1809.] 
beach, have forced a majority of the trans- 
ports to cut or slip. Embarkation being no 
longer practicable at the town, the boats have 
been ordered to a sandy beach near the light- 
house; and it is hoped that the greater part, 
if not all, will still be embarked, the ships of 
war having dropped out to facilitate embark- 
ation. 
Fanuary 18. 
The embarkation of the troops having oce 
cupied greater part of last night, it has not 
been in my power to detach the Cossack be- 
fore this day ; and it is with satisfaction I am 
able to add, that, in consequence of the good 
order maintained by the troops, and the un- 
“wearied exertions of Commissioner Bowen, 
the Captains and other officers of the Navy, 
the agents, as well as the boats” crews, many 
of whom were for two days without food and 
without repose, the army have been embarked 
to the Jast man, and the ships are now in the 
offing, preparatory to steering for Mngland. 
The great body of the transports, having lost 
their anchors, ran to sea without the*trocps 
they were ordered to receive, in consequence 
of which there are some thousands on board 
the ships of war. Several transperts through 
mismanagement, ran on shore, The sea- 
men appeared to have abandoned them, two 
- being brought out by the boa‘s’*crews of the 
men of war, two were burnt, and five were 
bilged.. peas ts 
I cannot conclude this hasty statement with- 
out expressing my great obligation to Rear- 
Admiral Sir Samuel Hood, whose eye was 
every where, and whose exertions were un- 
remitted. I have the honour to be, &c, 
M. De Courcy, 
On Thursday, January 19, the House of 
Lords met pursuant to prorogation, when 
the Lord Chancellor, the Archbishop of 
Canterbury, Lord Camden, and the Duke 
of Montrose took their seats in their robes 
upon the woolsack, ashis Majesty’s Com- 
missioners; and the Speaker and the 
Members of the House of Commons be- 
ing in attendance,theChancellor delivered 
the following Speech from his Majesty :-— 
My Lords and Gentlemen, 
We have it in command from his Majesty, 
to state to you, that his Majesty has called 
you together, in perfect confidence that you 
are prepared cordjally to support his Majesty 
in the prosecution of a war, which there is no 
hope of terminating safely and honourably, ex- 
cept through vigorous and persevering exer- 
tion. . 
We are to acquaint you, that his Majesty 
has directed to be laid before you, Copies of 
the Proposals for opening a Negociation, which 
were transmitted to his Majesty from Erfurth ; 
and of the Correspondence which thereupon 
took place with the Government of Russia 
and of France ; together with the Declaration 
The King’s Speechs Y 
35 
issued by his Majesty’s command on the ter- 
mination of that Correspondence. 
His Majesty is persuaded, that you will parti- 
cipate in the feelings which were expressed by 
his Majesty, when it ~was required that his 
Majesty should consent to commence the 
Negociation, by abandoning the cause of Spain, 
which he had so recently and solemny es- 
poused. 
We are commanded to inform you, that his 
‘Majesty continues to receive from the Spa- 
nish Government the Strongest assurances of 
their determined perseverance in the cause of 
‘the legitimate Monarchy, and of the national 
independence of Spain; and to assure you, 
that so long as the people of Spain shall reo 
main true to themselves, his Majesty will con- 
tinue to them his most strenuous assistance and 
Support. 
His Majesty has renewed to the Spanish 
Nation, in the moment of its, difficulties and 
reverses, the engagements which_he volunta- 
rily contracted at the outset of its struggle 
against the usurpation and tyranny of France ; 
and we are commanded to acquaint you, that 
these engagements have been reduced into the 
form of a Treaty of Alliance ; which Treaty, 
So soon as the ratifications shall havejbeen ex- 
changed, his Majesty will cause to be laid 
before you. 
His Majesty commands us to state to yon, 
that while his Majesty contemplated with the 
liveliest satisfaction the atchievements of his 
forces in the commencement of the campaign 
in Portugal, and the deliverance of the king- 
dom of his Ally from the presence and oppres- 
sions of the French army, his Majesty most 
deeply regretted the termination of that cam- 
paign by an Armistice and Convention, of some 
of the Articles of which his Majesty has felt 
himself obliged formaliy to declare his disaps 
probation. ais 
_ We are to express to you his Majesty’s re- 
liance on your disposition to enable his Majesty 
to continue the aid afforded by his Majesty to 
the King of Sweden. ‘That Monarch derives 
a peculiar claim to his Majesty’s support in the 
present exigency of his affairs, from having 
concurred with his Majesty in the propriety 
of rejecting any proposal for Negociation to 
which the Government of Spain was not to he 
admitted as a party. 
Gentlemen of the House of Commons, 
We are commanded by his Majesty to in- 
form you, that he has directed the estimates 
of the current year to be laid before you. His 
Majesty relies upon your zeal and affection to 
make such further provisions of supply as the 
vigorous prosecution‘ of the War may render 
necessary 3 and he trusts that you may be ena~ 
bled to find the m eans of providing such Sup- 
ply without any great or immediate increase 
of the existing burt hens upon his people. 
His Majesty feels assured it will be highly 
satisfactory to you to learn, that, notwithe 
standing the measures resorted to by the ene- 
ay 
