The Sun.
London, England, 1837-04-20 00:00:00

quentity of muskets and bayonets to the Queen of Spain,
but why had he done so ?—(Hear, hear.) Why, because
be found it expressed in the Quadruple Treaty that this
country was bound to furnish the Queen of Spain with arms
and munitions of war.—( Cheers.) That was an express sti-
pulation, and the Duke of Wellington could do no other-
wise than comply with it. But it was a different question
whether, although by the terms of the treaty, this Govern-
ment were bound to supply arms and munitions of war, they
bad any right to send out troops. If no such obligation were
reposed on them, he should then like to know how they could
justify the sanction which they had given to the levy of
10.000 men to co-operate with the forces of the Queen of
Spain against an insurgent army—how they could justify
sending out a body of Marines and a troop of Artillery for
any such purpose.—(Cheers.) That was a very different pro-
position, and the question was—was such a course in strict
accordance with the treaty ? Last night a discussion took place
between the Noble Lord the Member for Hertford and the
Hon. and Learned Member for the Tower Hamlets, with re-
si ect to the interpretation of this clause of the treaty. He
would not pretend to say that the Noble Lord's construction was
right; on the contrary, he was willing to admit that the con-
struction of the Hon. and Learned Member for the Tower Ham-
lets was the correct one ; but whether that were so or not, did
not affect the question before the House. The Noble Lord had
said that Don Carlos occupied the northern provinces when
the Queen of Spain entered into the treaty with England and
France, in order to prevent the insurgent army from obtaining
supplies of arms, ammunition, and provisions across the French
frontier. The King of France refused to employ his army in
co operation with that of the Queen of Spain ; but he agreed
to prevent the passing of supplies to the troops of Don Carlos.
That, be said, was the effect of the treaty, so far as France
was concerned. But as the sea coast was open, and as ammu-
nition and provisions might be obtained in that way, England
undertook to prevent, by means of a naval force, the introduc-
tion of all supplies along shore.—(Cries of " Oh, oh,' from
the Ministerial benches.) He was merely speaking of the
construction which was put upon the treaty last night, and
he thought the Noble Lord the Secretary for Foreign Affairs
would not venture to contend that this was not one of the
objects of the treaty.----( Hear, hear.) But whether this inter-
pretation was correct or not, he was satisfied that the construe
tion given to the clause to which he referred by the lion.
and Learned Member for the Tower Hamlets was not right;
because the answer which he gave to the interpretation of the
Noble Lord was, that this could not be the construction, and,
for this reason, that his interpretation would imply that there
was no such word in the English vocabulary as " blockade."—
( Loud cheering.) That was the argument, as he understood
it, of the Hon. and Learned Member for the Tower Hamlets.
But, surely, if it were intended to stipulate for a blockade, the
Forts to be blockaded ought to have been mentioned. Now,
what ports were there to which such a stipulation could apply?
Why, they were ports every one of which was already in pos.
seseion of the Queen of Spain.—(Cheers.) The argument
of the Hon. and Learned Gentleman, therefore, would not
answer his purpose. fie would now revert to the argument of
the Hon. and Learned Member for the Tower Hamlets with
respect to the Quadruple Treaty itself. The Hon. and Learned
('ntleman contended that the effect of the Treaty, without
the additional articles, was to bind this country to co-operate
with the Queen of Spain in actual warfare, and to afford as-
eistance.
Dr. LUSH INGTON—No ; what I said was that that was
the effect of the two.
Sir 'W. FOLLETT—WeII, the lion. and Learned Gen-
tleman had said that the effect of the two was to bind The King
of Engles' to interfere, to take part, in feet, in the war iu
Spain, and that, therefore, the Government had done no more
than what they were bound to do.—( Cheers.) The Honour-
able and Learned Gentleman had not adverted to either the
time or the circumstances when the treaty was catered into,
but the House would recollect that it was entered into after
the idant Dan Miguel had been driven from Lisbon to San-
tarem. and when the Infant Don Carlos was with him there.
Ole object for which the treaty was entered into was that of
defending. the independence of Portugal, and preventing the
,-;,‘ettieh army from reinaiiiing in that country longer than was
srestessary, and the other was to compel the Infantes Don Ali-
gild end Don Carlos to withdraw from the Portuguese terri-
tory. Now, what was the stipulation contained in the treaty?
-.Vity, it was, " That her Majesty the Queen binds herself to
withdraw her troops from the Portuguese territory immediately
tit e the expulsion of the said Infamies shall be accomplished,
nod Coat the presence of the said troops shall no loiieer be
; equired by her Most Faithful Portuguese Majesty."
Th • object of the treaty, therefore, was to get Don Miguel
and Den Carlos out of Portugal. But what did the King of
reegland contract to do ? Why—" His Majesty the King of
Greet Britain engages to co-operate by employing a naval
,i'ree to second the necessary resolutions and operations con
teteuent upon the present treaty ;" while the King of' France
titian: took to do actually nothing, as would be seen by the
4th article, which was as follows:—" In case the co-operation
of France shall be deemed necessary by the high contracting
parties, hie Majesty the King of the French engages to do all
that pia Majesty end his very august allies shall unanimously
eetermiee upon."—(Cheers.) The object of the treaty was,
therefore, clear, and defined. There was no obscurity or un-
certainty about it, or the limits of the ob'egations of the re-
spective contracting parties. The treaty, then, was entered
into r the purpose of assisting in ejecting Don Miguel and
Don Carlos from Portugal. That was the effect which it was
designed to produce. Now look at the additional articles—
se bat did they say ? Why, that—" His Majesty the King of
the French engaged to take in that part of hie dominions which
adjoins Spain the measures best calculated to prevent any
kind of succour, whether of men, arms, or munitions of war,
being sent from the French territory to the insurgents
in Spain." And that—" His Majesty the King of the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland engages to furnish to
her Catholic Majesty all succours in arms and munitions of
war which her Catholic Majesty may require, and further to
Resist with naval forces, if necessary." Now. he should like
know from the Noble Lord the Secretary of State for Foreign
Affairs what the construction was which he put on this article?
Did the Noble Lord believe that if the people of England
knew, when the treaty was laid before Parliament, its object
was to lead them to a co-operation in a war about a disputed
succession, to oblige them to continue that co-operation until
this war was put down—a war that might lead to a general
war throughout Europe—that they would ever have sanctioned
such policy?—(Loud cheers.) Suppose the Queen of Spain
were established on her throne by means of foreign troops
and foreign bayonets, what advantage was this country likely
to obtain front it? They all knew the jealousy ot the Spa-
eiards, and their hatred of foreign interference in their affairs.
The motion of his Right Hon. Friend was to prevent the con-
tinuance of the British Auxiliary Legion in Spain, arid to re-
cal the Marine force and troop of Artillery which had been
sent to that country. That was the object of his Right Hon.
Friend's motion.—( Cheers.) Was the sending of such a force
without the sanction of the Government to co-operate with
the Queen's land forces in accordance with the treaty? Until
he heard it from his Right Hon. Member the Member for Kir-
cudbright, that night, he was not aware it could be contended
that the Legion, Marines, and Artillery, were in Spain in com-
pliance with the terms of the Treaty.—( Cries of " No, no.")
Now, he would first beg their attention to the employment of
the Marines, because that was contended to be in strict accor-
dance with the treaty. That had been stated both by the
Hon. and Learned Member for the Tower Hamlets and the
lion. Gentleman the Secretary to the Admiralty, who asserted
That nothing more had been done than to give a mere naval
co-operation. Let them see that case. Was it a fair con-
struction of the treaty not only to send to Spain a naval force,
but a battalion of Marines, under the command of a Field
Officer of Marines, together with a detachment of artillery to
assist the Spanish army ? If not to be under the command of
a Spanish General, could it be said that this was a naval co-
operation ?—( Cheering.) Let them see how the Honourable
Gentleman the Secretary for the Admiralty proved that it
was a naval co-operation. He said that it was so because in
the last war innumerable instances had occurred of the sailors
and Marines belonging to the fleet acting as land forces—
of their having marched across the deserts of Egypt,
defending and storming forts. He (Sir W. Follett) could
add another instance ; he could tell the Hon. Gentleman
more ; he could tell him of a land battle, in which the guns
were worked by sailors and marines.—( Cheers.) He would
give him one instance more, in which the sailors and marines
of this country had acted as land forces. If he mistook not,
they had acted in this way under the Duke of Wellington, in
Portugal. But surely what was done by the British navy, at
a time when this country was waging a war—(Cheers)—a war
of life and death against the power of France—was no argu-
ment in support of the construction which bad been put by the
Government on this treaty. It was impossible that the same
rules that were applicable to the naval service of this country
Le a time of war could be applied to the part which the sailors
wed marines of this country had taken in the contest now go-
ing' on in Spain. The sailors and marines co-operated with
the land forces in the lines of Torres Vedras. If the crews
of the two brigs stationed on the coast of Spain were alone
employed in that country in the manner which had been de-
scribed, there would be some pretence for the defence at-
tempted to be set up ; but as this was not the case, as whole
battalions of Marines and Artillery bad been sent out, they
.might just as well have sent out a regiment of foot, or a bat-
Valion of the Guards.—( Cheers.) If they interfered at all
ti. ey should interfere in a manner becoming the dignity of this
eotentry.—( Cheers.) He wished when they had determined
on interfering that they had done so openly. His Right Hon.
Freeiel bad pointed out the destitute condition in which the
.Legion had been left by the Spanish Government—they were
without hospitals, beds, clothes, or provisions. Now he would
ask. the Noble Lord if he could deny that statement ?
kch,ers.) Double the number that had been killed in battle
had he Wieved died of privation. The Government ought to
bare taken upon themselves the responsibility of sending an
army to Spate'• or, at all events, of stipulating that the men
who went out t:'ere were properly treated. There could be
no difficulty in instating on the latter point. Now, with re-
spect to the Foreign .Enlistment Act, what had the lion. and
Learned Memb for the Tower Hamlets said ? Why, he had
maid that, by the old law .of this country, any subject of the
Crown was at liberty to enter into the service of any foreign
:State he pleased. He could not concur in the doctrine laid
town by the Learned Gentlemen, nor did he believe such to
a* the constitutional law of the country. The Foreign En-
ttment Act had added nothing to the prerogative of the
Cr. 1",11 in this respect.—( Cheers. ) lie contended that the
°reft r in Council did, in effect, sanction the sending out of
the Legion to Spain, but he left it to the Government to
deft ,nil Their policy in that particular, and to show that they
were s justified in allowing 10,000 British subjects to go to
that country to take part in the war carrying on there.
Hs; vas at a loss to know how any person could defend
the, e °Hey of sending ten thousand of our countrymen to
int e11...we in this contest, when the Government did not ven
;me to interfere openly in the affairs of the Peninsula.--
( Loud cheers.) He wished that the Noble Lord had at-
te. **led to ?That had been stated on this subject by a French