began by observing, that after the angry and hostile discussions which had occupied a great portion of the present session, it was with much satisfaction that he rose to address them on a subject, upon the main point of which there was not likely to occur any difference of opinion; for he felt confident that there would exist but one, within and without their walls, as to the merit of the gallant officer, and the small corps, whose services it had fallen to his, lot to submit to the consideration of the House. There were two questions of which he begged gentlemen, on the present occasion, if possible, to divest their minds:—the one, the perilous situation of Spain and Portugal at this moment; the other, the wisdom or impolicy of having at all (or in the manner in which we have) interfered in the war in these countries. We are not to undervalue the importance of military services achieved in the Peninsula, from their having failed in rescuing it from the grasp of the enemy—that is, from their not having succeeded in accomplishing that which no rational, certainly no military mind could have expected from such means. Neither are we to consider ourselves as pledged to approve the principle of the war, because we confer the distinguished honour of the approbation of this House upon the troops employed in that service. There was nothing further from his intention than to depreciate, by invidious comparison, the merit of any officer, however humble or elevated his rank. He had long been greatly anxious to find this country disposed at last to make what might be considered a fair military exertion—such as, he was sorry to say, he could not agree had been attempted, even since the commencement of the war in 1793. With this feeling, he had been desirous to see at the head of the country, a government both willing and capable of calling forth and directing such energies. With whatever jealousy he should feel it to be his duty towards any government narrowly to examine into the policy of all such Expeditions, their objects, and the means employed to effect them, and certainly never more disposed to scrutinize than at the present moment; still entertaining a small esteem and regard for the profession of arms; estimating highly the zeal and value of our troops in both services; recollecting that they seldom or ever fail to accomplish their part in the most brilliant manner; being also ready to make due allowance for the embarrassments under which government plan and direct such operations—with this disposition, he had come to the consideration of such questions, but with the most anxious wish to applaud and reward. As to the present one, he hoped it will be decided solely by its own merits—Sir Robert Wilson having arrived at Oporto in September, 1808, was enabled by the December following, to raise arm and discipline a corps, called the Royal Lusitanian Legion, with which he took the field within the short space of three months, having previously obtained, for his zeal, alacrity, and talent in organizing this corps, and for his earnestness in the public cause, the confidence and approbation of the government of Oporto. In December, being apprized of the defeats which the different Spanish armies had sustained, and of the alarm which very generally pervaded Spain and Portugal, he decided upon advancing towards the frontier, and having crossed the Daneo, took up a position in the province of Salamanca, where the enemy shortly arrived with a corps, which at last amounted to about 12,000 men, and which, at all times, was more than double the force of sir R. Wilson, whose corps never exceeded 3,000. Without entering into a detail of operations in this quarter, one cannot avoid admiring the boldness and judgment with which this forward movement was conceived and executed. The ever to be lamented sir John Moore had but recently sealed by his death his victory at Corunna; his brave troops had already reached the shores of Britain. The few scattered English regiments which remained in Portugal, had hastily been concentrated at Lisbon, expecting hourly to be obliged to abandon the country, at the distance of nearly 200 miles from sir. R. Wilson, whose fate they awaited with the utmost anxiety, and whose daring conduct they could not but view with admiration. It was at a moment thus critical and appalling, that he came to the decision of affording a signal example of undaunted firmness, to the Portuguese and Spanish nations, and at the most imminent risk interposed his small corps to the further progress of the enemy in that quarter; when, by a most judicious disposition of his troops, he was enabled effectually to deceive the enemy as to his great inferiority of numbers, and by frequent well-timed, continued sallies, as by the most gallant defence of posts, he kept him much on the alert—foiled his projects—withheld a part of a province abundant in resources, and kept open the communication between the northern and southern provinces of Spain. At the latter end of April, gen. Laplisse, who commanded the French corps in Salamanca, having moved upon the Aguida, in order to combine a movement with Marshal Soult, at that time advancing in another direction upon Oporto, was driven by sir Robert Wilson from the bridge St. Tipics, on that river, which he had occupied, as opening his march into Portugal. It happened, however, that this general, shortly after, abandoned his original plan, of moving on Oporto, and proceeded to the southward to join Marshal Victor. During his progress, he was pursued and harrassed by the legion with some loss; but the junction with Victor was effected. Sir Robert Wilson now received orders to join lord Wellington, which he did, having first placed his corps in a very strong position at Alcantara. And it is but justice to the corps to mention, in passing, that, commanded by colonel Maine, in the absence of sir Robert Wilson, it gallantly and successfully defended itself when attacked at Alcantara, by a very superior force under Marshal Victor—for this spirited conduct, colonel Maine and the corps received the thanks of Marshal Beresford. (Here the honourable gentlemen read the thanks from the Gazette.) Having joined lord Wellington, sir Robert Wilson was entrusted with the command of the van of Marshal Beresford's army, and although that part of the allied army had not an opportunity of coming up with the enemy, he received the thanks of the marshal for the manner in which he had conducted the advance. Upon the expulsion of Soult, sir R. Wilson again reassumed the command of his legion, and, with the rank and emolument of brigadier-general, composed the advance to lord Wellington's army on his march to Talavera. Here he should merely state, that at one moment of that advance, sir R. Wilson was within three leagues of Madrid, having had frequent skirmishes with the enemy, who by their own dispatches, appear to have been considerably alarmed by the movements of this corps. (Here the honourable gentleman read several passages from the Moniteur, to the above effect.) From this point he was recalled, in consequence of the expected battle of Talavera, and by forced marches he was enabled, early in the action, to take up a position in the rear of the enemy—a position of considerable risk to himself, as the whole of the French force intervened between his small corps and the allied army; but one from which he could have considerably annoyed them, had they retreated in that direction. Afterwards, by a movement along the enemy's right flank during the night, he succeeded in joining lord Wellington early in the morning of the following day. Gentlemen are aware that, by his lordship's dispatch, it appears that the enemy did not retire from the position which he had occupied after the battle of Talavera, till towards the end of the second day after the action, and his retrograde movement then may be attributed to a manœuvre ordered by lord Wellington, and undertaken by sir R. Wilson at the head of his corps, by which in a masterly manner, he threatened the enemy's flank, as apears from the French accounts—(which the honourable gentleman here cited from the Moniteur). The importance to the allied army of this retrograde movement, on the part of the enemy, needs no comment. Immediately after, lord Wellington having retired from Talavera, in the hope of destroying Soult's corps, in which expectation he was disappointed by the advance of the French army under Joseph Buonaparté, sir R. Wilson being again separated from the allied army, and compelled to make a circuitous retreat through a difficult country, fell in with (in the passes of Banos) one of the French divisions, where, though ultimately defeated, he very gallantly disputed the passage of the enemy for several hours. The best commendation of the conduct of his corps, and of his own personal exertions in that action, will be found in the enemy's report of that affair. (Here the hon. gent. read the account of the battle of Banos, as given by the enemy, the duke of Elchingen.) This action it is material to observe, sir R. Wilson might have avoided, for he had already passed the road by which the French had to advance, and being apprized of his approach in this quarter, he retraced his steps, and interposed himself to the march of this corps. In this conduct the House will discover the same mind which actuated sir R. Wilson during the whole of his operations in the province of Salamanca. We knew he had not the means of giving effectual resistance to the enemy, but he felt also that he could embarrass and retard him. That some estimation may be formed of the importance of the general services of this officer, he begged leave to state, that the government of Oporto made him a very liberal offer of a pension of 1,000l. a year, which, with great propriety, he declined, and of this circumstance the late secretary of state is fully apprized. By his advance upon Almeida and Rodrigo, he rescued stores and property to a considerable amount; and by his advanced position, contributed to prevent the speedy evacuation of Portugal. He (Mr. H.) had thus, with as much brevity as the nature of the subject would admit, put the House in possession of the services of this gallant officer and his corps. They have already received the unqualified approbation both of the Spanish and Portuguese governments, as also of our ministers, both in the Peninsula and at home; and he begged leave to add, as a most flattering and decisive proof of their merits, that it has fallen to their lot to make prisoners of French officers, upon whom had been conferred brevets of the legion of honour, for their conduct against sir R. Wilson and his corps.—I hope, said Mr. Hutchinson, I shall not be told, that there is no precedent for what I ask. I answer that the times require we should make one. Why have you thanked for the victories of Vimiera, Corunna, and Talavera? Not because they beat down the power of France, or rescued your allies from her grasp. Neither did you send forth these small corps comparatively to the force with which they had ultimately to contend, most inadequate, with the hope of expectation that they could have restored the balance of power, or driven France within her proper-limits. It was for the example that you sent forth your chosen few. Sir R. Wilson felt this, and admirably well acted up to your own principles. I have not called the attention of the House to the services of an officer young in campaigning, or inexperienced in the toils and perils of war; for though yet young, sir R. Wilson has passed seventeen years in almost constant, certainly very active and distinguished service, which he has ever, ardently sought, even in the most distant and unfriendly climes: I entertain no prejudice; I join in none of the vulgar calumnies against the great ruler of the French nation, who I consider as the greatest statesman, and the ablest general of ancient or modern times; and I highly esteem the nation at whose head he has had the good fortune to be placed. I make this declaration, in the hope that the opinion which I am about to give may not be ascribed to that besotted illiberality, unfortunately too prevalent. I have little doubt, then, that should it please providence to continue Buonaparté a few years longer, in the possession of that power which he has hitherto wielded, but to the destruction of his enemies, and which power is every hour increasing in a most alarming degree, we shall have to contend with him for our very existence as a nation. I am there fore convinced that it is our first duty, and consistent with our best interests, to cherish and encourage, nay, studiously to seek out talent and military enthusiasm, wherever they shall manifest themselves. With this impression deeply engraven on my mind, I feel it to be my duty, not more towards the gallant officer than to the empire, to make the statement with which I at present trouble the House, and which, when gentlemen recollect the times in which they live, will, I trust, not be considered inopportune.—Mr. Hutchinson then concluded with moving "That sir R, Wilson and the troops under his command, by their advance into Spain, in December 1808, at a moment of great peril and alarm; by their resolute perseverance in remaining in presence of a very superior force until the month of May following, and subsequently while forming a part of the British army in which sir R. Wilson served as brigadier general under the command of viscount Wellington, having hereby rendered important and distinguished services; Resolved, that such services have merited and do hereby receive the thanks of this House, and that Mr. Speaker be requested to communicate this resolution to brigadier general sir R. Wilson accordingly."

expressed a most anxious wish that the honourable gentleman would see the propriety of withdrawing his present motion; that gentleman had himself confessed in the course of his speech, that the measure was altogether unprecedented. He was afraid that that objection was in itself insurmountable. The merits of sir R, Wilson's services could not for a moment be disputed; as far as they went they were deserving of every encomium, as evincing, in no ordinary degree, zeal, skill, enterprize, conduct, vigour, promptness, valour, perseverance, and, in short, every military excellence; and would the hon. gent. put the House under the unpleasant and distressing necessity of putting a negative upon a vote of thanks to so meritorious an officer? Great as the services were in themselves, he was apprehensive that their scale was such as to debar them from the honour proposed. Of all the successes in Spain, Talavera was the only one which was thought worthy of the distinction of the thanks of that House, and even with respect to that splendid service, there had been a difference of opinion with respect to the justice of its claims. He trusted that the hon. gent. would be prevailed on to withdraw his motion, otherwise he would be reluctantly compelled to give his vote in the negative.

said, that the general practice of the House precluded the possibility of admitting the present motion. It could be proved from many instances, that the splendour of the service was not enough, unless it came within a certain description of service. The eminent services of the cavalry preceding the battle of Corunna, were not thought worthy of that distinction, because they could not be recognized as having been engaged in the battle itself. The passing of the Douro was another very brilliant achievement, which, however, did not come within the precise description of service that called for the thanks of parliament, and a gallant officer still bore the painful but honourable marks of his personal bravery in that action. He need scarcely add that he meant general Paget. There had been an out-of-doors notion, as if there had been in any quarter a wish to undervalue the services of sir R. Wilson—this was altogether a mistaken notion; the words of lord Wellington in his dispatches, where he calls that officer "an able partizan," had been complained of; but the word partizan had not been, made use of as a term of reproof, it was merely in a co-operative sense. He trusted the motion would be withdrawn.

agreed that the services of sir R. Wilson were highly meritorious, and had been extremely useful to the country. They had been more instrumental, he was satisfied, in producing the retreat of the enemy than any other services which had been rendered. There were reasons, however, that made it difficult to pass a vote of thanks of that House for services of the description now alluded to, and withdrawing the motion, he thought, would be the handsomest mode of proceeding, after the declaration which had come from all sides, as to the merits of the gallant officer. The term partizan, he contended, was not one of disrespect. It implied a general in miniature, who, from being at the head of all his own services, was most likely to acquire a general knowledge. He agreed with sir W. Erskine that this was the best field in which to train a general. He was satisfied that sir R. Wilson would not be long in rendering additional services to the country, and that, he would be one of the first to receive the thanks of the House.

was of opinion, the services of sir R. Wilson in Spain and Portugal, had proved corroborations of his military character. He could not see, however, on what ground the House was to get the better of its general and established rule in such cases, or how it could depart from it usual course. The services alluded to were not of that description for which the House had been accustomed to vote its thanks. There was, however, another reason why, he conceived, the House could not agree to the motion; he was not an officer in our service, but in that of the Portuguese government at the time, and he was not aware that a British parliament had ever thought itself entitled to vote thanks to a subject of this country who was employed in the service of a foreign state. There could, he confessed, be but one opinion as to the services of sir R. Wilson, and the zeal displayed by him on the occasion referred to. He had also the additional merit of forming a corps, which in the particular circumstances of Portugal, might greatly contribute to the service of the country. He was convinced, however, that the gallant officer would be the last person to feel gratified by the House departing, where he was concerned, from, its usual practice. He trusted the hon. member would withdraw his motion, satisfied, as he must be, that on the merits of sir R. Wilson there could be but one feeling in the House.

said, to his mind the circumstance touched on by the noble lord, as an additional reason for not concurring in the present motion, arising from sir R. Wilson's not being actually in the service of this country at the time, operated the other way. It might be an apology for a departure from the usual forms of the House. Such a proceeding might have the effect of rousing the spirits of men from whom much might be expected. If the hon. mover chose to persevere, he should, at least, not stand single.

felt gratified at the declarations made on all hands, as to the merits of his gallant friend. As, therefore, he could not get the House to go with him all the length he wished, he was content to take what he could get, and should, therefore, agree to withdraw his motion.

brought forward a motion founded on the 9th Report of the commissioners for inquiry into offices in Ireland, as to the superannuation of the late treasurer of the post office in Ireland on his full salary, after having held the office for eight years, during no part of which time had he discharged any of the duties of it. This the report stated to be a violation of the rule laid down by the Irish House of Commons, limiting the services of persons superannuated with their full salaries to those who had served 25 years; and the hon. baronet concluded by moving, That the late treasurer of the post office in Ireland, had no fair claim to such superannuation; that the allowing him to retire on his full salary, was a departure from the salutary rules laid down by parliament, and a dereliction of the principles of economy to which they were pledged.

argued that this office had been a sinecure, and was abolished, as was usual in such cases, with the full salary, an efficient office being substituted in its stead. This therefore was not in the nature of a superannuation. He concluded by moving the previous question.

The motion of sir J. Newport was supported by Mr. Whitbread, sir S. Romilly, Mr. Grattan, Mr. P. Moore, Mr. Giles, Mr. M. Fitzgerald, Mr. Barbara, &c. And the previous question by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Mr. R. Dundas, and the Solicitor General, &c.

On a division the numbers were: