Star.
London, England, 1819-06-04 00:00:00

. .
as regarded Treaties. That of 1814wittr
and other. Powers had rekrenceveigair
by such tDenagalgPemrec'edientsn;inTarenaatittq;pptki4rent-
of *tea
There are records in our Courts, particulatly.k
Court of Admiralty,' founded on the princ.iptesihow. -
in dispute. The Treat? of IVA, and that orilgt
recognized the connections of amity and comtik*ced
between this country and America. sy theseos,
there was a complete neutrality between tl)e tWo'
Governments, so far as regarded revolutionarylub-
jects of either country; and in case of any infrac-
tion of the engagements, by letters of marque or par-
tial armaments, on the part of the subjects of foreign
Powers, the offending persons were liable to all the
pains and penalties of pirates. If he (Sir C. Robin-
son) understood what was the law of nations, that now
described was what came under the consideration of
such treaties. Neither the municipal nor commercial
laws were founded on any other basis. It was in his
opinion an insult to the wisdom of Parliament to suf-
fer individuals to interfere in the disputes of foreign
nations with their subjects. Parliament had declared
the necessity of a policy diametrically opposite; and
notwithstanding the strange sympathy now afloat in
the minds of some men, he thought the legality of
the measure, corroborated by the wisdom of Parlia-
ment, ought to be strictly adhered to. The present
Bill was only founded on particular laws, already
fully. acknowledged by the Legislators of this coun-
try and by Europe. It was therefore quite a mockery
to consider whether we should suffer men, sub-
jects of this country, to go into foreign colonies, and
to aid in the revolutionary organization of others.
The Treaties now alluded to were all founded on the
,Law of Nations ; and although in those laws, like
other enactments, there were exceptions, our engage-
ments with the Spanish Government ought to be
strictly fulfilled. They were founded on the policy
and Treaties of our ancestors. In reference to an old
Treaty, he was about to read an extract, when he
mentioned—".lnpupulo (populum, perhaps) emir..." or
some other place—and here the Learned Gentleman
rested his authority.—(Laughter and cheering.)
Mr. MACDONALD assured the House, that
whatever abstract ideas might fall from the last Ho-
nourable and Learned Gentleman, or . whatever ab-
stract ideas might be propagated by any other Gen-
tletrian front Doctors' Commons, he would main-
tain the doctrines of common sense, and maintain the
privilege of delivering his opinions. In the discussion
now before the House, the arguments of his Honour-
able Friends appeared to him in every respect well-
' founded. It might be deemed requisite to call back
to the recollection cif the House the arguments of
both parties; but they were so fresh in the minds of
those who heard him, that it was needless for him to
enter into any recapitulation. We (the Opposition)
contended, that the Government of this Country
ought not to manifest any interNence with the sub-
jects of the King of Spain—(hear, hear). We have
shewn that the Attorney-General's Bill is founde,tl on
erroneous or ungenerous principles. This memo-
rable Bill carries a foreign influence on the face ofit
—the marks of the suggestion of a Foreign Power.
And ought this Country, or a British Parliament, to
acknowledge such an influence over our Councils?
The present Spanish Monarchy—he meant as no*
formed—ought to be the very last to expect any
favour from the British Government or the British
People. The present Bill ought therefore not to re-
ceive the support of any Gentleman who felt sincerely
for the interest of his country—any Gentleman who
felt sincerely for the cause of freedom. No similar
measure was ever acted upon by any Administration.
Why the present Administration had so long remained
silent on the subject,he could not pretend to determine.
Long ere now they ought to have taken their ground;
but perhaps the Noble Lord (Castlereagh) little ex-
pected that his own countrymen would ever take so
serious a part in the important scenes now carrying
on in the New World—( Hear, hear, hear). For
eight years, the South American subjects of Fer-
dinand had been suffered to proceed in their career
of emancipation with silent consent, if not with tacit
approbation. But all of a sudden, since the inter-
ference of the Duke of Wellington had failed, we
had shewn a new front, a very different aspect, to the
dearly beloved Ferdinand. When the parties were
proceeding with all the fury of the " bellues! belluns
ad internecionem r then the Noble Lord (Castle-
reagh) and kis colleagues enter the lists, the grand
arena, to attempt to give the death blow to infant li-
berty!--(Near, hear.)—But he hoped these efforts
would be too late ; and that the South Americans,
now gloriously struggling for their dearest rights,
would be able to take an attitude, an invincible po-
sition, of defiance to every attempt in favour of
tyranny'!—(Hear.)—lt was strange, indeed, that a
Government founded on and supported by principles
of liberty, should interpose its authority to prevent
the deadly blow aimed at the last efforts of expiring
tyranny—(Loud cheers.)—A British House of Com-
mons is bound to resist, with the utmost indignation,
every endeavour to regulate or form our laws and
policy by the unwarrantable interference of a foreign
injunction. As the present Administration appear to
act by the dictates of Spain, all those who love their
country would repel the attempt with the obloquy
which it deserved. The references made to the 9th
and 29th of Geo. H. formed no analogy to the present
case ; it was therefore idle and frivolous to mention
them, and it was ridiculous to refer to them with that
gravity and wisdom which some Gentlemen assumed.
The Spanish Monarch might *now be said to be at
war with his subjects on account of the dying embers
of bigotry and superstition. The Head of that Mw
narchy, which-had so long held a conspicuous part
in the eyes of Europe, little thought that its manifold
sins and monstrous iniquities, would on some future
day be visited on his descendants. The Members .
that great House never fbresaw that the horrors Of
conquest in South America, would revert upon the*
succesess with tenfold fury. The dreadful and abo-
minable crimes of this proud and imperious Castilian
Monarchy are now about to be revenged by the South
Americans, the heirs of the unhappy people who
were doomed to die under the sword or the dagger
of the invader !—(Hear, hear.) But of all the auxi-
liaries which the beloved Ferdinand would' have
thought of, the Honourable Member could not for
a moment have believed that Ministers of the House
of Hanover would have been permitted to come for-
ward to occupy such a disgraceful situation—(Hear.)
Re hoped, . hmirever, that the vote of this night
would prove to Spain 'and to Europe, that a British
,