Star.
London, England, 1823-05-01 00:00:00

I.

much vigour and with the same effect, as in thi
contest in which we had engaged. (Hear, hear.l
Mr. LEYCESTER rose to repel the assertion
the present was a question of peace or war— -the
tion was only, whether, in those transactions w►,
the HOUSO had been investigating, the conduct of
Majesty`i Ministers was justifiable or otherwise ?
had in vain looked to the documents on the table

inch raltWeirtin. * That House had with one
proclaimed the infamy and atrocity of the condos
of the French Government ; but a Noble Person in,
another place was repined to have defended that
conduct—and fortunately in such defence that No-
ble Person stoodilone.
Who could not laugh if such a man there be? •
Who would not weep if that great Duke were he?
(A laugh.) If the'principles declared by the Deke of
Buckingham could be carried into effect, Feiclinand
the Seventh would have nothing to do but to hang up
those illustrious patriots, Arguelles and San Miguel.'
The Hon. Gentleman concluded by giving his sup-
port to the original motion.
Mr. W. WILLIAMS did not intend going into the
question at great length. He was sorry to say, that
in the papers on the table he saw nothing that ought
not to be condemned by that House. It was stated,
on the other side, that dangers might arise to this
from the people of other countries seeking to model
their own upon the British Constitution. He cer-
tainly never expected to have heard such a declara-
tion in that House. Under all the circumstances,
he neither approved of the original motion nor Of the
amendment. He could not conscientiously vote on
either side. There was a course which, in his opi-
nion, the House ought to adopt on so important an
occasion. All party feeling ought to cease, and Par-
liament should speak to France the strong language
of remonstrance. France had acknowledged princi-
ples which might be considered a just cause of wat,
if war could be thought justifiable at all in the pre-
sent condition of things. It might not then be diffi-
cult to teconcile the Houie. They might join in an
Address, establishing a piinCiple which might tend
to restore peace to Europe, by solemnly disapproving
of the encroachments upon the Spanish nation (Ilear).

Mr." W. PEEL rose to express his gratitud2 to his
Majesty's Ministers for the conduct which they had
pursued ; and in doing so, he was confident that he
was speaking the sentiments of the great majority of
the People. So far from having degraded the coun-
try by the policy which had been pursued at Verona,
he though that the way to degrade it would be to
plunge it into war. Ile would ask those Gentlemen
who were the firit to call far war, whether they would
net be the last to grant to Government the increased
supplies which war would require—(llear,
It would be ridiculous to argue that the resources of
this country -were not suffiCiently ample to enable
it to embark in a iviik if war were necessary for its
interests or honoui.• That country, to which every
other country appealed, Ind to which every other
country was indebted, was surely not, the only coun-
try which could not support a war. That they pos-
sessed resources for a War was indisputable ;- but the
question was, whether those resources should be hus-
banded, or squandered away unnecessarily. With
regard to France hex self, no man felt moreconvinced
of the folly and impolicy of her proceedings. He
shOuld support the amendment ; for be felt, that in
suppirtaing it, We *as not only expressing his own
feelings, but.the feelings of his constituents and the
feelingS of the People in general.
told PALNItILSTON said, that he v ished to
draw the attention of the !louse to the real question
before it. As to the injustice or the war commenced
by trance, there could Only exist one opinion. In the
negociatiOn of the, Biitish Government there had
bledtwo lines Of conduct Open for it to pursue. They
might have limited their negcieiations to a friendly
attempt to Vreieree peace, eithout involving them-
se ties in the halatd of twat ;. and they might have
determined to embark at r:ce in the fortunes of
Spain, and have declared their intention to engage
in war as soon as the French army had passed the
Pyrennees. But whatever line of conduct they pur-
sued, they ha,l been bound to be consistent. For his
own part, he felt as strongly on the subject of the
invasion .of Spain, as Those whose complaints were
more frequent and more loud. But he should be
sorry to live under the present. Constitution of Spain.
lie felt that it possessed great and glaring defects—
that it was not possible to go on in the state in which
it now was—that it contained within itself the seeds
of dissolution—and that, instead of producing the
happiness of the people, it would, scatter the elements
of civil discord—(Hear, henry.—Was there anything,
thou, inconsiderate or blameable in the conduct of the
itish Government in requesting the Spanish Govern-
ment to comet those evils, and to adopt measures
which would haVe secured to it external peaCe and in-
ternal concord ? An objection had been taken to the
channel in which .the British recommendation bad been
sent. In his opinion there was no person who could in-
terfere in the affairs of Spain n ith less suspicion than
the Duke of Wellington. It had been often and truly
said that the strongest tits %vete created by a sense of
benefits conferred, and never had any individual cop-
ferred greater benefit on a nation than the Puke of
Wellington had conferred On Spain. However
splendid the exertions Of the Noble Duke might have
been in Other parts of the globe, yet it had been in
Spain that his brightest lattieli had been gatherei.—
It had been in the provintes df Bpain that he had first
displayed the qualities of ail uncbnquered General
and a sagacious Statesthaii. Was it then in human
nature for the Duke of Wellington not to feel a lively
interest in the altars of Spain ? Or was it posiible
that Spain could suppose th-at the Man, who, after
contest of :if long years, had rescued her from the
power of the ihiaciet, touted urge Der to any act in-
. compatible. with het faletir ot hbfibut
The British Goeettimebt had thetelbre selected the
Duke of Wellington ; and in doing so they badshewn
a regard to the feelings of the Spithiards, as well as
displayed their ownibrigineht in the selection.—Th-
furtunatelt the eiertioni of the Duke bad been un-
successful. The contectiehte had been war ; and he
Indeed would in a bold prophet who pretended to
foresee its termination. As shallow, however, would
be that politician who phinted out war as the policy
of this country. It was notorious that Spain was di-
vided within herself: no doubt it was possible that a
feeling Of general indignation, on the approach of an
invader, might Mute the Spaniards to bitty. their
.differences,' and nuke all parties unite ; but it was