The Sun.
London, England, 1847-01-16 00:00:00

Ambassador at Paris; and I have orewarned him, in all
my conversations with him, of the course which we
should pursue, if a Prince not descended from Philip V.
(and especially if the Prince Leopold of Saxe Cobourg),
should offer himself, with a prospect of success, as a can-
didate for the hand of the Queen of Spain. The Eng-
lish Government, therefore, was fully apprised of the
reservations annexed to our engagements, and of the
concurrence which we expected from it.
It told us, I admit, that it could not adopt the prin-
ciple of our policy; and that in respect to this question
it could not place itself in our position, or hold our lan-
guage, or pursue our line of conduct. It assured us,
however, that it would act in the same spirit and pursue
the same object. Nor was there in this conduct of the
two Governments anything in the nature of a bargain.
It was, on both sides, a conduct perfectly rational, unre-
served, and sincere. We constantly relied on its conti-
nuance.

According to Lord Palmerston, the Marquis of Mira-
flores, during the last summer, was sent on a mission to
Paris by the Court of Spain, for the purpose of persuad-
ing the King and his Government to acquiesce in the
marriage of Queen Isabella with the Prince of Coburg.
This assertion is entirely groundless. During the two
months which he passed in Paris, the Marquis of Mira-
flores never made to the King's Government any com-
munication or overture of the purport indicated by Lord
Palmerston; nor did he ever address to me a single word
to that effect.
I pointed out, in
last, that the placing lrince Leopold at the head of the
three candidates for the hand of Queen Isabella was
calculated to produce the effect of an indirect recommen-
dation of that Prince. I then addcd, " admitting that
Lord Palmerston did not intend to propose or to recom-
mend the Prince of Coburg, he would certainly acknow-
ledge himself that he said nothing to induce him to
withdraw his pretensions, or to discourage the Spanish
Government from persisting in its designs."
Lord Palmerston entirely mistakes the meaning of this
sentence. "M. Guizot," he says, " directly admits that
her Majesty's Government had no intention to put for-
ward or to recommend Prince Leopold of Saxe Coburg;
that admission is an acknowledgment of the exact truth. '

The intention ,of Lord Palmerston to recommend
Prince Leopold, of Coburg, by his instructions of the
19th of July I neither admitted nor contested. It is
not the intentions, but the effects, which it is my pro-
vince and my duty to determine. I endeavoured to
show the effect which these instructions would naturally
produce at Madrid, even admitting hypothetically that
Lord Palmerston did not intend to put forward or to
recommend that Prince.

Proceeding to discuss what I said to ycu (in my dis-
patch of the sth of October) on the effect of his instruc-
tions of the 19th of July, at Madrid, Lord Palmerston
quotes, as if it were extracted verbatim from my dis-
patch, the following passage :—(I place his quotation,
and the passage in my dispatch, side by side.)
LITERAL TRANSLATION OF TRANSLATED QUOTATION IN-
TIM ORIGINAL TEXT. SERTED IN THE E.NGLLSFI
DOCUMENT.
" The French Government "The French Government
could not be mistaken as to was unable to deceive itself
this state of things. In order as to the state of things,' and
to obviate its consequences, saw that there was, on the
it resorted at Madrid to the part of the Spanish Court,
most direct and most legiti- so strong a cl, sire for the
mate means, and appealed to Coburg alliance, that, if the
the free choice and inde- British Government should
pendent will of Queen Isa- make no active opposition to
bells and of her Government. it, and should remain only
By the side of the combina- passive in the matter, that
tion which was being pur- marriage would certainly be
sued in evident opposition to concluded ;' and that, conce-
its policy-, it placed and of- quently, the French Govern-
fared a different combination. ment resor ed at Madrid to
It had a right to do so, the most direct and most
having openly and positively legitimate means, and ap-
made a reservation of that pealed to the free ehoice and
right to itself. It was its independent will of the
duty to do so, for the con- Queen and of her Govern-
tingency in view of which ment, to bring about a dif-
that reservation had been ferent arrangement. By the
made, and which the French side of a combination which
Government had foreseen in was being pursued evidently
its instructions sent to Ma- in opposition to the policy of
drid, as well as in its declare- the French Government,
tions in London, became that Government (says M.
more and more imminent. Gui2ot) offered a different
This combination the Queen combination, and this latter
of Spain and her Government one was accepted by the
have accepted." Queen and her Government."