Star.
London, England, 1805-02-04 00:00:00

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 18os.

vourable to England, and has been much more fo of
late ; and even among thofe clallos whole politics are
not fo fpirited or fo generous as thole of the mob,
there is a great difpofition to take part decidedly with
us, and this is only checked by the apprehenfion of
our being perfeCtly cut off from Continental alli-
ances, and that therefore the whole brunt of the
war would fall onpain.
Thel common people are petfuaded that there
is a fecret undernanding with England, and that
when Spain is completely armed, the two Powers are
to fall jointly upon Frances they add feveral parti-
culars of the fuppofed treaty, and are univerfaSy de-
lighted with the profpelt.

. .
No. 3.--.Extrad of a Diipatch train J. H. Frere.Efq. to Lord
Hawketbury, dated Madrid, 7th July tBo3. Received 34 Au-
pit.
Ettore I had finished the preceding difpatch, I was
called away to the ufual audience which Mr. Ceval-
Ins gives to Foreign Minifters on Wednefday night.
I then learned that intelligence had arrived of his
Majeßy's Government having accepted the media-
tion of the Emperor of Ruffia. M. Cevallos com-
municated the intelligence to me. He exprelfed his
wish for general tranquillity r. that it was above all
things his kikjelty's detire to preferve a good under-
(landing and harmony with England ; that war was
no adiantage to any power, though it might fare to
enrich our failors ; that commerce was the true inte-
re it of the two nations. I replied, that the fentiments
of England were the fame t and that his Majefly's
Government had given a fair proof of them in ab-
Raining from the detention of the Spanith veffels at
a moment fo critical as that of the arrival of all their
fpecie, and under circumaances which would have
perfealy juftified fuch a meafure but that his Ma-
jelly wifliod rather to trult to the honour and gene-
coos feelings of his Catholic Mijelly, perfuaded that
whaterver appeared ambiguous or doubtful was the
effeet of circumßances, and not of any unfriendly in-
clination. He anfwered with more feeling and open-
nefs than I expelled, that his Catholic Malay was
fully fent-11)1e of the confidence And gtnerofity of his
Majesty, and defirous of cultivating the belt under.
Landing with his Government.
Upon the whole, considering the dirpe.fition at pre-
fent exifting here, I cannot but confider it as ex-
tremely favourable, at the fame time that it will re-
quire great attention end management, to maintain
it for any length of time upon its prefent footing.
It is to be eonfidered that a degree of irritation
equal ro what ezilts at prefent has exiited on former
occasions, but has as often fubfided ; and the Go-
vernment, for want of encouragement or opportuni-
ty, and the abfence of immediate provocation, have
again relapfed to their old habit of acquicfcence.—
The degree of provocation which has been given in
the pretent inftance, and accumulated in fo film a
(pace of time as the affair of Louifiana, Etruria, and
Naples, is not likely t- recur again. The feelings of
refontment againft France, therefore, will probably
grow weaker, and the prefent difpnlition be material-
fy altered, unkfs it is kept up or the part of Eng-
land by marked and particular attention to this
Court and its Minifler.

No. 4.—.Eltradt of a Difparch from J. H. Five, E(. to Lord
Hawke bury, dated Madrid, sift July 13z3,--Recc.ircd 18th
Angel&
My Lord—l take advantage of a private convey-
ance, to inform your Lordibip of the little which has
occurred fence the date of my
In an interview which I had Rime few days ago
with the Prince of Peace, I returned to the fubjea of
the lituation in which this country flood. He told me
it was his Catholic Majeßy's intention to offer his me-
diation, and that the offer would be made in the form
of a letter to bis Majelly. I anfwered with expref-
lions of great refpeet for the mediation of this Court,
and fatislanion at the form in which it was intended
to be propored ; but (welled the propriety of de-
parting from their uftml (Nem of gaining time; and
endeavouring, on the contrary, to ha (ten this flep, fo
that it might be connemled with the mediation of
Ruffra. I did not, however, find him difpofed to
agree with me in my opinion upon this point ;—on
the contrary, he laid, that the chief objed of this
meafure was to gain time.

I ought to mention to your Lord//hip a cireum-
(lance which I cannot well account for. The Prince
of Peace has repeatedly declared, that though forne
overtures have been made by the French Governs
ment upon the fubjeet of the contingent, yet that no
dillina demand has been made.

Ho. s.—Extraa of a &fourth front J. H. Frere, Efq. to Lord
Hawkeibury, dated Madrid, sip Auguft aSol—miteeeired lath
September.
I take advantage of a Courier whom Mr. Frere is
now difpatching, to inform your Lordfhip of the
fulake of a eery important converfation which I had
this morning with the Prince of Peace ; and which
amounted in fubliance to a declaration, that the de-
mands and menaces of France had become fo ur-
gent, as !o leave them no alternative between imme-
diate compliance and a declaration of war. He en-
deavoured to thew me that they had made every pto-
potition which could be thought of, to avert fuch an
extremity ; that they had even propofed to eflimate
the full expence of the contingent which was de-
manded of them by France, and to pay it to that
Covet nment as the price of their neutrality. This
had been refuted, and a demand made in return, of
twenty-foor millions per month. To this outrageous
proputal an anfwer has been returned, that, all
things coviidered, it would be more prafticable and
left ruinous to abide by the terms of the treaty, and
to furnith the contingent. He then applied himfelf
to prove to me, that if they were forced to a mea-
lure of this kind, and to a nominal declaration of
war againft Great Britain, it ought not to make any
difference in the relations between the two countries,
or in the good underftanding between them. TO this
I anfwered, that I was lorry I co not give the
kind of anfwer which he might expo& ; that it was
my duty to be frank with him ; and that, without
giving any opinion of my own on the propriety of
continuing the (yam .f forbearaaae, which is the

two la(k wars had been ufed with refpeet to Spain, it
was not in my power to flatter him with a profpeet
of its continuance ; that as) nothing bad been gain-
ed by to long a perfeverance in this fyllem, it was
natural to expert that it would be renounced by
Great Britain.

Havingyotir lirdftsip's laft infirudions upon the
fnbjed of the contingent prefent to my mind, I did
not enter further into the dircufhon, though I was
perfnaded that what I did venture to fay produced a
ftrong hispreflion, and will incline the Prince to ufe
every potGble endeavour .as he affured me that he
would do, to divert the 'French Government from
the pdrfuit of their prefent demands.

No. 6..—Extradt of a Dlfpateh from J. H. Frere, Efq. to Lord
Hawlteibury, thtcd Madrid, kph Auguß, 1E43 --Received
miaket S
aepted m
vanber.
I ttafie of the pairage of a Courier from
Mr. &taxa at Pans, whom Mr. Frere has detained
fora haw boars.

Two dayi after the date of my laft I called upon
the Prince of Peace, in order to take leave of him
before be let off for St. Ildefunfo. I found him in a
temper and tone fo different from that of our 14fl
conference, that I ventured to alk him what could
have palled to have made fuch an alteration in fo
:bort an interval He laid that the day before he
had had a long converfation with the Finch Am-
baffador, and that he had fpoken to him in a tone
which had had its weight. It is certain that this
conference had been a very lung and a very warm
one; and the Ambafrador came away with evident
marks of difcontent and ill humour. It is cer:ain
that, fence this converfation and the arrival of fume
Couriers who were fuppofed to bring very impor-
tant difpatches, be has very much changed his tune,
and has even fail to feveral perfons, who he intend
ed fhotald repeat his converfation to me, that he was
forty that the Engin Minifler appeared to give him-
felf fo much uneafinefs; that in fa& there was no
ground for it ; and that there was not any difpofi-
tton on the part of France to make Spain a party in
the gar,

The prefent repott which I have not the means to
verify before the departure of this Courier, but winch
comes to me from good authority, is, that the French
Government have fuccedively reduced their demand
to a hundred millions of rials, or one million tier-
ling, and fince to feventy4wo millions; and that the
prefont offer of the Spanifh Government is (ivy mil-
lion, or lix hundred thoufand pounds, to be paid as
an annual fublidy in lieu of their contingent.

No. 7.—Rxtrad of a Difgatch from. H. Frere, Efq. to Lord
Hawkefbury, dated Eicurial, 7h ohr!. 1803 —Received gth
November.

I have to announce to your Lordfhip the conch'.
lien of the negotiation between this country and
France, agreeably to the conjedure which I !fated
in my lall report to your Lordfhip upon the filbjeft
namely, that, for the prefent moment, the difference
would be patched up with money; and that it can
only be for the prefent moment. Your Lordfhip will
eafily conceive from the exorbitance of the fum,
which is no lets than fix millions of Livres a month;
a facrifice beyond the ability of Spain to furnifh, and,
as I have cliftinftly explained to the Prince of Peace,
far exceeding the limits of any thing but a mere tem-
porary connivance on the part of England.
On the 3d inftant M. Herman arrived from Paris,
and the fame evening had a conference with the
Prince of Peace at this Sitio. The next day, there
was a fecond conference ; at which M. Cevallos was
prefent. And on the following day, the Prince of
Peace fent to acquaint me that every thing was fet-
tled; that they had made every facrifice to preferve
their neutrality ; and that they had finally contented
to pay fix millions of livres a month.
-The terms, it hems, which M. Herman had been
tinftruetcd to demand, included the payment of ar:
rears pretended to be due once the beginning of the
war, at the fame rate, together with a payment in
advance, the amount of which I could not learn.—
The refult of thefe conferences was, to reduce them
limply to the monthly payment of fix millions of li-
vres. Upon M. Herman's return to Madrid, Gene-
ral Bournonville fet off himfelf for the Sitio. He
had two fucceifive conferences with the Printe of
Peace ; which terminated in obtaining tome further
addition to the terms which had been crowed by M.
Herman, the exad nature of which I have not yet
been able to learn. When I preffed the Prince of
Peace upon the fubjea of the Treaty, he faid that
there was nothing but an additional article about the
tranfit of French woollens to Portugal. I then afked
what fecurity was obtained for that country; he faid
that was fettled : Portugal was to pay a million of
livres a month; that the demand upott Spain was
extravagant in comparifon ; and that had been made
fo, he believed, with a view of a future ground of
quarrel, in cafe they Atould find themfelves unable to
tail the engagements which they had been forced to
enter into. He laid, however, that orders had been
fent to M. Azara to fign a Treaty ; and that they
Ihould think no price too great for the maintenance
of their neutrality ; and he added fomething, which
implied a prefumption that loch a neutrality might
continue through the war. I interrupted, and re-
minded him of what J had faid on a former occalion
on the fame fubjea, that I thought it pofEcile that
Great Britain might connive at a triftmg faerifice,fuch
as that which was exacted from Portugal, or even at
the prefent, if confidered merely as a temporary mea-
lure, and intended to give time till the difpofition of
the great powers of Europe timid be more decidedly
known, and till chore powers themfelves fhould.be
acquainted with the etrcumftances and fitnation of
this country. He afked, how was it peffible for
Spain to as otherwife ? That their conduit was the
effet of their weaknefs, and not of any real hoftility
to England. I admitted it ; but added, that the el-
ferns were the fame , that a lubfidy, filch as they were
'about to grant, was a much greater irlury to the in-
tends of England than any that could be apprehended
'from their nortility. Hu adnotted usis ; but pleasied
ihe utter itnpolEbility of refinance, and the neeeffiry
,ef fubmitting to demands which were backed by fuels