poleon
expressed his willingness to treat with the British allies, but not with
the Spanish "rebels," as he styled them. Alexander took up a similar
position, speaking of the Spanish "insurgents," and expressly
recognising Joseph as King of Spain. Thus ended these pacific overtures,
and on November 3 the official _expose_, annually issued in Paris,
described Great Britain as "the enemy of the world".

The year 1808 is memorable in English history for the active
intervention of Great Britain in the affairs of Spain which developed
into the "Peninsular war".[37] This intervention was rendered possible
and effective by the organisation of our army system in 1807, which was
due to Castlereagh, though he received little credit for it. Under this
system, the old constitutional force of the militia was made the basis
of the whole military establishment. By the militia balloting bill and
the militia transfer bill, that force, largely composed of substitutes,
and bound only to home-service, was practically converted into a
recruiting-ground for the regular army, and proved sufficient to make
good all the losses incurred during the long campaigns in Portugal and
Spain. The army thus raised contained, no doubt, many soldiers of bad
character, whose misdeeds, after the furious excitement of an escalade,
or under the heart-breaking stress of a retreat, sometimes brought
disgrace upon the British name. But these men, side by side with
steadier comrades, bore themselves like heroes on many a bloodstained
field; they quailed not before the conquering legions of Austerlitz and
Wagram; they could "go anywhere or do anything" under trusted leaders;
and they restored the military reputation of their country before the
eyes of Europe. To have forged such an instrument of war was no mean
administrative exploit. To have maintained its efficiency steadily on
the whole, though sometimes with a faint-hearted parsimony, and to have
loyally supported its commander against the cavils of a factious
opposition superior in parliamentary ability, for a period of seven
years, must be held to redeem the tory government from the charge of
political weakness.

[Pageheading: _PARLIAMENTARY ZEAL._]

At the beginning of 1809, however, the interest of parliament was less
concentrated on Sir Arthur Wellesley's first campaign in Portugal, or
even on the convention of Cintra, than on the scandals attaching to the
office of commander-in-chief, held by the Duke