arms, by passing over without notice the errors of the former campaign. On these grounds he moved two resolutions, which were to the following effect :

1. That it appears to this House, after the most attentive examination of the papers laid before them relative to the late cam paign in Spain, that the safety of the army was improvidently and uselessly risked, and every loss and calamity suffered, without ground on which to expect any good result; and, that the whole did end in the retreat of the army.

2. "That previous to entering on this campaign, ministers did not procure the necessary information of the state of Spain, and of its military resources; of the supplies that could be afforded, &c. &c.; and that the result of this rashness and ignorance was a result the most calamitous."

This gave rise to a short debate; the principal topics of which have been discussed again and again in the debate on the king's Speech, the motion for a vote of thanks to lord Wellington, and on other occasions.

The Marquis of Wellesley, in the course of a very animated and eloquent speech in reply to lord Lansdown, hit off the character of Buonaparte with singular brevity and felicity. "Experience had sufficiently shown, that there were no means, however unprincipled, that Buonaparte would scruple to employ for the attainment of his ends. To him force and fraud were alike: force, that would stoop to all the base artifices of fraud; and fraud, that would come armed with all the fierce violence of force." The Marquis concluded

with a pathetic exhortation to stand by Spain, in which there was still life, and a high and proud spirit of patriotism, to the last.The Earl of Moira observed, that from the whole of the statements and animadversions, of the noble marquis, not one sound position could be deduced hostile to the resolution before the House. It was the good or bad conduct of his majesty's ministers, with regard to the late campaign, alone, that was the present question. Much as he wished for success to the Spanish cause, his conviction was, if it were meant to manage matters as they had hitherto been managed by his majesty's ministers, it would be better at once to bring all our troops away from the peninsula. Yet he begged not to be understood as one who would recommend the desertion of Spain while any prospect of success remained: on the contrary, he would afford every possible aid towards combining and concentrating the energies of the Spanish people for the attainment of their great object.

The question being loudly called for, the House divided: For the marquis of Lansdown's motion, 33: against it, 65.

House of Lords, June 13. Earl Grey submitted to the consideration of the House the state of the nation. He called their serious attention to those causes which, in his mind, had produced the dangers that pressed upon them in the present emergency, and to the policy which it was incumbent upon them to adopt, in order that they might be enabled effectually to meet, and ultimately to surmount them. Lord Grey con

cluded a speech of extraordinary length with a series of resolutions which might serve as a pretty co pious, as well as faithful abridgment of his speech, if even these could be brought with propriety within the limits, or were in any tolerable degree proportioned to the scale of our narrative. But of these resolutions themselves, forming two close printed pages of double columns, let it suffice to give the substance or spirit That the House were convinced that peace, so anxiously desired by his majesty's loyal people, would be best promoted by proving to the world that we possessed the means of permanently supporting the honour and independence of our country against every species of attack by which the enemy might hope to assail them; that for this purpose it was necessary that his majesty's government should henceforth adopt a wise and systematical system of policy, regulated not only by a just estimate of our present difficulties, but by a prudent foresight of the probable exigencies of a protracted warfare; that the House entreated his majesty to see the necessity of adopting such measures as might deprive the enemy of all hope of success from a failure of our national resources; that he will therefore actually concur with his parliament in giving effect to economic and systematic arrangements for the conduct of the war, in providing for a recurrence to the true principles of a free commerce and cir

culation both at home and abroad; in endeavouring, by a wise and liberal policy, to unite in the bonds of a common interest all classes of his majesty's subjects, of whatever religious persuasions; and, lastly, that he will be graciously pleased to countenance the temperate consideration, and deliberate adoption of such timely reformations, both economical and political, as might satisfy his loyal people, that the sacrifices required of them were strictly limited, and faithfully applied to the real interests and safety of the public; and that, both for preventing the growth of any dangerous abuses, and for controlling the conduct of his majesty's advisers, they (the public) continue effectually to possess those securities which had been the boast of the British government, and were essentially inherent in every free constitution." In short, the substance of both the speech and the resolutions might be summed up in one short proposition, that measures ought to be adopted in all respects of importance the very reverse of what had been pursued by the present administration.

The Earl of Liverpool contended, that a favourable change had taken place in the posture of our affairs. Our commerce and revenue, he said, had increased in a most unexampled manner; the number of vessels taken from the enemy, and those of our allies rescued from their grasp, was immense; the numbers of our army were greatly increased; the French

had been for the first time in any war driven entirely out of the West Indies; the French and Dutch flags were suffered to wave in that hemisphere no more-an advantage which had never been gained before, not even in the war of 1756. The family of Braganza had been removed from French influence and French aggression to the Brazils, whence advantages of importance might be expected to result to this country. Portugal, which had been overrun by the enemy, had seen that enemy expelled by British valour. Spain had been encouraged to struggle with her oppressors by our example. The port of Lisbon was now free; and Cadiz and Ceuta were at present occupied by British, in conjunction with Spanish troops. Such was the real state of things at the period when the noble lord had thought proper to move a censure so severe.

The Earl of Stanhope proposed as an amendment, “That that House would pledge themselves to maintain the law of the land, to which

they deemed the right of trial by jury, and the preserving the liberty of the subject, as indispensable." The Earl of Suffolk supported the amendment; so also did the Duke of Norfolk. The privileges of parliament, the duke admitted; but only those privileges that were consistent and salutary; among which he could not class that privilege, the recent discussion of which had caused so much discontent and alarm. Other lords spoke on the subjects of several of the resolutions. The necessity of some reform in the House of Commons was much insisted on. The question on the amendment was negatived without a division. The question was then put on the original address, and the House divided: for the address, 72; against it, 134.

On the 21st of June, the royal assent was given to several bills, a speech in his majesty's name was delivered by the lord Chancellor,* one of his majesty's commissioners, and the parliament prorogued to the 21st of August.

doomed by the rigour of fortune, would dare to proclaim a wish to become a Frenchman? The Supreme Junta, the organ of the wishes of all good patriots, has taken -measures suitable to the dangers of the moment. The Supreme Junta has come to a resolution, according to a decree of the 4th of April last, that all the effects of the churches, not necessary to the performance of divine service, shall be immediately sent to the mint at Seville with the utmost exactness; that there shall forthwith be opened a forced loan of half the gold and silver possessed by individuals; that an extraordinary contribution be levied on all classes of the state; that all sinecure and useless places shall be abolished as they become vacant; that there be opened in Spain six millions of dollars, and forty millions in America; that a tax be imposed on all carriages of luxury; that our armies be reinforced by 100,000 men; that 100,000 lances be formed, and as many poignards, to be distributed in the provinces; that the whole Sierra, from Santa Ollala to the kingdom of Grenada, be inspected by able engineers; that all the companies of the different corps of the army shall be commanded by officers properly qualified, and in sufficient numbers; that besides the measures taken for furnishing the army with arms and other articles in place of those they have lost, the Junta will make every exertion for recovering the muskets distributed among the peasants. Three commissioners

were appointed, and had already set out on their mission, with full powers to remedy the disaster of Ocana, and to prevent the recurrence of the like in future."

The Spaniards selected the best positions in the Sierra for defence, formed entrenchments, erected batteries, intersected the roads by deep cuts in some places, and planted mines for blowing them up in others. But the species of natural defence, on so extended a line as that presented by the Sierra Morena, avails but little, as had been repeatedly proved in our times, by the passage of the French over the mountains of Germany, Switzerland, and Italy. It is easily overcome by the improved instru mentality and operations of modern warfare.

The French army, on the 20th and 21st of January, infantry and cavalry, forced their way through the mountains, chiefly by the passes of Puerto del Ray, Col de Muladar, and Despenna Perros. But it was necessary to send the heavy artillery round by Aranjues. The Spaniards scarcely made any resistance: they were driven from their entrenchments with the bayonet. The intersections of the roads, and derangements occasioned by the explosion of the mines, did not retard the march of the French a quarter of an hour. Six thousand Spaniards, of whom a considerable portion were officers, were made prisoners; the rest fled, or were dispersed. The greater part of them escaped to Sierra Susanna, in the province of Jaen.* Their magazines and ord.