The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1839-02-26 00:00:00

Emptrial Varriaintitt.

HOUSE OF LORDS.-THURSDAY.

Lord RADNOR gave notice, on the part of a noble friend,
that on the 14th of March he should propose a resolution to
the effect that the present corn-laws had failed to produce
that steadiness of price which was essential to the best inte-
rests of the country.

FRANCE AND MEXICO

Viscount STRANGFORD gave notice that he should take an
opportunity of calling the attention of the House to the pre-
sens state of the relations between France and Mexico.
Lord WHARNCLIFFE then put some questions respecting
the English pilot who had been captured by Admiral Baudin's
squadron off Mexico.
Lord MINTO, in answer, said he could not state whether
the pilot had been released. A most handsome and satisfac-
tory apology had, however, been made, and the greatest har-,
mony prevailed between the officers of the two stations.
Nothing could exceed the courtesy of Admiral Baudin.
In answer to a question from Lord Ellenborough, Earl
MINTO said, he had always disapproved of the circumstance,
but Admiral Baudin had made every reparation in his power.
Lord LYNDHURST hoped all the papers on the subject
would be laid before the House.

GOVERNMENT INTERFERENCE WITH THE AFFAIRS OF

SPAIN.

Lord LONDONDERRY moved for papers relating to the in-
terference of the government in the war in Spain. He in-
quired of Lord Melbourne whether, in what he had before
stated, he had exaggerated the discomfiture and disgrace
which our troops had met with in that distracted country ?
The expense which we had been put to in carrying on that
war had amounted to £569,169, besides the loss of 8000 men.
He wished, therefore, to know•whether the government in-
tended to pursue the same system as they had hitherto done,
and continue to expend life and treasure in carrying on a war
that was so much deprecated by all civilized nations ? After
the discussions which had taken place last year on this matter,
he had been credibly informed that her majesty's government
had, through the medium of Lord J. Hay, opened a commur
nication with the Spanish fleet for furnishing a considerable
supply of stores and cannon from this country. He alluded
to the speeches from the throne since the sear 1834, as hav-
ing contained distinct declarations that the British govern-
ment would afford aid to the Queen of Spain ; and again, in
the speech made from the throne by her present majesty soon
after her accession, those declarations were renewed. Her
majesty, in her speech in 1837, said, " I lament that civil war
still afflicts the kingdom of Spain. I continue to execute
with fidelity the engagements of my crown with the Queen of
Spain, according to the stipulations of quadruple alliance."
But he came now to her majesty's speech of this session, in
which her majesty said, " I lament the continuance of the
civil war in Spain, which engages my anxious and undimi-
nished attention." There was a great difference between this
and the former speeches ; there was indeed nothing more in
it than the actual lamentations of Jeremiah. (A laugh.) Af-
ter such enormous expense had been incurred, were we to
hear our young and powerful queen declaring, that in spite of
five years unmitigated excitement and anxiety, her govern-
ment were not enabled to tell us what course they meant to
take ? Were they still determined to act up to the stipula-
tions of the quadruple treaty, that this country should fur-
nish supplies to such a chief as Muniagorri ? or would they
not pursue a wiser, and still more prudent course ? He had
stated the expense which this country had been put to in
consequence of the war, and if it were carried on on the same
scale, how, he would ask, was it to be paid for? Would the
country be satisfied with such proceedings ? He found that
the just and right claims of the British Legion still remained
unpaid, and he should like to know whether the noble
viscount (Melbourne) really believed that the Spanish go-
vernment, according to promises that had been made at a
certain office in this city, merely, as he thought, for the pur-
poses of delay, would settle them, or that there was any pro-
bability of their ever being settled ? But, if he recollected
rightly, a noble duke near him had said that the war in Spain
appeared to him to be a mere stock-jobbing concern, and if
what he (Lord Londonderry) had recently heard were true,
there were negotiations now going on in the city for a fresh
loan to the queen, under false pretences. He did not mean
to charge the noble viscount's government with being directly
or indirectly a party to such proceedings, though, if he were
to judge of the morality of Downing-street by the specimens
that had been lately exhibited in the public journals, he
should trust them but little in this respect. (A laugh.)
Lord MELBOURNE replied to the noble marquis, and after
some discussion the house adjourned at seven o'clock.