_Petition respecting the Duke of Wellington_ (Vol. iv., pp. 233. 477.;
Vol. v., p. 43.).--I thank ÆGROTUS for the clue he has afforded me, as
to the date of the document he inquired for, and can now give him some
further particulars. At a Court of Common Council held Feb. 23, 1810, in
consequence of a proposition in the House of Commons to settle upon Lord
Wellington 2000_l._ per ann. for three lives, a motion was made, and
carried by sixty-five to fifty-eight, to petition the House against it.
The petition is very long, but it is to the following tenor: it
commences by objecting to the grant on the ground of economy, and that
his services have not deserved it; "that his gallant efforts in Portugal
have lead only to the disgraceful and scandalous Convention of Cintra,
signed by his own hand;" that the result of the battle of Talavera was a
retreat, with the abandonment of sick and wounded; that as yet they have
seen no inquiry into either of these campaigns; that he and his family
have held lucrative appointments in the East Indies; that no provision
has been made for the family of the highly deserving Sir John Moore. It
then goes on to say, "that it appears a high aggravation of the
misconduct of his Majesty's incapable and unprincipled advisers;" that
they advised his Majesty to refuse to receive from the Lord Mayor and
Sheriffs, either at a levee, or personal audience, a petition from the
livery praying an inquiry into the conduct of the commanders of the late
campaign. This is the substance of the petition which I should think
might be readily seen _in extenso_ by a reference to a file of
newspapers of the date.