The Sun.
London, England, 1848-06-06 00:00:00

Lord the Prime Minister vindicates the Noble Lord
(Palmerston) by reciting a story which he hiel froni Lord
Holland, which did not appear to me to be very germane
to the matter. Lord Archibald Hamilton had the alter-
native in that case of laughing- at the offender or kneels-
ing him down, and it might do very well to do either one
or the other.—(Laughter.) But here the Noble L Ord
had done both.—(Hear.) If Lord A. 1 lanalton, after
adopting the milder alternative. had addressed the of
fender in the longest sentence that was ever writt'ti in
the English language—(Laughter)—and had ended by
saying, " Sir, if it had nut beep for me, you would now
have been a beggar in the streets," Lord Holland
would certainly not have admired him fur choosing
the mildest of the two alternatives. Look at the sen-
tence of the Noble Lord (Palmerston), in which,
after declaring that he was not in the slightest
degree offended, he proceeds to administer punish-
ment in twenty-nine consecutive lines—he was so im-
patient that he did not take breath till he hail penned
the whole.—(Laughter.) I think he is much more like
Sir Fretful Plagiary than Lord A. Hamilton ; for he
winds up v. ith that reminiscence so painful to these
Dukes and distinguished Generals—" If it had not been
for me and my Liberal policy, you would have been at
this time exiles from your country." That is ungracious;
and I think that is the part of the transaction which is
most to blame.—(Hear.) At the same time, I apprehend
it is very difficult to conduct the diplomatic transactions
of this country without occasionally making errors, and
even grave errors. The error in this instance, in my
opinion, is not an error of act, but an error in the mode
in which the Noble Lord has exercised his authority,
which is much to be regretted. I regret the more, be-
cause I feel that he has defeated his own end. Instead
of conciliating the Spanish Government, and establish-
ing the legitimate influence of England, by making
them feel that we were a friendly power, amidst all
these storms and convulsions, animated by a sin-
cere desire for Spanish welfare, the Noble Lord
has alienated the Spanish Goverment and a part of
the Spanish nation entirely by the mode in which good
advice has been tendered to them. On that account I
deeply regret it.—(Hear.) I do not think the terms of
this motion well chosen. On the very second letter that I
was presented it appears that the Duke of Sotomayor
invited Sir 11. Bulwer to an interview, when Sir H.
Bulwer gave his advice very cordially, and it was well
received; and even Narvaez himself admitted the justice
of Sir Henry's views, and was ready to conform to them
as far as he could. It seems that when advice was pre-
sented to him in a proper form he went so far as to say
that he would abandon office, and let the Progresistas
come into power, with the provision, I think, that they
should adopt Moderado opinions.—(G rest laughter.)
Still it is quite clear that Sir H. Bulwer had the oppor-
tunity of offering advice to the Spanish Government,
and that it was taken in a kindly spirit when offered in
the manner that wisdom and true policy dictated—as a
friend speaking confidentially on affairs of state. Sir,
I object to this resolution, because I do not think it con-
sistent with justice. If there has been an error in the
mode of conducting this transaction, I do not think it
would be just to visit in so heavy a manner, with
the censure of the House of Commons, the
Minister by whom these transactions have been con-
ducted under such difficult circumstances. I alto
object to it, because the question is still pending as to
the reason of the dismissal of Sir Henry Bulwer in a
mariner which, judging, from these papers, appears to
me to be wholly unjustified.—(Hear, hear.) The passing
of this resolution would tend to weaken the authority of
the Government ; it would make us appear as partisans
of the Spanish Government, and assailants of our own ;
and it would prejudice the chance of a perfectly amicable
and satisfactory settlement by showing, at an eventful
time, that there was a material difference of opinion be-
tween the Ministers of the Crown and the House of
Commons.—(Hear.) Sir, I will not put upon record,
that my country is in a humiliating position.—(Hear.)
I will not take the first part of a transaction, and visit
the conduct of those who have beer and still are engaged
in it with censure. The period at which the resolution
is proposed is altogether premature.—(Hear.) It the
House is to express au opinion on this matter, it would
have been much better to wait for the whole of the
reports and transactions, than to select the first act of
a. complicated and unperformed drama, and take one
particular scene in that act, and visit it with censure,
unmindful of the effect it may have upon the denouement
of the drama.—(Hear, hear.) Upon these various
grounds—because I think the motion premature—be-
cause I think the conduct of the Noble Lord, the act of
giving advice, as distinguished from the tone and manner
of certain dispatches, was justifiable—(Hear,Shear)—
because I think the penalty would be far too severe for
the thence, for the heaviest penalty that can be inflicted
on a Minister is the censure of the House of Commons
—because I think it unwise for this House to place upon
record that the country is in a humiliating position—
(Hear, hear)—because I believe that such a record of,our
opinion would paralyse the Executive Government, lead
the Spanish Government to entertain false expectations,
and place us in the situation of partisans of that Govern-
ment, instead of impartial arbiters, with a natural lean-
ing in favour of our own—because I think that the
public interest will be affected by our affirming this re-
resolution, I shall, instead of staying away from the
House (which would perhaps have been justifiable, as I
have hardly read the second delivery of papers pre-
sented this day), give that vote which certainly will not
imply entire approbation of the manner in which this
corresponaence has been conducted,—l shall vote fer
passing to the Committee of Supply, instead of affirm-
ing the resolution of the Hon. and Learned Member for
Dorsetshire.—(Cheers).
Viscount PALMERSTON—Sir, I certainly concur in
what appears to me to be almost the general opinions
even in the view of the Hon. and Learned Member who
has made this motion, that the motion itself is prema-
ture and inexpedient.—(Hear, hear.) For while the
Hon. and Learned Member expressed a wish to vindi-
cate the honour of the country, if it should turn out to
require vindication, he begins by proposing to us to
affirm that the country is in a state of humiliation. That
certainly is not the mode in which his object can best be
accomplished. If he finds fault with the first part of the
transaction—thedispatch which I wrote, and which was
communicated by Sir. H. Bulwer to the Duke of Soto-
mayor—to that his motion ought to have been directed,
and upon that ground I should have been prepared to
defend myself, as I now am. First of all, I will answer
the question ,he put, as to who was responsible for the
approval of Sir Henry's conduct. Sir, I have no hesita-
tion in saying that I and I alone am responsible for
every aot of that kind, for the signification of approval
communicated from that department over which I pre-
side; and if the House be of opinion that that approba-
tion was improperly conveyed, and that Sir H. Bulwer's
conduct ought to be censured, it:is upon me, and me
alone, that that censure ought to fall.—(Cheers.) Sir,
I think no censure is due for that approval; because, in
my opinion, Sir. H. Bulwer acted according to the best
of his judgment, and exercised a proper discretion; and
I think I was borne out in giving him the approval
which that dispatch conveyed.—(Hear, hear.) But
I must add, that that dispatch of mine of the 16th of
March was not for the purpose of being commui-
cated in writing to the Spanish Government. Any
man who reads it will see that it was not so intended.
—(Hear, hear.) First of all, the form is not that of the
draft of a note to be presented to the Spanish Govern-
ment ; had it been so there would have been a greater
development of views, and it would have been written in
t e
nc
easn nmeary.
app.—(Hear
ee
aa
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to htehaer .11) h
.However
La i
vvoe
Lir
iya n
thedifferent ff e rseennt mannerear,
opposite, undoubtedly if I hail been writing a note to
be sent to a foreign Government it would have been
written in a very different manner. It was a text upon
which Sir Henry Bulwer was to speak, not intended to
be presented in the shape in which it stood. After
what has fallen from the Right Hon. Baronet opposite, it
is hardly necessary for me to justify myself fur having
writtekt that dispatch, instructing Sir Henry Bulwer
to give advice upon those matters to the Government
of Spain. Those gentlemen who have looked at the
papers
will see that, some days before I wrote the
dispatch, I had received information from Sir
henry that the Spanish Government was meditating a
course which, in his opinion, was likely to produce great
opposition in Parliament, if Parliament continued to sit;
that the opposition was likely to induce the Government
to prorogue and get rid of the Parliament; and that if
that course were pursued there was the greatest danger
of insurrection in the different parts of the country, more
especially where the Carlist party was in force. The
state of Europe at the time, the mighty and disastrous
events which came to our knowledge trom day to day,
and the representations of the course likely to be pursued
by the Spanish Government, and its probable conse-
quences—l thought a full justification for instructing
Sir H. Bulwer to bring under the consideration of the
Government of Spain those matters which pointed out
danger on the one hand, and .on the other the means
by which that danger might be averted. I had no
reason to think that such a course would give
offenses to the Spanish Government,. because it will be
seen that on a recent occasion the Duke of Sotomayor
had had a conversation with Sir H. Bulwer on other
matters, and of his own accord, had turned the con-
versation towards the internal condition of Spain; he
spoke to Sir Henry of the intentions of the Spanish
Government; Sir Henry's opinion being invited, ho gave
it, and they discussed in a very friendly and animated
spirit the opinions and the reasons by which they were
supported.—(Hear.) Now, I have been asked about the
asterisks in one of the dispatches with all that curiosity
which attaches to something unknown; it is supposed
the passage contained some grave and important matter
bearing on the question we aro now discussing. I have
here the dispatch from which the extract is given, and I
can read to the House the passage omitted, bat perhaps
it will not ask mo to do so when I state the nature of
the passage, which is this:—That the Duke of Soto-
mayor
nt with
It regardhad
England h
ot
t o
and h
ge r
Spain,
o d
rela-
tions
mayor stated to Sir H. Bulwer what were tho views
and intentions
thoiiofrndsS
pp
aho iewht ewr
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i wt
th
rae 1 at
with e
but with the relations between Spain and a third
power; and I think the House will agree with me that
it would not be fair to publish that.—(Hear, hear.) So
much with regard to the asterisks. Both the Duke of
Sotomayor and General Narvaez permitted Sir Henry
Bulwer to talk freely to them on the internal affairs of
Spain, and I had no reason to think that the instruc-
tions which I gave Sir H. Bulwer were calculated to
produce irritation or unpleasant feeliegs. Li point of
fact, the instructions of the 16th of March only stated
that which Sir H. Bulwer had before stated verbally,
thus anticipating the instructions which inc afterwards
received. Then the question is, was Sir 11. Bulwer,
having received that dispatch which was meant to be
only personally and verbally communicated, justified or
not in applying that dispatch to a different purpose ?
and in communicating it to the Government of Spain I
think he was, and the reasons he has given for pursuing
that course were sufficient to justify him in exercising
his discretion.—(Hear, hear.) He had exhausted all
means of personal and verbal exhortation; he represented