HISTORY OF EUROPE.- 



8d 



vote of thanks proposed, forced 

 him to think a little. A motion 

 for papers was unnecessary. The 

 thanks of that House did not de- 

 eerve to be lavished on any man, 

 unless his service was of that or- 

 der which forced itself into uni- 

 versal report and universal admi- 

 ration. That lord Gambler never 

 came into action, that lie beheld 

 it at the distance of seven miles, 

 tvas not a stain upon him. The 

 immediate scene of action was 

 not his place. The greatest com- 

 manders were careful of the lives 

 of their men. It was their proudest 

 boast that they accomplished their 

 objects without the unnecessary 

 expenditure of a single soldier. 

 But in voting thanks it was time to 

 pause. These old rewards had be- 

 come worthless, for want of due 

 discrimination in conferring them. 

 It had been said that nothing had 

 been left but the peerage ; and, 

 even of that high honour, minis- 

 ters had been most lavish. They 

 gave it away by two steps at once. 

 It was time to stop. The House 

 had in their hands the great pro- 

 vision for national virtue. They 

 had the honours of the country 

 entrusted to them ; and it became 

 them, as legislators, not to suffer 

 its streams to be idly diverted, nor 

 to be prodigally and profusely 

 poured forth to slake the thirst of 

 undeserving ambition, still pant- 

 ing, still insatiable. 



The House then divided : 



For the motion, 161. 



Against it, 39. 



The other resolutions were then 

 passed nem. con. 



House of Lords, Feb. 3. Lord 

 Mulgrave rose to move a vote of 

 thanks to lord Gambier. He 

 considered the operations of the 



navy in Basque Roads under the 

 direction and command of lord 

 Gambier, as contributing highly 

 to the advantage and glory of the 

 country. He trusted the report 

 of opposition was unfounded. Our 

 honour and our salvation depend- 

 ed on parliament doing its duty to 

 our brave military and naval de- 

 fenders. He moved thanks to lord 

 Gambier, " for his zeal, judgment, 

 ability, and attention to his ma- 

 jesty's naval service." — Lord Mel- 

 ville gave his cordial assent to the 

 motion. He conceived that the 

 admiralty had acted extremely 

 wrong in giving lord Cochrane a 

 command, which was contrary to 

 the naval rules of the service, and 

 which must have been so galling 

 and disgusting to the other officers 

 in lord Gambler's fleet. He re- 

 spected the zeal, intrepidity, and 

 enterprise of lord Cochrane; but 

 it was wrong to suppose that these 

 qualities were wanting in the many 

 brave captains of the fleet, who 

 were of standing superior to his 

 lordship. The making such a se- 

 lection naturally put that noble 

 lord upon attempting enterprises 

 by which great glory might be ob- 

 tained by him personally, whereas 

 lord Gambier was to attend prin- 

 cipally to the whole fleet. — The 

 earl of Grosvenor did not think 

 tlie services of lord Gambier, 

 though he had done his duty well, 

 of such a nature as to require the 

 particular thanks of the House. 

 They should be given only on very 

 signal and important victories ; 

 such as those obtained by lord 

 Howe, lord Duncan, lord St. 

 Vincent, and the immortal Nel- 

 son. — The earl of Buckingham- 

 shire thought the services per- 

 formed by lord Gambier in Basque 



