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

of a Infirm like' this, to be at once moderate and
forbearhl towards Spain. and wife and provident to
(Treat Britain ; to feel and to vindicate the julliee
eft their cattle, yet t mitigate the rigour of junice
4% far ale trite policy and the fafety of the' State
would hear, was indeed a trying fituation, and re-
quired the utinoll prudence ; particularly when they
wtre fenfible that Spain might be ;sullied on to war
•vith us though ruin might be the coofequence to
her. provided her co-operation could in any manner
the larjeas of the Ruler of Francs for our
alearultion. Haying slated theft general principles
as applicable to the (late of our relations with Spain,
it remains to confider how they have been followed
up. Gentlemen will fee in the papers on the Table
the inGrullions by Lord Hawkefbury to our Minilter
Madrid, fo far back as O. iber iBo2, inftruitions
orhich lam confident all mull approve. They will
there fee that the &Si ohjt.t of our policy was, if
.-offible. to detach Spain from her degrading connec-
;ion with France, and if that was impraCticable, at
to endeavour, that in cafe of any future war,
sisi:er a (yawl of neutrality fhould be fettled, or at
least that hoßilities with her might be deferred. It
'cannot be guellioned that thefe principles were acted
upon by our Minifter. and that every effort was
made to prepare the minds of the Spanifh Govern.
ment for thefe alternatives. In June 1803, inftruc-
tions were given to Mr. Frere to demand from the
Spanifh Government a renunciation of the Treaty
of Ildefonfo ; nor will any man, I believe, dilpute
that the inftriCtions to which I allude. as to the
points to be Willed on, are folly justified by the laws
of nations. It is needlefs for me to dwell upon the
queftion, how far the Uniited fuccours in the Treaty
of Ildefonfo would have been confident with the neu-
trality of Spain, as that makes no part of the cafe.
I mutt fay, however, that it never was admitted that
we were bound to acgitiefce in thole foccours being
given. fo that all argument founded upon the com-
mutation of alfillance in kind into pecuniary aid are
ionpplicable t becaufe, if we did not admit the one,
we were certainly no way bound to aeguiefee in the
other. The caudal which a nation is bound to fol-
low in the cafe of limited fuccour furnifhed in purfu..
ance of a Defenfive Treaty mutt depend upon the
extent of the affiance. and that extent mull be
taken in proportion to the whole Rrength and re-
fontces of the nation furnilhing. Much wili depend,
too, upon whether the Treaty is recent or ancient,
whether it is general in its pratiflons, or concluded
with Uireil reference to hollaities with a particular
State. His Majeay's Government, at the time,
wifely gave no opinion upon the quettion of limited
fuccour in kind to be furnifhed by Spain to France,
becaufe that cafe did n"t occur. They did what was
riec..ffiry for the proteilinn of our interests, had it
taken place, and the Spanifh Government were ap-
prized that our forces would attack the ill auxi
liar; fleet, and prevent their junltion with the ene-
my. That, to do fo, would have been confident
with the clearea principles of the law of nations,
and of felf defence, cannot admit of a difpute.—
But while the tnoderation of this country was tinsel'.
Brig to drive Spain into war, it was ungueftionably
meceffary to obtain fame pledge that the Treaty of
Ildefonfo Ronald not be aced upon. If they did not
make it a fpecific ground of war, they were entitled
to infiß that its battik principle thould be abandoned.
In the difpatches of fslit. Frere, will be found the an-
fwer which he received to the applications he had
made Open this fulsieft, and in wnich he Owed that
nnlef, fei.diatory explanations and alfurances were
given, the Treatyoi Ildefonfo could not but be regard-
ed as holtile. It was not till Augua that thefe dif.
patches reached this country. The anfwer of the
Print,: of Peace was vague and inconclufive, hut flip
it evinced a dilpofition to delay, and, if poflible, to
elude compliance with the demands of France.—
Much ill humour esitled in the Court of Madrid
spit tl the latter, and an inclination to refill her do.
znioetion teemed to prevail • while every difpolitinn
was manifeiled to give fatisfaltion to the jall repre-
fentations of this Government. Things remained in
thia Rite till September, nor was it known here, at''
least up to that time, that France bad made a formal
demand of tie stipulated fuccours. At that period
a note was relented by M. D'Anduaga, the Spanifh
Minifter here, in which he endeavours to prove that
the Treaty of St. Ildefonfo contained nothing hot:
tile to this country. And here 1 cannot but Murk
upon a whimfical circumllance in thole reafoninEcwof
the Spanilh Ambalrador. He endeavours to
that the Treaty in go/Rion was, in reality, two Trea-
ties, the one defeafive, the other offenfive. but appli-
cable only to the cafe in which both France and
Spain Wield, b common confetti, enter into war
againa any other country. It lo happens, however,
that the firft part of the Treaty, which M. D'An-
dnaga contends to be defenfive, is precifely that
which contains the offenfive provifions, and that part
which he defcribes as offenfive is that which is deo
fenfive. For under the firft part is included the
potation that Spain, in cafe the limited fuccours (hall
be isfutficient, !hall put her whale forces at the dif.
pofal of France ; words which M. D'Anduaga argues
do not mean that Spain (hall join France with all
her power, though words more fynonimous I do not
think it would be polfible to fele& This, however,
by the way; and now to purfue the comic of the ne-
gociation. In September, a difpateh was received
from Mr. Frees, dated in Auguß, in which he an-
nounces that France had made a formal demand of
the ftipelated tumours.. Mr. Frere was then informed
by the Prince of Peace, that to preferve the neutra-
lity of Spain they were willing to make a pecuniary
iac:ifice. The demands of France were urgent ; and
Mr. Frere writes, that alum of not lefs than 2.50,0001.
a month. or 3,000,0001. a year, were the terms, and
though Spain had pleaded for a decreafe, it appears
to have been the furn fettled, and indeed rather with
increafe than diminution. This event. in which the
influence of France over Spain wasfo manifett, mull
have led Minifters to corclude, that the hopes of the
neutrality of Spain would prove vilionary. Mr. Frere.
in difpatehes, dated tath of September, mentions,
that the Spanifh Government. in anfwer to his re-
monfirances on this fubjeO, had Rated that it was'
better for this country that they fbould make pectiti-
ary facrifices to preferve their neutrality(though it ap-
peared, from every account, that this pecuniary cops-
mutation was no lefs than 3,000,0001.) than that
they Ihoold have fu plied the (updated filet:ours in
kiod, and a nominal declaration of war which mull.
have enfued. This mode of reafoning is undoubto
edly abfurd andeidieulons, for how could the Spa-.