Chapter 33

{GEORGE III. 1812—1814}

Meeting of Parliament..... Augmentation of the Civil List..... Bill for Prohibiting the Grant of Offices in Reversion, &c. Changes in the Ministry, &e...... Attacks upon Ministers..... Assassination of Mr. Perceval..... Administration of Lord Liverpool..... Financial Statements..... Population Returns, &c. Bill for Preservation of the Peace..... Bill to extend the Privileges of Dissenters..... Prorogation of Parliament, &e...... Capture of Ciudad Rodrigo by the British..... Storm and Capture of Badajoz..... Operations in Spain..... War between France and Russia..... War with America..... Meeting of the New Parliament..... Debates on the War with America..... Financial Statements..... Renewal of the East India Company’s Charter..... The Catholic Question..... Curates’ Bill, &c. Appointment of Vice-Chancellor..... Delates on the Treaty with Sweden..... Prorogation of Parliament..... Affairs of Spain..... American Campaign..... Meeting of Parliament..... Bill for allowing the Militia to volunteer into the Line.

MEETING OF PARLIAMENT.

{A.D. 1812}

Parliament reassembled on the 7th of January, when the speech of the prince-regent was delivered by commission. It dwelt chiefly on the events which had happened in the Peninsula, and on the differences which existed between England and America. The addresses were carried in both houses without a division, though not without debate and censure. In the lords, Grenville and Grey denounced the measures of government in no very soft language as regarded their war and foreign policy, and uttered some predictions of calamities which must follow any new rupture with America. In the commons Sir Francis Burdett proposed instead of an address a strong remonstrance to the regent, containing an elaborate statement of grievances, among which the constitution of the house was one of the most conspicuous. In making this proposal, the right honourable baronet declared that Englishmen for the last eighteen years had been daily losing their liberty; that a detestation of French liberty had produced the present war; that nothing had been done for Spain, and that if its cause was now taken up by the British government it had become hopeless; that the victories won by our armies were useless; and that parliament should be reformed.

AUGMENTATION OF THE CIVIL LIST.

At this time no change had taken place in the indisposition of the king. The general impression on the minds of the people, indeed, was that his recovery was hopeless, that the remainder of his days would be spent in mental debility. This impression was heightened when, in the house of commons, in a committee to consider the question of the king’s household, Mr. Perceval stated that, according to the physicians, the expectation of his majesty’s recovery was diminished. Under these circumstances he laid before the house the measures proposed to be adopted. Several objections were taken to his plan; but the following resolutions were finally agreed to:—“1. That, for making provision for the due arrangement of his majesty’s household, and for the exercise of the royal authority during the continuance of his majesty’s indisposition, and for the purpose of enabling the queen to meet the increased expenses to which, in consequence of such indisposition, her majesty may be exposed, there be granted out of the consolidated fund of Great Britain the yearly sum of £70,000. 2. That it is expedient that provision be made for defraying the expenses incident to the assumption of the personal exercise of the royal authority by his royal highness the prince regent, in the name and on the behalf of his majesty.” The bill framed upon these resolutions encountered some opposition, but they passed triumphantly. A large addition was also subsequently made to the income of the princesses; and it was in vain that some honourable members pleaded internal distress, and urged that such demands were not needed: the courtly zeal of parliament prevailed.

BILL FOR PROHIBITING THE GRANT OF OFFICES IN REVERSION, ETC.

As the bill for prohibiting the grant of offices in reversion was now about to expire, Mr. Bankes introduced a new bill in order to render the measure permanent. This was opposed on the second reading by Mr. Perceval, and thrown out; and then Mr. Bankes proposed a bill for the same purpose, but limited to two years. This met with no opposition in the commons, and it was carried through the lords after the rejection of an amendment proposed by Earl Grosvenor for continuing its operation to 1840. At a later date Mr. Bankes brought in a bill for utterly abolishing many sinecure places, and this was carried against ministers by a majority of one hundred and thirty-four against one hundred and twenty-three. On the 7th of May Mr. Creevey also called the serious attention to the tellerships of the exchequer, now held by the Marquess of Buckingham and Lord Camden, which offices were as old as the exchequer itself, and conferred a vested right, with which it was held parliament could not interfere. He moved a series of resolutions, the last of which declared:—“That it is the duty of parliament in the present unparalleled state of national expenditure and public calamity, to exercise its rights still further over the fees now paid out of the public money at the exchequer, so as to confine the profits of the two tellers to some fixed and settled sum of money more conformable in amount to the usual grants of public money for public services, etc.” Ministers opposed this motion, and it was lost without a division. An amendment, likewise, proposed by Mr. Brand, for appointing a committee to inquire into precedents, was rejected by a large majority. In these debates the greater part of the opposition took the part of ministers, but in the minority were Whitbread, General Fergusson, Lord Tavistock, Lord Archibald Hamilton, and Mr. Brougham. But though parliament would not interfere in these vested rights, in November of this year the two noble tellers intimated their intention of appropriating to the public service a third of their salary and fees from the 5th of January next to the end of the war: this was an act of true patriotism. Before the session closed an attack was made upon another patent place, that of the office of registrar of the admiralty and prize courts. A bill for regulating this office was brought in by Mr. Henry Martin, but it was rejected by a majority of sixty-five against twenty-seven. In the course of this last debate it was made to appear that Lord Arden, the registrar, whose fees amounted to about £12,000 a year, had made £7000 a year more by interest and profits of suitors’ money, and that he had sometimes above £200,000 of such money employed at interest. A bill, however, proposed by Mr. Perceval himself, which declared that the registrar should be entitled to one-third part only of the fees of his office, and that the remaining two-thirds should go to the consolidated fund, was carried, though not without some opposition. This was noble conduct on the part of Mr. Perceval; for this office had been granted in reversion to his elder brother, Lord Arden, and after Lord Arden’s death it was to revert to Mr. Perceval himself. Its merits were, however, lowered by the consideration that the reductions of emoluments were not to take place till after the expiration of the existing present and reversionary interests; that is, till after the deaths of Lord Arden and Mr. Perceval.

CHANGES IN THE MINISTRY, ETC.

At this period the present cabinet was not only weak but distracted. The Marquess Wellesley, indeed, who was dissatisfied with some of his colleagues, had signified his intention of resigning almost as soon as parliament met, although he agreed to hold office till the expiration of the year to which the restrictions on the regent were limited. He resigned on the 19th of February, and he was succeeded as secretary for foreign affairs by Lord Castlereagh. Six days before the resignation of Marquess Wellesley the regent wrote a letter to his brother, the Duke of York, in which he began with alluding to the fast approaching expiration of the restrictions; stated that motives of filial affection had induced him to continue the present cabinet; adverted to the success of his first year’s administration, and expressed a hope that a new era was arriving. He concluded with these words:—“Having made this communication of my sentiments, I cannot conclude without expressing the gratification I should feel if some of those persons with whom the early habits of my public life were formed would strengthen my hands, and constitute a part of my government. With such support, and aided by a vigorous and united administration, founded on the most liberal basis, I shall look with additional confidence to a prosperous issue of the most arduous contest in which Great Britain was ever engaged. You are authorized to communicate these sentiments to Lord Grey, who I. have no doubt will make them known to Lord Grenville.” The prince’s letter was shown to both Grey and Grenville, but they flatly refused to join the Perceval administration. The letter, and their reply to the Duke of York, were published in all the newspapers of the kingdom, and from this moment the Whigs began to revile the Prince of Wales, whom they had so long flattered and applauded. They had anticipated a return to power under his rule; and when they discovered that he adhered to his father’s line of policy, they no longer looked up to him as their rising sun. The old cry was indeed raised, that there was something behind the throne stronger than the throne itself, something that was subversive of the constitution. Earl Grey declared in the house of lords that the ministry depended for its existence upon an unseen influence; a power alien to the constitution; a disgusting and disastrous influence which consolidated abuses into a system, and which prevented both complaint and advice from reaching the royal ear; an influence which it was the duty of parliament to set its branding mark upon. Both in and out of parliament it was asserted that Lord Castlereagh’s return to office was the effect of the influence of a certain lady, and the auspices of the Hertford family.

ATTACKS UPON MINISTERS.

These murmurs broke out into open attacks upon the cabinet. On the 19th of March Lord Boringdon moved in the house of lords for an address to the prince regent, beseeching him to form an administration so composed as to unite the confidence and good will of all classes of his majesty’s subjects. His real meaning was that the regent should form a Grey and Grenville administration; but his irregular, if not unconstitutional motion, was got rid of by an amendment proposed by Lord Grimstone, which was carried by one hundred and sixty-five against seventy-two. A more violent attack on the ministry was subsequently made by Lord Donoughmore, when he moved for a committee on the Roman Catholic claims; but though his lordship’s motion was seconded by the Duke of Sussex his motion was lost: his speech was too much tainted with private pique to be heeded by parliament. A similar motion, urged by the eloquence of Mr. Grattan in the commons, met with a similar fate. At a later period, however, Mr. Canning carried a motion in opposition to ministers, pledging the house to consider early next session the state of the laws affecting the Roman Catholics of Great Britain and Ireland. In the lords a similar proposal made by the Marquis Wellesley was rejected.

ASSASSINATION OF MR. PERCEVAL.

During this session, as the continuance of outrages in several of the manufacturing counties continued, a severe law was enacted, which made the breaking of frames and administration of oaths a capital felony. These commotions were generally attributed to the operation of our orders in council, diminishing the demands for articles of British manufacture; and petitions were presented to both houses for a revocation of these edicts. In compliance with the general wish, a formal inquiry was instituted; but while it was depending, its leader was suddenly cut off by a tragical death. As Mr. Perceval, on the 11th of May, was entering the lobby of the house of commons he was shot through the heart, and after uttering a slight exclamation and staggering a few paces, he expired. The assassin, whose name was Bellingham, made no attempt to escape, and he was immediately arrested. Apprehensions were at first entertained that there might be a conspiracy; but it was soon discovered that no other person had been concerned with him, and that there was no mixture of political feeling in his motives. Bellingham had been a merchant; and in a commercial visit to Russia some time before he had met with serious losses, which he attributed to violence and injustice. He had repeatedly addressed Lord G. Leveson Gower, who had been our ambassador at Petersburgh, and he had presented memorials to the treasury, soliciting a compensation for losses; but these losses not having been incurred in the course of any public service, were considered as affording him no title to compensation. Mr. Perceval had rightly refused to listen to his applications; but Bellingham was enraged at his refusal, and resolved to sacrifice his life. He was found guilty of murder at the Old Bailey, and he underwent the extreme sentence of the law within one week of his perpetration of the fearful deed. Two days after the assassination parliament voted £50,000 for the children of the sacrificed minister, and £2000 to his widow for life. Subsequently another pension was voted to his eldest son, as was also a monument for the deceased in Westminster Abbey. The talents of Mr. Perceval were not splendid, but as chancellor of the exchequer he displayed considerable skill in augmenting the public burdens at a time when the war was conducted on a scale of unprecedented expenditure. His advancement seems to have been owing to his inflexibility on the Catholic question, at a time when a majority of the talented members of parliament was in favour of some concession. But if Mr. Perceval’s talents were not of the highest order, in private life few persons were more deservedly respected, and whose death was in consequence more lamented. Sir Samuel Romilly, in his “Diary of Parliamentary Life,” remarks that he could hardly have accompanied his refusal to listen to Bellingham with any harshness, for few men had ever less harshness in their nature than he had. A recent writer also says:—“We remember well walking through the populous streets and suburbs of the capital on that afternoon and evening, and seeing the mixed feelings of horror and pity expressed on almost every countenance.”

ADMINISTRATION OF LORD LIVERPOOL.

Considerable difficulty was experienced in supplying the vacancy occasioned by the death of Mr. Perceval. Overtures were made to the Marquis of Wellesley and Mr. Canning; but they refused to associate themselves with government, assigning as their reason the avowed sentiments of ministers on the Catholic question. An address was moved to the prince regent on the 21st of May, by Mr. Stuart Wortley, praying that he would take such measures as might be best calculated to form an efficient government. This address was carried; and in his reply the prince regent said he would take it into his most serious consideration. The Marquis of Wellesley was the first applied to; and he proposed, as the chief conditions on which the new cabinet should be formed, the early consideration of the Catholic question, and the more vigorous prosecution of the war in Spain. He attempted to form a ministry on these conditions, but failed; and at length, on the 8th of June, Lord Liverpool informed the house of lords that the prince regent had that day appointed him first commissioner of the treasury, and had authorized him to complete the arrangements for the ministry. The principal accessions made to the cabinet by Lord Liverpool were Lord Sidmouth as secretary of state for the home department; the Earl of Harrowby as lord president of the council; and Mr. Vansittart as chancellor of the exchequer.

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS.

On the 17th of June Mr. Vansittart, the new chancellor of the exchequer, brought forward his budget, which had been nearly arranged by his predecessor. The charges were stated at £7,025,700 for Ireland; and £55,350,648 for Great Britain. This was a terrible extent of charge, he said; but great as it was, the resources of the country were still equal to it. By an enumeration of ways and means, he produced a result of £55,390,460, including a loan of £15,650,000; but there had been previously a loan of £6,789,625; which, added to the new loan, and to exchequer-bills funded this year, created an annual interest of £1,905,924. To provide for this Mr. Vansittart proposed to discontinue the bounty on printed goods exported, and to increase the duties on tanned hides, glass, tobacco, sales by auction, postage of letters, and assessed taxes. The aggregate product of these increased duties were estimated at £1,903,000. The augmentation of the duty on leather was strongly opposed; but the whole budget received the sanction of the house.

POPULATION RETURNS, ETC.

During this session returns under the population act were laid before parliament. From these returns it appeared that Great Britain in 1801 had a population of 10,472,048 souls, and in 1811 no less than 11,911,644. These results revived the question of population compared with its means of subsistence. It appeared by accounts produced about this time, that during eleven years, from 1775 to 1786, the average quantity of grain imported was 564,143 quarters, from 1786 to 1798, 1,136,101 quarters, and from 1799 to 1810, 1,471,000 quarters. The average prices were in the first period named thirty shillings per quarter, in the second forty shillings, and in the third sixty shillings. During the last year no less a sum than £4,271,000 went out of the country to purchase subsistence for its inhabitants. It must be remembered, however, that at this period vast tracts of land remained uncultivated, and that the science of agriculture was but imperfectly understood.

BILL FOR PRESERVATION OF THE PEACE.

On the 27th of June the regent sent a message to each house of parliament, acquainting them that he had ordered copies to be laid before them of the information recently received relative to riots which had recently occurred in the cotton manufacturing districts of Lancashire and part of Cheshire, the clothing districts of Yorkshire, &c., confiding in their wisdom to adopt measures for restoring tranquillity. These papers were referred to a secret committee in each house, and the result was the introduction of a severe bill for the preservation of the public peace in the disturbed districts. Some members questioned the extent of the danger and the policy of the coercive bill; but it was carried through both houses.

BILL TO EXTEND THE PRIVILEGES OF DISSENTERS.

On the 10th of July Lord Castlereagh brought in a bill to extend the privileges of the dissenters. This bill, which proposed to repeal certain intolerant statutes and to amend others, relating to religious worship and assemblies, &c. was carried. A bill for improving the ecclesiastical courts in England also received the sanction of the legislature.

PROROGATION OF PARLIAMENT, ETC.

Parliament was prorogued on the 30th of July by commission; and on the 20th of September a proclamation was issued by the prince regent, announcing its dissolution.

CAPTURE OF CIUDAD RODRIGO BY THE BRITISH.

During the latter months of the preceding year Lord Wellington had been secretly preparing the means of recapturing Ciudad Rodrigo, the possession of that place still serving the French as a basis of operations on one of the frontiers of Portugal. His situation, says a Peninsular historian, was simply that of a man who felt that all depended on himself; that he must by some rapid and unexpected stroke effect in the field what his brother could not effect in the cabinet. Marmont favoured his designs on this place; for, deceived by his apparent careless attitude, the French armies were spread over an immense tract of country, and Ciudad Rodrigo was left unprotected. Lord Wellington marched against it early in January; and in twelve days from its first investment Ciudad Rodrigo was recaptured. In the assault the British suffered severe loss, there being in the whole about 1000 killed and wounded, among whom were many officers. General Mackinnon, and many of his brigade, were blown up by the explosion of a powder-magazine on the ramparts, and General Craufurd was mortally wounded. The loss of the garrison was also about 1000, besides 1700 prisoners. For the capture of this piece the Spanish Cortes passed a vote of thanks to Lord Wellington, and conferred on him the title of Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo. In England also his lordship obtained a step in the peerage, being created Earl of Wellington, with an annuity of £2000 annexed to the title. Thanks were voted by parliament both to him and his brave army.

The recapture of Ciudad Rodrigo was attended with fearful scenes. Colonel Napier says:—“Throwing off the restraint of discipline the troops committed frightful excesses: the town was fired in three or four places; the soldiers menaced their officers, and shot each other; intoxication soon increased the tumult; and at last the fury rising to absolute madness, a fire was wilfully lighted in the middle of the great magazine, when the town, and all within it, would have been blown to atoms, but for the energetic courage of some officers and a few soldiers, who still preserved their senses.” After order had been restored, orders were given to repair the breaches and level the intrenchments, while means were taken to provision the place.

{GEORGE III. 1812—1814}

STORM AND CAPTURE OF BADAJOZ.

Having recovered Ciudad Rodrigo, Wellington resolved to attempt the recovery of Badajoz. In preparing for this enterprise great secrecy was maintained; and when all was ready, his lordship, leaving one division of his army on the Agueda, marched with the rest from the northern to the southern frontier of Portugal. His artillery had previously been conveyed from Lisbon by sea to the Setubal river, whence it was carried by land across the Alemtejo to the banks of the Guadiana; and on the 16th of March Lord Wellington crossed that river, and immediately invested Badajoz. The Picurina, an advanced work separated from the body of the place by the small river Ribillas, was taken on the 25th, and on the 26th two batteries opened on the town. Expedition was essential; for at this time Marshal Soult was preparing for its relief, and Marmont, in the hope of effecting a diversion had entered Portugal, and was ravaging the country east of the Estrella. Thus called upon to action on the 6th of April, after three breaches were reported to be practicable, Lord Wellington gave orders for storming the place at ten o’clock that night. Badajoz was captured, but it was with great loss, owing to the formidable obstacles encountered by the allies. General Philippon, the governor of Badajoz, had adopted such an ingenious defence that effectually stopped the way of the British, that had not General Picton succeeded in carrying and establishing himself in the castle, and General Walker in entering the town by escalade in an opposite direction, the attempt might have failed. These successes distracted the French; and Lord Wellington, who had ordered his divisions to retire from the attack, now directed them again to advance, and then every obstacle was overcome. General Philippon with a few hundred men escaped across the Guadiana, and threw himself into Fort St. Cristoval, where he surrendered on the following morning. On the side of the allies about 1000 were slain, and from 4000 to 5000 wounded. The French lost about 1500 men slain, and nearly 4000 were taken prisoners. In Baclajoz from 3000 to 4000 Spaniards, English, and Portuguese, who had been taken prisoners by the French, were found, and were consequently released. It was on the 7th of April that Lord Wellington captured Badajoz, and on the 8th Soult had collected his army at Villa-franca, between Llerena and Merida; but hearing of the fall of the place he commenced a retreat to Seville. He was warmly pursued by the British cavalry, who cut up his rear-guard at Villa Garcia.

OPERATIONS IN SPAIN.

As soon as Lord Wellington had captured Badajoz he endeavoured to put the place into a state of defence. His lordship, however, had but little time to attend to this important measure. Marmont was at this time making himself strong in the north, and was blockading both the Spanish fortress of Ciudad Rodrigo and the fortress of Almeida. Leaving General Hill in the south, therefore, his lordship, on the 13th of April moved the main body of his army back to the north. Marmont now retreated to Salamanca, hoping to effect a junction with Soult; but he was prevented from this step by the capture of the strong forts which the French had erected at Almaraz on the Tagus, and which were captured by General Hill. At length, on the 13th of June, Lord Wellington broke up from his cantonments between the Coa and the Agueda with about 40,000 men, leaving General Hill near Almaraz with 12,000 more. As his lordship advanced into Spain, he received reports that Marmont was about to be re-enforced by a division consisting of nearly seven thousand men. Marmont already counted 40,000 infantry, 3000 artillery, and 4000 cavalry, so that he already had a decided superiority in numbers. Still Wellington pursued his march, and the whole of his army arrived upon the Val Musa rivulet, about six miles from Salamanca, on the 16th of June. Some of the cavalry and infantry of the enemy lay in front of the town of Salamanca; but they were driven in by the British, and Marmont evacuated the town in the night, leaving a garrison of some eight hundred men, in forts constructed on the rains of colleges and convents, which commanded the bridge that crosses the river Tormes. The allies, however, forded the river in places above and below the bridge, and on the 17th entered the town. Marmont made some efforts to relieve the forts which were now invested; but they were all taken by the 27th, and he then took up a strong position on the northern bank of the Duero. He was followed by Wellington, who took up a line on the southern bank of that river directly opposite to his opponent. Early in July Marmont was re-enforced by the expected division, and on the 11th of that month he threw two divisions across the Duero at Toro, when Wellington moved his army to the left to concentrate it on the Guareha, an affluent of the Duero. Marmont now ascended the northern bank of the river with his whole army, and again crossed over to the southern bank of the Duero, and assembled at Nava del Bey. He succeeded in re-establishing his communications with King Joseph and the army of the centre, which was advancing from Madrid to join him. The two armies remained on the opposite banks of the Guarena till the 20th of July, on which day they moved towards the Tormes in parallel lines. They crossed the Tormes on the following day; the allied army passing by the bridge of Salamanca, and the French by the fords higher up the river. The hostile troops were still facing each other, and both armies were still near Salamanca. In the course of the night Lord Wellington was informed that Marmont was about to be joined by the cavalry and horse-artillery of the north. No time was to be lost, and his lordship determined, if circumstances should not permit him to attack Marmont on the morrow, he would then move towards Ciudad Rodrigo. The morning of the morrow was spent in anxious suspense by the allies, birt the enemy gave no indication of his design to commence battle till noon, when some confusion was observed in his ranks. After a great variety of skilful manouvres on both sides, Marmont, inspired with the hope of destroying at one blow the whole English army, extended his line in order to enclose his allies within the position which they had taken up. This was an error of which Wellington immediately took advantage. Nearly the whole of his army was brought opposite to the enemy’s left, and an attack was commenced upon that wing. Three divisions, under Generals Leith, Cole, and Cotton, charged in front, while General Pakenham formed another across the enemy’s flank. This movement decided the victory. The left wing first, then the centre, and finally the right wing were defeated, and as the evening closed the whole force of the enemy was in total rout. The first great blow was given to the power of the French in Spain. In this battle the French lost three generals slain, and Marmont, Bonnet, and Clausel were wounded. Their total loss in killed and wounded was very great, and they left 7000 prisoners, eleven guns, and two eagles in the hands of the conquerors. The loss of the allies was also great, nearly 5000 being slain and wounded: among the slain was General Le Marchant, and among the wounded Generals Beresford, Leith, Cole, Spry, and Cotton; The pursuit of the enemy was renewed next day beyond the Tormes, when the British troops succeeded in capturing three brigades. In the course of the day Marmont was joined by a corps of 1200 cavalry from the army of the north, which covered the retreat of the centre as it hastened toward Valladolid. The pursuit was continued on the 24th, and the enemy was driven from Valladolid towards Burgos. Lord Wellington reached Valladolid the eighth day after the battle, and here he gave over the pursuit in order to make another important movement. On the day after the battle of Salamanca King Joseph had marched from the Escurial with 20,000 men, for the purpose of joining Marmont. On arriving at Arevalo he heard of Marmont’s defeat, and he then marched off by the right to Segovia, to attempt a diversion in favour of Clausel, who was now leading the retreating army. Lord Wellington therefore quitted Valladolid, recrossed the Duero, and marched against King Joseph, leaving a force on the Duero under General Paget to watch Clausel. King Joseph now retreated towards Madrid, whither he was followed by Lord Wellington, and from whence he was driven by his lordship. The British forces entered Madrid on the 12th of August, and was received with enthusiastic acclamations. Joseph fled to the left bank of the Tagus to rally his army between Aranjuez and Toledo, leaving a garrison in the Retiro palace. The troops found in the Retiro, however, were made prisoners of war on the 14th of August, so that Lord Wellington had complete possession of the Spanish capital. He appointed Don Carlos de Espaha Governor of Madrid, and the new constitution which the Cortes had made at Cadiz was proclaimed with great exultation. The air resounded with the shouts of “Long live the Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo! long live Wellington!” Subsequently a deputation waited upon his lordship with a congratulatory address, to which he wisely replied: “The events of the war are in the hands of Providence.”

In consequence of the capture of Madrid Soult raised the blockade of Cadiz, abandoned the whole of Western Andalusia, and concentrated his forces in Grenada. His retreat to Grenada was very disastrous: his army suffered greatly from the attacks of the allied force of the English and Spanish, the occasional attacks of the armed peasantry, and from the excessive heat and famine. In the meantime General Hill advanced from the Guadiana to the Tagus, and connected his operations with those of Wellington. On his approach, Joseph Buonaparte abandoned the line of the Tagus, and fell back to Almanza in Murcia, that he might preserve the line of communication with Soult in Granada, and Suchet on the borders of Valencia and Catalonia. By the close of August General Hill occupied all the places on the south of Madrid, and which occupation enabled him to cover the right of the allied army. These successes, however, were far from completing the recovery of Spain, and the situation of Lord Wellington in the Spanish capital was yet very critical. So ineffective was the aid which the natives afforded, and so great the military power which yet remained to be subdued, that a triumphant result was still uncertain. In a little time, indeed, Lord Wellington saw himself menaced by the three armies of the south, the centre, and the north, and he was compelled to retreat from Madrid. Before he commenced his retreat he made an attempt to capture Burgos: an attempt which failed chiefly from want of the requisite means of success. Lord Wellington now moved towards the Duero, and marched upon Salamanca, where he hoped to establish himself; but Soult having united his forces with those of Souham, which had advanced from Burgos, obliged him to continue his retreat. He effected his retreat in a masterly manner, before an army of 90,000 men, against which he could only oppose about 50,000, and on the 24th of November, he fixed his head-quarters at Freynada, on the Portuguese frontier. King Joseph now returned once more to Madrid, while Soult, who took the chief command of the combined French armies, established his head-quarters at Toledo, with his right wing resting on Salamanca. A great outcry was raised against Lord Wellington in England, on account of this retreat; but, fortunately, ministers were satisfied with the explanation of his motives, and resolved to send him all the assistance in their power. His lordship employed the winter months in rendering his army more effective, that he might in the ensuing campaign enter on a more decisive and extended course of operations. For this purpose he proceeded to Cadiz, to make arrangements for the co-operation of the Spanish armies, when it was settled that 50,000 troops should be placed at his disposal. This was full proof that the Cortes still placed confidence in him. They augured, indeed, that under the direction of so great a leader, those troops would pitch their tents on the banks of the Seine. The president remarked, “It would not be the first time that the Spanish lions had there trampled on the old _fleur-de-lys_ of France.”

WAR BETWEEN FRANCE AND RUSSIA.

It has been seen that the Emperor of Russia had declared war against Napoleon. Thwarted in his ambitious views upon the Ottoman empire, which he had been led to expect would be realized from the treaty of Tilsit, Alexander first became cool towards his brother spoliator, and then openly broke with him. Great preparations were made on both sides for the gigantic struggle, and Napoleon resolved to humble the czar in his own dominions. With an army of about 800,000 men he crossed the Vistula in June, and his onward march was a series of triumphs. The Russians everywhere retreated before him, until he came to the plains of Moscow, where he fought a hard battle with an army under Kutusoff, over whom he gained a victory. Moscow now fell into the hands of the conqueror. He entered it on the 14th of September, and took up his residence at the Kremlin, the ancient palace of the czars. But here his triumphs ended. The Russians had only retreated before him in order to allure him to destruction. Their plan was to avoid a battle till the enemy should be cut off from support, and till winter, famine, and fatigue had wasted his resources. And in order to ensure this final result they were willing to make large sacrifices. Smolensko was reduced to ashes, while Napoleon was on his route to Moscow, lest it should afford a shelter to his troops, and Napoleon had not been long in the imperial city, when the flames were seen casting their lurid glare to heaven on every side. In a brief space Moscow was in ruins, and Napoleon was compelled, in the month of October, to give orders to his troops to return to France. Few of his proud army, however, were destined again to behold their native country.

“Now did the Most High Exalt his still small voice; to quell that host, Gathered his mighty power, a manifest ally; He, whose heaped waves confounded the proud boast Of Pharaoh, said to Famine, Snow, and France, ‘Finish the strife by deadliest victory.’” —Wordsworth

Scarcely had Napoleon commenced his retrograde march when the snow, like a violent storm of the Alps, beat around the devoted heads of his soldiers, and their progress was henceforth a combat against their pitiless foes the Cossacks, who hovered around them, and the still more pitiless elements. Danger awaited him at every step and on every hand, and when he arrived on the margin of the Beresina, his vast army was reduced to about 14,000 men. And not all these reached France. The Russians under Wittgenstein now appeared in his rear, and one of his divisions was either destroyed or captured. Napoleon had passed over the Beresina with a part of his army by means of two frail bridges, leaving the defence of the retreat to Victor. A scene ensued which defies description. The retreating French tumbled each other into the stream, or voluntarily rushed in to escape the fire of the Russians; and in the midst of their terror one of the bridges gave way, and the crowd passing over it perished. When that river was frozen, it presented to the eye of the beholder one vast heap of human beings. Those who gained the opposite bank were saved, and Napoleon, leaving them under the care of Murat, repaired to Paris. He was stripped of everything; and yet he hoped to repair his fortunes. It is said that in the beginning of the next year, when the snow had melted away, 300,000 human bodies and 160,000 dead horses were burnt upon the Russian soil.

WAR WITH AMERICA.

During this year the disputes between England and America broke out into a war. On her part England had done what she could to bring these disputes to an amicable adjustment: even offering to suspend the offensive regulations of which the Americans complained, if the Americans would repeal the restrictive acts by which they had marked their resentment. The person, however, who now directed the councils of the United States was inimical to the interests of Great. Britain, and devoted to the views and interests of Napoleon. War was declared, and the world saw with surprise, a government calling itself free banding with a military despotism which had not its parallel In the world’s history. The Americans commenced the war by the invasion of Canada; but they were defeated in two engagements, and compelled to relinquish the enterprise. They consoled themselves, however, for these disasters by their success at sea, they having captured two English frigates, chiefly from the superiority of their own in size, weight of metal, and number of men. Similar disasters also attended our naval armaments on the lakes, arising chiefly from the above-mentioned cause. The English cabinet was much censured for want of foresight, in not having been prepared with ships of sufficient size to cope with their antagonists, but neither ministers nor people expected a long continuance of this war, as it was well known that in the northern states there existed a large and powerful party averse to it, as it was prejudicial to their interests. Proposals, apparently conciliatory, were, indeed, made by both parties, but the year closed without witnessing a suspension of hostilities.

MEETING OF THE NEW PARLIAMENT.

Parliament, with a newly-elected house of commons, assembled on the 24th of November; and on the 30th, the regent delivered an address from the throne, which embraced a variety of topics, the most prominent of which was the war in the Peninsula, that in Russia, and the contest in America. In the debates on the addresses, these events gave rise to much discussion in both houses, but they were carried unanimously. The most prominent; measures previous to the Christmas recess were a grant of £100,000 to the Marquess of Wellington for his services in Spain, and of £200,000 for the relief of the sufferers in Russia. The bullion question was also again discussed; but the house repeated Mr. Vansittart’s resolution of last year; namely, that guineas and bank-notes were of equal value in public estimation. Without such a resolution the war could not have been carried on, for there was not sufficient gold in the country to maintain the public credit.

DEBATES ON THE WAR WITH AMERICA.

{A.D. 1813}

On the reassembling of parliament in February, several stormy debates took place on the American war. In these debates the opposition not only blamed the ministry for the negligent manner in which the maritime part of the conflict had been conducted, but also with being the aggressors, and with having provoked an unnecessary and fatal contest. In order, therefore, to clear themselves from all imputations, Lord Castlereagh, on the 18th of February, moved an address to the prince regent, expressing entire approbation of the resistance proposed by his royal highness to the unjustifiable claims of the American government, a full conviction of the justice of the war on our part, and the assurance of a cordial support from that house. The opposition reiterated their complaints; but they would not venture upon a division, and the address was agreed to _nem. con_. Another address of a similar nature also passed the lords in the same triumphant manner.

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS.

The budget was introduced on the 31st of March. The supplies demanded were £72,000,000 out of which England and Scotland were to furnish £8,500,000. This was a larger amount than had been voted in any preceding year, but as the American war promised to be expensive, and as it was generally felt that we should put forth all our strength in order to finish the contest in Spain, and prolong our aid to Russia, &c., all the estimates were voted by large majorities. Among the ways and means were taxes to the amount of £21,000,000; a fresh loan to the same amount and a vote of credit for £6,000,000.

RENEWAL OF THE EAST INDIA COMPANY’S CHARTER.

One of the most important questions which came before parliament during this session was the renewal of the East India Company’s charter. On the 22nd of May Lord Castlereagh observed that the term of the existing charter would expire in May, 1814, and his majesty’s ministers had to consider these three propositions.—“Whether the existing government in India should be allowed to continue in its present state;—whether an entire change should take place in the system;—or whether a middle course should be adopted.” Evidence was heard at the bar of the house in order to throw light upon this important subject; and the witnesses, chiefly persons who had occupied high stations in India, were generally against opening the trade, or allowing missionaries to repair to the East for the purpose of converting the natives to the Christian religion. Finally, a bill was enacted for the prolongation of the company’s territorial power to April, 1834. At the same time it was resolved that such measures ought to be adopted as might tend to the introduction of useful knowledge, and of religious and moral improvement among the natives. The church establishment of the British territories in India was now, indeed, placed under the direction of a bishop and three archdeacons, and missionaries were to be licensed for the propagation of the gospel among the natives.

THE CATHOLIC QUESTION.

During this session Mr. Grattan carried a motion for referring the Catholic claims to a committee of the whole house. On the 30th of April, he presented to the house a bill for the removal of the civil and military disqualifications under which his majesty’s Roman Catholic subjects laboured; but this bill, though read a second time, was lost on its passage through the committee, Mr. Abbott, the speaker, having divided the house on the clause by which Catholic members were to be admitted to a seat in Parliament. This was rejected by a majority of two hundred and fifty-one against two hundred and forty-seven, and then the bill was abandoned by its supporters.

CURATES’ BILL, ETC.

The toleration displayed in the debates on the Catholic question induced Mr. Smith, one of the members for Norwich, to bring in a bill for the relief of Unitarian dissenters from the pains and penalties to which they were subject by a statute of William III. This bill passed into a law; neither the ministers nor the bench of bishops opposing its principle. Another bill, introduced by Lord Harrowby, was also passed, for the augmentation of stipends payable to curates; a class of divines who, though they bear “the burden and heat of the day,” have always, even to the present hour, been inadequately paid for their labours.

APPOINTMENT OF VICE-CHANCELLOR.

In consequence of the great accumulation of business in the court of chancery, a bill, proposed by Lord Redesdale, was passed this session, for the appointment of a vice-chancellor of England. This new official was to have full power to determine all cases of law and equity in the court of chancery to the same extent as the chancellors had been accustomed to determine; and his decrees were to be of equal validity, only they were to be subject to the revision of the lord chancellor, and not to be enrolled until signed by him.

DEBATES ON THE TREATY WITH SWEDEN.

On the 11th of June a treaty with Sweden was laid before parliament, which excited strong animadversion. By the solicitations of the Emperor of Russia the king and crown-prince had been induced to enter into the confederacy against France; and it was resolved, that, as the Danes had been subservient to French interests, they should be deprived of Norway for the gratification of the Swedes. To this stipulation the British court had acceded for two reasons:—first, that by the occupation of Norway the Swedes would be better enabled to secure their independence; and, secondly, because it was desirable that a country which abounded with naval stores should be possessed by a power friendly to England. The Swedes, also, were to receive a subsidy of one million from the English treasury; and the island of Guadaloupe was to be ceded to its monarch, on condition of his opening a depot for British goods at Gottenburg and other ports, in defiance of the continental system. Lord Holland deprecated the transfer of Norway; denounced the cession of Guadaloupe; and opposed the subsidy as inconsistent with the financial difficulties under which the country was labouring. The treaty was disgraceful, he said, both to Russia and Great Britain; and he expressed his disgust at the gross inconsistency of the two courts, which had so loudly exclaimed against Napoleon’s encroachments. Earl Grey was equally severe in his censures; but Lord Holland’s proposal to suspend the execution of the treaty was rejected. In the commons a similar debate took place; Mr. Ponsonby taking the lead as the opposer of the agreement; but a proposal to the same effect as that made by Lord Holland was rejected, and the prince regent was subsequently gratified with a compliant address.

PROROGATION OF PARLIAMENT.

The session closed on the 22nd of July with a speech from the throne, in which the prince regent expressed satisfaction at the favourable state of affairs on the continent, regret at the continuance of the war with the United States, and his approval of the arrangements for the government of British India. He concluded by expressing his resolution to employ the means placed in his hands by parliament in such a manner as might be best calculated to reduce the extravagant pretensions of the enemy, and facilitate the attainment of a safe and honourable peace.

{GEORGE III. 1812—1814}

AFFAIRS OF SPAIN.

The Russian campaign had operated favourably for the progress of the British arms in Spain. The catastrophe by which it was concluded not only prevented Napoleon from re-enforcing his marshals in Spain, But it also obliged him to recall the best of them; and among them Marshal Soult, whose generalship had cost Lord Wellington very serious thoughts. Still the French in Spain were formidable. Soult left behind him 70,000 men to oppose Wellington; and there was still an army, under Suchet, in the eastern provinces. At the opening of this year the French armies were thus disposed:—the army of Portugal, under General Reille, was in and around Valladolid; the army of the centre, under Drouet, was distributed round Madrid; and the army of the south was at Toledo. All these forces were under King Joseph, who was assisted by Marshal Jourdan; Generals Clausel and Foy commanded separate divisions in Aragon and Biscay. Against these forces Lord Wellington could only bring 63,000 British and Portuguese infantry and 6,000 cavalry, on whom he could rely; for, though measures had been taken to improve the Spanish troops, their slothfulness and indiscipline were evils which could not be suddenly remedied; and therefore his lordship did not expect great things from them. He commenced operations about the middle of May, making the allied army enter Spain in three separate bodies; the left under Sir Thomas Graham, the right under General Hill, and the centre under his own command. The French were alarmed; and on the 1st of June they were in full retreat before Graham. Subsequently the three divisions of the allied army united; and Wellington was also joined by the Spanish army from Galicia, and by a Spanish force from the south. Thus strengthened Lord Wellington advanced towards Madrid; and as he advanced Joseph Buonaparte again took refuge in flight. The French army retired to Burgos; but as Wellington approached they blew up the fortifications of the castle, and retreated to the Ebro. A strong garrison was thrown into the fortress of Pancoros, a little in advance of the river, and they conceived that they could defend this line; but Lord Wellington found out a new road through a rugged country, completely turned their position on the Ebro, and drove them back upon Vittoria, after a successful engagement at Osma. Lord Wellington still pursued them; and on the 21st of June he gained a complete victory over them on the plains of Vittoria. In this battle the enemy lost one hundred and fifty-one pieces of cannon, four hundred and fifteen waggons of ammunition, all their baggage, provisions, and treasures, with the French commander’s, Jourdan’s, baton of a marshal of France. Their loss in killed and wounded, according to their own statement, amounted to eight thousand men; while the total loss of the allies was seven hundred and forty killed, and four thousand one hundred and seventy-four wounded. The French army was, indeed, reduced to a total wreck; and they saved themselves from utter destruction only by abandoning the whole _materiel_ of the army, and running away from the field of battle like an undisciplined mob. About one thousand were taken prisoners in their flight; but, lightened of their usual burdens, they ran with so much alacrity that it was generally impossible to overtake them. The spoils of the field also occupied and detained the troops of Wellington, they thinking more of the money and the wine than the flying foe. Lord Wellington, however, continued the pursuit; and on the 25th took the enemy’s only remaining gun. This victory was complete; and the battle of Vittoria was celebrated in England by illuminations and fêtes; while the Cortes, by an unanimous vote, decreed a territorial property to Lord Wellington, in testimony of the gratitude of the Spanish nation.

When the battle of Vittoria was fought General Clausel, with about 14,000 men, had commenced his march to support Joseph; but now changing his direction, he turned towards Logrono, and then to Saragossa, with the guerilla forces of Mina and Sau-chez hanging on his rear. As for Joseph he scarcely looked back before he reached the walls of Pamplona in Navarre. Joseph was admitted into its walls; but the fugitives from Vittoria were refused an entrance; and when they attempted to scale the walls they were fired upon by their own countrymen, as if they had been mortal foes; and they were compelled to continue their flight across the Pyrenees towards France. Subsequently General Clausel retreated by the central Pyrenees into France; and General Foy likewise, who was with another division of the French army at Bilboa, fell back rapidly upon French territory and the fortress of Bayonne. Except on the eastern coast, where Suchet was with about 40,000 men, there was not a spot in all Spain where the French dared show themselves. Lord Wellington, under these circumstances, turned his attention to the capture of some of the strongholds in which French garrisons were maintained. He established the blockade of Pamplona, and directed Graham to invest San Sebastian; and he then advanced with the main body of his army to occupy the passes of the Pyrenees from Roncesvalles to Irun, at the mouth of the Bidassoa. Early in July, having driven the enemy to his own soil, his sentinels looked down from the rugged frontier of Spain upon the lovely and fertile plains of France. In forty-five days he had conducted the allied army from the frontiers of Portugal to the Pyrenees; he had marched four hundred miles; had gained a great and complete victory; had driven the French through a country abounding in strong positions; had liberated Spain; and now stood as a conqueror upon the skirts of France.

The campaign was not yet over. Sensibly affected by this defeat of Jourdan, Napoleon immediately superseded that officer in the command, and appointed Soult to succeed him, with the title of Lieutenant-general of the empire. His directions were to re-equip the defeated troops, to gather formidable re-enforcements, to lead his masses speedily against Wellington, to clear the French frontier and the passes of the Pyrenees, relieve Pamplona and San Sebastian, and to drive the allied army behind the Ebro. Soult undertook to do all this; and having collected all manner of disposable forces, on the 13th of July he joined the disorganized fragments of Jourdan’s army. On his arrival he forthwith issued one of those boastful addresses for which the French emperor and his marshals had become celebrated. He remarked:—“I have borne testimony to the emperor of your bravery and zeal: his instructions are that you must drive the enemy from those heights, which enable them to look proudly down on our fertile valleys, and then chase them beyond the Ebro. It is on the Spanish soil that your tents must be pitched and your resources drawn. Let the account of our successes be dated from Vittoria, and let the fête-day of his majesty be celebrated in that city.” At this time Wellington’s attention was divided between the care of his army on the frontier of France and the siege of San Sebastian. He was returning from San Sebastian to his head-quarters on the night of the 17th of July, when he received intelligence that the great army of Soult, from 70,000 to 80,000 strong, was in rapid motion; that the French had overpowered his troops in two of the mountain passes on the right of the allied army; had penetrated into the valleys of the Pyrenees, and were pressing onwards for Pamplona. “We must do the best to stop them,” was the prompt reply; and stop them he did after a week’s almost incessant fighting. From the 25th of July to the 2nd of August a series of engagements took place, the result of which was the retreat of Soult from the Spanish frontiers into France, with a loss, in killed and prisoners, of nearly 20,000 men. In a private letter, just after the “battles of the Pyrenees,” Wellington wrote, “I never saw such fighting as we had here. It began on the 25th of Jury, and, excepting the 29th, when not a shot was fired, we had it every day till the 2nd of August. The battle of the 28th was fierce bludgeon work. The fourth division was principally engaged, and the loss of the enemy was immense. I hope Soult will not feel any inclination to renew his expedition. The French army must have suffered considerably. Between the 25th of last month and the 2nd of this they were engaged seriously not less than ten times, on many occasions in attacking very strong positions, in others beat from them or pursued. I understand their officers say they have lost 15,000 men: I thought so; but as they say so, I now think more. I believe we have about four thousand prisoners. It is strange enough that our diminution of strength up to the 31st did not exceed 1,500 men, although I believe our casualties are 6,000.” In his retreat Soult was closely followed by his adversaries; but, after meeting with severe loss, especially in crossing the Bidassoa, he conducted the main body of his army in safety to France. Lord Wellington at first designed to follow the enemy into his own country, but weighty considerations induced him to abandon this design; and the two armies therefore rested quiet in their respective positions. In the interval of repose efforts were made by the French to relieve San Sebastian; and these were met by an increased activity on the part of the allies to capture both, that place and Pamplona. In his attempt to relieve San Sebastian Soult was defeated by the Spanish troops alone, and the place was captured on the 8th of September, when the garrison, consisting of about 1,800 men, were made prisoners. On the 31st of October, also, the French in Pamplona, having lost all hope of relief, surrendered prisoners of war to Don Carlos de Espana, who had latterly commanded the blockading forces. But before the reduction of Pamplona Lord Wellington had called down part of his troops from the heights of the Pyrenees, and had led them forward a march or two on French ground. Early in October he took possession of the French hills of La Rhune; and on the 10th of November he called down the rest of the allied army, and began to descend into the valleys on the French side. Before taking this decisive step he told the officers and soldiers of the various nations that followed his standard, to remember that they were at war with France because the ruler of the French would not allow them to be at peace, and wanted to force them to submit to his yoke; and he exhorted them not to retaliate on the peaceable inhabitants of France the injuries that the soldiers of Napoleon had inflicted on their own countrymen. It was difficult to convince the Spanish and Portuguese troops that they ought not to retaliate upon the French; but the Portuguese at least attended to the exhortation. The admirable discipline maintained, indeed, the care bestowed to see that the property and persons of the French were protected, converted all around into friends, and they came flocking to the English camp with provisions and wine as to a friendly market. Men, women, and children, struck with admiration at their conduct, followed our troops and wished them success in their enterprise. In the meantime, Soult had retired to a strong position on the Nivelle, his right resting upon St. Jean de Luz, and his left upon Ainhoe. From this position he was driven on the 10th of November, and Lord Wellington established his head-quarters at St. Jean de Luz, on the right bank of the Nivelle, while the allies went into cantonments between the sea and the river Nive, where their extreme right rested on Cambo. The enemy guarded the right bank of the Nive from Bayonne to St. Jean Pied de Port; but Lord Wellington, being straitened for room and supplies for his army, resolved to cross the Nive, and occupy the country between that river and the Adour. This was effected, and the French were driven to Bayonne. Subsequently, during the month of December, Soult made several attempts to dislodge the British; but all his attacks were repulsed with great loss, and the French marshal finally drew off his troops in despair, and retired into his entrenched camp The allied army had also need of rest and re-enforcements, and it went into winter-quarters. The campaign of 1813, in which the troops of France had been taught the frail tenure of human fame, was terminated.

In the meantime, ill-success had attended the British arms on the eastern coast of the Peninsula. On the 3rd of June, General Sir John Murray had invested Tarragona, but after advancing his batteries against it he received reports that Suchet was marching from Valencia for its relief, and he immediately re-embarked his army, leaving his cannon in the batteries. General Murray was succeeded in his command in August by Lord William Bentinck, who resumed the siege of Tarragona, but it was abandoned on the approach of Suchet, and the French marshal entered the city, destroyed the works, withdrew the garrison, and retired towards Barcelona. At this time the state of affairs in Sicily, and the ill-success of political changes there, rendered it necessary for Lord Bentinck to repair thither, and the command devolved on Sir William Clinton; who as soon as arrangements could be made for restoring the works at Tarragona and supplying with provisions the Spanish troops attached to his command, fixed his head-quarters at Villa-franca With an inadequate force, Sir William had to prevent Suchet from following up his recent advantages, and so to occupy his attention, as to stop the succours which he might send to Soult.

AMERICAN CAMPAIGN.

In the midst of the important affairs on the continent, the events of the war with the United States scarcely attracted public attention. These events were various, though unimportant. In the month of January the Americans collected a large force in the back settlements, and again approached Detroit, when Colonel Proctor routed their advanced guard, and captured five hundred men, with their commander, General Winchester. In April, the American general, Dearborn, took possession of York, at the head of the Lake Ontario, from whence General Sheaffe and the garrison was compelled to retire. About the same time, also, General Vincent was obliged by superiority of numbers to vacate Fort St. George, on the Niagara frontier, and on the 5th of June he compelled the enemy to fall back again on Niagara; but soon after Colonel Proctor was attacked by the American General, Harrison, with 10,000 men, who captured nearly the whole of his force, he himself escaping with a few attendants. Towards the end of October three American armies, each amounting to 10,000 men, marched from different points upon Lower Canada: but this great effort was frustrated by the vigilance of Sir George Prévost. During the autumn a squadron of six British vessels was captured by a superior American squadron, on Lake Erie, but on the whole the campaign was honourable to the British arms. When defeated, it was only by dint of overwhelming numbers. Between the “Shannon” and the “Chesapeak,” ships of superior force, there was a fierce battle in Boston Bay, which resulted in the capture of the American vessel, the “Chesapeak,” although she had in number and weight of guns, as well as in the number of its crew, a considerable superiority over the “Shannon.” After a fierce conflict of fifteen minutes’ duration, the “Chesapeak” was on its way with the conqueror, Captain Broke, to Halifax. In St. George’s Channel, also, an American sloop of war was captured by the British sloop, “Pelican.”

MEETING OF PARLIAMENT.

Parliament met on the 4th of November. In his speech the prince declared that no disposition to require sacrifices from France, inconsistent with her honour and just pretensions, would ever be an obstacle to peace; and that he was ready to enter into discussion with the United States, on principles not opposed to the established maxims of public law and the maritime right of the British empire. The speech naturally noticed the successes which had crowned his majesty’s arms and those of his allies in the present year, and it also spoke of the now prosperous state of British commerce, despite the enemy’s efforts to crush it. The speech of the prince regent was received with universal assent and joy. The voice of opposition, indeed, was entirely hushed, and in both houses the addresses were carried _nem. con_.

BILL FOR ALLOWING THE MILITIA TO VOLUNTEER INTO THE LINE, ETC.

Early in this session Lord Castlereagh introduced a bill for allowing three-fourths of any militia regiment to volunteer for foreign service, which bill passed without opposition. Parliament also gave its ready sanction for a loan of £22,000,000 as well as for subsidies to Sweden, Russia, and Austria. Previous to this, £2,000,000 had been advanced to Spain, two to Portugal, and one to Sweden: the sum to be allowed to Russia and Prussia was estimated at £5,000,000 and the advance to Austria consisted of £1,000,000, together with 1,000,000 stand of arms and military stores in proportion. At this time men of all parties, from a desire to humble our one great foe, concurred in supporting the foreign policy of our cabinet. The desired grants being obtained, parliament adjourned to the month of March.