The Sun.
London, England, 1823-03-26 00:00:00

lIONS OF FRASCE.

. „
Lord .JOHN RUSSELL said, that ag he had the pleasure
of s-seing the Right Honourable SetTetary. of State for, Foreign
AfiiiirS once more in his place, he should take the opportunity
of putting a question to hint, to which he thought that he was
entitled to receive an answer. At the time when the mithms
of certain Powers was going to plunge a considerable part of
Europe into a notorious and unjustifiable War, which. might
extend-nit beyond the intentions of- those-who were Most eager
to commence it, he considered it to be right that both 'MUM..
meat and - the country should clearly understand the relative
situation in which England stood with regard to foreign
Powers. Ile therefore begged leave to' ask the Right .I.ltiM
Gentleman opposite, whether there was any.Stipulatkui iii any
treaty to which this country was- a party, by- which it Was
bound; either directly or indirectly, to guarantee the crown of

France to Louis XVIII., or any of his SUcemors of the Bour-
bon family ?--(hear

Mr. CANNING was sure that' the }louse would seethe
difficulty in which he was' placed by the question which the
Noble Lord had just put to him. A question of so grave and
important a character required the examination of many treaties
before a correct and explicit anseter could be given to it.
%Vhatever information was to he supplied to the House upon it
must be extracted from that mass of trea:ies which were laid
on the table of the !louse In the session of 1814, and which
subsequently received the approbation of both Houses of Par-
liament. Among those treaties, he believed, there was one
which contained a stipulation, that in case any attempt to seize
the crown of France were made by its late Usurper or any of
his family, the Allied Powers were to put themselves into ac-
tion to resist with all their united forces.—(Heer, hear !)-4le
likewise believed, that' in case of a revolution twitting in France
front any other cause, and being directed by any other persons,
a stipulation in, another of the treaties made it inetunbentapon
the Allies, or at least upon Prussia, Russia, Austria, and
Degland, which were bound by separate treaties with each
other, to meet together and to consult in common what meas
sures it might be prudent for them to take In consequence.—s
(Hear !)--Perhaps in the mass of treaties there might be other
stipulations relating to this subject; but taken as he was thus
unexpectedly, he must observe, that the stipulations to which
he bad just alluded were the only stipulations which suggested
themselves on the instant to hie recollection.—(Hear!)
Lord J. RUSSELL admitted that, after the statement which
that Right Hon. Gentlethan had just made, he should not be
jostifictioin pressing upen him at that time for further explana.
tion. He must, however, express a hope, that the Right /fon.
Gentleman would duly consider the various treaties to which
he had just referred, in order that he might explain to the
House as soon as possible the situation which the country oc.
cupied at present in relation to Foreign Powers. He said this,
because he was sure that the Right Hon. Gentleman must be
aware that the unprincipled invasion of Spain by France might
in a short time totally alter our present situation with the latter
power.—( Loud cries of " Hear!" from the Opposition benches.)
--Besides it was incumbent on the Ministers of this country....
after having expended a thousand millions to place the Bour-
bons on the throne of France, in the fond hopes of obtaining
from them a firmer security for the continuance of peace and
tranquillity in Europe than could be obtained from any other
cheers again from the Opposition benches)—it
was incumbent, he repeated, upon them, to clear themselves
even from the suspicion of being bound by any stipulation to
expend even a single shilling in future in behalf of so worth.
less anti imbecile a family.—(Oreat cheering.)
Mr. CANNING contended that the present was an fawn.
cenient time to enter into such an argument as the Noble Lord
had just started. lle had understood the Noble Lord to put a
question to him upon a matter of fact ; and he had given the
Noble Lord an answer on the point, which, as far as his me.
mory served, he believed to be correct. Taken as he was, upon
the sudden, be would not pretend to affirm that he might not
have omitted sotne material stipulations, The Noble Lord
had interrogated him as to a matter of fact : he had given the
Noble Lord the best answer in his power; and the return the
Noble Lord had made him for it was to found upon it a politi.
cal argument of no mean or trifling Importance. lie must ob.
serve, that young as he was in his present office, no conduct
was more calculated. to discourage him from answering clues.
time from that (the Opposition) side of the House--a courtesy
Which he was always desirous of extending to it—than the con.
duct , which the Noble Lord had just pursued, in founding
an argument 'on the answer which he had just received.—(Cries
bf " Hear I" from the Ministerial benches.) r '

Lard JOHN RUSSELL complained that the Right Hon.
Gentleman had completely misunderstood the drift of his
last observations. He had not foanded any argument Upon
the answer of the Right Honourable Gentleman ; he had
merely intended to forewarn him of the line of argument which
it was probable would be pursued when the late. negotiations
at Verona and elsewhere should be brought before the conside,
ration of the House.

Sir IL WILSON wished to put the Right lion, Gentlemen
opposite in possession of a fact, with which he believed that few
Gentlemen at the present moment were acquainted. When
the treaty of ChatillOn was placed upon the table, he had put
a similar question to the Noble Lord who then filled the Right
lion. Gentleman's Situation that his Noble Friend had just
put to the Right Ifon. Gentleman himself. Be had then re-
ceived from the Noble Lord to whom he had alluded, a distinct
and positive answer, that this country was not bound by any
guarantee to secure the crown of France to the I,lourhon family.
-L(Hear, hear!)—He therefbre hoped, that the Right lion.
Gentleman would not gratuitously take upon himself that Odious
responsibility to which his' noble predecessor had never dared
to render himself liable,—Ulear

Air. CANNING said, that he had already stated, that by
the existing treaties a revolution Prodined in Prance in fa•
your of the . late Emperor Nepoleon or any of his family was
a canirfirderis, which called upon the Allied Powers to take
up arms to put it: down. In case of any other revolution
excited either by means or in favour of any other indivi-
duals,_ there was no other stipulation than thin—that the Allied
Powers should assemble to concert and consult, what measures
they ought to take. It was impossible either for him or any
other Member to state what might be the result of such de.
liberations.—(Hear I) The subject then dropped.