The Express.
London, England, 1847-07-07 00:00:00

lan industrious life, or the remains mama of • dilapidated
priii:op. Some have invested, Ise doubt, ea egmentletion.,
to by the interest promised, bat • great wasp Met 1
y believe, were actuated by a generous impales, and
seeing a country struggling kr gentirmely came
forward and contributed to the loan. Ana, farther, I will
my that this undoubtedly adds to the baseness of thervern-
meets which have received them. (Load cries of '
hear.") I cannot retract those expressions, for there is
not one of the governments which stand indebted to Bri-
tish subjects which should not have paid off at least •
portion of their debts. But bow different is their prat.
lice) They go on sq their own resource', al•
lowing the revenue to be and plundered im
collection, allowing members o the administration to emus
fortunes by the misapplication of those resource•—(hear,
hear)--end then with one half the revenue not collected, or
misapplied on its way to the Treasury, and the other half
applied to illegitimate purposes not conneeted with the in-
teresu of the country, they come before us in the form of
paupers, and say, "We are not able to pay our debts."
(Loud cheers.) This is the case with almost all of them. I
believe there are one or two of the South American states,
which for &time may have been enable to meet their obit-
gatiom. I believe that Spain, during a portion of the civil
war, was in difficulties which justified a demand for forbear-
ance; but Spain is no longer in that position. (Hear.) The
public income of Spain has nearly doubled within the hitt ten
years, and is not larger only because Spain choose" to persevere
in a system of commercial restrictions and exclusions, by
which she wantonly prevents the revenue rising to the
amount to which, under ether circumstances, it would attain.
(Hear, hear.) Spain goes on in this way from day to day, in
spite of all experience and the example of other countries—
in spite of all the lessons she has read, in the discussion' and
debates which bent taken place all over the world, shutting
her eyes to facts, and her ears to reason : she goes
on excluding and prohibiting a great portion of the
commerce which would naturally Sow in. (Cheers.)
At this moment—l believe lam not exaggerating the
fact, for I have heard it within a very short period from a
person well acquainted with the subject—at this moment
there are about 130,000 persons prefeasionally employed in
Spain in carrying on the smuggling trade. It is a monstrous
fact, but I cannot doubt it. (Hear, hear.) About 15 or
20,000 men are profeseedly—(a laugh)--amployed in watch-
ing those smugglers; so that aboutlso,ooo of the population
are one
i way or the other employed in the contraband trade.
Here there s a large portion of their own active population,
who, if employed in productive industry, would be valuable
instruments in adding to the public wealth, absorbed by an
immoral occupation. They are, to be sure, employed in
productive industry, because employed in dis' tribution they
are, in fact, the distributors of commerce. (A laugh.) Then,
sir, when the Spanish government is urged to abolish these
prohibitions, to permit the coramodhies which are
now smuggled to come legally in, they =ewer,
"We are unable to do it—we must protect native
industry." (Great lasolder.) But this native industry,
which they are so Gordo* to proteet, is sothing but the in-
dustry I have dieneibed, ger an le flosaiii manufactures the
greater poetise of the mensmodities smuggled into Spain,
the cottons end elks, and which are said to be produced by
the industrious artisans of Catalonia and other provinces,
are contrasted for by throe or four houses in
great capitalist sinuggleri, who regularly receive from Man-
chester and Lyons English cottons and French silks,
which they stomp with the Spanish marks, and
distribute through the country Si the produce of
Spanish industry. (Hear, hear.) Spain, therefore, loess all
the revenues she would derive from levying a moderate and
proper duty on those commodities, and no industry of any
sort or kind is protected, except the industry of the smuggler,
an industry which tends to demoralise the people, to engen-
der habits of contempt for the law, and makes the smuggler
of to-day the robber of to-morrow, one slay going down the
mountains with contraband good", and the next day up with
unoffending travellers to plunder them of their property
(Cheers and laughter.) Such are the principles of Spanish
finance, in obedience to which they sacrifice an income which
would be quite sufficient to pay their debts, and for no object
but such as I have described. (Hear.) I am afraid, how-
ever, that the endeavours which the British government has
made with successive governments of Spain to procure an
alteration of this absurd system, have in no small degree
been counteracted by influence coming from other parts. I
am bound to my that I believe successive governments of
France have from time to time opposed all plans
for liberalising the Spanish tariff. (liear, hear.) A
most unfounded jealousy has produced this ebstacle. Why,
the change we desire would be as advantageous to France as
to England. (Hear, hear.) point of fact, Ido not be-
lieve the commerce of England would gain much by it; be-
cause trade will always find its level. When there is demand
there will be supply: and if Bonaparte, in the plenitude of
his power, was unable, by his Milan and Berlin decrees, to
exclude British goods, it is not to be supposed that the go-
vernment of Spain, so weak in its centre of action, and so
impotent is its eirenniference, can effect that object. (Hear.)
I should hope that the Spanish government will be induced,
by a regard for itsown interests, to sweep away three absurd
restrictions, and to place itself in receipt of an increased
revenue, so as to obviate the difficulty—if difficulty there be,
which I do not believe, in doing justice to the British
creditor. I confine not what I my to the government of
Spain, although the motion of my noble friend is
limited to the debts due by that country. In the ex-
tract which my noble friend read from a despatch
it is alleged that those debtor states are applying
their revenues to the public, service; but I should say
they are applying them to purposes of malversation, to pur-
poses to which they ought not properly to be applied. There
can be no doubt that the revenues which form the interest of
those debts no longer belong to them. They are only re-
ceivers in trust for the foreign creditor, and they have not a
right to apply one farthing to any service of their own, how-
ever urgent, until they have paid the interest first ; and if
their receipts be not sufficient let them lay on fresh taxes.
(Hear, hear.) I think that is a doctrine which is Indisputably
true, and I should hope that the discussion in this house,
and the opinions proclaimed publicly here, will, at length,
bring those governments to see that not only their honour
bat their interest requires that they should make good their
obligations. It mast be admitted that, the South American
slates havtpg been in a state of internal confusion, oilers
SOMO 411000 for their neglect of pecuniary obligations. I
tedsember bilking to an intelligent citizen of the North
Amadeu maks, who said, " The difference between the
South Ammerismaiknd as is, that they settle disputes with
the cartridgniest while we settle them with the ballot-b '
Now that Mame SOuth American state, have cast aside the cart- '
ridge-box, and are enjoying more domestic tranquillity, they
will g rally follow the example which one or two o their
number have set, and commence paying their debts. And,
if it should be so with the dealers in the cartridge-box, I
hope that the example will not be lost on the admirers of
the ballot-box—(A laugh)--and that the North Americans,
who are able to pay, who leave no excuse for not paying, no
internal 'evolutions, no military dictators, no civil wars to
justify *breach of public faith, I should hope that they will
follow the example of their southern brethren, and wipe away
from their history that blot, which must be considered a
stain on the national character. (Hem, hear.) Ide not
differ from my noble friend in as far as this goes, that if it
were the policy of England to lay it down as • rule that she
would enforce obligations of this kind with the same rigour
as obligations of another kind, then I think that in this case
she would have a fair right, according to the law of nations,
to do so. My noble friend instances cases in which com-
pensation was made to British suhjects, at the peace of
1814, for property in the Freest' funds confiscated
during the war, and also the case in which the Bri-
tish government required from Portugal payment of
certain debts due to the Duke of Wellington, Marshal
Beresford, and other British subjects. But there is • wide
difference between those eases and the Alibied of the present
discussion. My noble friend will find that Lord Castle.
reegh, in aenounetng the treaty of 1814, distinctly made
known that the stipulation for compensation had been in-
serted, because, by • prior agreement, the French govern-
ment had barred Itself the right of confiscation, but
Lord Castlereagh warned the _ radio that in any
future ease In which British subject' should without
the sanction of their government, Invest their money in the
French funds, they must not expect similar intervention. In
the cases of the Duke of Wellington and Marshal Beresford,
their employment by the Portuguese had been sanctioned
by the British government, and therefore there was a special
mem why dot pranstat should insist upon P
hillßling ite iimsmonle. Bat Ido not wish to modify
Masi Nesee dr moat I have given to the
of Adria Mend ; and although
rattoarrilio °boom an promoda of public policy not
ho
b= at
ibt Oa bar Ml= government the
th address would on it, yet I would
take this mwitieremay et wading these forolgo govoriormia
who are to astbraelo, that do lir may woo
when this boss will so *point mime mop and
injustice ea the Wl** elikYerustrr asai)
—that the time may come ohs the Durbin mesa will not
see with teemstillity • awn of IN millikee doe to British
subjects nook with ems the interest unpaid and that if
they do set alike prow efforts to fuldi their engage-
ments, the sovanumaat of this soontry, no matter what
sioa tompodo It, nay bo ampelied by palls spiaioo, and
the tolls of podium* to Awn ben tie iddierto rata-
Whirl radios of Nagirsad, sad to Witt on the payment of
time soma (Loud That ye have the means to do
Wt, I sea not the mom for i.e moment to doubt. It is not
boom we are afraid of thole states, one or all of them put
Mt, that we abstain from taking the steps which my
rviesd urges. England will always have means to
obtain justice for her subjects from cry country on the face
of the earth. (Hear.) It is a quasi.= of expediency, not
of power, sad therefore no longer let any foreign country
which may have done us a wrong, deceive itself by a false
impression that either the British nation or parliameat will
for ever remain in passive acquiescence, or that when the
British government is called upon to enforce the rights of
the people of England, that government will Lot have ample
means to procure them justice. (The noble lord resumed his
seat amid loud cheers from both sides of the house.)
Mr. HUME had heard the speech of the noble lord with
great satisfaction. (Hear, hear.) He hoped that the noble
lord opposite would profit by the lecture he had received on
the subject of free trade. (" Hear," and a laugh.) Ha did
not quite understand the distinctions laid down by the noble
lord the Secretary for Foreign Affairs, but ha was satisfied
to leave the matter in his hands.

Lord G. BENTINCK said that after the tone taken by
hie noble friend, there was nothing left to be wished for on
the part of the Spanish bondholders. His noble friend
had procured redress from the South American states,
and would no doubt nso equal energy with the Spanish
government when the proper time arrived. He begged
leave to withdraw his motion. _ _

After a few words from Mr. BORTHWICK and Sir D. L.
EVANS, the motion WU withdrawn.

PORTUGAL
•

Mr. 110118 MAN said he had seen it stated In the news
which had that day arrived front Oporto, that Col. Wylde,
at his auntie, with the junta, had insisted on the Count Die
Asti/ and Vionat ea di Baadoin being excluded *oat

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