The Sun.
London, England, 1823-04-15 00:00:00

•
lama torronutications of some importance to make to him, which
the troubled state of the capital for several days past, and my
. overt continued indisposition, had prevented me from submitting
to his consideration at an earlier period.
Having thus drawn his attention to what I was about to say,
I produced your dispatch of the 9th February, and an extract
from Sir Charles Stuart's dispatch to you, of the 10th February ;
and proceeded to read tohim those parts of each which I thought
the most calculated to produce a favourable etfect,aecornpanying
my reading with such remarks as the nature of the communica-
tion required.
M. de San Miguel listened with the greatest attention ; but
as soon. as I had concluded, observed, that the British Govern-
ment was labouring under a delusion, in supposing any sort of
modification possible. It would be a much easier thing to
overturn the whole Constitutional system, and to re-establish
absolute despotism, than to concede even the most insignificant
of the points which had been pointed out as the most likely to
conciliate.
He was fully aware that England asked no niodificatians on I
her own account. Ile knew that we *shed to preserve to Spain
-het constitutional system; that our.'only object in trying to en-
gage her to yield upon certain points was the conviction, that if
a war did break out, we must be, sooner or later, involved in it
ourselves. Ile knew very well that we should not declare in
favour. of Spain at first; bat nobody could be so blind as not
to see, that if the war was protracted, and other Powers took
part in it, England alone could not remain a passive spectator
of what might be its results.
No. 40.:.--Sir A'Court to Mr. Secretary Canning.--
Received March 10..
(Extract:) Madrid, March 5, 1023.
A Spanish Gentleman at Paris has written from Paris to
that the French Government• has. declared that it
Will suspend hostilities if a general amnesty be granted—a ver-
bal pfornise of modifications hereafter be given—a change of
Minißtcrs take place—and the King be permitted to go to the
waters of Sacedon.
That the negociation must be carried on at Paris, through
the mediation of the British Ambastiador ; quotes Sir
Charles Stuart as his authority, and refers his friends to me for
further information.
Now, I have heard nothing from Sir Charles Stuart since the
20th tilt. when he still referred me to his Dispatch to you of the
10th of February, as containing the final determination of the
French Government. That determination is very widely dif-
ferent from the arrangement alluded to by ----.

No. ,11.—Sir William A'Court to Mr. Secretary Canning.—
Received March HI, at night.
(Extract.) Madrid, March 2, 1823.
tittW. Alonsieur de San Miguel this morning, and, to my
great.astonishmen,t be asked me what were the precise condi—
.4ons required by France, in case any questions should be asked
him in Cortes. I repeated to him the conditions stated in Sir
Charles. Stuart's dispatch of. the 10th -February, and those
(hardly to be considered Adel) contained in the same Am-
bassador's .dispatch Of the 21st February *; and, according to
his request, I sent him, upon my return home, an extract from
the dispatch of the 10th. February. What is in agitation I
know not. Ile told me :he should say nothing upon the sub-
ject, unless called upon by the Cortes; and that if any negocia-
tions were entered into, he would not be the person to negotiate.
I should only mislead you if I were to attempt to give any
explanation of this singular conversation.
• See No. 33, a Copy of which was received by Sir William
Court, subsequently to his Letter of the sth March.

1 ' No. 42. ' .
Sir William A'Court to Mr. Secretary Canning,—Received
March 20.
(Extract.) - - ~ ' Madrid,. March 11, MI
In a few hurried lines, written as the last courier was setting
otr, I communicated to you a singular conversation which had
passed between M. de San Miguel and myself.
I forebore to express any opinion, upon this conversation ; but
Whatever hopes some of his expressions were calculated to ex-
cite are now entirely at.an end.

No. 43.
Mr. Secretary Canning to Sir Charles Stuart.
• ' Foreign Office, March 31, 1023
Sir--The hopes of an accommodation between France and
Spain, which his Majesty has so long been encouraged to cite-
reth, in despite of all untavourable appearances, being now un-
happily extinguished, I am commanded by hie Majesty to ad-
dress to your Excellency, for the purpose of being communi-
cated to the French Minister, the following explanation of the
sentiments of your Government upon the present posture of
.atrairs between those two kingdoms.
The King ilea extutusted his endeavours to preserve the peace
of Ettrope..!
The. epic:talon of an interference in the internal concerns of
on account of the troubles and distractions which have
ibr some time prevailed in that kingdom, was not one on which
his Majesty could, for himself, entertain a moment's hesitation.
If his Majesty's Plenipotentiary at Verona did not decline tak-
ing part in the deliberations of the allied cubinets upon that
question, it was because his Majesty owed to his allies, upon
that as upon every other subject, a sincere declaration of his
opinions; and because he hoped that it friendly and unreserved
communication might tend to the preservation of general peace.
The nature of the apprehensions which had induced the King
of France to assemble an ansiy, within his own frontier, upon
the borders of Spain, had been indicated, in the first instance,
y the designation of " Cordon Sanitatrta" The change of
at designation to that of an " Army of' Observation" (which
tdok, place in the month of September last) did not appear to
his Majesty to imply more, than that the defensive system,',
originally opposed to the contagion of physical disease, would
bh continued against the possible inconveniences, moral or poli-
tical, which might arise to France, front 'a civil contest raging
a country separated from the French territory only by a con-
ventional
line of demarcation. The dangers naturally incident'
to an unrestrained intercourse between two countries so situated
towards each other ; the dangers of political intrigue, or of oc-
casional violation of territory, might sufficiently justify prepa-
.N
rdtians of military defence.
Such was the state of things between France and Spain at
the opening of the Congress at Verona. The propositions
brought forward by the French Prenipotentiary in the Confe-
rences of the Allied Cabinets were founded on this state of
things. Those propositions did leer relate to any project of car-
rying attack into' the heart of the Spanish monarchy, but were
in the nature of inquiries :--last, What ;countenance France
might expect to receive from the Allies, if she should find her.
Belt under, the necessity of breaking off diplomatic intercourse
with the Court of Madrid ? And, UV, What assistance, in
*apposed cases of outrage to be committed', or of violence to be
menaced, by Spain. These cases were all contingent and pre-
cautionary. '1 he answers of the three continental Powers were
of a corresponding character.
'l'lle result of the discussions at Verona was, a determina-
tion of. his Majesty's allies, the Emperors of Austria and
itufas;a, and the King of Prussia To make known to
the Ca'oblet of Madrid, through their respective Ministers at
that Court, their sentiments upon the necessity of a change in
the present system of the Spanish Government ; and, in the
.event of an unsatisfactory answer to that communication, to
recall their respective Ministers ; and to break offal' diplomatic
intercourse with Spain. 2dly, To make common cause with
.France against Spain, in certain specified cases ; Casa, as has
been already observed, altogether contingent and precautionary.
is Majesty's Plenipotentiary declined concurring in these
measures; not only because he was unauthorized to pledge the
faith of his Government to any hypothetical engagement, but
bV3334: his Goverment bad, from the month of April, 1820,
Uniformly recommended. to the' powers of the alliance to
abstain front interfaence in the internal affairs of Spain ;
and because, having been from the sante period 'entirely unac-
quainted with whatever transactions might have taken place be-
ta/ems France and Spain, his Government could riot judge on
what grounds, the Cabinet of the Tuileries meditated a isossible
discontinuance of diplomatic relations with the Court of Madrid;
or on what grounds they apprehended' an occurrence apparently
.so iniproliabk, as a commencement of hostilities against France
loySpaSu.. •
No proof was produced to his Majesty's Plenipotentiary of the
.existence of any design on the part of the Spanish Government
tai invade die territory of France, of any attempt to introduce
disaltivtion among her soldiery, or of any project to undermine
• her political institutions ; and so long as the struggles and tlis-
luirl'utnees of Spain should be confined within the circle of her
!aiwn territory, they could not be admitted by the BritishOo..
vernment -to OW any plea for Foreign interference. ' If the
end of the last and the beginning of the present century saw all
Europe combined against France, it was not on account of the
internal changes which France thought necessary for her own
political anti civil reformation ; but because she attempted to pro.
yakate, first her principles, and afterwards her dominion, by
the ireord.
loiposSible as it was for his Majesty •to be party to the mea-
sures concerted at Verona with respect to Spain, his Majesty's
Pl:nipotentiary declared , that the British Government could
only endeavour throUgh 11i3 Majesty's Minister at the Court of
thellatholic King, to allay the ferment which those measures
;night occasion at Madrid, and to do all the good in his power."
Up to this period no communication had taken place between
his Majesty and the Court of Madrid, as to the discussions at
Verona. But about the time of the arrival of his Majesty:a
Pitnitrotentiary, on his return from Verona, at Paris, Spam
expressed 3 desire for the " friendly interposition" of his J4la7
'testy, to avert the calamities of war.
..Spain distiodistinctly braised
thia desire to the employment of sun gond offices" on the
• Fart of Cheat Britain, us would not be inconsistent with " the
most strictly conceived system of neutrality." Nor has any
Veriod occurred, throughout the whole oldie intercourse of the
Jiritish Government with spain, at which tile Spanish Govern-
went has been for ohe moment led, by that of Great Britain, to