Star.
London, England, 1805-02-13 00:00:00

tl•em that we fhould content to forbear for a definite
period for a definite purpofe, to their advance of the
tubfidy alluded to, which purpofe, if not anfwered,
our forbearance muff ceafe. As to the principles of
national honour and good faith, which had been re•
ferred to in the courfe of the debate, and which tome
Gentlemen aliened had been outraged by the man-
ner of commencing the war with Spain, no man
was more anxious to maintain chore principles on-
Ihaken than he was—and be would ever contend

.....
that there was not the flightell violence of thofe in
the condua purfued by Mininers ; but, en the con-
trary, that they were religiouily attended to.—
What was the cafe between this country and Spain ?
Very early in the negotiation we Rated, that we
Mould look upon any hollile armaments in the
.tipanifh ports with the, uttssolk jealnufy, and after-
ds, lea there ilsould be any difpnte as to the
nature of what was to be confidered a hnilile arma-

merit, it was brought to this determinate point, that
theie fhould be a celfation of all armaments. This
was acceded to by Spain. and it was obferved, that
it was q humiliating condition to require of what
fame Gentlemen thought proper to call a °tetra!
power. But this was a charaeter which; from the
reaty of Ildefonfo, did not belong to Spain. He
would admit 'that it would not be competent to any
State to mate fuch a propofition to a neutral power,
becaufe fuch a power might well anther, " We are
arming to five our neutrality," or Rate other reafons
that would be deemed (efficient. A neutral power
Spain was not to be confidered by this country, for
this plain realms, that, from her peculiar polition,
any armament that might be prepared in her ports was
liable, by the controlling power of France, to be con-
vened at any moment into an hollile armament
againft us. To put a Rop to fuch armament altoge-
ther, therefore, was necelfary to our fecuritv. and
Spain contented to do fo, as part of the conditions of
our declining to make war upon her. That this
formed the condition of our forbearance, according
to the uoderftanding of Spain herfelf, he need only re-
fer to the several difpatches of ChevalierCevallos to M.
d'Andnaga, and the notes of the latter to our !di-
stiller for Foreign Affairs, refpefting our complaints
as to the preparation of certain armaments in the
Spanifh ports. There armaments, notwithflanding
the moll pofitive engagement to the contrary, it was
notorious were in preparation at the time we pro-
ceeded to that aft, which it was Paid we &old not
have attempted without giving previous notice of
hoftility. But that notice, he maintained, Spain was
not entitled to look for, becaufe her preparation of
soy armament, without previous explanation to this
Court as to the amount and object of fuch arma-
snent, was an aft of abfolute hotlility on her part
The order, therefore, which was iffued by Minifters
on the receipt of Admiral Cochrane's difpatches re-
lative to the armament at Ferrol, was perfeftly jufti-
Sable. It had been raid that the objeft of that arma-
ment was not Wile to this country ; but, if net, if
it was merely meant for the conveyance of troops to
Rifcay, as was pretended, why was not the purpofe
of it explained to this country before the preparation
of it was commenced r This was required by the
terms of their agreement ; but the fall was, that not-
withftanding the pretences alledged, there was ibme-
thing peculiarly myfterious in that armament—fume-
thing thrit eves to this hoar had not been fatisfaftn-
rily explained. From all appearances, and the infor-
mation which our Government received, it was an
armament that he thought could not have been made
without a hofide purpofe. If even a neutral power
were preparing an extraordinary armament, the oh-
jefft of which Ow &mild ea application decline to ex-
plain, the Power applyinet would be jellified in con.
fidering Inch refufal a fair objet of fufpicion, and
a full caufe of war ; what then was to be thought
Of an unfatisfadory explanation of an armament
by Spain under the eircumftances he had already
&imbed I That country did, he maintained, by
tine annalneets at Ferrol, to which Admiral Coch-
rane's difpatch referred• not merely afford a tank of
war, but :ideally plane herfelf in a date of war again ft
this country, and of tour& the orders ailed on the
slith of September were folly warranted. Such an
armament was, in raft, an agreed carafe of var.-a.'
Spain was the firft to break the engagement up-
on which we promifed her neutrality : and !he had no
right, upon any principle of equity, or the law of
nations, to complain of the confequences which that
breach provoked. When the armaments were made
known to our Minifter at Madrid, his applications to
homage acquainted with the panieulart of the fob&
diary treaty were perfectly neutral. We would not be
warranted in any longer relying on the interpretations
of that treaty, which had been previoufly given us
by the Spina Minillry, that it contained nothing
boßile to us ; particularly as it appeared that M.
Cevallos had, within a few days. differed in his con-
Sfullion of the agreement of forbearance, or, as he
termed it, convention of neutrality, which exiled
between Great Britain and Spain, as to the time at
which the amount of the Spanifh naval armament
was to be fixed. The refufal of Chevalier Cevallos
to explain fully the nature of the fubfsdiary Treaty,
was, in his judgment, (efficient to jellify Mr. Frere in
quitting Madrid ; In far was Mr. Frere from aping
with any precipitation, that he confidered his conclutt
to manifeft the fame degree of moderation that chit-
rreterifed the whole proper, of the negotiation. He
did not take any Sep without Rating the regions to
the Spanifh Government, and pointing out the means
that fhould be taken to present matters from pro-
s:ccding to extremity. The Learned Gentleman re-
capitulated the arguments which appeared to him to
jollity the conduit of Minifters. There were two dif-
tinft grounds for the conamencement of the war ; t
the violation of the conditions entered into by the
Spanifts Government as the price of our forbearance;
and fecundly, the refufal of that Government to
afford us an expinhatiors upon points ferreting which
we were entitled to demand that explanation.—
The violation of the conditions ,he alluded to. be
though quite fufficient to form the jollification of
Minillers, and that any perfon who fairly confidered
all the citcumllances of that violation, could not Rate
that the chandler of this country was ftigmatized by
the order which they iffued for the capture of the
Sparta frigates, an order which Arndt his mind to
be not merely warrantable, but to be fuch that, had
they declined to iffue it, they would have been guilty
of a moll criminal defertion of duty. The Hon. Cent.
concluded with *Curing the Houfe that he confcien-
tionflyconfidered the coedit.* of Minifters to be as wife
and jug as their motives were human and honourable.