The Sun.
London, England, 1827-01-01 00:00:00

should happen, which is by no means unlikely, that Lisbon should
fall into the handsi of the Marquis de Chaves, and that the Eng-
lish, instead of finding an ally there, should only find an
enemy. Suppose• it should be necessary to enter by force into
Portugal, is it not clear that instead of alliance, and occupa-
tion, there would- be conquest, and conquest upon the Portuguese
alone. What, then, would become of the casus ficcleris? The
political question would then be entirely altered to all Europe.
" I am now come, my Lords, to that part of the speech which
more particularly refers to us. I must quote the words of it :
" I cannot but fear war when I think of the immense power of ;
this country—when I think that the discontented in all the
nations of Europe are ready to range themselve on the side of
England.

" 6 There were two means to be adopted in our resistance to it
—one of them was to attack the French troops which entered
Spain ; the other was to render the conquest harmless as far as
regarded us, and valueless, or something worse, actually injurious
to the possessor. I say then, that if we have for the present been
dispossessed of any thing in our situation as forming part of the
balance of power, we have been fully compensated. Was it ne-
cessary to blockade Cadiz, I say, to restore the situation of Eng-
land ? No, I looked at the possessions of Spain on the other side
of the Atlantic ; I looked at the Indies, and I called in the New
World to redress the balance of the Old. This, then, is my an-
swer to the question—France has gained no advantage--obtained
no power ; Spain is become to her a source of unpalliated and
unmitigated evil ; I believe she would be glad of any thing which
would help her out of the difficulty in which she has placed her-
self ; I believe she would be thankful to us for any interference
which would tend to relieve her of her unprofitable accession ;' but
it is our present policy to rivet her in her bondage, and make it
with her a point of honour.'

" I know that if into that war this country enters, (and if she
do engage, I trust it will be with a most sincere desire to mitigate
rather than exasperate, and to contend with arms rather than with
the more fatal artillery of popular excitation), she will see under
her banners, Arrayed for the contest, all the discontented and rest-
less spirits of the those who, whether justly, or unjustly,
are dissatisfied with the present state of their own countries. The
consciousness of such a situation excites all my fears; for it shows
that there exists a power to be wielded by Great Britain, more
tremendous than was, perhaps, ever yet brought into action in the
history of mankind. But though it may be excellent to have a
giant's power,' it may be tyrannous to use it like a giant.' The
knowledge that we possess this strength, is our security ; and our
business is not to seek opportunities of displaying it, but by a par-
tial and half-shown exhibition of it, to make it felt that it is the
interest of exaggerators, on both sides, to shrink from converting
their umpire into their competitor. The situation of this country
mty be compared to that of the Ruler of the Winds, as described
by the poet : _