HISTORY OF EUROPE. 



75 



CHAP, V. 



Summary Vietv of the Impolicy and Misconduct of the Expedition to the 



Scheldt. — Resolutions moved by Lord Porchester on tluit subject 



Debate of Jour Days. — Lord Porchester\s Resolutions ncgaiived. — 

 The Conduct of Ministers with regard to the Policy <ifthe Expedition 

 to Walcheren approved. — The Retention of Walchercn also approved. 



THE discussion respecting the 

 earl of Chatham's narrative, 

 formed a kind of episode in the 

 general inquiry into the Scheldt ex- 

 pedition ; but that episode was of a 

 nature still more interesting than 

 the main action itself, as involving 

 -a question on the decision of 

 whicli nothing less depended than 

 .the liberty of the country, witii all 

 the blessings in her train, or the 

 degradation, torpor, and vices of 

 despotism. While the energies of 

 a country are preserved and fos- 

 tered by liberty, errors in policy 

 and war may be repaired. Where 

 liberty is extinct, the victories of 

 the despot serve only to rivet the 

 chains that bind his unhappy sub- 

 jects. Under the impression of 

 this great truth, our intelligent 

 readers will admit the propriety of 

 bestowing a greater proportion of 

 space in our annals on the discus- 

 sion of a principle, fundamental 

 to political and civil liberty, than 

 on the causes of the failure of any 

 particular project, on the part of 

 government ; though this, at the 

 lime, might excite greater interest 

 and livelier passions. 



House of Commons, March 21. 

 The committee appointed to in- 

 quire into the policy and conduct 

 of the expedition to the Scheldt, 

 having tinifahed their long and 



painful labours, lord Porchester, 

 who was the principal manager, 

 as well as mover of the invesliga- 

 tion, rose to submit a series of re- 

 solutions, declaratory of his senti- 

 ments, on that most important 

 subject, which had occupied so 

 much of their attention, since the 

 commencement of the present ses- 

 sion. Of the expedition in gene- 

 ral, lord Porchester said, he had 

 hoped to find, that such dreadful 

 failures were, at least, in part at- 

 tributTible to those uncontrollable 

 causes which are incident to all 

 the operations of war, and enter- 

 prises dependent for their success 

 on the state of the elements. 

 But what had the disastrous issue 

 of this expedition proved ? To 

 be the result of predicted and an- 

 ticipated causes. It had verified 

 every prediction, and realized 

 every fear, expressed by all those 

 most competent to decide upon 

 its policy and practicability, but 

 whose opinion, on this occasion, 

 his majesty's ministers did not 

 deem it expedient to follow. 

 This position lord Porchester 

 proceeded to establish, by a clear 

 and comprehensive analysis of the 

 evidence, taken at their bar. The 

 commander-in-chief, sir David 

 Dundas, had given it as his opi- 

 nion, June 3, 1809, that in what 



