710 



BRITAIN. 





Britain, to instil into the Junta any portion of their own 

 energy. The Marquis Wellesley only gained their 

 t ar( jy am j reluctant consent to one important point, 

 viz. the f the Cortes. The 1st of January 



1810 was hxed for their convocation. 

 Meeting of The session uf parliament was opened on the 23d 

 parliament of January, 1810. In his majesty's speech, although 

 it was acknowledged that the principal ends of the 

 expedition to the Scheldt had not been attained, it 

 was confidently hoped, that advantages materially 

 affecting the security of the kingdom would be found 

 to result from the demolition of the docks and arse- 

 nals at Flushing. The expulsion of the French from 

 Portugal by his majesty's forces under the cor, duct 

 of General Wellesley, now created Lord Viscount 

 Wellington ; the late victory of Talarera ; the 

 spirit of unanimity displayed by the Portuguese; and 

 the confidence reposed by their regent and their local 

 government in our alliance; these, as well as the as- 

 sembling of the cortes in Spain, were subjects of 

 congratulation in the royal speech. The intercourse 

 between his majesty's ministers and the American go- 

 vernment, was stated to have been suddenly and un- 

 expectedly interrupted ; but the hope and desire of 

 renewing friendly relations with that country, were 

 ttrongly expressed. In the course of the debate 

 upon the address in the lower house, the chancellor 

 of the exchequer boasted, with considerable triumph, 

 over those who had prognosticated the ruin of our 

 trade from the effects of the orders in council ; that 

 the exports of the last year had not only exceeded 

 those of the preceding, but of any former year in the 

 most favourable period of peace. The exports of 

 the year ending in October 1809 were greater, by 

 seven millions, than during the most abundant years 

 of trade and peace, and by ten millions than any pre- 

 imjniry in- ceding year of war. On the 27th of the same 

 to the poll- monti^ t| le commons resolved to institute an inquiry 

 duct of the ' nto t ' le Pl' c y an d conduct of the expedition to the 

 eipedition Scheldt. The inquiry continued till the end of 

 to the March. As the apology for the expedition, offered 

 Scheldt. j n the royal speech at the opening of the session, viz. 

 that advantages affecting the security of the kingdom 

 had resulted from demolishing the docks and arsenals 

 at Flushing, was little calculated to satisfy the pub- 

 lic mind, ministers were not only foiled in their at- 

 tempt to preclude enquiry, but obliged to make a 

 . , long and laborious defence of the measure. Lord 

 I ord l j or- Porchester, in moving a resolution of censure upon 

 chestcr. ministers, expressed his full conviction that no blame 

 was imputable to either the military or naval com- 

 rruuders. The resolution, he contended, was pre- 

 posterous in its objects, undertaken, not merely with- 

 out regard to the insurmountable difficulties that lay 

 in the way of those objects, * but against the predic- 

 tions of the best naval and military authorities which 

 had been consulted. Nothing but defeat could have 

 been augured. The disappointments had been re- 

 gularly traced, and distinctly foretold. Adverting 

 to the evidence which had come before the house, he 

 stated, tu^t, that of Sir D. Dundas, who, early in the 

 summer, had been questioned as to the chance of suc- 



Britaip 



cess in an attack upon Walcheren. Sir D. Dundas, 

 though unwilling to give an opinion, where sufficient 

 information was not afforded, had spoken of Antwerp GEonftE l 

 as a strong town, capable of standing a regular siege, 

 at least till the whole force of France and Flanders Speech c 

 could be poured upon the British ; and urged Lord *T r< 

 Castlereagh to consider the delay and disparity of c 

 force, which might make the expedition ruinous and 

 disgraceful. The next evidence was that of General 

 Calvert, who had warned the war minister, that the 

 movements of our army must be subject to many im- 

 pediments, and that the sieges of the towns must at 

 all events occupy a period sufficient to allow the col- 

 lecting of the whole Dutch and Fh mish garrisons to 

 overwhelm our few troops, through that most diffi- 

 cult country. Colonel Gordon, when consulted on 

 the business, had concluded by declaring, in the most 

 impressive and decided terms, that the enterprize was 

 one of the most desperate nature. General Bro- 

 derick's evidence established the conclusion which 

 had been derived from the former authorities. Ge- 

 neral Hope, upon maturely weighing the whole mat- 

 ter, decided upon it, that the attempt would be full 

 of hazard, likely to do much mischief if it failed, and 

 little good if it succeeded ; and leaving us this conso- 

 lation in not making the attempt, that nothing of 

 serious advantage was lost by our leaving it untried. 

 Of five military authorities that were consulted, four 

 were directly adverse, and one unfriendly to the plan. 

 Lord Castlereagh, (said the noble mover of the cen- 

 sure,) appeared as it he had asked for advice only for 

 the purpose of acting against it. Ministers had 

 formed a plan for attacking Antwerp, and for the 

 capture and destruction of the French ships, arsenals, 

 and depots ; yet it was not until after orders were 

 given to prepare the troops for this service, that they 

 had begun to arrange a plan of operations for making 

 good their entrance into the Scheldt. The passage 

 to Cadsand was indeed forced ; but how was it for- 

 ced ? The gallant Captain Hanchett of the Raven 

 had declared, that the shells of Flushing came aboard 

 of his ship, while the round shot of Cadsand went 

 through her ; and Sir Richard Strachan had told 

 them farther, that the ship was crippled and strand- 

 ed. Against Antwerp, disposed as our forces were, 

 we could have brought only 17,000 men. Was the 

 French empire so low in respect to military resonrces 

 in this quarter, a quarter where the channels of com- 

 munication are so numerous, as not to muster an ar- 

 my from Flanders, from Holland, Westphalia, from 

 the vicinity of Paris itself, sufficient to overwhelm so 

 Small an army ? Only 17,000 men, of all our force, 

 could have ever been brought to attack Antwerp, (set- 

 ting aside all consideration of Fort Lillo, and of every 

 obstacle to their advance upon Antwerp,) and yet it 

 had been declared that 40,000 men were requisite to 

 besiege Antwerp. Antwerp, according to the plan 

 of Lord Castlereagh, was to have been taken by a 

 coup de main ; but in the event of an assault proving 

 unsuccessful, the object was to be attained by bom- 

 bardment. With regard to the coup de main, Lord 

 Chatham had urged, in his own vindication, that ta 



Lord Porchcster's speech on the AValehercn expedition, March 26th, 1810. 



