Star.
London, England, 1811-08-30 00:00:00

(Signed)
ANSWER OV MR JUN: A.

Mort EXCZLLUNT Sic.ort —The Junta has receiaed
by Captain Heywood, of the Kern the cou6denti .;
letter addressed to them by your Excellency, acknow,
ledging the receipt of theirs of the 21" th of February.
It is not difficult to discover the reasons of your Es.
cellency's silence on the most material part of, its
contents, nor of your answer to the lax,dated March
6th, even had it not been ascertained by other chan-
nel., that your Excellency, acknowledging those
ports to be in a state of blockade, even to ships. of
your own nation, chose rather to give a silent rel usal,
notwithstandipg the reasons in opposition to it.
This unexpected event, and the excessive exertions
_ .

of Admiral be Courcy to free the British flag f: om
the o!.istructions put many months before, by the Go.
vernment of Monte Video, their bring free ports, pre-
.sent to us a very mortifying contrast. The Junta
can assign no case for this retrograde movement, un-
' less it form part of the plan of the Iltitab Gov.rn-
anent to adopt no measures that may tend to disunite
Amerca from Spain. The Junta, however, cannot
reconcile welt inconsistent projects. It is certain that
the.c,annsercial prospects of .Great Britain and Ame.
rica have nothing-to Jo with this disunion.
1; Spain should ever renounce her system of exclu-
' i wittaxaspectlo..Arrerica-, .it.is.aisne -fat her to
know thea• in the state of insignificance in which
ig is, hersibmintereasqnsistainjelfeagranliatid
to approach these soerces, _Whence she may supply
that strength which she has exhausted for the in-
terest of Spain, and-heaostrabled to clothe a people
left naked by §pttlilh tyraiiny 4411404 in tlsis, way
she mightiltave 'acquired an idea of gratitude an'
jestas...a.-bus she chuses rather to Be datficiein on t• ii
scree, tiasiato renounce exclusive rights; to'whicli she
he ;eves herself to be entitled to all eternity,: declare 4
imp :riou sly by Emissary, Gelletal .Elio, aaaw
pats to 'be, in a state Cif blockade; indisiuing apt eu
ord....rs to annihilate the British commerce in this q u.4:-
.let--.wl,i,e olie cannot reconcile such conduct with tie
declaration of attachment to Great Britain, her. ally,
she gives the highest offeace to the colutiles, a ha, as
subject to the same King, have an equal right with
Galicia, the Abtusimi, and Catalonia, to a d rect in-
tercourse with the nation that affords them protecrier.
These reasons are of weight sufficient to convince tha
Junta, that without any violation of the good fain.
pledged to Spain, and without a breach ot any posi
tive.agreement, the Court of London may resist the
.blockade which General Elio has imposed upon Be.
nth ships.- . .
Your Excellency observes, that it is a matter of re.
-gr !',
• e that in the present crisis,. the power of the con.
-taderacy against France should be weakened for a al.:
of resources; • :,...,... .
The Junta is of nettlik, -that to avoid the preja.
dices of which your Excellency. speaks, and not to
come to a state of the greatest weakness, the most el-
fectnal way is, not to place the resources of America
in the hands of Spain, without Making them pass
tq, England, by means of an open and unrestricted
cbmtncrce. The whole world is not ignorant how in-
Cap.-able Spain is to employ her public funds with
ectiniNnty, as well a,: to direct her armies, beca,ae
she leas already dilapidated`the sepplies remi:ted tr, in
Antes:ilea for her defence. , Sach contribution; 'of
loyalty and. of fionotiramight *tab* kept. aaered 4. their
(14i:isogon was determined, 6y, All! tame IleteSbkieSl
and the intention of those who granted. Oiem. Not.
withstanding this, 'no consideration was sufficient to
limit the prodigality and 'Covethusness of.the Sisiinitit
Administrations, yet they now haughtily ask,ivlio
his provided funds sufficient to'support so many years
the expences of the armies ? These provineetsirofess
entire fidelity to Ferdinand the Vlitts; they wish to
direkt only by therns'elves, and withopt the haiard
of-risking their means to therapatitV iiir tinfaithful
hands; they promise to enter into the iibalitionOgaiust
the.tyrant, su long as. their civil independence is
acknowledged. Here your Excellency will observe
a means of strengthening the poser of the conk.
durations till a final success, much more secure and
more conformable to the principles ot equity, dial'
by 'threatening us with menaces, punislonents, and
blockades, into a subordination which no person hat
a right tri require.
. Yanir Excellency may be firmly assured that the
blockade imposed by General Too is mere prejudi.
date ;the interests of Great Britain, and to Spain
*AM', than it is to us. If the scrupulous conside-
rations of your nat.ou carry it to dissemble sues
Aggressions, the Junta cannot propose to etc pcopl
such a species of humiliatimi. They can Krztive i,t
it nothing else than a determination t,, ;cost tha
audacious attempts of a Chief, who, without. any
other authority than a simele letter from the Secretary
dardaxi, his relation, exhibits himself a hostile Vice-
roy. It was this circumstance which hacened the
uversion they formerly bore in their minds, and made

E

the people of the eastern province take up arms. Tkey
demanded assistance from this Junta, and they have
confiAed their aggressions to investing the walls of
Monte Video.

In this state of things, the armistice which the con-
ciliating disposition of-your Excellency proposes, can
produce no other effects than to frustrate an enter-
prise already far advanced ; to expose the safety of
many patriots to the vengeance at Elio; to excite an
universal convulsion among the provinces, and the
abandonment of our expectation to fluctuating opi-
nion. This would surely be acting contrary to the
principles of our institution, and to raise again the
colonial system, which our halt& destroyed. This
Junta entertain too sublithe an idea of the penetration
if your Excellency. to attribute your proposal to any
other motive than an unacquaintance with occurrences
which are obscured by distance.
In respect to the mediation which your Excellency
lois proposed to remove the differmces which subsist
between► these States and the Peninsula, nothing
could be more satisfactory to this Junta than to place
their cause in hands so faithful and generous as those
of the British Cabinet. The good faith which Oa-
racterise it, and the identity of their interests with
ours, are causes which assure us of its fidelity. But
the Junta cannot discover reasons to authorize them
at present to avail themselves of such mediation.
The Peninsula is no more than a part of the Spanish
Monarchy, and that se maimed, that it would be no
small concession to put k upon an equality with Ame-
rica. It therefore follows, from this principle, that the
Peninsula cannot hold any authority over America,
nor this over that. Were the English Cabinet to act
the part of an impartial mediator, it would be a pre-
cise acknowledgment of
.the independence of the two
States. On the other hand, were the British Cabinet
possessed of an idea of our inferiority, it would not
be surprising that the result of a negotiation would be
to grant ns much more by favour than we deserved in
justice. Therefore, until we can know the opinion of
the British nation, all ulterior proceedings should be
suspended. In addition, your Excellency combines,
your mediation with the armistice, and should a Ile-
Fociation take place, General Ilia would continue to
sold all the authority of Viceroy, wherewith he is in.
Bested by the Junta of Cadiz, even here where he now
occupies ; but this would involve a contradiction in
principles; Elio, and the illegitimate power from'
which he derives his authority would remain trium-
phant over our rights before the termination of the
dispute.

The unlimited confidence which this Junta has in
the pure intentions of your Excellency, convinces us
that you have on other object in view than to unite,
the political ties which subsist in common betwixt
both nations ; but your Excellency may rest assured ,
that if the state of our negerciations do not permit its
to adhere to them, our friendship towards Great Bri-
tain shah not be less firm, nor our consideration of
your Excellency.—Gob preserve your Excellency, &c.
Burro' Ayrem, May 18,1511.
To his limning, ford Strangford,