4G ANNUAL REGISTER, 1810. 



vered the first day the House as- 

 sembled. They who could fore- 

 see nothing else, must at least 

 have foreseen that parliament was 

 to be assembled. 



Mr. Ponsonby observed, that 

 the chancellor of the Exche- 

 quer had been pleased to tell the 

 House, that the questionihey were 

 now called on to decide, was, 

 merely whether it should proceed 

 to the institution of an inquiry on 

 Friday next, or on the succeeding 

 Monday. That, however, was not 

 the question. It was far more 

 important — it was, whether the 

 House should that night do its 

 duty to the people of Great Bri- 

 tain and Ireland, or wave it alto- 

 gether, through deferential indul- 

 gence to ministers. 



Mr. Stephen thought an inquiry 

 proper and necessary, to satisfy 

 the country; but as the papers 

 would be produced, he should 

 vote for postponing the inquiry for 

 that time. It had been argued, by 

 Mr. Windham, that because the 

 motion only implied that therewas 

 ground for putting ministers on 

 their trial, there was no need to 

 wait for the promised papers. 

 What evil could arise from a delay 

 of two days, of such magnitude, 

 as could justify the House in pre- 

 cipitating a vote without hearing 

 such evidence as was offered for 

 their consideration ? If not ma- 

 terial to the question whether in- 

 quiry was proper, it might at least 

 assist them in deciding as to the 

 mode and extent of the inquirjf. 

 He could not admit the mere 

 failure of the expedition to the 

 Scheldt, or the ill success of our 

 arras in the peninsula, to be suf- 

 ficient ground for inferring crimi- 

 nal misconduct, or incapacity on 



the part of government. When a 

 country is at perfect freedom of 

 choice, either to abstain or to 

 prosecute military enterprize, ill 

 success might indeed furnish a 

 reasonable presumption of miscon- 

 duct in their authors or conduc- 

 tors. But England was in a situa- 

 tion similar to that of a town be- 

 sieged by a powerful army, which 

 the garrison was too feeble to en- 

 counter in the open field. In this 

 case the best means of defence 

 might be, frequent sallies, to delay 

 the enemy's ultimate success, and 

 take the chance of contingencies, 

 which might bring final relief, 

 though there was no hope, bysuch 

 sallies, of raising the siege. Our 

 continental efforts against our too 

 powerful enemy, were of this kind. 

 Mr. Stephen concluded, with some 

 lively strictures on the eagerness 

 of gentlemen on the opposite side 

 of the House to turn the failure of 

 the expedition to their own politi- 

 cal purpose of getting into power, 

 by the dismissal of their oppo- 

 nents. The public, he said, was 

 led to expect a redress of griev- 

 ances, and punishment of delin- 

 quents. But those gentlemen had 

 the more substantial game in view, 

 of obtaining possession of the go- 

 vernment : and this was the true 

 cause of their impatience. They 

 reminded him of the squire of the 

 valorous knight of La Mancha. 

 The knight, like the people of 

 England in the present case, was 

 intent on generous purposes, 

 though with mistaken views. But 

 the squire had always his eye to 

 the main chance ; and, as soon as 

 an adventure was achieved by his 

 master, he conceived, like the 

 right honourable gentleman, that 

 his end was attained, and said, '.< I 



