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

HOUSE OF LORDS, APRIL 14.

The Mouse' met at eleven o'clock, and. heard

appeals till one, when it adjourned to 5 o'clock.
At five the Lord Chancellor took his seat on the Woolsack.
The Earl of SHAFTESBURY presented a Petition from
Dudley, in Worcestershire, against the Insolvent Debtors'Act,
and another from the Mayor and Burgesses of Beverley, in
Yorkshire, against granting any ftirtber concessions to Roman

Catholics. •
Lord HOLLAND presented a Petition from Dr. High-
more, complaining of the oppressive exercise of the jurisdiction
of the Ecclesiastical Court ; and another from Camberwell, in
Surrey, against the Insolvent Debtors' Act.

FOREIGN NEGOCIATIONS.
The Earl of LIVERPOOL said, he rose to lay on their
Lordships' table the Papers relative to the important ne-
gociation in which this country had beep lately engaged
respecting Spain. In doing so, he felt it, necessary to
state the purport of the -Papers, and to make some ob-
servations on the course puisued by this Government
during the negociations for the last nine months, and on
our present policy. He should be most unwilling, in,
laying the Papers" on their Lordships' table for conside-
ration, without meaning to call for any declaration 01l
their opinion before they had sufficient time to come to a
just conclusion, to adopt any course that might be objec-
tionable ; but he thought no course could be less objec-
tionable than that he should do, what the Papers alone
could not do—put the House in possession of l'acts and
arguments by which the conduct of Government was di-
rected. Even if the Papers lie bad now to present con-
tained the fullest possible information on the subject, the
course he was pursuing, he conceived, would be unobjec.
tionable; but some of the Papers which had ehtered into
the late negociations belonged to Foreign Powers, and
could not be laid before Parliament--and there were some
to which the British Government was not a party. In
the case of Papers being laid before the House to justify
a war, the outline of the argument was always stated ;
and he therefore thought it necessary to adopt the same
course on the present occasion, in which, however, he
would endeavour to be as brief and clear as possible.—
There were two points to which lie wished to direct the
attention of the House—the general progress of the ne.
gociation, and the policy adopted by this Government.—
The Papers commenced with the meeting of the Allied
Sovereigns; but he would state some antecedent facts,
for the purpose of letting the House see what was the
state-of Spain at that period. When the King of Spain
returned to his country in the year 1814, the Govern-
ment which was then establishedhad been formed on
.
principles extremely erroneous, and was by no means
applicable to the circumstances of the country. On the
King's restoration; it became an object of great import-
ance how he should act—and Sir Henry Wellesley, the
Ambassador of tliis country then in Spain, acting under
the authority of the Government here, advised the King
to accept the constitution with modifications. The King of
Spain was soon afterwards led to think that the opinion of
the people was not favourable to the Constitution, and re-
fused to confirm it, but promised that the Cortes should
be assembled, and distinctly recognised the principles of a
limited monarchy. And if the principles of the procla.
motion issued on that occasion bad been acted on. Spain
and Europe would probably be preserved from the dan-
ger with which they are at present threatened; but it
was notorious, that notwithstanding the promise contain-
ed in that proclamation, the Cortes were not assembled
from 1814 to 1820, which was the main cause that pro-
duced the events of April, MO, by which the Constitu-
tion of 1812 was restored.. Some of the Powers of Eu-
rnpe looked with anxiety at the change which that event
matte in the Government of Spain; but it' ever -there
was a change in the government of any country that
could not provoke a foreign power's hostility. it was the
restoration of the Constitution of Spain. It had existed
from 1812 to 1814, during which two years we had con-
tended for it, and all the -Pbwers of Europe were anxious
to enter into treaties with it; and those by whom it was
restored had a right to say. •' We have only brought
back that Constitution of which you have already ex-
pressed your approbation." It must have appeared to
every candid man, that though there might. be much in
the establishment of that Constitution to regret, yet
there was nothing either in the Constitution itself. or in
the manner of its restoration, that could justly provoke
the hostility of foreign powers. The Government cf
this country took every opportunity to state those senti-
ments and feelings to foreign powers; and to deprecate
interference in the internal affairs of other States; and
in answer to a question put 'to him by a Noble Lord in
that House on the subject, at the time the event he had.
mentioned took place, lie distinctly _stated the opinions
entertained by. his .141Rjesty's Government. In a Paper
addressed by this Government to our-Allies in 1821, it
was expressly stated, that the policy of this Government
was of non-interference in the internal concerns of other
States, unless in case of some very particular circum-
stances, and that there were no such circumstances in
the events that had taken place in Spain. Indeed it was
his (Lord Liverpool's) opinion, that .f the right of inter-
ference was a general rule, the case of Spain would form
an exception to it. It was also stated to the French
Ambassador; to the very last moment of his leaving this
country to go to Verona, that with regard both to the po-
licy and the justice of interfering in the atihirs of Spain,
there was the strongest possible objection. In this state
matters stood previous to the meeting
.of Sovereigns at
Verona; and at the time his Noble Friend, who was no
more, had prepared to go to Verona, it was not, thought
that the affairs of Spain would form the most prominent
subject of discussion; but he was prepared to act in the
same spirit in whatever way it should be discussed.—
Circumstances occurred soon after that made it probable
that the affairs of Spain would be brought forward by
France in a prominent manner : a strong reprensentation
was in consequence made to, the Government of France by
this country before the commencement of' the Congress at
Verona ; and the Representative of this Government at
the Congress was instructed to declare, should France
make a proposal to interfere with Spain, that this Govern-
ment considered that any such interference would be both
useless and dangerous. and that in no event would this
country become a party to it ; and on this principle all
the further proceedings of this Goverument on the sub-
ject were carried on. The French Government pro-
posed two questions at the Congress-of Verona. The
first was, whether, in case France found it necessary to
dissolve het relations with Spain, the Allied Powers
would do the smile ? and the second was, whether, if
war should bleak out between France and Spain. the
Allied Powers would assist France ? These questions
applied to events that were contingent, not present, and
did not contemplate the invasion of Spain by France, but
events that might take place. The three other Allied
Powers answered, that it France broke oft' her connection
with Spain, they would do the same; but the Represen-
tative of this Governmeut at the Congress gave a dif-
ferent answer, He stated that it was the policy of this
country to abstain &mu interference with the internal
concerns of other countries ; and that this Government
considered, that any amelioration in the state of the
people should come from themselves, and not from lb-
reign countries, nor be pressed on them by foreign force;
and that any attempt on the part of the Allies to change
the Government of Spain would probably Injure the
Spanish Monarch himself, and would certainly expose
him to danger; that by the attempt they would cer-
tainly inept- an enormous expence, and would probably
experience final diaaappointment. In this the first, an-
awer of the Representative of the British Government,
at Verona, be gave a most distinct refusal to our be-
coming a party to any measures of hostility against Spain.
It was then proposed to call on the Spanish Government
to set the nig of Spain-at liberty, and in that case the
Allied Powers would not interfere in her internal con-
cerns. The Noble Duke who represented thid country
protested most solemnly against any interference with
the Spanish Government. and advised the other Powers,
that if they interfered at all, it should be wi'.ll the ex.
ternal acts of the Government, and nOt with its internal
regulations, which, tie said, could not justify interference
on the part of the Allies or of Frante ; ana at the same
time expressed the earnest desire of his Sovereign to see
the relations of good neighbourhopd established=between
France and Spain. The Allied Powers next made a
declaration, in which they stated three events which
might cause them to attack Spain. The first was.
an attack on France by Spain ; or, any act to propagate
the principles of their Revolution ; the second, the de-
thronement of the King of Spain ; the third, • a refusal
to change the Ministers of Spain. On this declara.