Star.
London, England, 1805-02-12 00:00:00

PE

Lord KING contended, that the principles na
which this difctiffion with Spain had been concluded
were incontinent and contradiaory. That forbear-
ance that had been exercifed at the beginning of it
ill accorded with that fyftem of hoffility that fucceech!
ed. They denied the exiftence of arty convention
between them and the Government of Spain, ref-
Wing the flipulated (urns that Spain was to pay to
France in lien of contingents—but even from their
own flatements it was ;mixable not to &cover fome
fort of agreement or underdanding. Without grefs
mifreprefentation, it could not be denied that fatis-
faaion was obtained on the principal points that were
at iffue. The Noble Lord's inaruaions (hew that he
bad obtained fatisfaaion from tome quarter. If he
*as raided, why did he not inform Mr. Frets fo ?
or if not fatisfied, why did he not prefs that Gen-
tleman to get farther fatisfaeion ? But the Noble
Lord had perhaps been bufy with the Volanteer Bill
when he Mould have been attending to his foreign re-
lations. The Noble Lord then attempted to account
for the aftivity exhibited fo lately in that. department
—The prefenr Knitters had declaimed againft the
former for their want of energy, an they walled per-
haps, to thew that they had more (pith, and as they
could nuke no impreffirm on France they made Spain
the objea of their aggreffion. The Noble Lord
then contended, that before any temorrftrances could
have arrived in Spain, even before they had been
difpatched from this country, aas had been corn-
cemmitted that amounted to war, and this had been
done without any explanation. And this aft of both-
lily, was not a precaution for the purpofe of prevent.
ing. troops being fent to Ferrol, which had been corn
planted of, but a precaution taken to prevent a fub-
fidy to France, to which they limed to have made
no ',anise objection. 'they had not taken meafures
to fecure Portugal previous to breaking with Spain,
nor were we novr in a &cation to protea her. Nor
were we able, he thought; to make any impreflion on
the Spani(h fettlernents of America, which with tome
might be thought a principal motive for the war, and
even if we Were he would difapprove, he raid, of fuch
tt meafure. It would Only be multiplying thofe
grounds of diflinflon of which we had already too
many (a et, of hear I hear ! from (rural parts of the
lionfe I. For flick rearms, the Noble Lord flattered
himfelf that a great part of the Houfe would be rea-
dy to give their concurrence to the amendment pro-
pored by the Noble Earl.
Lord WESTMORELAND contended, at great
length, that the fyftem of forbearance pnrfued by his
Majefty's Minifters in the early period of this bufinef',
was jutlified by our owp !hoodoo, :and by thatof Eu-
rope. Spain had alto held out fome hopes that (he
might not be entirely fubfervient to the views of
France. From reafonsof policy alto he jtiftified the fub-
fequent conduit of Government. Were they blamed
becaufe they bad made no previous declaration of
war ? this condua, the Noble Lord argued, was not
unprecedented. It was thus that the Spanifh Arma-
da bad attacked our &Ores, and it was thus that the
war of the year 't756 had commenced without any
previous notice. This point the Noble Lord farther
Illuftrateci from ancient as well as modern policy, and
argued that it was by no means inconfiftent with the
laws of nations. Though they had made no decla
ration of war, however, a difpatch had been fent,
intimating that their forbearance was only tempo-
rary. It was impoffible for his Malay's Govern-
ment, as eircumftances flood, to avoid the war : he
would, therefore, his Lot dflrip Paid, give his vote for
the Addrefs.

Lord DARNLEY maintained, that if war was
commenced withput any previous declaration, it ought
to be on inch grounds onl7 as were clear to ourfelves
and to all Eutope. Nothing -lets could juftify the
•rniflion of fuel formality. He reprobated the cap-
ture of the frigates, and thought it little better than
a fpecies of piracy. He contended that the fum given
to France by Spain was not, contrary to what had
been Rated, more than an equivalent for the Ripulated
contingents of men and 'hips. There were Rrong
grounds for peace, he argued, founded in policy, on
account of Portugal, which was by this means left
espied, or would be obliged to declare againft us
alto. He had never heard the realbn, he laid, why
other drips of war, and veffels carrying naval ftores,
were• permitted to pats unmolefted, while we .had
thought ourfelves authorized to feize on the frigates.
This circumftance would naturally lead one to ima-
gine that the arrival of thofe drips had induced his
Majefiy's Government to commence hoßilities. His
Lordfhip concluded with obferving, that we had the
misfortune to have the opinion of the reit of Europe
againft us.
The Houle then divided on the queflion, " That
the Amendment (land part of the Motion."—Con-
tents 36—Non Contents 114.
Proxies were alto called for, and his Royal High-
nets the Prince of Wales, gave the Proxy of Earl
Moira for the Amendment.

The original queftion was then returned.
Earl FITZWILLIAM was of opinion, that at fo
late an hour in the night, it would be advifable to
adjourn the debate.
Lord HAWKESBURY Paid that be fhould eer
tainly oppofe the ad)ournment, if a motion to that
cacti were made. The queftion had already been
diituffed at great length; but if the Noble Earl
thought that it dill required further confideration, it
was pot fo late but they might yet hear every objec-
tion that could k farted to the Addreis. and on
many occafions the Houfe had fat to a moth later
hour. If any obfervations were made which re-
quired an anfwer, he fhould claim the indulgence of
tFeir ',ordains for that purpofe.
Earl FITZ WILLIAM Paid that in hia opinion, no
fatisfaaory anfwer had been given to the übfervatioos
of his Noble Friends on thefe molt extraordinary Pa-
pers.
Lord GRENVILLE then rote, and in a fpeech of
Wore than two hours, entered irto an examination of
the Pap:rs on the table, and on the whole condua of
Miniflers in the negociation.
He prattled his utter adoniament that the Noble
Lord who had rifcn to exprefs his determination to
oppofe any motion for an adjournment, had nrt
thought it his duty to fay one word in explauation of
the huge mats of papers on' the Wire, fo as to arow
fume light on a tranfaOion, which in his mind refiea-
ed no credit on the Adminiaration of Which he form-
ed
a part ; nay, which brosight great difcredit on the
counts y itfelf. It was impoOhble to conceive any thing
more extraordinary, than the conduit of bisMajettyra

Minifters had been hi the whole of the negociatio% if
they were to judge from the documents that bad,
been laid before them ; for though paper was heaped
on paper, and they had deliveries after deliveries,
there was no communicatiain made by which they
could learn the motives of Government in this
molt important and calamitous affair. There appear-
ed nothing but negligence, inattention and myftery.
For the whole courfe of eighteen months that this
negotiation had tailed, there appeared but four dif-
patches from Minifters to Mr. Frere, at Madrid;
and even thefe were dillinguifhed only by their con-
taining nothing to ate put pore, or by being unintelli-
gible, or contradiftory. The Noble Lord oppofite
to him had thrown out a challenge that no charge
'mild be brought againft Minifters for their conduit
in this negotiation ; he accepted the challenge, and
prefumed to fay he should prove, from their own pa-
pers, that they had been molt criminally remifs, fluent,
and inattentive to all the eager and repeated appli-
cations which had been made to them by the Spanilh
Government to explain their fyftem; that they had
even kept their own agent at the Court of Madrid
ignorant of their views ; that they had negleded every
opening that had been made them of preventing a
rupture ; that they had, without_provocation, treated,
in the firft inftance, with indifference and contempt
the Court of Spain, and when they had this's finally
driven them into the hands of France, that they had
ailed with violence, injuftice, and unpardonable pre.
cipitancy. The Noble Lord to illultrate thefe points,
'hewed from the Documents on the table, that after
the commencement of the war with France, Mini.
tiers had taken more than a fortnight to think of an
inarudion to Mr. Frere at Madrid, bow to conduit
hi mfelf towards that important Court on that intereft-
ing emergency. Their firlt infttruftion was dated the
ad of June, and from that period no fecond letter was
fent by them to their Minifter at Madrid, until the
24th of November 'following. And this, though he
repeatedly folicited them to be explicit, and urged
the neceflity of treating the Spanilh Court with care,
attention, and 'tilled. This was not all. The Spa-
nifh, Court was molt defirous of coming to a good
underftanding with England—and made the molt
earne!L applications for that purpofe. No anfwer
whatever was given to theft repeated invitations
to an amicable negotiation. Though goaded
by the French Government, and in the molt anxi-
ous Hate i.f fufpnle, they could not obtain from
our Mini:lets any other treatment than that of
(*dent contempt. In this way the months of June,
July, and Auguft paffed, without the flightelt at-
tention by Minitters to their ,applications, and even
to the letters and inflances of their own Minlfter re-
fident there. Although he informed them that, at
that time, the cattle of England was'then popular
with all ranks of people in Spin—that they were
molt dcfircus of conneiling themfelves with Great
Btitain, as the means of keeping them out of the
hands of France ; and that the moment was moll fa•
vourable for that purpofe. All this was neglected,
and, at length, driven by the criminal negled and li-
lence of England,•tbe Spanifh Government was forc-
ed to yield to the influence of France, and agree to
permit a (mall body of teoo men to march through
Spain to recruit their than at Ferrol. This Era Mr.
Frere tranfmitted on the 9th Sept. and Rated the
rernonftrance which he had made of his own head, on
the fubjed. Notwithstanding this, it was not till the
24th of November that he received an inftrudion on
the fubjeit ; and then Mr. Frere being at length re-
lieved in fume fort from the painful ignorance and
nullity in which he had been kept, thanked Mini-
fters molt gratefully for telling him what he wits to
do. Lord Grenville displayed, in prong colours,
the indecdion, and weaknefs of the whole fyftem of
the few inftruftions which appeared in the immenfe
fpace of that time elapfed, which he defcribed as
rani flank: in zurgite veg." In no one inftance
had they given Mr. Frere plain, intelligible grounds
to all upon. And he had therefore been under the
neceffity of drawing his own conclufions from them,
which were not always perhaps &idly conformable
to the Text. For in his Note to the Chevalier de
Cevallos, he rays that war will be the infallible con-
fequence of their fulfilling their Treaty with France,
whereas he is infiruited to proteft againft the mea-
lure. 2. To declare that his Majelly, though he
may abltain from the confederation of its being a tem-
porary expedient, yet he mutt be at liberty to con-
fider a perfeverance in the fyftens as a kilt auk of
war at- any future period when circumftances may
render it neceffary. There were three other points in'
that infirufhon of the 24th of November, with refired
to the admilfion of French troops into Spain, naval
preparations,and the protedtion to Brian., commerce in
the ports of Spain. But in the third inftruftion, dated
the s tit of January, every thing like decifion is with-
drawn, and he is defired to avoid coming to a fudden
or unfavourable iffue. From that time not tine let-
ter of inftruition, or of information of any kind, was
'tent to him for eight months—not even an intimation
of the change that occurred in his Majefty's Councils,
and although 'it was a time full of the molt anxious
and important intereft to Great Britain. The Noble
Lord (hewed that all the four difpatches were either
nugatory, indecifive, or contraditory; and, though
he could not blame Mr. Frere under fuch circum-
fiances, and he certainly did not blame him, yet his
notes and converfations with M. Cevallos had been
as contradiaory as the inftruaions he had re-
ceived. He had demanded that the Pale of prizes
should be !tofu, and this the Noble Secretary of
State had Paid, Minifters bad not thought worth
writing about. It was a mr.fure which, in his
mind, it was not for the intereft of England to
contend tor, as it always mull be for the intereft
of the nation that has the fuperiority at lea to prevent
all (hackles upon navigation. Minifters did not
inftrnit him, indeed, to make this demand, but they
expreffed neither appprobation nor difapprobation of
his conduit in demanding the difcontinuance of tale
of prizes, and in fo doing they took the proceeding
upon themfelves. They could not fay that they were
not anfwerable for tale meafures of their agent, for
nothing was fo clearly eltablilbed among the laws of
nations as that a government was anfwerable for the
conduit of its agents, milers formally difavowed.—
But Mr. Frere demanded two points—the tale of pri-
zes, and all armaments to be stopped. One of thefe
he obtained, and the other was explained, and a de-
mand made to know whether they were to be confider-
ed as in a (tate of neutrality, if they confined themfelves
to the mere peenniaryfuccour Itipulated in their treaty.
Lord Grenville (puke with loud indignation at the

&meld inattention paid to the three letters of the
Smith Knitter at this Court, who could not either'
obtain accefs to the Secretary of State.nor an anfwer
'
from him to his repeated official communications.—
Such was the treatment (hewn to the high minded
and moll gallant nation, who plumed itfelf on the
obfervance of etiquette, and whore pride was wound-
ed by the flightelt appearance of negleit. Such was
the ftyle of the negociation which Miniflers could
boaß of as being free from reproach ! Such was the
moderation which they had (hewn in this moll deli-
cate affair ! Mr. Frere, by Come unfortunate eir-
cumftances, had occafinried Come irritatior about this
time, and he left Madrid and the affairs of his mil
fiort,to his brother and fecretary. Thole who knew
the charader of that Court mull be aware that a
more improper perfon could not have been kid-led
than the perfon who was chofen—not from any per
fonal cattle of unfitnels, but merely from the rank
and Ration he had previnufly filled at the fame Court.
—But in this way was the negociation managed until
the cloud came over our heads and the thunder but R.
Admiral Cochrane wrote home to fay that there were
three (hips of the line apparently fitting ont in the
port of Ferrol. At the fame time he wrote to Mr.
Frere and to the Governor of Ferrol. The Simla')
Government had at once and unequivocally declate'd
that the tole objeet of this was to tranfport fame troops
to the Bay of Bifcay, where the rebellion had broken
out; and at the fame time the Governor of Ferrol
had laid, that as it gave him uneafinefs the men
fhould be put afltere' and fent round by land, how-
ever inconvenient. Admiral Cochrane was not con-
tent with this, but Paid he &mid infift on receiving
a detailed account of their being difmantled.
Lord Grenville begged Noble Lords to make this
cafe their own, and fay what their feelings would be
if fuch language were need to a Bridal Admiral com-
manding at Portfmonth, becaufe he had chofen to
fend troops round the coaß in a few (hips of the
line. Such was the commencement of our vio-
lence ; and though a fatisfaCtory anfwer, as he
thought, was given, for he fincerely believed that
they had no °Ned in putting forme few men and
provifions on board thefe three (hips, bu t really to quell
the tumult in Bifcay, it being much caller to fend
troops by lea than through that mountainous province;
at a time too when they were labouring under the
dread of a malignant fever, yet we proceeded to the
violence of affaulting their (hips on the high leas.
This had been laid to be no more than laying an
embargo on an enemy's (hips. Was there no diffe-
rence between delaying merchants' (hips which might
be delivered back, and affaulting Blips on the high
Peas ? There was a mighty difference. Stop the (hips
of a merchant, and they might be delivered up—
Take his property, and i.e might be indemnified
lmorifon feamen, and they might he difcharged—
Bui burn, fink, and blow up (hip and crew, and who
can Teflon the innocent blood which was fpilt ?
There were fome alts of hatdfhip and feterity which
the laws of civilized war permitted, but this atro-
cious ad of barbarity was contrary to all law of na-
tions, and Ramped indelible infamy on our name.
The French branded us with the name of a mercan-
tile people, and Paid that we were ever thirfling after
gold. They would therefore impute this violence. to
our eagernefs for the dollars. Fetter that all the dol-
lars, and ten times the quantity, were paid, fa of it
could walk away the Rain which had been thought on
our arms. At a time when we were armed to repel the
atrocities of France, this was not a time to difplay
inch a fpirit. He (hewed that the feizore of the ti ea-
fore (hips had no refemblance to the ftoppage of the
Dutch (hips—nor to the meafure recommended by
the Earl of Chatham, in 1761. He deprecated the
war in which this (cries of neglett, infolence, contempt
and violence had plunged us. He denied that it was
popular. A war with Spain, however eafy Mini
Reis had (hewn that it was to provoke and begin ,was
not fo eafy to get out of: if the llories that wet e float-
ing were true, of defperate, mad, and romantic ex
peditions againtt Spanifh America, he would pro-
phecy, that it would be a molt calamitous war to
Great Britain. He expatiated on this topic with a
molt liberal fervour, and he was cheered very gene-
rally by the Houfe. He Paid that a more perilous,
and a more calamitous adventure for the fake of mere
plunder could not be undertaken than fuck an expe-
dition, either for the country that gave it birth, or
for humanity in general.
He concluded a moll brilliant and impreflivefpeech
by Laying, that he did not rife thus to difcharge his
duty from any motive of a wanton attack on the
King's Minitters, or to ftrive to deAroy their popula•
rity, but from a ferious conviction that the war might
have been prevented by common care on their part,
and that as it was totally unprovoked and unnecef-
fary„ fo alto would it be molt grievous and unfortu-
nate to the country.
Lord HAWKESBURY anfwered the Noble Lord
at great length. He did not conclude till half pall
three o'clock; when the quellion of the original mo-
tion was called for and carried in the affirmative
without a divilion.

The queflion being loudly called for, the Addrefs
was cars ied without a dirifion.—Adjourued at four
o'clock to this afternoon.