The Prose Works of William Wordsworth Part 11

2. Was it lawful for the English army, in the case of its being reduced to the supposed dilemma of either re-embarking or making _some_ convention, to make _that specifical_ convention which it did make at Cintra?

This is of necessity and _a fortiori_ denied; and it has been proved that neither to this, nor any other army, could it be lawful to make such a convention--not merely under the actual but under any conceivable circ.u.mstances; let however this too, on behalf of the parties accused, be granted; and then the third question will be

3. Was the English Army reduced to that dilemma?

4. Finally, this also being conceded (which not even the Generals have dared to say), it remains to ask by whose and by what misconduct did an army--confessedly the arbiter of its own movements and plans at the opening of the campaign--forfeit that free agency--either to the extent of the extremity supposed, or of any approximation to that extremity?

Now of these four possible questions in the minds of all those who condemn the convention of Cintra, it is obvious that the King's warrant supposes only the three latter to exist (since, though it allows inquiry to be made into the individual convention, it no where questions the tolerability of a convention _in genere_); and it is no less obvious that the Board, acting under that warrant, has noticed only the last--i.e. by what series of military movements the army was brought into a state of difficulty which justified _a_ convention (the Board taking for granted throughout--1st, That such a state could exist; 2ndly, That it actually did exist; and 3rdly, That--if it existed, and accordingly justified _some imaginable_ convention--it must therefore of necessity justify _this_ convention).

Having thus shewn that it is on the last question only that the nation could, in deference to the Board of Inquiry, surrender or qualify any opinion which, it had previously given--let us ask what answer is gained, from the proceedings of that Board, to the charge involved even in this last question (premising however--first--that this charge was never explicitly made by the public, or at least was enunciated only in the form of a conjecture--and 2ndly that the answer to it is collected chiefly from the depositions of the parties accused)? Now the whole sum of their answer amounts to no more than this--that, in the opinion of some part of the English staff, an opportunity was lost on the 21st of exchanging the comparatively slow process of reducing the French army by siege for the brilliant and summary one of a _coup-de-main_.

This opportunity, be it observed, was offered only by Gen. Junot's presumption in quitting his defensive positions, and coming out to meet the English army in the field; so that it was an advantage so much over and above what might fairly have been calculated upon: at any rate, if _this_ might have been looked for, still the accident of battle, by which a large part of the French army was left in a situation to be cut off, (to the loss of which advantage Sir A. Wellesley ascribes the necessity of a convention) could surely never have been antic.i.p.ated; and therefore the British army was, even after that loss, in as prosperous a state as it had from the first any right to expect. Hence it is to be inferred, that Sir A.W. must have entered on this campaign with a predetermination to grant a convention in any case, excepting in one single case which he knew to be in the gift of only very extraordinary good fortune. With respect to him, therefore, the charges--p.r.o.nounced by the national voice--are not only confirmed, but greatly aggravated.

Further, with respect to the General who superseded him, all those--who think that such an opportunity of terminating the campaign was really offered, and, through his refusal to take advantage of it, lost--are compelled to suspect in him a want of military skill, or a wilful sacrifice of his duty to the influence of personal rivalry, accordingly as they shall interpret his motives.

The whole which we gain therefore from the Board of Inquiry is--that what we barely suspected is ripened into certainty--and that on all, which we a.s.suredly knew and declared without needing that any tribunal should lend us its sanction, no effort has been made at denial, or disguise, or palliation.

Thus much for the proceedings of the Board of Inquiry, upon which their decision was to be grounded. As to the decision itself, it declares that no further military proceedings are necessary; 'because' (say the members of the Board). 'however some of us may differ in our sentiments respecting the fitness of the convention in the relative situation of the two armies, it is our unanimous declaration that unquestionable zeal and firmness appear throughout to have been exhibited by Generals Sir H.

Dalrymple, Sir H. Burrard, and Sir A. Wellesley.' In consequence of this decision, the Commander-in-Chief addressed a letter to the Board--reminding them that, though the words of his Majesty's warrant expressly enjoin that the _conditions_ of the Armistice and Convention should be strictly examined and reported upon, they have altogether neglected to give any opinion upon those conditions. They were therefore called upon then to declare their opinion, whether an armistice was adviseable; and (if so) whether the terms of _that_ armistice were such as ought to be agreed upon;--and to declare, in like manner, whether a convention was adviseable; and (if so) whether the terms of _that_ convention were such as ought to have been agreed upon.

To two of these questions--viz. those which relate to the particular armistice and convention made by the British Generals--the members of the Board (still persevering in their blindness to the other two which express doubt as to the lawfulness of _any_ armistice or convention) severally return answers which convey an approbation of the armistice and convention by four members, a disapprobation of the convention by the remaining three, and further a disapprobation of the armistice by one of those three.

Now it may be observed--first--that, even if the investigation had not been a public one, it might have reasonably been concluded, from the circ.u.mstance of the Board having omitted to report any opinion concerning the terms of the armistice and the convention, that those terms had not occupied enough of its attention to justify the Board in giving any opinion upon them--whether of approbation or disapprobation; and, secondly,--this conclusion, which might have been made _a priori_, is confirmed by the actual fact that no examination or inquiry of this kind appears throughout the report of its proceedings: and therefore any opinion subsequently given, in consequence of the requisition of the Commander-in-Chief, can lay claim to no more authority upon these points--than the opinion of the same men, if they had never sat in a public Court upon this question. In this condition are all the members, whether they approve or disapprove of the convention. And with respect to the three who disapprove of the convention,--over and above the general impropriety of having, under these circ.u.mstances, p.r.o.nounced a verdict at all in the character of members of that Board--they are subject to an especial charge of inconsistency in having given such an opinion, in their second report, as renders nugatory that which they first p.r.o.nounced. For the reason--a.s.signed, in their first report, for deeming no further military proceedings necessary--is because it appears that unquestionable _zeal and firmness_ were exhibited throughout by the several General Officers; and the reason--a.s.signed by those three who condemn the convention--is that the Generals did not insist upon the terms to which they were ent.i.tled; that is (in direct opposition to their former opinions), the Generals shewed a want of firmness and zeal.

If then the Generals were acquitted, in the first case, solely upon the ground of having displayed firmness and zeal; a confessed want of firmness and zeal, in the second case, implies conversely a ground of censure--rendering (in the opinions of these three members) further military proceedings absolutely necessary. They,--who are most aware of the unconst.i.tutional frame of this Court or Board, and of the perplexing situation in which its members must have found themselves placed,--will have the least difficulty in excusing this inconsistency: it is however to be regretted; particularly in the instance of the Earl of Moira;--who, disapproving both of the Convention and Armistice, has a.s.signed for that disapprobation unanswerable reasons drawn--not from hidden sources, unapproachable except by judicial investigation--but from facts known to all the world.

--The reader will excuse this long note; to which however I must add one word:--Is it not strange that, in the general decision of the Board, zeal and firmness--nakedly considered, and without question of their union with judgment and such other qualities as can alone give them any value--should be a.s.sumed as sufficient grounds on which to rest the acquittal of men lying under a charge of military delinquency?

B _(page 72)_.

It is not necessary to add, that one of these fears was removed by the actual landing of ten thousand men, under Sir J. Moore, pending the negotiation: and yet no change in the terms took place in consequence.

This was an important circ.u.mstance; and, of itself, determined two of the members of the Board of Inquiry to disapprove of the convention: such an accession ent.i.tling Sir H. Dalrymple (and, of course, making it his duty) to insist on more favourable terms. But the argument is complete without it.

C _(page 75)_.

I was unwilling to interrupt the reader upon a slight occasion; but I cannot refrain from adding here a word or two by way of comment.--I have said at page 71, speaking of Junot's army, that the British were to encounter the same men, &c. Sir Arthur Wellesley, before the Board of Inquiry, disallowed this supposition; affirming that Junot's army had not then reached Spain, nor could be there for some time. Grant this: was it not stipulated that a messenger should be sent off, immediately after the conclusion of the treaty, to Buonaparte--apprising him of its terms, and when he might expect his troops; and would not this enable him to hurry forward forces to the Spanish frontiers, and to bring them into action--knowing that these troops of Junot's would be ready to support him? What did it matter whether the British were again to measure swords with these identical men; whether these men were even to appear again upon Spanish ground? It was enough, that, if these did not, others would--who could not have been brought to that service, but that these had been released and were doing elsewhere some other service for their master; enough that every thing was provided by the British to land them as near the Spanish frontier (and as speedily) as they could desire.

D _(page 108)_.

This attempt, the reader will recollect, is not new to our country;--it was accomplished, at one aera of our history, in that memorable act of an English Parliament, which made it unlawful for any man to ask his neighbour to join him in a pet.i.tion for redress of grievances: and which thus denied the people 'the benefit of tears and prayers to their own infamous deputies!' For the deplorable state of England and Scotland at that time--see the annals of Charles the Second, and his successor.--We must not forget however that to this state of things, as the cause of those measures which the nation afterwards resorted to, we are originally indebted for the blessing of the Bill of Rights.

_E_ (_page_ 159).

I allude here more especially to an address presented to Buonaparte (October 27th, 1808) by the deputies of the new departments of the kingdom of Italy; from which address, as given in the English journals, the following pa.s.sages are extracted:--

'In the necessity, in which you are to overthrow--to destroy--to disperse your enemies as the wind dissipates the dust, you are not an exterminating angel; but you are the being that extends his thoughts--that measures the face of the earth--to re-establish universal happiness upon better and surer bases.'

'We are the interpreters of a million of souls at the extremity of your kingdom of Italy.'--'Deign, _Sovereign Master of all Things_, to hear (as we doubt not you will)' &c.

The answer begins thus:--

'I _applaud_ the sentiments you express in the name of my people of Musora, Metauro, and Tronto.'

_F_ (_page_ 163).

This principle, involved in so many of his actions, Buonaparte has of late explicitly avowed: the instances are numerous: it will be sufficient, in this place, to allege one--furnished by his answer to the address cited in the last note:--

'I am particularly attached to your Archbishop of Urbino: that prelate, animated with the true faith, repelled with indignation the advice--and braved the menaces--of those who wished to confound the affairs of Heaven, which never change, with the affairs of this world, which are modified according to circ.u.mstances _of force_ and policy.'

SUSPENSION OF ARMS

_Agreed upon between Lieutenant-General_ SIR ARTHUR WELLESLEY, K.B. _on the one part, and the General-of-Division_ KELLERMANN _on the other part; each having powers from the respective Generals of the French and English Armies_.

_Head-Quarters of the English Army_, August 22, 1808.

ARTICLE I. There shall be, from this date, a Suspension of Arms between the armies of his Britannic Majesty, and his Imperial and Royal Majesty, Napoleon I. for the purpose of negociating a Convention for the evacuation of Portugal by the French army.

ART. II. The Generals-in-Chief of the two armies, and the Commander-in-Chief of the British fleet at the entrance of the Tagus, will appoint a day to a.s.semble, on such part of the coast as shall be judged convenient, to negociate and conclude the said Convention.

ART. III. The river of Sirandre shall form the line of demarcation to be established between the two armies; Torres Vedras shall not be occupied by either.

ART. IV. The General-in-Chief of the English army undertakes to include the Portugueze armies in this suspension of arms; and for them the line of demarkation shall be established from Leyria to Thomar.

ART. V. It is agreed provisionally that the French army shall not, in any case, be considered as prisoners of war; that all the individuals who compose it shall be transported to France with their arms and baggage, and the whole of their private property, from which nothing shall be exempted.

ART. VI. No individual, whether Portugueze, or of a nation allied to France, or French, shall be called to account for his political conduct; their respective property shall be protected; and they shall be at liberty to withdraw from Portugal, within a limited time, with their property.

ART. VII. The neutrality of the port of Lisbon shall be recognised for the Russian fleet: that is to say, that, when the English army or fleet shall be in possession of the city and port, the said Russian fleet shall not be disturbed during its stay; nor stopped when it wishes to sail; nor pursued, when it shall sail, until after the time fixed by the maritime law.

ART. VIII. All the artillery of French calibre, and also the horses of the cavalry, shall be transported to France.

ART. IX. This suspension of arms shall not be broken without forty-eight hours' previous notice.

Done and agreed upon between the above-named Generals, the day and year above-mentioned.