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

quence of the treaty of St.. Ildefonro. But, while he
expreffed his concurrence in. that liatement, he few
that the principle thus laid.flown had been aban-
doned by his Majefty's Minilleys. No fteady fyllem
calling for decifive explanation, was followed, and
moll of their meafures were flatuatipg and tempori-
zing. Mr. Frere, it would kern, had,, indeed, been
'parodied to make demands of explanations, but he
bad not been authorifed to enter into etplanations
himfclf. The conditions of our forbenrance .on the
febjeft of the fubfidy bad not been eipreftly,fpeci.
Ken t and what ought not to pars unnoticed, hi; Ma-
rjefty's Minifter at the Court of Spain had been !eft
for is confiderable time without any inftruftions.—T
He could (late to their Lordfhips, that fo long an
' interval as from the 21ft of January, 0,04, to the
29th of September, in the fame year, an inttrodions
whatever had been . tranfinitted to 'Mr. Frcre and his
brother. It did not appear that the charge made of
preparations and armaments in the ports of Spain,
had. been febftintiated in i fatisfantory way; and,
he was of opinion; that it would prove a difficult talk
to draw a line between the orders hilted for the de-
tention of the mature:l6os and the adaal com
miffion of tionilities. With refpeft to the laying of
an embargo on (hipping, it was not neceffary,forliim
to thew that it was
,a cafe very different from the de-
tention ,of wads at fea. His Lordibip, after noticing
feveral other topics, in which he animadverted on
the condo& of his Majefty's Mioifters, from the com-
mencement of the negotiation, to the aEtual exercife
of holtilities, concluded with moving a very long
amendment, containing fenthnents oppofite to thote
expreffed in the addref•, of which no part was fuffer-
ed, according to his amendment to fiend, but the in.
trodudory words--" That an humble Addrefs be
prefented to his Majefly."
The original motion for the addrefs and propofed
amendment having been read from the woolfack,

VikountSIDMOMTH role, and (poke in fubftance
nearly as follows—" My Lords, having had a great
(hare in the negotiation which is now under your
confideration, I hope to obtain the permilfion of your
Lordfnips while I offer fome -oblervations in reply
to the Noble Lord who has jolt fat down. The Noble
Lord has relieved me from that anxiety, and the
fubjeft from forne dillieuity, by the candour and man-
buds of his deciaraiion, and by his admiftion, that
an adherence to the terms of the treaty of St. Ilde-
boob° by the Court of Madrid, would in itfelf con-
flitute a fair and legitimate caufe of war. My Lords,
if ever there were a fair and unequivocal caufe of
war, it was to be found in the terms of that treaty.
That treaty, my Lords, Ilipulated for unlimited
fuccours, and from the very tenour of it, The whole
force of Spain was to have been at the command of
the requiring power. The N,.bie Leo d having made
this adtnitlion, fuggefls doubts of the propriety of
that forbearance and moderation which was ezercif-
ed by his Majefty's Minifters towards Spain. My
Lords, if there be any ad of my life which I can con-
template with peculiar Citisfadion,it is the fliarewhich
I have had in advifing and recommending that fyf.
tem of forbearance and moderation, not only towards
Spain, but even to a greater power, that of France.
It this fyftem were wife and well advifed towards
Prance, it was particularly fo with refped to Spain.
The fyfiene, my Lords, was important tinder every
confederation : it was conneded with the fafety of
Portugal ; it was conneded with the fafety of other
weaker powers. It was calculated to thew that this
country would not take advantage of the neceffity by
which they were oppieffed, but would allow them
every rational and joftifiable opportunity of taking
fuch roeafures, and making fuch arrangements, as
would enable them to enfure their neutrality and
to maintain their independence. His Majefty's Mi.
niters, in no Raga of the negotiation, had ever re
cognifed the principle, that the furnifhing of miii-
tary fuccours was not in itfelf a cattle of war. His
Noble Friend (Lord Haws slaver) in his inftruc-
tion to the Englifh Charge d'Affaires at Madrid, de.
fired him to alcertain the quantum of the fuccours
to be fupplied to France, but carefully to abliain
from giving ar y opinion as to the legality of it, and
confine himlell to the bare tranfiniffil of it to his
Court. So far, therefore, my Lords, fromacquiefcing
in the principle, that the furnifhing of military lut-
enist.' was not in itfelf a fair ground of hoftilic:, it
does not appear from any one paffige in the volu-
minous correfpondenee before the Houle, that it has
ever been admitted in one tingle instance. There is
no paper, no document, no infirument of any kind,
which can be produced, containing one exprelEon of
that tenor. Far from it, my Lords ; his Majefty's
Minifter at Madrid was infirutted to point out va-
rious kis to that Court, the commiffion of any one of
which could not but be confidered as a jutlification
of heftility. Firft, the fupplying France with any
more than the definite fuccours which it was' flip-
poled (he had profeffed herfelf content with, was to
be confidered, and it was fpecifically fo declared, as
a ground of war ; and in the fecond place, the en-
trance of any portion of French force, however in-
confiderable. into Spain, was alfo to be confidered as
a fair ground for hoilility. Thofe two diftin& cafes
were particularly and emphatically flitted to the go.
vernment of that country, as pofitive and unequt.
vocal cooks of war. Can it be fairly allerted, there-
fore, my Lords, that his Majefty's Government, of
ter having fo plainly Rated to the Court of Spain,
the circOmllances which would fo inevitably to
minate the good underflanding between both the
countries, had fluduated in their opinions ? As to
the charges of indecifion, of want of fyllem, of
contraditory infirudions, and the rations other ails
of incapacity with which the Noble Lord has thought
proper to upbraid the Government, I mnft be al-
lowed to differ totally with the Noble Lord in thofe
refpeas. There was, my Lords, no indecifion,
there was no want of fyßem, the inftruetions were
not contradiaory ; all the inftrudions were founded
on, and terminated in thofe two principles, to neu
tralize Spain, if poffible ; or, if that unfortunately
mould not be praaicable, to endeavour ea make her