The National Register. — London, England, 1818-04-26 00:00:00

f (1/• `~!~~+' No. 53t5 .—VoL. XI. POLITICAL DISQUISITION. OS THE DISPUTE BETWEEN SPAIN AND AMERICA EVERY ,year, the ougqralmost to say every poet, from our late transatlantic possessions, afford fresh and important matter fur almost boundless contem plation, and the most useful reflection. In a spaCe of time scarcely sufficient for-the maturity of the intellec tual power of a human being, have the United State of America risen frets the origin of their politicel ex istence, into a flourishing State, and achieved a power not only competent to the preservation of themselves, but already tluvatening to their neighbours, and likely to increase to an extent almost incalculable. The last mail from Ara eriza furnishes us with the official correspondence which hes taken place between the governments of that country and Spain, relative totherestitution of those parts Of the Floridas, whiCh were wrested from the hitter power by the former, during a period of mutual peeee and certainly, if the truth of the observations we have just made -require the illustration of evidence, node snore positive could be adduced than this correspondence. Iu defiance of every received principle in. the laws of Latitins, America resolutely persists in retaining the a,:quisition of frontier she has made at the expense of 0z..... neighbours ; rejects, with a sneer, the proposal of k.:;...roptan mediation ; and haughtily and abruptly re- Ellie to enter into further communication on the sub ject.• The reasons asslinerl, by Mr. Adams against elks• prartie . aZi:ity. of acquiescing in the demands of Spain, of which, however, he does not pretend to deny the justice, it, that the territory is question being now au -I.2xed to• the to - ited •Statett, by an Act c.f . the Govern ment, it ,is become impot.xibla nain to saparate them. The best that een - be asicretiiii deeriptier of argument that it is letcoaie.; auil in political controversy gene ' ialiy proves, if' not the right, at least the power of the party that makes use of it. The conduct of the Uait el States in this instance, so nearly resembles that of Napoieen when in the zenith of his power, that it muy fairly bli — arerlls6.2 to the same source; a consciousness of power sufficient to Maintain . , in practice, what in principle ntight he disputed ; and -thus has the terri tory in question be , ....nineorporated in that of the Unit ed States, with as little cerernory as accompanied the annetettlen of Holland - 05 the French Empire. me occupation of Amelia island by the farces. of tie United- States flu-;a another point for aiseussionlin the corropondtnee before referred to ; :tad, speokjag candidly, the arguments of America on this subject,. claim 40me respect, at least, fur plausibility. Spain Was notoriously incapable of Feserying either the peace or tht ossesiron of the island, and the parties into I:•hos4i power it lid fallen, are allegea to .have transgressed the limits of neutrality, a 73.1 to have caused great injury and interruption to the commerce of the United states. However this; may be, the rig.ht of Aine:iza to the are at least as good as those of the parries lima whom she immediately wrested it: and„tdraittntg. es she does, the ,claims of'!pain to thVosseatioa of it, Nvlenever the latter may be enabla,M ,, oc.4sjNel ile fcrid it, it would ; under these circuiistAnoes, De to reiwolkii Aine , :iekt as the aggrester in this hula It what.Stpai!l Imam) . tostr,k, thai, re thc . paLioa *O-• ..ealltite . will b, ..rtforct: :ter right :is: lurver, an Act of Ontf;ress may settle the fate island, us. it appears to • have clone that of her yost,es tAtas in la; and from an act of this descriptizii, teem, acconling. to the doctrine laid down Iy it. Adam's, there can be nu appeal.. It is certata), :...tusing to oliserve America kcepiog aloof with si much " the lahrrittli of F t uropcsn polities" in her official declaration; whilst in her clnduct, she is insking a .pruetical assertion of points of which those politics, in their wildest theorcticul t-terit, would scarcely a:Lai& the diss:us,ion. Grant- _ . a / r A v ". „ , • j•X 6.A:l4:tonal ()U1 tontittt Aitt In ant I aid. (cora tit.: )) t t HOUSE OF LORDS. Ile it ;,at but n thou j • Piles 9.1(1. PARLIAMENT. llonnitv, APRIL le. • A conversatitnl ton% phiee Otto/ten Lord:. Liverpool anet llollontl respect - flag the Alio•n Act. Lord Liverpool said it vras intended to renew It, lot nei in einisequenee of any tn pgement with coritinen?.! vs,. CU 11 itLN CY. ThikEarlastiranmgnetat.i: rose to move for a Committee to en fit into tho scale of the Currerey. Hi• 0,1 wis amipaLttre diftieoit ia b- to - (NM t' r, I) h.. how` obloc4iepothee *WS the ter! nininice of the Bank restriction uu itiniecec;,,r.... the only -vision 'resigned for it was the probable affect of tereign warn, hat he would not admit that any danger seas In be appre liended from them, and he buoadly deuied that soy commercial country could be drained of its specie. This true 1 IikASOU for the restriction % v ie , ike o uth i ninisbed issue horn the Bank, which rendered cash payments impossible, and he sincerely believed they were as distant as ever. lie objected fo the proposed plan respecting country notes. Every writer on political econo my agreed, that us much of the tirculation of a country us possible °light to be conducted in paper, that paper being ti nited by the demand fur paynirut at will. The Suvereigo passed for 1024. less than it was really wortli,how then could any one expect that gold slvuld remuitt in the eta».n.ry or how conki government pledge itself for the restriction of cash payments without enquiry ? The Not.lc Lord concluded by making his motion. Lord Livaepoor, agreed with most of the general prioeL pies laid down by the Noble Eat( and was rqnaliy anciima for the resumption of rash payments, but contended that the present state of the country did nut warrant the measure.-- His Lordship rcplitd at eonsitlcralile length to tile objections respecting the Country Banks.and maintained that so much distress had arisen from the failure of the Country Banks, that it was hiciinthent on the Legislature to prevent the evil, end he had no doubt of his producing the most beneficial effects. He should negative the Motion, as he was erinvirced enquiry would only elicit the opinionsrf some speculative iudividuais without rentler , ng filly real benefit. The Marquis of Laysnowan supported the views of the Noble Moser, contending that nt•least the subject ought not to be dismissed with Ire.s enquily than a Turnpike or a canal Bill. He teprobated the pi esimt vrintinal taws With respect to forgeries, and pledged biniself to bring the subject before the house. _ . ..... . Lord HARROSTRY OppOSI d the Motion. Lard ittIAIOLTII made some statements in reply to Lord Lansdowne's obseirallOtlS Via forgnries. Lord LAUDLII.DALE them replied, insisting the all which had heel advanced showed still more strongly the necessity for enq u iry. The question was then put and negatived without a divi. sion. TUMIDAY: Nothiag of public interest °retired this day. Vt . LON ESUA Y. Nothing partPular transpired -the accounts of dm Incomes of the Royal Dukes Mere ordered to be iniutetl. A person from the prisnnted eopieluf the regulations mitered into by the different governments of Sir .1. GRAHAM brilll4tte several private Bills from the Commons, which were rend a 111....4 time. _ _ The hail of Ottrunti presented a Petition from King's Lynn, Norfolk, again the rem-ltrink i)reinage Rill, in which the petition. cr.i prayed to be permitted to ciLt evidence, and to k heard by counsel on the third reading. The Loan CHANCE LT.OII olyen..ll, that it was unu.ual to hear counsel on the third reading. Lord GRENrIi.I.O thought, it would be better to re.cominit the Bill, and refer the Petitions Itgaitht it to the rwrituittec. lie then mark a Motion to this etfi et, which was to. OFFICERS' WIDOWS' PI. NSIONS. The, Moretti; oflhaNsnows; t: then ton to move that there be laid before the I louse a copy of the rci.,mlation of the War•office, of the tit I, , ebritary, fur tsking the usual pension from ti ch widows of otlicers uf the army a:: have an inceme equal to double the amount of the allowance to.which tl would be entitled by their Ivbands' rank. Ile made .• ...r the purpose of knitting under ern. siderntion a regolation trio , h appyaretl to hint exceedingly objec tionable. The reduction co..Lniplated by the regulation applied to a th,cription of persons, hod a scale of pensions, which ought in I,:ir ness, as well as in libtraliiy, to remain untouched. The fund loon which theqe prntirms warm actical was founded and supported by the tam) , itself. It commene,d in the Mint of Queen Ante ; and in the year t7t , 2 the fund had to far accumulated., that .2tiod o h. vas takca from it, :and applied to other purpw-es. lo justice. thercrote, this mutt td he repaid benne any deductlon was made float the pcsions. He (outbid; dby naming fiat a copy of t h e regulation. and id - o for an account of the number of officers' widows whose peptic:A v. ould be reduced hy enforcing it. The Earl of la ern no ot. tlitl not intim to object to the pmdthlion of ate 'papers, hut wished to explain what had !,,:n the view of his ':ojesty's for rntueut. Lt win perfectly viva that Moe wtemtcv.e aonne they orifjnated, were Hour et.nsidered as a. of right. It had been the practice. both w i ll rel..trol to the and tine nary. u 1 nr.ke prmishin by pensions for the %cilia, Cr: U;ItC , :74 ; but the ‘e pecs , ons ecra :.lit nya .ftw in o ri a l be Lig presented• eta. the iodicidual to be In necessitous eir enniatancea. ,It h.a , 11,0-ever. be,n reprt.seimal to him, that many individnala. conceiving that their widows were of 140 en . tiCed tai die i.cr. :ion of thtir can'a, had armcd Ohl , ! thrill to make a bother pretklon for C-c_ir sad had, ycihar, untlerrone coosidcln!:le : 1. order to ea air t 1,.. ohje, t. lie was thereto! cof 01. • !.::t the wila• minified .41 ftras to prevent it n la.sits7 r re , cnve with regard to eases of t'ais cle-c-;"iar. At !'h, nee , oglit advisable to make fals.a r alteratier. 'tar is.th of naval:lntl ni tt ;dicers p , Wet Toffolon if they have nut an ia.come equal to four times Jlary•as I.AN•strtmeNr expresFM hixagetiff-...tien at the evrlftnytinn which the liol,kSerretar • ~- of St! 11;•A i.e Mo tion ails pg7eetl ttr.—.A4jottrned to NI)A'Y, APRIL $6, 1818. - i log for a moment the right on 5.i , le part of Ame rica, to march her troops into tlte Floridas on the plea of self defence, awl no le assumption that Spain could not or woald not to a the neutrality of her territory to be respected case exactly in point with the occupation of Ca • . gen, with which the English Government Las been often reproached by these conscientious Republic' ), on what plea do they now persist in retaining ' a,sofs i tie territory, now that the enemy is wittuTrawn t , a thin a whir' w England stems, unless s; sight I' r. Ly theiuselves, no longer probable ? How will the reconcile the con. trarieties of the doctrine that Spa' Las lost her claims to the Floridas, whilst she continues to preserve her claims to Amelia island?—Because an Act of Congress has already decided that she shall lose the one, and it is not yet resolved whether or not she shall lose the ether ! An Act of Congress I Such is unquestiona bly law for the people of America; but to insist on its application in the case between themselves and Spain, is adding insult to injury. We :nay 'indeed perceive on which side is the balance of power ! Fortunately for ourselves the day is not yet arrived fbr America to amuse tie with such logic in aerver to our claims to . our West India Islaniis !—but that day may be ap proaching. Her rapidly increasing population, the energy of her governitent, her 11i:exhausted soil, the rapid d'Susion of useful knowletga, cannot fail to place her, in a fhw years. amongst the Toast powerful of :lo tions. Still in her infancy, she' has appropriated to herself all those advantages, winch the most refined nations in Europe ha.:c been otiaturies in accumulat ing, and which, like fortune and knowledge, in the life of man, are seldom ettainci until those who do attain them are an the decline. With such adrantagos, i...r0tc4.1 by that ambition w1441t0 evidently begins to tnanife.st itself i trut• tiF the Coital States, what is the result, old lit extrartsant to anti . ... Orate. .• The same mail which brings the emrespondettet be tween America and Spain, brings also that between the former power and the Government of Naples, by which it appears, that Amerim urgently insists on remunera tion from the present Neapolitat, 'Government, for the Confiscation of American property under that of Murat. We cannot see, with some of tha daily journals, any thing so eNorhitant in this den.and ; neither can we discover why a Paper, which he ever so strenuously supported the -claims of the Allies paint the existing Government of France for loss sstained undei that of Napoleenoshoull find it unreasonable in America to hold the present Government crf Naples responsible for the conduct of the one pre:Wing. With revrect to the relations •betn. , cett the United States sad the Independent Provinces of South Ame rica, the forme:- Government ta!s credit to itself for the ohsQrranen of perfect wuti•rdily, although it is very evident that the pains it tails to prevent the supply of warlike ammunition, Sec. to t '• 4 the Ileligerents can operate only a.;:iiitist oat of - t • - 'es. In short, it is ea4ily perceived, t ; bo.3latisnyi.‘. Meat of the United Statio-;ilri-a'v :i;.?reciate the fri.'.. dable - rival it has to esiaret in Sonth America; but e the fox in the fa '..'.c, irl tic, i,i a: I lig that the resait . ,t., f . lis sanguinsry strug i;lo between Spain And her colcni,. -ill be the mutilation (.f brth, sten:ls akof, ready in sluli an event to take aUnatatre of it at their espeoce.i . - W.ui there no other =lir:. for wishing success to the rause of South Anie r.can Independence, we could fir,.: one in the eon% ietion we fe , .l of t;le ac+it we shouldd imrsclves derive from it, were it wily in tiie salutary died: it might hereaflor n nmbition of the United Statci of wLo:n (as comparc.(l with the Nukilolitan, or any other prove power tltreataned to prone a dangerous rival to this country) ...re r1;!:ht say with Svllu, in his prophecy coneczning (a k a r "Se cci i ru in Ca::Jare, multos vidcru Iklarios."