Star. — London, England, 1805-02-12 00:00:00

PE Lord KING contended, that the principles na which this difctiffion with Spain had been concluded were incontinent and contradiaory. That forbear ance that had been exercifed at the beginning of it ill accorded with that fyftem of hoffility that fucceech! ed. They denied the exiftence of arty convention between them and the Government of Spain, ref- Wing the flipulated (urns that Spain was to pay to France in lien of contingents—but even from their own flatements it was ;mixable not to &cover fome fort of agreement or underdanding. Without grefs mifreprefentation, it could not be denied that fatis faaion was obtained on the principal points that were at iffue. The Noble Lord's inaruaions (hew that he bad obtained fatisfaaion from tome quarter. If he *as raided, why did he not inform Mr. Frets fo ? or if not fatisfied, why did he not prefs that Gen tleman to get farther fatisfaeion ? But the Noble Lord had perhaps been bufy with the Volanteer Bill when he Mould have been attending to his foreign re lations. The Noble Lord then attempted to account for the aftivity exhibited fo lately in that. department —The prefenr Knitters had declaimed againft the former for their want of energy, an they walled per haps, to thew that they had more (pith, and as they could nuke no impreffirm on France they made Spain the objea of their aggreffion. The Noble Lord then contended, that before any temorrftrances could have arrived in Spain, even before they had been difpatched from this country, aas had been corn cemmitted that amounted to war, and this had been done without any explanation. And this aft of both lily, was not a precaution for the purpofe of prevent. ing . troops being fent to Ferrol, which had b e en corn planted of, but a precaution taken to prevent a fub fidy to France, to which they limed to have made no ',anise objection. 'they had not taken meafures to fecure Portugal previous to breaking with Spain, nor were we novr in a &cation to protea her. Nor were we able, he thought; to make any impreflion on the Spani(h fettlernents of America, which with tome might be thought a principal motive for the war, and even if we Were he would difapprove, he raid, of fuch tt meafure. It would Only be multiplying thofe grounds of diflinflon of which we had already too many (a et, of hear I hear ! from (rural parts of the lionfe I. For flick rearms, the Noble Lord flattered himfelf that a great part of the Houfe would be rea dy to give their concurrence to the amendment pro pored by the Noble Earl. Lord WESTMORELAND contended, at great length, that the fyftem of forbearance pnrfued by his Majefty's Minifters in the early period of this bufinef', was jutlified by our owp !hoodoo, :and by thatof Eu rope. Spain had alto held out fome hopes that (he might not be entirely fubfervient to the views of France. From reafonsof policy alto he jtiftified the fub fequent conduit of Government. Were they blamed becaufe they bad made no previous declaration of war ? this condua, the Noble Lord argued, was not unprecedented. It was thus that the Spanifh Arma da bad attacked our &Ores, and it was thus that the war of the year 't756 had commenced without any previous notice. This point the Noble Lord farther Illuftrateci from ancient as well as modern policy, and argued that it was by no means inconfiftent with the laws of nations. Though they had made no decla ration of war, however, a difpatch had been fent, intimating that their forbearance was only tempo rary. It was impoffible for his Malay's Govern ment, as eircumftances flood, to avoid the war : he would, therefore, his Lot dflrip Paid, give his vote for the Addrefs. Lord DARNLEY maintained, that if war was commenced withput any previous declaration, it ought to be on inch grounds onl7 as were clear to ourfelves and to all Eutope. Nothing -lets could juftify the •rniflion of fuel formality. He reprobated the cap ture of the frigates, and thought it little better than a fpecies of piracy. He contended that the fum given to France by Spain was not, contrary to what had been Rated, more than an equivalent for the Ripulated contingents of men and 'hips. There were Rrong grounds for peace, he argued, founded in policy, on account of Portugal, which was by this means left espied, or would be obliged to declare againft us alto. He had never heard the realbn, he laid, why other drips of war, and veffels carrying naval ftores, were• permitted to pats unmolefted, while we .had thought ourfelves authorized to feize on the frigates. This circumftance would naturally lead one to ima gine that the arrival of thofe drips had induced his Majefiy's Government to commence hoßilities. His Lordfhip concluded with obferving, that we had the misfortune to have the opinion of the reit of Europe againft us. The Houle then divided on the queflion, " That the Amendment (land part of the Motion."—Con tents 36—Non Contents 114. Proxies were alto called for, and his Royal High nets the Prince of Wales, gave the Proxy of Earl Moira for the Amendment. The original queftion was then returned. Earl FITZWILLIAM was of opinion, that at fo late an hour in the night, it would be advifable to adjourn the debate. Lord HAWKESBURY Paid that be fhould eer tainly oppofe the ad)ournment, if a motion to that cacti were made. The queftion had already been diituffed at great length; but if the Noble Earl thought that it dill required further confideration, it was pot fo late but they might yet hear every objec tion that could k farted to the Addreis. and on many occafions the Houfe had fat to a moth later hour. If any obfervations were made which re quired an anfwer, he fhould claim the indulgence of tFeir ',ordains for that purpofe. Earl FITZ WILLIAM Paid that in hia opinion, no fatisfaaory anfwer had been given to the übfervatioos of his Noble Friends on thefe molt extraordinary Pa pers. Lord GRENVILLE then rote, and in a fpeech of Wore than two hours, entered irto an examination of the Pap:rs on the table, and on the whole condua of Miniflers in the negociation. He prattled his utter adoniament that the Noble Lord who had rifcn to exprefs his determination to oppofe any motion for an adjournment, had nrt thought it his duty to fay one word in explauation of the huge mats of papers on' the Wire, fo as to arow fume light on a tranfaOion, which in his mind refiea ed no credit on the Adminiaration of Which he form ed a part ; nay, which brosight great difcredit on the counts y itfelf. It was impoOhble to conceive any thing more extraordinary, than the conduit of bisMajettyra Minifters had been hi the whole of the negociatio% if they were to judge from the documents that bad, been laid before them ; for though paper was heaped on paper, and they had deliveries after deliveries, there was no communicatiain made by which they could learn the motives of Government in this molt important and calamitous affair. There appear ed nothing but negligence, inattention and myftery. For the whole courfe of eighteen months that this negotiation had tailed, there appeared but four dif patches from Minifters to Mr. Frere, at Madrid ; and even thefe were dillinguifhed only by their con taining nothing to ate put pore, or by being unintelli gible, or contradiftory. The Noble Lord oppofite to him had thrown out a challenge that no charge 'mild be brought againft Minifters for their conduit in this negotiation ; he accepted the challenge, and prefumed to fay he should prove, from their own pa pers, that they had been molt criminally remifs, fluent, and inattentive to all the eager and repeated appli cations which had been made to them by the Spanilh Government to explain their fyftem; that they had even kept their own agent at the Court of Madrid ignorant of their views ; that they had negleded every opening that had been made them of preventing a rupture ; that they had, without_provocation, treated, in the firft inftance, with indifference and contempt the Court of Spain, and when they had this's finally driven them into the hands of France, that they had ailed with violence, injuftice, and unpardonable pre. cipitancy. The Noble Lord to illultrate thefe points, 'hewed from the Documents on the table, that after the commencement of the war with France, Mini. tiers had taken more than a fortnight to think of an inarudion to Mr. Frere at Madrid, bow to conduit hi mfelf towards that important Court on that intereft ing emergency. Their firlt infttruftion was dated the ad of June, and from that period no fecond letter was fent by them to their Minifter at Madrid, until the 24th of November 'following. And this, though he repeatedly folicited them to be explicit, and urged the neceflity of treating the Spanilh Court with care, attention, and 'tilled. This was not all. The Spa nifh, Court was molt defirous of coming to a good underftanding with England—and made the molt earne!L applications for that purpofe. No anfwer whatever was given to theft repeated invitations to an amicable negotiation. Though goaded by the French Government, and in the molt anxi ous Hate i.f fufpnle, they could not obtain from our Mini:lets any other treatment than that of (*dent contempt. In this way the months of June, July, and Auguft paffed, without the flightelt at tention by Minitters to their ,applications, and even to the letters and inflances of their own Minlfter re fident there. Although he informed them that, at that time, the cattle of England was'then popular with all ranks of people in Spin—that they were molt dcfircus of conneiling themfelves with Great Btitain, as the means of keeping them out of the hands of France ; and that the moment was moll fa• vourable for that purpofe. All this was neglected, and, at length, driven by the criminal negled and li lence of England,•tbe Spanifh Government was forc ed to yield to the influence of France, and agree to permit a (mall body of teoo men to march through Spain to recruit their than at Ferrol. This Era Mr. Frere tranfmitted on the 9th Sept. and Rated the rernonftrance which he had made of his own head, on the fubjed. Notwithstanding this, it was not till the 24th of November that he received an inftrudion on the fubjeit ; and then Mr. Frere being at length re lieved in fume fort from the painful ignorance and nullity in which he had been kept, thanked Mini fters molt gratefully for telling him what he wits to do. Lord Grenville displayed, in prong colours, the indecdion, and weaknefs of the whole fyftem of the few inftruftions which appeared in the immenfe fpace of that time elapfed, which he defcribed as rani flank: in zurgite veg." In no one inftance had they given Mr. Frere plain, intelligible grounds to all upon. And he had therefore been under the neceffity of drawing his own conclufions from them, which were not always perhaps &idly conformable to the Text. For in his Note to the Chevalier de Cevallos, he rays that war will be the infallible con fequence of their fulfilling their Treaty with France, whereas he is infiruited to proteft againft the mea lure. 2. To declare that his Majelly, though he may abltain from the confederation of its being a tem porary expedient, yet he mutt be at liberty to con fider a perfeverance in the fyftens as a kilt auk of war at- any future period when circumftances may render it neceffary. There were three other points in ' that infirufhon of the 24th of November, with refired to the admilfion of French troops into Spain, naval preparations,and the protedtion to Brian., commerce in the ports of Spain. But in the third inftruftion, dated the s tit of January, every thing like decifion is with drawn, and he is defired to avoid coming to a fudden or unfavourable iffue. From that time not tine let ter of inftruition, or of information of any kind, was 'tent to him for eight months—not even an intimation of the change that occurred in his Majefty's Councils, and although 'it was a time full of the molt anxious and important intereft to Great Britain. The Noble Lord (hewed that all the four difpatches were either nugatory, indecifive, or contraditory; and, though he could not blame Mr. Frere under fuch circum fiances, and he certainly did not blame him, yet his notes and converfations with M. Cevallos had been as contradiaory as the inftruaions he had re ceived. He had demanded that the Pale of prizes should be !tofu, and this the Noble Secretary of State had Paid, Minifters bad not thought worth writing about. It was a mr.fure which, in his mind, it was not for the intereft of England to contend tor, as it always mull be for the intereft of the nation that has the fuperiority at lea to prevent all (hackles upon navigation. Minifters did not inftrnit him, indeed, to make this demand, but they expreffed neither appprobation nor difapprobation of his conduit in demanding the difcontinuance of tale of prizes, and in fo doing they took the proceeding upon themfelves. They could not fay that they were not anfwerable for tale meafures of their agent, for nothing was fo clearly eltablilbed among the laws of nations as that a government was anfwerable for the conduit of its agents, milers formally difavowed.— But Mr. Frere demanded two points—the tale of pri zes, and all armaments to be stopped. One of thefe he obtained, and the other was explained, and a de mand made to know whether they were to be confider ed as in a (tate of neutrality, if they confined themfelves to the mere peenniaryfuccour Itipulated in their treaty. Lord Grenville (puke with loud indignation at the &meld inattention paid to the three letters of the Smith Knitter at this Court, who could not either ' obtain accefs to the Secretary of State.nor an anfwer ' from him to his repeated official communications.— Such was the treatment (hewn to the high minded and moll gallant nation, who plumed itfelf on the obfervance of etiquette, and whore pride was wound ed by the flightelt appearance of negleit. Such was the ftyle of the negociation which Miniflers could boaß of as being free from reproach ! Such was the moderation which they had (hewn in this moll deli cate affair ! Mr. Frere, by Come unfortunate eir cumftances, had occafinried Come irritatior about this time, and he left Madrid and the affairs of his mil fiort,to his brother and fecretary. Thole who knew the charader of that Court mull be aware that a more improper perfon could not have been kid - led than the perfon who was chofen—not from any per fonal cattle of unfitnels, but merely from the rank and Ration he had previnufly filled at the fame Court. —But in this way was the negociation managed until the cloud came over our heads and the thunder but R. Admiral Cochrane wrote home to fay that there were three (hips of the line apparently fitting ont in the port of Ferrol. At the fame time he wrote to Mr. Frere and to the Governor of Ferrol. The Simla') Government had at once and unequivocally declate'd that the tole objeet of this was to tranfport fame troops to the Bay of Bifcay, where the rebellion had broken out; and at the fame time the Governor of Ferrol had laid, that as it gave him uneafinefs the men fhould be put afltere ' and fent round by land, how ever inconvenient. Admiral Cochrane was not con tent with this, but Paid he &mid infift on receiving a detailed account of their being difmantled. Lord Grenville begged Noble Lords to make this cafe their own, and fay what their feelings would be if fuch language were need to a Bridal Admiral com manding at Portfmonth, becaufe he had chofen to fend troops round the coaß in a few (hips of the line. Such was the commencement of our vio lence ; and though a fatisfaCtory anfwer, as he thought, was given, for he fincerely believed that they had no °Ned in putting forme few men and provifions on board thefe three (hips, bu t really to quell the tumult in Bifcay, it being much caller to fend troops by lea than through that mountainous province; at a time too when they were labouring under the dread of a malignant fever, yet we proceeded to the violence of affaulting their (hips on the high leas. This had been laid to be no more than laying an embargo on an enemy's (hips. Was there no diffe rence between delaying merchants' (hips which might be delivered back, and affaulting Blips on the high Peas ? There was a mighty difference. Stop the (hips of a merchant, and they might be delivered up— Take his property, and i.e might be indemnified lmorifon feamen, and they might he difcharged— Bui burn, fink, and blow up (hip and crew, and who can Teflon the innocent blood which was fpilt ? There were fome alts of hatdfhip and feterity which the laws of civilized war permitted, but this atro cious ad of barbarity was contrary to all law of na tions, and Ramped indelible infamy on our name. The French branded us with the name of a mercan tile people, and Paid that we were ever thirfling after gold. They would therefore impute this violence. to our eagernefs for the dollars. Fetter that all the dol lars, and ten times the quantity, were paid, fa of it could walk away the Rain which had been thought on our arms. At a time when we were armed to repel the atrocities of France, this was not a time to difplay inch a fpirit. He (hewed that the feizore of the ti ea fore (hips had no refemblance to the ftoppage of the Dutch (hips—nor to the meafure recommended by the Earl of Chatham, in 1761. He deprecated the war in which this (cries of neglett, infolence, contempt and violence had plunged us. He denied that it was popular. A war with Spain, however eafy Mini Reis had (hewn that it was to provoke and begin ,was not fo eafy to get out of: if the llories that wet e float ing were true, of defperate, mad, and romantic ex peditions againtt Spanifh America, he would pro phecy, that it would be a molt calamitous war to Great Britain. He expatiated on this topic with a molt liberal fervour, and he was cheered very gene rally by the Houfe. He Paid that a more perilous, and a more calamitous adventure for the fake of mere plunder could not be undertaken than fuck an expe dition, either for the country that gave it birth, or for humanity in general. He concluded a moll brilliant and impreflivefpeech by Laying, that he did not rife thus to difcharge his duty from any motive of a wanton attack on the King's Minitters, or to ftrive to deAroy their popula• rity, but from a ferious conviction that the war might have been prevented by common care on their part, and that as it was totally unprovoked and unnecef fary„ fo alto would it be molt grievous and unfortu nate to the country. Lord HAWKESBURY anfwered the Noble Lord at great length. He did not conclude till half pall three o'clock; when the quellion of the original mo tion was called for and carried in the affirmative without a divilion. The queflion being loudly called for, the Addrefs was cars ied without a dirifion.—Adjourued at four o'clock to this afternoon. HOUSE OF COMMONS. Copies, or Extracts of the Correfpondenee relative to the War with Holkar, the Mahrutta Chief, were prefented by Mr. Owen, and ordered to be printed. Sir W. YOUNG moved for the produCtion of the Accounts re lative to the Trade between Ireland and the Weft Indies, funilar to thole which he had on a former day moved fur with refpedt to the Enna Weft India Trade.—Ordared. The Comm,Criou granted to the Naval Commitßoners, was or dered to be printed. The Loyalty Loan Bill was read a fiat, and ordered to be read a keand time to-morrow. Sir W. SCOTT acre notice that he would. on an early day, move for leave to bring In a Bill for the Encouragement of Sea men In his Majefty's Navy. Mr. JAMES FITZOERAI.D, purfuant to notice, moved for Returns from Gaolers, &c. in Ireland, with the particulars of the Arrea of Perfatis who had been detained on Sufpieion of Confpi ring agalnft the State, fine the 3d of July, 1803.—Ordered. The Met Habeas Corpus hufpenlion bill was read a twit time, and ordered to be read a fecond time ou Wedncfday next. SPANICH WAR. The Order of the Day for taking into confiderat inn the papers before the Hod& relative to this fubjtS being read, The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER role to move an addrefs to his Majelly upon them, He fpoke near three-hours. I feel great fatisfaftion, Sir, that the day is at laft arrived when we can enter into that fall and ample difcutEon of the Papers be fore the Houfe, which the magnitude of the rattled reqnires, and tiicr.r.,•ll I am 1,. „r ld ,f thefe Papers, and -to impartial , •f the tranfaCtioni to Nikli they it (NI, he latiieicnt to convince every impart'al rniod of the ti.'ii. th r e of the rucalures purfited by his Mnieity's Go: eninier.!, and of the jottice of the war in which we a , e en,r,a ;:d ; yet refleaing how much the complete ot tl•e policy by which we have been g the vindica tion of the Reps which have been adopted, are need fart' to the credit of his 111:4j-fly's Government, and to the honour of the Britifla na:ion. I trod I Mall he excused if I go fomewhat at I:ngth into a review of the different afpefts of our relations, and.the progrefs of the dilculEons with Spain previbus to the war. In the courfe of what I fitall have the honour to fubmit to the Houfe, I hope that I lhall be able, not only to ettablifh that which, I believe, indeed few can be now difpofed to queition, th. ultimate jultice and nudity of the war, but, :alio the exemioary mod. - ration, liberality, and forbearance of the Miniticts of this country in every rcr iod of our relations with Spain fine the breaking out of thettwar wi:11 France; and when unexpeaed circumttances requited the de pantile from the fyflem of lenity which it was af ways the defire of the Britifh Government to exer cife, that though they were not deficient in vigour .o vindicate the rights, and to avenge the caufe of the nation, they never deviated from the laws of na tions or the principles of good faith. In the firft place then, it is neeeffary to take into confideratir,n the relative fituation in which Spain flood towards this country at the breaking out of the war, in confe (islet ce of her antecedent engagements with France. I need hardly fay more to charaaerife that fituation, than barely mention the . ..reaty of St. Ildefonfo, and the Ripulations it contained. Spain was bound to France by a Treaty on the face of it, both offenlive and defenfive, and, in fat, a Treaty which was by the contraaing parti s fo entitled. Befides.guaran teeing neutrality, their territories, Sce. they agree to affilt each other with is Ihips of the line, and 24,000 men ; and this affiffance, too, as appears from the Eth article, is to be given upon the demand of the re. quiring party, and the demand is to be taken as con clufive evidence of the neceflity, precluding the party required from making any inveßigation or inquiry as Ito the jullice of the war, or the policy Of the obje& for which the-fuccours were to be granted. Nay, by the t tilt article of this Treaty, the contrasting par. ties are to atlill each other with their whole force in cafe the flipulated fuccours fhould be infufficient.— This treaty it is molt important to keep in view, as the.foundation of all the proceedings which it was. thought incumbent on this Goverment to adopt. The Spanith Ambaffador in this country, in feveral of notes before the Houfe, it will be Peen, endeavours to fet up his own, as app ears too , in thefirft instance, unauthorized reafonin7s, to thew th a t thi s treaty was not offenfire: Toloch reasonings I oppole the treaty itfelf, which exprefsly puts at the difpofal of France the whole poWer and refources of the Swifts monarchy, by lea and land, which (trips Spain of the right to ark a queltion or exercife any j udgment as to the ptirpofe of the fu ccours th e i s to lured. Such a treaty, unlefs diflinely difclaimed, I contend mutt iprofar7o have rendered Spain a principal in the war. Ua the face of it - loch is the treaty of St. Ildefonfo ; and if any thing were wanting to explain its tenden cy, it w ould be the example of what happened , in the year 1796, in which the offenfive provifions were ,Ipecifically diredled againft England. Indeed, who that recolleas the circurnfiances in which the treaty was concluded, and when Spain was compelled to fubfctibe and ratify that record of her vaffalage to France, could doubt the fpirit of the contrail, or its hoftility to the Brit& nation ? Soch was the Rate of our relations with Spain at the time when, by the violence and ambition of the prefent ruler of France, war again broke out. His Majctiy's Government at that time were fully aware of that fituation and the confequences to which it might lead, and while they were not inattentive to obferre due precaution* with regard to a power fo cii cumitaneed, they were &fir ous to temper their conduit with conciliation. On the face of it they faw that the treaty of St. Ildefonfo was hoftile to this country, and of itfelf furnithed ground of war if not difavowed—but viewing it as a relliaant and involuntary fiibmillion to the power of France, they confidered Spain rather as an ob. jeft cf pity than of vengeance. In any other circum. glances had it not been that it was believed that the heart of the Spanith Government could not be con• cerned in fuch a...treaty, the Government of this country could not have been jultified, tlle: they had in the very outlet demanded the renunciation of it, or made it a caufe of war. But they felt that the engagements of Spain were not of choice but necef lity, from which the Court of Spain had no means to efcape ; a Court of which, though that of an enemy, I do not with to fpeak but with refpeet, al though I cannot think it retains that fpirit of inde pendence for which that nation was once fo ho nourably diftinguifhed, and which many of its inha bitants Rill potfefs. Without refleaing upon thefe confideratipns, the liberality, the generofity, and the forbearance of this Government, might have been weaknefs incompatible with true policy, and aja ft re gatd to the interetls of the public. It did appear, in deed, that the Spanifh Government at the commence• mem of the war, felt a difinclination to enter into the war, and that they wanted to gain time, with.a view to elude the Ripulations by which they were bound to France. On the other hand, without dittrußing the' sincerity of Spain, we had reafon fo fear that Rte might be driven by the overbearing arcendimcy of France into hoililities fatal to her own interetts, at any moment it fuited the policy of the ruler of France to avail himself of her resource'. It therefore became our ditty to watch, wlth peculiar jealouly, the con do& of Spin —to take care that during the period of neutrality, fhe thould not be enabled to fill her coffers, and to repler.i!li her arfenals—that her re• cruited means might be employed aga;nft us at the nod of our inveterate foe. If France was entitled to call for Is Ihips of the line and 24.000 land for Les, what fecurity would there have been that Spain would nut have been farther required to put forth all her ftrength ?—And for what purpofe ?--For an objefl avowed even before the commencement of the war, and never abandoned since but in praaice : the utter extinftion of Great Britain as a nation, and her reduftion to even work than that (late of tub. jeaion and dependance in ,which Spain was placed. The ditties of the Niiniflers of this country w:re, by all thefe eircumltances, renclere , : extremely ,te'i. eate and difficul.t. Standing at the i cad of the atfaits