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

law of nation, that too qualifications were elfential to
the Treaty—la. that it be not made during the cur-
rency of a war-wand fecondly, that it fhould not be
pointedagainft a particular power with which the par-
ties had been at war. In both there refpeas, host.
ever, the Treaty of Ildefonfo was clefeatvelnettber
was it in the fpirit of it, defiCies; but perpetual
and offenfive. It had commenced during the courfe
of the former war between this country and France,
and it was algebra this country by name that it was
dirated. The Spanifh Minifter bad made.* compa,
tilos between it and the family compaa entered into
in the year. 476 r.. There, however, there was a coin•
monk/ of iutereft between the parties ; a greater pro.
portion according to their means was not required
from the weak than from the tirong; and no union
exaaions were made from the weaker party. By the
family compia the allittance to be afforded by Spain
to France was only as is to x 4.. By the treaty of
ll-
defaufo, however, die fuccours on each fide are equal,
and the power of the parties is preferred to he exaaly
the fattle...By the compal, Spain was not to be called
on uniefs France was attacked ; by the prefent tre;ty,
(be lima Zit againft any power with which France
may be at war. even although the fhould be the ate:
grainr. In the one cafe, Spain might reprefent and
inquire the caufe of her being called on for hei fith-
fidy ; in the other, the was bound to fimply it, on the
requifition of France, without any inquiry into the
caufe of the war being allowed her. Such was the
&tzarina of France and Spain at the commencement
of hoßilities between France and this country; and
although we might unquestionably have beep then
jullified, in holding the relations in svimh there two
countries Hood to each other, a fullicient ground for
comprehending Spain in our heAtile declaration, the
policy adopted by his Majesty's then Minitfers was;
if putlittle, to preferve the relations of peace between
this country and Spain, and loch continued to be the
fyliem purfued by the prefent Ministry. The Mark
Lord then proceeded to notice the different requifi.
dons made by our Government, 'through Mr. Frere,l
to the Court of Spain, at different periods, and thel
anfwers received by him, particularly dwelling on
the abfurdity of their averment, that the fupplies
of money made by Spain to France was in lieu of
their contingency of (hips and men as by a cal-
culation, if the fifteen (hips of the line which they
had engaged to furnith were rated at as high a Turn as
our (hips colt, there would remain for the men a lam
greater than eight times the real cxpence of furnifh-
mg them. From the refufal, too, of the Spanifh
Court to give the information demanded as to the
armaments in their porta. and from their refuting to
difarm, he contended it was obvious that they were
not difpufed or did not dare to difirrm, and that they
only meant to temporize till their treafure (hips
timid arrive. Then the moderation of this country
was obliged to terminate ; and then Mr. Frere
applied for his paffport. On the whole he was con-
vinced the Houfe mull be of opinion that our Go-
vernment through the whole of the negocittion
prefetved a dignified moderation and a perfevering
forbearance ; and he hoped, from what he knew of
the Noble Lords oppotite, they would not allow them-
relves, for the fake of opp ding Minifierv, to thew
any difference of opinion on a lubjea in which the
lidnour and dignity of the country were fo materially
concerned. The detention of the treafu re Blips, he
Rated, was completely unconneaed with the caufes
of the war, and was not known at the time Mr.
Frere had left Madrid. If, however, that queftioa
were examined according to the law of nations, to
analogy, or expediency, he contended it would be
found to be completely jußifiable. In the year 1761
we had allowed all the treafures of Spain to arrive
in their ports before we thought of proceeding to
extremities. We had, however, on this occasion
been more fortunate, and he was perfuaded no per-
fon would regret that the Spanilh treafure (hips were
in our poffaion rather than in that of Bonaparte.
Even too, in the orders given for the detention of
thefe (hips there was to be Peen the fame fyllem of
moderation which had charaaerized our condua
throughout; for, though in jullice and propriety the
property of the pi ivate fubjeas of a country is equally
liable to be reined or detained as that of the Govern-
ment itfelf, the inttruaions given were to preferve
private property inviolate. He therefore fubmitted
that never had a country been forced into a war on
more pure and immaculate grounds than this country
bad in the prefent contefi with Spain ; fortunately
too, the promptitude and exertions with which our
orders had latterly been executed, when the condua
of Spain rendered it impotlible for us longer to flint
our eyes againti their intentions, had prevented us
from being injured to the extent we otherwife might
by our former forbearance. On thefe grounds he with
confidence raked of the Houle to vote an humble Ad-
drefsto hisMajetly, in the terms of the Addrefs moved
in the Houk of Commons.
The Addrefs being put,
Lord SPENCER declared, that his fentiments
were very different from thofe exprefred by the
Noble Lord who had moved the Addrefs ; —nor
did he think be should difcharge the duty he owed
to his Ring and country, did he not Rate the realms
that urged him to give a vote contrary to the mo.
lien. In the important quellion before the Houfe
be trolled be fhould be thought fincere, when lie at"-
fured their Lordfhipe, that on a fubjet in which the
honour and interelts of the country were Ps deeply
involved. he was not titillated by the fpirit of oppofi.
dm He did not intend to refill the propofed
drefs direftly, but it was his intention to fubmit an
amendment, which would render it ufelefs. He felt
it the duty of the Houle to exprefs the fentiments
with which they were, impreffed by the perufal of
the papers befirre them, and in performing that of-
fice himfelf, he tonfeffed he was defirous tot feparate
Come parts from others. He withed moll ditlinaly
to have it underilood, that he acquiefced and con-
curred in that part of his Majefty's declatation which
Paid, that from the moment of hollilizies with France
there exifled a caul.; for war with Spahr, in confe-

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 1805.