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The produce of the country had already been almost wholly devoured by the French: judge then how difficult it would be to provide, even in "the barest manner, provisions sufficient to subsist so large a body. And "when we add to this failure at the very source, the waste which is occa"sioned by the turbulent conduct of the soldiers themselves, you will not "be surprized that one half of the army should be entirely without food.

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"It is to be lamented that the officers have not applied themselves to 46 remedy this evil by seeing that the men receive their rations in an orderly manner. The non-commissioned officers are at these times of no avail; " no respect is paid either to their remonstrances or commands; and the$6 men crowd to the doors of the different houses, where wines &c. are to "be given out; and with the most impatient and tumultuous vehemence "demand their supply. Not waiting to be served in proper rotation, they "force their way into the place, helping themselves, and destroying in their "haste half what was prepared for those who were to follow; oversetting "the wine, trampling on every thing, and terrifying the affrighted native "whose charge it was to dispense the provisions, until for his own safety's "sake, he makes the best of his way from amongst such a herd of unrestrain"able and violent men.

"This, with many other instances of the like nature, mark the wide "difference between a retreating and an advancing army. In the one case, all is hope, spirit, and honour. In the other, disappointment, dejec❝tion, and anticipated contempt, entirely change the man, and make him "incur the obloquy he fears. Retreat is never an agreeable movement at "the best; and when at the worst, as it is with us, no fancy can imagine its " misery, no pen describe its horrors!

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Every object which presented itself on the roads and in the villages were so many proofs of the terrors of war, and of the devastation that "surrounded us. Famishing peasantry fled by us with gaunt and horrid "looks; while, as we marched along we passed their kindred of all ages "dying and dead, without power to relieve them, or to rescue our own "followers from a similar fate.

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"The army in no respect seemed the remains of the same we had brought "from Portugal. Its appearance, its discipline, were gone. You could "not suppose that the officers it was before so ready to obey, commanded "it now; all deference to their orders was lost; and it was with the greatest difficulty that we could deter the men from not only pillaging, "but committing every excess which is hardly excuseable in an enemy. Even "with all our exertions, we saw villages and houses burning in all directions; some put in that condition by negligence, but many, I must say, by the "wantonness of our refractory men. The poor cottagers were plundered; "and multitudes of homeless, destitute people were continually hastening "to the officers as they came up, imploring them for a redress which was out of their power to bestow. Alas! our pity and regret were all we had to "offer and they retired in an anguish, the recollection of which even now wrings my soul. But it is not compassion alone which excites what is now passing in my breast; it is shame for dishonoured England-dis"honoured by the indignant despair of our troops, even while her own "faithful hand was opened to abundantly succour the nation in which we "suffered. It is true, we have been deceived, abandoned in Spain; but

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VOL. IK

"the treachery or weakness of others should be no lesson to teach us base "retaliation. Every officer with the army feels in this respect as I do; "and are more grieved at such misconduct in our troops than by all their "other misfortunes."

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What deserves to be noticed more particularly on this subject is, that the French General during the last campaign brought forward charges against the retreating army of Lord Wellington, similar to those his lordship has recently brought against the retreating army of the French general. Massena in one of his dispatches states as follows:-" The enemy burns and destroys every thing as he eva"cuates the country: he compels the inhabitants to abandon their "houses. Coimbra a town of 20,000 inhabitants is deserted. We "find no provision; the army is subsisting on Indian corn, and the vegetables which we find remaining in the ground. Lord Wel"lington, not daring to wait for us in the open country, endeavours "to destroy every thing which might subsist an army: the people "of the towns are very miserable; they are compelled to serve on "pain of death. In short no period of history furnishes an example of such barbarity!"-That these complaints of the French general were not without foundation may be inferred from the very apology of Lord Wellington's panegyrists. The Courier on this subject remarked as follows." Massena affects to be horror "struck at the ravages we have committed in Portugal, in cutting "down the corn, destoying the mills, and making a desert of "the country. He knows that the English have not done this "without the consent of the Portuguese: this part of his letter "pleases us, because it shews the disposition of the Portuguese. Blighted be the corn exclaims this gallant loyal people, and blasted "be the grass, wherever the hoof of Frenchman treads. May the "earth yield him neither food nor water; may his unburied bones "bleach the ground he would have reduced beneath his yoke."* Whether there are any people in this country who are such perfect idiots as to believe that the inhabitants of Portugal should request the British troops (as they were not sufficiently able themselves) to practise every species of plunder and outrage, to cut down the corn, destroy the mills, and make a desart of the country," for fear least the French should afterwards do it for them,-whether there are such perfect idiots as to credit such unsufferable nonsense, we have our doubts. Our readers will judge if we are not correct in the opinion already expressed, that retreating armies are in almost every instance a curse to the country they pass through. Leaving the balance of guilt to be settled by the hostile parties, and their respective admirers, we beg leave to repeat the remark made at the time, on the apology for British enormities :-"The people of

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* Pol. Rev. Vol. VIII. p. lxvii.

"Portugal severely suffering from the ravages of their deliverers, "as well as their invaders, may naturally wish that the unburied "bones of both armies might bleach the country they had in their “different turns, rendered the melancholy theatre of plunder, conflagration, blood, and devastation."

The details of the retreat of the French army which have been published at great length, both officially and from private letters, and foreign prints, have served somewhat to divert the public attention from our own situation, and the difficulties which surround us, and which are fast accumulating in consequence of our increased and increasing paper circulation, and our decreased and decreasing specie, both gold and silver. Numberless pamphlets have been published on the subject, and the report of the bullion committee, with the resolutions of the chairman founded on that report are to be taken into consideration on the 30th instant. From the opinions which Mr. Perceval and his friends have already divulged on the subject, it requires no great sagacity to fortel, that all Mr. Horner's resolutions will be negatived, and that another set of resolutions to be brought forward by the minister, will be carried by a considerable majority. It will not, however, in our opinion materially signify what resolutions may be negatived or adopted, whilst the majority of both parties agree to carry on the war. Peace and peace only, can restore our commerce, and credit, diminish our paper circulation, and call back our specie. We are on the eve of a loan of about twenty millions. The amount of exchequer bills, including those voted for the relief of the commercial world, will, probably by the close of the session, be from fifteen to twenty millions more! Twelve millions of exchequer bills issued previous to the present year, are to be funded, that is added to our national debt. Distinguish these various modes of borrowing by what name you please, the plain truth is—All these millions are so much paper, and only paper. We say nothing now of the frightful budget of fresh taxes, or of additions to our former taxes; but we demand -What object can we rationally hope to obtain by continuing the war, that can possibly afford us a recompence for the cost of such an enormous addition to our debts, taxes, and paper circulation which it must necessarily occasion, and at a period when the nation is at its wits end, for the means of procuring specie, not for the supply of large sums, (for we have long been content to part with our guineas,) to enable us to carry on the war, but for silver to answer the purposes of change, and the numberless daily wants of common life. We therefore repeat to our countrymen the important truth, that peace, speedy peace, followed by a radical reform in our representation, as the prelude to a radical reform in the different departments of government, are the only

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means of our national salvation; and that it is the first and most imperious duty of ministers to endeavour to open a negociation with France. It is useless to say the French Emperor is not disposed to listen to honourable terms of peace: till we make the trial, and so long as we persist, as we have hitherto done, in refusing to negogiate, the guilt of the war rests upon Britain, and we may be asşured that suitable punishment, the retributive justice of heaven on corrupt, proud, incorrigible nations, will be our doom.

PARLIAMENTARY PROCEEDINGS.

Subsidy to the Portuguese.--The distresses of the Portuguese, in consequence of the ravages of the French retreating army, have excited the attention of our legislative bodies, and of our merchants. Compassion for the unfortunate, is a godlike virtue, and the grand ornament of humanity; but whilst exercising this virtue, it is the incumbent duty of every man to be careful that he is not imposed upon by specious language, and that under the pretence of relieving individual distress, he is not encouraging a system, which in the course of the past twenty years, has doubled the number of our paupers, and has brought incalculable calamities on this country, and on the major part of the states on the continent.

That there is an absolute necessity for cautioning our countrymen is evident from the language used by ministers and their hireling writers in our daily prints. Not content with appealing to public benevolence, on the ground of compassion to the unfortunate, every method is taken to represent the proposed aid to the Portuguese in a political point of view; and the grant of parliament as well as private subscriptions, are considered as stamping approbation on the plans of ministers adopted in Portugal and Spain, and of course as an encouragement to them to persevere in a system, which no retreat of the French can prove to be, from the com. mencement of the contest to the present moment, or at least from the period of the termination of Sir John Moore's unfortunate campaign, any other than a wanton waste of the blood and resources of the British nation. What is still more disgusting, hypocrisy unites with the love of war in representing the proposed grant to the Portuguese, an act so meritorious in the sight of God, as to cover our national sins, and render us the favourites of Heaven. Mr. Perceval introduced his motion for a grant of one hundred thousand pounds to the suffering Portuguese by a pompous speech, in which he enlarged on the wisdom of ministers, that is, of himself and his colleagues, and on the great magnanimity, fidelity and liberality of the British nation: he trusted that her conduct on this occasion,

would shew in a decided manner the advantages of British con"nection, compared with French connection." But the views of the minister were not limited to the effects this act of national generosity might produce in Portugal and Spain: no; his mind was full of the deliverance of Europe. "Its effects," he added, "will "operate generally throughout Europe, and throughout the world. "But in addition to this," adds this saint-like statesman, 66 we have "to look to a still higher motive. It will mark our gratitude to "the superintending Providence of the great giver of victories, "who has permitted the spirited valour of our armies to accomplish "such brilliant achievements, and in whose sight an act of this "nature may prove not unacceptable, and may procure to us a "continuance of his countenance and support! All these objects," that is all these political and religious considerations "combined, ought certainly to operate upon us in the strongest manner. "It will be difficult indeed to resist the united current of so many "motives." The house testified their approbation of this politico religious farrago, by their cheerings. But what must the evange lical Mr. Wilberforce have thought of this legal, pharisaical, filthy rag righteousness of his right hon. friend who had so often been the object of his warmest panegyrick? In describing the piety of the minister we have used a scripture phrase which has been too often most improperly applied to that sincere and genuine righteousness of a good man, of great price in the sight of God; but which phrase is employed by the Jewish prophet, to represent the abhorrence of the Almighty of the pretended piety of a people who, in church and state, seem to have been the grand type of the British nation at the present period; who whilst they were boasting of their being the favourites of heaven, vaunting to others—I am holier than thou, were all as an unclean thing, their righteousnesses as filthy rags, the whole community a body corrupt, full of wounds, bruises, and putrifying sores, their hands full of blood, their national church a compound of hypocrisy and superstition, in which even divine ordinances were prostituted to delude the people to their ruin, and whose iniquitous course, reprobated in the most energetic language of inspiration, finally drew down the most awful judgments of the Almighty.*

The hirelings of ministers echo, and re-echo the language of their employers, and carefully inculcate the sentiment, that a subscription for the Portuguese is to be interpreted, as approving the system on which ministers have conducted the war, more particularly in Spain and Portugal. Thus the Morning Post represents the matter. "We have more than once assisted Portugal when

See Isaiah, Chap. I. throughout, and Chap. LXIV. 6, 7.

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