 3. That 

 this House doth highly approve of 

 and acknowledge the services of 

 the seamen and royal marines, 

 &c." On the question being put 

 on the first resolution, 



Lord Cochrane warned the 

 House that even their verdict was 

 not conclusive upon character, and 

 that the public would exercise a 

 judgment, if the House would not. 

 The argument of ministers, that 

 wherever the subordinates deserv- 

 ed praise, the superiors must re- 

 ceive it, was frivolous and childish. 

 Was admiral Parker thanked for 

 the bravery of the fleet at Copen- 

 hagen ? — Sir Francis Burdett de- 

 sired to know whether the services 

 of lord Gambier, admitting it to 

 have all the value that could pos- 

 sibly be attributed to it, was wor- 

 thy of the thanks of parliament ? 

 or whether the motion for thanks 

 could have flowed from any thing 

 but the unblushing and profuse 

 spirit of ministerial favouritism?— 

 Mr. Windham having doubts re- 

 specting the vote he should give, 

 wished to state what they were, 

 but still more strongly what they 

 were not. He was averse to the 

 revisal of the sentences of courts- 

 martial. The conduct of the ad- 

 miralty, in appointing sir Home 

 Popham to a situation of confi- 

 dence, after he had been censured 

 and reprimanded by a court-mar- 

 tial, was highlyreprehensible. Such 

 proceedings counteracted the na- 

 tural and proper effects of the sen- 

 tences of courts-martial. But the 



