Star.
London, England, 1815-03-02 00:00:00

a statement could be proved correct, no eine erouldl
feel more indignant than he should at it. Yet, wt.
withstanding this indignation, no enquiry was made,
nor any information on the subject was given to the
House. He (Mr.Whitbread) now thanked the RIO'
Honourable Gentleman and his colleagues for having
withheld that information, as it now gave an °pre.
tunity to him to propose an Address to the Prince
Regent, in which he should have an opportunity of
stating his sentiments, and the sentiments, he was
convinced, of the country on this subject. Some time
after he had put his question to the Honourable Gen-
tleman, a statement, professing to be an account of
all the circumstances relative to this transaction was
pebbshed by General Smith, and in reply to this there'
soon after zppeared, in one of the Newspapers, a let-
ter, signed by one of the unfortunate persons to whom
he had alluded, in which he contradicted many of the
facts mentioned in General Smith's statement. He
(Mr. Whitbread) now, however, called on his Ma-
jesty's Ministers to explain these pnd some other cir-
cumstances connected with the Spanish Government.
He wished to know how it was that General Whit-
tir.gliam, a General in the pay of England, came to
be the person selected to command the troops which
matched to Madrid, and when arrived there, over
threw the Cones ? It was now well known what was
the opinion which the Spanish nation entertained of
this transaction : it was publicly said, that Ferdinand
could not, at this time, have stood but for English
gold ; and this charge against us appeared to be well
founded; for, by a Paper now on the Table of the
House, it appeared, that on the 10th of May I.aet, a
r aymmfeonrt
tho fi s ses 2,
very6l7 wasarmy's made General
Gelnt er a l
way Mitts
[
known, from other circumstances, that o GOvefa•
wenthad taken a decided part against the Cortes, in
favour of Ferdinand. It was notorious that the Duke
of Wellington, who had received his honours and
command from the Cortes, resigned
oth them to the King,
and was again inv:sted with by Ferdinand.—
Ile English Ambassador, who had originally been
sent to the Cortes, was also introduced to, and graci-
ously received by Ferdinand; and thus England gave
;-every possible proof of her determination to support
the King against the Cortes and Liberty. Soon after
these events, however, some of those Spaniards who
had hitherto sided with Ferdinand, withdrew them-
selves to Cadiz, where they applied to our resident
Minister, declaring
.their wish to leave Spain ; and
they even stated their desire to go to Gibraltar; and,
amongst others who thus applied, was the persons to
whom his present motion was applicable. They had
escaped from Ceuta, but instead of being forwarded
to Gibraltar, they were refused admission into that
place of safety, on the ground of their being state
prisoners; and told, in reply to their application, that
the Mediterranean was open to them. Under these
circumstances. they were driven to the necessity of
returning to Algesirag, where they again tell into the
hands of the Spanish Government, and were doomed
to languish in a loathsome dungeon. The Honour.
able Gentleman then proceeded to adduce several in-
stances in which out Government had shewn itself
favouiable to the views of the present Spanish Go-
vernment, and said, such was the opinion which the
Spiinish people entertained of us, and that it was ge-
nerally said in Spain, that the expedition now fitting
out in Cadiz harbour against the South American
settlements, was fitted out with British gold. He
observed, he understood that Sir James Duff and
General Smith intended to defend their amour,' to,
wards the unfortunate men, whp had applied to them
for protection, on the grounds that they were bound
by the Convention entered into in 1795, between
General Nainsforth and General Count Las Lopes•
in which it was covenanted, that all deserters
and smugglers, of every description, should be
mutually given up ; but in that Convention it was
also stipulated, that in no case, except in that of
atrocious crime, was the individual so given up, to
undergo either corporal punishment or imprisonment.
He then read the dispatch from General Smith rte
'Earl Bathurst, in which he took no notice of any
previous Convention for the delivery of Spaniards an.
cased of any crimes; and in which his Lordship
stated, that he was unwilling to believe that any
such delivery had taken place by General Smith;
and conveying the orders of the Prince Reent that
no Spanish rengees in Gibraltar should be delivered
up to the Spanida Government. So far was it from
all peaces being delivered up formerly, that a man
who, had murdered a Magistrate in Cadiz was refused
to be sent back, whatever his crimes might have
been. He then read the answer of General Smith
to the dispatch of Lord Bathurst, in which he stated.
that two persons were apprehended on the represen-
tation of the government of Cadiz and Sir J. Duff.
and they had got into the garrison of Gibraltar, under
fictitious names. But one of these persons authorised
hin to state, that they gave into the Town Major,
their real names, and that they openly lodged at a
public Inn, in Gibraltar. This he was ready to sub-
stantiate before that House. But it was not till Vil-
lavicencio, the Governor of Cadiz, had described
them as men that would spread the poison of their
sedition in the garrison, that General Smith, with-
out enquiring into their , crimes, sent them, not to
thießpanish Consul,
,but to a Spanish Commandant,
who treated them whir great kindness, compared
witirthe indignities they had euffered in GibralUti.
He then read the letter of Sir James Duff to Gen.
Smith, in which he described the persons delivered
up, and that they were going. to leave Gibraltar on
account of the recent change in politics. One of the
persons described by Sir James Duff did not go to
Gibraltar, but escaped AO England—his name was
Don M. Caprera ; and finding that Poigblanc and
Correa had been delivered up at Gibraltar, be
thought himself not safe in England, and-escaped to
France, dreading that our Alien Law. would reach
him. He then read M. Caprera's.passport, signed
li! Governor Valdes, and countersigned as correct,
by Sir James Duff, our Consul at Cadiz. Yet did
•ir James Du write to General Smith that his own
name might be falsified. and that his country should
be &traced. Don A. Puigblanc had never been
engaged in politics. He was a Professor ip a College
to wilich he bad retired, to escape the tyvaniiy of Bo-
naparse—he had written but two books in his life;
one a Hebrew Grammar, the other a work skeins
,I the Inquisition, which Sir James Duff woody de-
[ cribed its the reasoe foe General Smith iielating his
~*sport, This man and Cortes were confiettd fit
70 days in chains aislOng thieves and tehhen. They
:were the brought sutler tdels vbea'reighbust was