The Sun.
London, England, 1844-06-14 00:00:00

HOUSE OF LORDS, June 13

Their Lordships assembled at Five o'clock.
The Marquis of EXETER presented 140 petitions
from various places in favour of protection to agriculture.
The Earl of SEFTON presented a petition against
the Birkenhead Theks Bill.
The Duke of RICHMOND presented several peti-
tions in favour of protection to agriculture.
The Marquis of NORMANBY presented petitions
from Not-A.)llc, praying for an altration in the laws re-
lating to coursing.
The Duke of RICHMOND inquired whether there
was any objection to the return of the number of convic-
tions under the Act alluded to by his Noble Friend ?
After a few words from the Earl FITZHARDINGE,
Lord WHARNCLIFFE said he was not aware of
any objection to the returns.
MOROCCO AND FRANCE.
The Earl of CLARENDON begged to call the atten-
tion of the Government to the occurrences which had re-
cently taken place in Africa. The friendly disposition
of the Emperor of Morocco to this country, and his
constant deference to the advice of England, had not
prevented his proclaiming the " holy war" against
another European power, the ally of England. It could
not be supposed that the Emperor had taken that
course with the sanction of the British authorities.
However, it was now beyond doubt that he had made an
invasion of the French territories in Africa, and that the
war had commenced. With respect to the murder of
the Spanish Consul at Tangiers, it was the fact that the
man was killed in an affray brought aboutbyhis owncon-
duct, and for which the authorities were not in the least
responsible. It had been supposed, but he did not
mean to say that it was the case, that the Spanish Go-
vernment had been incited to declare war by France ;
but it was a curious coincidence that, after this, relations
of a hostile character should so soon take place
between France and the Emperor of Morocco. They
might have been the result of accident, but they
gave a c,klour to the idea that France desired to see
Spain engaged in hostilities with Morocco. It was most
desirable that the line of coast now possessed by the
Emperor of Morocco should be in the possession
of a friendly Power, because it was from
thence they derived their supplies for Gibraltar.
He could not conceive what object France could have in
engaging in hostilities with Morocco, which must be in-
jurious to France. He wished also to hear a contradic-
tion from the Noble Earl of the statements which ap-
peared in the French papers, that those hostilities were
excited by her Majesty's Consuls on the coast of Barbary,
one of which, Mr. Drummond Hay, had been particu-
larly mentioned. The questions he wished to ask were,
whether or no the expedition to bs sent from Spain
against Morocco had been aband,nied? —whether hostili-
ties had actually commenced between France and the
Emperor of Morocco?—and whether her Majesty's Con-
suls on the coast of Barbary had not taken means to
prevent a state of things which must prove injurious to
British interests. _ _

The Earl of ABERDEEN said he would endeavour
to give an answer to the three questions put by his
Noble Friend; but, in the first place, he would say he
could not conceive any exercise of the power and influ-
ence of that House more useful than the interference to
prevent the occurrence of hostilities in every part of the
world.—(Hear, hear.) They should be equally anxious
to restore it wherever it was broken. They had, within
the last month, been the means of preserving peace be-
tween two States, at a time when it was seriously threa-
tened; and though, from the magnitude and power of the
States themselves, the war might not be important, it
certainly would have brought on calamities most im-
portant and extensive in their results—he alluded to
the dispute between Sardinia and Tunis.—(Hear.)
His Noble Friend was wrong in supposing that the only
cause of quarrel which existed between Spain and
Morocco was in the death of a Spanish Consular agent.
There were various complaints, into the justice of which
he would not enter, but they arrived at such a point at
last as to threaten immediate hostilities. His Noble
Friend said, that he could not conceive it possible that in
the present state of Spain she would declare war against
Morocco unless she were prompted thereto. He was
surprised that his Noble Friend appeared so ignorant
of the Spanish character. This question was not only
altogether a Spanish question, but the truth of it was
denied over and over again both to the British and,
French Ministers at Madrid. They were kept in igno-
rance of the intentions of the Spanish Government until
what was called the ultimatum was sent to the Emperor
of Morocco. The Emperor desired the mediation of the
British Government with the view of bringing this dis-
pute to an amicable settlement, and her Majesty's Mi-
nisters offered the exercise of their good offices' for
the same purpose to Spain, and it showed how little
the Government of France had to do with the question,
as the French Ministry also pressed upon the Span-
ish Government an acquiesence in that offer; and, there-
fore, as both had agreed to accept our mediation, he
might venture to anticipate a settlement would be ef-
fected of that dispute between Spain and Morocco. If
his Noble Friend had asked him yesterday whether hos-
tilities between France and Morocco had occurred, he
should have said that they had not, and that they were
not probable, and although a skirmish had taken place,
nothing which could be called war would, in his opinion,
follow; and he had this reason for that belief, that the
force assembled by the Emperor of Morocco on the
French frontier was diminished to one-half in the course
of a fe.v days preceding the events which had taken
place, and the French authorities in Algiers were as
much taken by surprise as any one else by the incident
uhich had occurred. It was clear that the Moors were
the aggressors. The affair was brought about by the
fanaticism of a small body of cavalry who approached
the French encampment more from curiosity than any
other motive, and were thereby drawn into the affair.
He agreed with his Noble Friend that war with the
Emperor of Morocco could not be desirable to the
French Government, and he thought they might look
for a continuance of those relations which, if
not friendly, had been peaceable between the Em-
peror of Morocco and the Government of Algiers.
The Emperor of Morocco was the sovereign of the most
fanatical Musselmans in the world, and how far he
could control the excitement of his own people, or deal
with the formidable personage who, when driven
before the French, took refuge in his terri-
tories, might be a matter of doubt. But he
(Lord Aberdeen) had received no information of any-
thing like a declaration of a holy war, or that would look
as if the Emperor of Morocco was prepared to un-
dertake a war of a serious description. He did not be-
lieve that such would take place ; but if it even did
take place, he need scarcely say that it would take place
not only without the slightest encouragement on the
part of this country, but in spite of every endeavour that
could be made to prevent it. He could not question
what he knew to be the intentions mid wishes of both
Governments; and with regard to the conduct of the
British Consuls, he had received that very day equivocal
. testimony in favour of those to whom allusion had been
made. His Noble Friend had alluded to the statements
that appeared in the French papers. He (Lord Aber-
deen) could only say that there was not the slightest
foundation in fact for supposing that her Majesty's
Consuls on the coast of Barbary had anything whatever
to do in creating these disturbances. It might be that
' the writers in those French journals had for their object
rather the overthrow of the existinmr Government in
France than the creation of a hostile feeling between the
people of both countries, although he had no doubt that
there was a large class in France to whom statements of
the kind alluded to were not unacceptable. There were
journals in this country also, on which side he would not
say, which probably had the same object in view. He
could only say that there was not the slightest founds-
, tion for the charge made against her Majesty's
Consuls on the coast of Barbary.—(Hear, hear.)