Star.
London, England, 1805-02-13 00:00:00

were fefficiently Etta to craq troops to Bircay, and
;however abfurd it might he rerreiented, ev.n Mr.
Frere hint. who was no, the molt difpofel to pr.
a favourable conflruerrat on the views of the Cou
of Spain, allowed that this w,as their deflination.-
IThe orders for failing from the outer to the inner
harbour, were given on the 7th of Sept. and on the
t6th they were again ordered to be laid up in or.
dinary. Here then only nine days elapfed before eve-
ry fource of apprehenfion from thefe preparations
was removed. No man could ferioufly believe
that Spain had holtile intentions. If any thing had
been wanting to convince us of her pacific intentions.
her condo& on this occafion ought to have removed
all ground of fufpicion. He condemned Miniflert
molt warmly for illiting thufe orders which had pro-
duced filch unpleafant and unfortunate confequencest
which had plunged in war twe countries having no
caufe of hotlility to each other, without inquiry into
the information which Admiral Cochrane had tranf-
mitted from Ferrol. He meant no reflection on the

charaEler of that gallant officer, but he had tranf.
mitted erroneous information hoth as to Carthagena
and Cadiz, in none of which ports were there the
leaQ fymptoms of preparation.—The pacific views
of Spain were. indeed, manifel to all Europe, and it
was the height of abfurdity to talk of her armaments.
—lt had been Paid by the Learned Gentleman (the
Mailer of the Rolls), that the armament at Ferrol
was at kali myflerious, and remained fo. On the

contrary there appeared every reafon to believe, that
Spain confidered that armament no violation f the
ezifling agreement—and indeed, its being fo fpeedily
countermanded, moft clearly evinced that it could

never have been undertalcen.on any fyftem of hofli-
lity to this country. With refpeft to that armament,
however, Lord Harrowby, in his 2d letter, admits
bat it might be capable of fatisfaftory explanation,
but might even be fuch as this country would ap-
prove its continuance. Much had been Paid about.
the refufal to communicate the Treaty of Subfidy,
hut in fat, from what appeared in the papers, no
formal official demand of its communication had been

made till o.ftober, jult before Mr. Frere'a departure
from Madrid. Nor was this, in all probability, an ac•
cidental omillion•' for the circumftance had frequently
beecn the fubje2 of converfation, particularly cn an

occalion with the Prince of Peace, when the latter re-

ferred Mr. Frere to the Secretary of State for Foreign
Affairs, M. Cevallos ; and though Mr. Ft ere had re.
fulved to demand a conference, in order to !late the
quaint% to the Secretary, it teemed that no fuch con.

terenee ever took place.. Nor was it perhaps a matter

of blame that thiofficial demand of this cOmmunica.

Lion WAS deferred, becaufe Minifters might have feen
that there was no immediate occafion for it. They

certainly had it in contemplation, on the recall of Mr.
Frere, to Cenda perfon every way qualified for the

Ration, Mr. Wefiefley, to negociate on the whole
hate of onr relations with Spain; and if, for the fake
of avoiding prejudices that might have been hurtful
to the fuccefs of any negociation in the hands of Mr.
Frere, after the difference with the Prince of Peace,

- -
it cutely would have been proper alto to have recall•

. .
ed his brother, whofe connexion was calculated to

keep alive thofe very prejudices which the recall of
the former was intended to prevent. The demand
of the treaty, however, was at left made officially
jut before Mr. Frere left Madrid, and at a time
when it mull have been manifell that war was re-
folved on ; although indeed there was nothing in
Lord Harrowby's mftruCtions that authorized Mr.
Frere to leave Madrid, if in the firft inliance the
claims he had been direfted to infifk on were not
granted in all their extent. Befides, though not
formally communicated, it was pretty evident that
Mini Hers were acquainted with the terms of the
treaty, and perhaps too from confidential communi-
cations by the Spann Government. Yet even the
refufal of the communication of the treaty could not
be confidered a juffification of the war, fo far as the
capture of the frigates was concerned, becaufe that
refufal was fubfequent to the order which produced
the capture. It was laid, however, that at the period
when that order was given, we would have been Jul..
tificd in going to war, and of c chile were jullified
in every meafure that was fhort of war. In what
' light then was the capture of the frigates to be view •
ed—was it of war or precaution ? It it was a pre-
caution, it was to be remembered that there was a
molt important diftinflion between detention of pro.
perty in our hands and an attack on the loyal flag of
another nation. In the one cafe property might be
retlored, but in the other an apology, perhaps of e
humiliating kind, might be neceffiary to give fatif-
fation, not to mention the lamentable and unnecclfary
factifice of human lives. The meafure, however,
feemed to have been confidered rather as an ad of
war than of precaution. What dreadful confequences
then mull follow, if on the alledged violation of a cou-
nt-naive agreement, loofely worded, altual war were to
be commenced ? If it was a meafure of war, to what
purpofe imbue Mr. Frere to negotiate on the footing
of tranquillity, Rill cu tting? To what purpofe labour
to prolong peace, when war was aCtually begun ? It
was like laying, when a man had already been hang-
ed, let him fill have a fair trial to fee whether there
was reafon to hang him or not. Indeed, there was
fomething in this tranfaltion that equalled in bad faith
any of the molt perfidious alts of the wort of govern-
ments in any age. What inflance, unreprobated and
uncondemned by hiflory, could be found to ju lily it?
—Suppofe that difcuffions exiled between any Go-
vernment ; that a public Minifter was direaed to ne-
gociate for the removal of any °blades that might
difturb the exiling tranquillity : Snppofe that with
much addrels he had prevailed upon the pride of the
other Government to fubmit to conceffions, that he
had brought them to a temper of conciliation; a poll
arrives from his Court, and thole with whom he had
negociated, then Imagining that they were to reap the
fruit of their conceffions, wh :n, instead of the confir-
mation of peace, it is announcedthat efts of open hof-
tility had been committed while negotiations were
going ou upon the tooting of aCtual tranquillity.What
mutt he the feelings of tuch a Government ? What
would be thought of any public Minilter who could
lend himfelf to loch a fcene of fraud and duplicity ?
b it poffible that any perfon in the rank of a gentle.
man could defcend to play In unworthy a part ? Yet,
what was the fad here ? Had not the Spanifh
Iri-
gate; been captured, and was not Mr. Frere inftroLft-
ed to negotiate as on the footing o uninterru,..ed
peace, and to bring matters to an arrangement, Alto-
gether keeping out of view the hoffilities commit.ed ?
He had no doubt, therefore, that Mr. Frere malt have