1811.] THE KING'S MINISTERS CONTINUED IN OFFICE. 535 to make any change at present." It had begun to be confidently expected that the king would recover. He had become "much alive to what was passing, and was quite sure," as he told Mr. Perceval, "that it could never enter into the prince's mind to change the ministry." * On the 4th the prince announced to Mr. Perceval his intention not to remove from their situations those whom he finds there as his majesty's official servants, lest any act of the Regent might, in the smallest degree, have the effect of interfering with the progress of his sovereign's recovery." The letter added, "This consideration alone dictates the decision now communicated to Mr. Perceval." On the 6th, the Prince Regent took the oaths before a Privy Council assembled at Carlton House. During several months the king appeared to be occasionally convalescent. His bodily health was good, and he talked more naturally. But it soon became sufficiently clear, whatever might be the expectations that his life might be prolonged, that he was not likely to be able ever to resume the royal functions. The reign of George III. had been virtually closed on the 5th of February, 1811. At the commencement of the Regency, it would have appeared the most extravagant expectation to have believed that within three years the gigantic power of Napoleon would have been crumbling into ruin,-that, like the ice-palace of the empress of Russia, "'Twas transient in its nature, as in show 'Twas durable; as worthless as it seemed In March, 1811, the empress Maria Louisa presented to the French nation a son, who was saluted by his father as king of Rome. Rome and the southern Papal Provinces were annexed to France; and the Pope was a prisoner at Savona. Louis Bonaparte, having refused to concur in the tyrannical projects of his brother for enforcing the Continental System upon * Lord Colchester's "Diary," vol. ii. p. 315. + Cowper, "Task," book v. a 536 STATE OF EUROPE AT THE COMMENCEMENT OF THE REGENCY. [1811 his Dutch subjects, had surrendered his mockery of sovereignty, and had come to reside at Powys Castle, in Montgomeryshire, upon his parole. The kingdom of Holland was then formally annexed to France. This annexation of the territory of the Zuyderzee was not enough in that direction. additional departments were added to France on the 13th of December, 1810, which comprehended Holland, Friesland, Oldenburg, Bremen, and all the line of coast to Hamburg and all the country beyond Hamburg to Lubeck. The French empire now consisted of a hundred and thirty departments, containing forty-two millions of people. The millions that were dependent upon the will of the mighty emperor-a godhead with some infatuated English; "restless barbarian"* with others not wholly given up to party-ean scarcely be numbered. The kingdom of Italy, which was under his sway, contained six millions. The kingdom of Naples, in which his brother-in-law, Joachim Murat, now ruled, contained five millions. The kingdom of Westphalia, of which his brother Jerome was the sovereign, submitted to the law that was enforced upon his other satellites, that "every thing must be subservient to the interests of France." Protector of the Confederation of the Rhine, he had at his feet the kings of Saxony, Bavaria, and Würtemberg, and a train of minor German princes. Prussia was wholly at his mercy. Denmark would obey any command of Napoleon since Copenhagen was bombarded and her fleet carried off. Marshal Bernadotte, prince of Ponte Corvo, had been elected by the States of Sweden as successor to the aged and childless Charles XIII., who had succeeded the deposed Gustavus. The French marshal was installed Crown Prince on the 1st of November, 1810. There only wanted the quiet possession of Spain and Portugal, under his brother king Joseph-Austria being his own by family ties, and Russia his ally, in the sworn friendship of her emperor-to make the world his own. England was to perish in the great league of Europe against her commerce; and in the resistance of America to her maritime claims. When Wellington stood within the lines of Torres Védras, and Massena was without, preparing to attack him, the fate of the nations of Europe rested upon the successful defence of this promontory. "The English," says Thiers, " once expelled from Portugal, all would tend in Europe to a general peace. On the contrary, their situation consolidated in that country, Massena being obliged to retrace his steps, the fortune of the Empire would begin to fall back before the fortune of Great Britain, to sink in the midst of an approaching catastrophe."+ In his place in Parliament, about this time, the marquis Wellesley proclaimed a great truth, which he repeated in 1813: "As Bonaparte was probably the only man in the world who could have raised his power to such a height, so he was probably the only man who could bring it into imminent danger. His eagerness for power was so inordinate; his jealousy of independence so fierce; his keenness of appetite so feverish in all that touched his ambition even in the most trifling things; that he must plunge into desperate difficulHe was of an order of mind that by nature make for themselves great There was no one who had a more absolute conviction of this ties. reverses." * Francis Horner-Letter to Hallam-"Memoirs," vol. ii. p. 115. Hansard, vol. xxv. col. 46. 1811.] WELLINGTON AND THE MINISTRY. 537 truth than the brother of the marquis Wellesley, who had to enforce, by his unerring sagacity and his indomitable perseverance, the realization of the change of fortune so eloquently predicted. The Regent had not been appointed more thau a fortnight, when his ministers threw in the way of lord Wellington whatever obstacles a weak government could present to a strong mind. The British general had informed lord Liverpool of the probability that the command of the Spanish armies would be offered to him. The Secretary of War answers him that, "it is the unanimous opinion of every member of the government, and of every person acquainted with the finances and resources of the country, that it is absolutely impossible to continue our exertions in the Peninsula for any considerable length of time;" and that "we see no adequate advantage that would result from the command of the Spanish armies being conferred upon you.' "*. The answer of Wellington, however conceived in the most respectful terms, was the answer of a statesman. It implied his contempt for the whining over expense of a government that was continually frittering away its resources in petty undertakings-a government that had not the courage to do right for its own sake, but made the war in the Peninsula more a party question than a national object; yielding to the clamours of the Opposition, instead of rendering their objections futile by a vigorous policy that would have commanded success. Wellington said that the ministers had it not in their power to form an opinion of the real expenses of the war in the Peninsula; that the first step should be to analyse the charge, and see what the same army would cost elsewhere, at home for instance; that the transports formed a large item of expense, and that if he had been furnished with ten thousand more men in 1810 he would not have kept the transports; that he had sent them away now, because he thought that the events of the campaign had brought the enemy to such a situation that the necessity for an embarkation was very remote. He told the ministry that if the army were withdrawn from the Peninsula, and the French government were relieved from the pressure of military operations on the continent, Napoleon would incur all risks to land an army in his majesty's dominions. His indignation at the thought gives him eloquence. "Then, indeed, would commence an expensive contest; then would his majesty's subjects discover what are the miseries of war, of which, by the blessing of God, they have hitherto had no knowledge; and the cultivation, the beauty, and prosperity of the country, and the virtue and happiness of its inhabitants, would be destroyed, whatever might be the result of the military operations. God forbid that I should be a witness, much less an actor, in the scene."+ Lord Liverpool had ventured upon some childish babble about Wellington determining between an offensive or defensive system, and he was thus answered: "In respect to offensive or defensive operations here, if they are left to me, I shall carry on either the one or the other, according to the means in my power, compared at the time with those of the enemy." With this key to his operations, we shall understand, what the public of that time could not understand, why after gaining a victory he was sometimes obliged to retreat. 538 BARROSA-FUENTES DE ONORO-ALBUERA. [1811 Far less could they understand the nature of the difficulties he had often to encounter: "The people of England," he said after the retreat from Burgos in 1812," so happy as they are in every respect, so rich in resources of every description, having the use of such excellent roads, &c., will not readily believe that important results here frequently depend upon fifty or sixty mules, more or less, or a few bundles of straw to feed them." * When Massena retired from before Torres Védras he took up a defensive position at Santarem. He was now really blockaded by the British forces, and had to depend for his supplies upon the bare country behind him. During this state of inaction in Portugal, general Graham, with three thousand English and seven thousand Spaniards, had attacked the French who were blockading Cadiz, and had won the battle of Barrosa, on the 5th of March. On the 6th of March, Wellington, who had long maintained, contrary to the opinion of every person in the army, that Massena would be compelled to retire for want of provisions, received information that he had retired, and immediately put his troops in motion, in three columns.† The pursuit of the enemy was conducted with skill equal to that displayed by the French general in ordering his retreat. The course of the French army was marked by the most fearful cruelties. An officer of the English army writes, "There are no enormities, however great, and no wanton barbarities, that have not been committed by Massena's order on people of all classes and ages; nor have they neglected to destroy a single town or village through which they have passed." The invasion of Portugal was terminated on the 6th of April, when the French crossed the Agueda into Spain. The allied armies now commenced the blockade of Almeida. The Spaniards had not been able to make a stand against Soult at Badajoz, which was surrendered on the 11th of March. Connected with the possession of these two fortresses, were fought the two great battles of the campaign of 1811. Massena, powerfully reinforced, had returned to raise the blockade of Almeida. The battle of Fuentes de Onoro, in the neighbourhood of Almeida, was fought on the 5th of May. Wellington says of this battle, "It was the most difficult one I was ever concerned in, and against the greatest odds. We had very nearly three to one against us engaged; above four to one of cavalry; and, moreover, our cavalry had not a gallop in them, while some of that of the enemy were fresh and in excellent order. If Boney had been there we should have been beaten." § On the 15th of May, whilst marshal Beresford was besieging Badajoz, very insufficiently provided with the means of carrying on great siege, Soult came to its relief; and the sanguinary battle of Albuera was fought the next day. The British and Portuguese had to sustain the brunt of that terrible contest. No one who has read the description of the battle of Albuera by sir William Napier can forget the terrible struggles in which "was seen with what a strength and majesty the British soldier fights." On the 18th of May, Soult retired * "Despatches," vol. ix. p. 574. + Supplementary Despatches," vol. vii. p. 85-Letter of an Officer. $Supplementary Despatches," vol. vii. p. 176-Letter to Wellesley Pole. ။ 'Peninsular War," vol. iii. 1812.] PARLIAMENT THE ADMINISTRATION NOT ALTERED. 539 towards Seville. The siege of Badajoz was recommenced, when Wellington arrived at Albuera with two other divisions. But the matériel of a siege was still wanting. Early in June Wellington heard that Marmont was marching from Salamanca to join Soult. He hastened back to the frontier of Portugal which was thus menaced. The two French generals united their forces; but they did not venture upon an attack. The British took up their old position upon the Coa; and there was no more fighting in 1811. The Session of Parliament was opened on the 7th of January, 1812. On the 16th, Mr. Perceval proposed Resolutions with regard to the Royal Household, which were framed in the belief that the king's recovery was very improbable, although not altogether hopeless. The Prince Regent, on the 13th of February, addressed a letter to the duke of York, explaining his views with regard to the choice he desired to make of his official servants. The restrictions of the Regency Bill were to expire on the 18th, and it was generally expected that great changes would take place-that the party long supposed to be in the special interest of the Prince, would return to the possession of that power which they had lost in 1807. These expectations came to an end when the Regent's letter was made public-the letter which Moore parodied so wittily that even the most devoted Tory could scarcely forbear to smile. The sentence, "I have no predilections to indulge, no resentments to gratify, no objects to attain but such as are common to the whole empire"-which implied that the Regent would make no sweeping alterations in his Cabinet-was followed up by a wish that some of those persons with whom the early habits of his public life were formed would strengthen his hands and constitute a part of his government. These sentiments were to be communicated to lord Grey, who would make them known to lord Grenville. The answer of those peers, addressed to the duke of York, said, "All personal exclusion we entirely disclaim; we rest on public measures; and it is on this ground alone that we must express, without reserve, the impossibility of our uniting with the present government. Our differences of opinion are too many and too important to admit of such an union." In the case of Ireland, especially, they were firmly persuaded of the necessity of a total change in the system of government, and of the immediate repeal of the civil disabilities on account of religious opinions. On the 19th of February, the marquis Wellesley resigned the seals as Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. He had tendered his resignation in January. The main point of difference between lord Wellesley and his colleagues was that they pursued half measures in Spain-that "their efforts were just too short." These dissensions had been going on for two years. "Lord Liverpool usually agreed with lord Wellesley on the necessity and policy of extending our efforts, if practicable; but submitted entirely to Mr. Perceval's statement of the impracticability."* Lord Castlereagh succeeded lord Wellesley as Foreign Secretary. Three months had passed without the ascendancy of Mr. Perceval's ministry being shaken by the fact that it was not founded upon "the most liberal basis," such as the Regent had affected to desire. It was founded * Memorandum in "Supplementary Despatches," vol. vii. p. 257. |