dissentients to the
proposed measure. Mr. Hume opposed the address, on the ground that this
country was not in a situation to enter upon, and to maintain for any
length of period a war on a great scale. He moved an amendment that
"the house be called over this day week," which motion was supported by
Messrs. Wood and Bankes. On the other hand the motion for an address
was supported by Sir Robert Wilson, and Messrs. Baring and Brougham.
The latter, in adverting to the ground on which the amendment was
principally supported, remarked that its supporters must recollect, and
the house and the country must bear in mind that the question is not at
present, whether, even at the expense of your character for good faith,
you will consent to bear hereafter among mankind a stained reputation
and forfeited honour; but whether for a little season of miserable,
insecure, precarious, dishonourable, unbearable truce, whether for this
precarious, disgusting, and intolerable postponement of hostilities,
you will be content hereafter to have recourse to war when war can be
no longer avoided, and when its horrors will fall upon you, degraded and
ruined in character in the eyes of all the nations of Europe; and,
what is ten thousand times worse degraded and ruined in your own. He
contended that the burdens of the country, however oppressive, would be
borne cheerfully through the impending struggle, if war should be the
result, inasmuch as we were governed on wise, liberal, and truly English
principles. Mr. Canning's reply to those who opposed the address was
even more eloquent than his opening speech. Government was censured for
allowing France to usurp and retain the occupation of Spain. In answer
to this, Mr. Canning remarked, that when the French army entered Spain,
we might if we chose have visited that measure by a war. But we were
not then bound to interfere on behalf of Spain, as we now are bound to
interfere on behalf of Portugal, by the obligation of treaty. And such a
war would not in these days have been the proper method of restoring the
balance of power, which varies as civilization advances and new nations
spring up. To take a leaf from the book of European policy in the times
of William III., or of Queen Anne, for supporting the balance now,
would be to slight the march of events, and to regulate our policy by
a confusion of facts. He continued:--"I admit that the entrance of a
French army into Spain was a measure of disparagem