Star.
London, England, 1819-06-11 00:00:00

•
tralitv ; and he therefore was of opinion that a
s; eel-
tic measure was necessary on the subject—(Hear.)—
It was wroeg, be maintained, to attribute to the Bri-
tish Government any inclination to assist one side
more than Ilie other, as they wished to act with the
strictest toward; both. He denied that
the situation of Europe, at the period to which the
Honourable and Learned Gentleman referred, was
analagous to that now existing. In one instance, a
spirit of adventurous enterprise was sanctioned, which
in the other would not be justified. '1 he usages of
maderr. Europe did not recognize such proceedings
as .:hose adverted to by the Honourable and Learned
3tatletnan. It was a notorious fact that troops en-
listed in the South Anietican service, were now pa-
radol aloait in many parts of our Empire, and the
elf •ct of this could be only to weaken the allegiance
of Briti a subjects to their Sovereign. The Right
Ilon. Gentleman next adverted to the Manifesto of
Great Britain, the aid atfarded by the French
merchants to the Insur- :tits of North America, and
inferred from it that Spain ha I a just right to remon-
strate under similar circumstances. Span was de-
cidedly hostile to colonial anon; and would
be so even had she a Mona endowed with as many
virtues, as the present Monarch, in the opinion of 1!:e I
I lon. and Learned Goal: main, was stained with crimes.
Ile alluded to the temerity which led British officers
to SO:lth America.:;: d said that nothing but disap-
pointment and misery could be expected to result
from it—Ellere the Right Hon. Gentleman was in-
terrupted by an Honourable Member on the Opposi-
tion side, who rose for the purpose of addressing the
Chair, and was called to Order.] Mr. Canning then
observed, that as two negatives made an affirmative,
so two irregularities made a regularity—(A laugh.)
The Ilonourable Gentleman could not speak from
under the gangway, nut could he speak while he
(Mr. Canning) was speaking, so between both irregu-
larities, he happened to set hin:self right —(A laugh.)
Ile then resumed his arguments upon toe question, and
said that the cod segue:ices of tolerating the trade new
carried on with South America, would be to pervert
and disgraae the character of the 11.itisi: Merchant.—
The most ,dhgusting scenes, he was sure, would be
witnessed ail rver this country by bands of military
adventurers parading it In every direction, if the
House, through a mistaken zeal in the cause of free-
dom, should reject the proposed measare—(Cheers
from the Ministerial Benches).—He sheaved that the
celebrated Mennire Justicaty; which he had under-
stood to have been drawn up for the Government of
the day by Mr. Gibbon, asseeted principles on the
par: of tOis country in such language, that at the
present I. the circumstances under which it appeared
were unknov..n, it might pass for the remonstrance
of the Spanish AmbasSador. Those principles had
been saactiened by Europe and by the United States
of America. He then called upon the House to look
at the first article of the Code of Citizenship of South
America, which declared that Citizens should for-
feit all the right.; and privileges of Citizenship
they accepted foreign offices--(Hear, hear, hear).-...
lie did not say that temporary disadvantages would
not follow the passing of this Bill, but the evil it was
intended to meet was a growing one which ought to
be checked. If this were not done, scenes were likely
to be presented in the ensuing Summer of a nature I
most disgraceful to the character of the country. and
bodies of armed men raised for foreign service might
parade our streets. If the Bill were rejected, let not
the Executive Government he blamed, should such
a spectacle be witnessed. Min' sters had done their
duty by bringing forward the present measure to
maintain the honour and neutrality of the country;
and if their conduct left a blot on its character, which '
might easily be said, but which would be difficult of
proof, if they forgot their duty by leaning to one
side or to the other, it would hereafter be competent
to Parliament to recal that power which they gave.
Mr. SCARLETT said, that in rising to address
the House, he felt the difficulty under which he was
placed by the splendid eloquence of the two preced-
ing speeches. He certainly should not have offered
himself to the House, had he not been convinced that
all the arguments of the Right Hon. Gentleman (Mr.
Canning) were inapplicable to the present case. He
understood the ?tight Hon. Gentleman to have ac-
ceded to the opinion of his Honourable and Learned
Friend (Sir J. Mackintosh) respecting the principle
of neutrality ; and at the same time to have objected
to preserve suoh a neutrality. The Right Hon. Gen-
tleman had called upon the House to enable the
Executive Government to carry into effect the Treaty
between Spain and this Country. If 'now, after a
tape of five years, it could be shewn that a new Act
of Parliament was necessary for this purpose, the
House ought to accede to the proposition ; but he
thought he should be able to shew that the whole
object of this treaty might be effected by the law as
it now stood. In the clause of the treaty which re-
ferred immediately to this point, Britain engaged to
prevent any of her subjects—from what?—not from
enlisting in the service of the Insurgents, but from
sending them arms or ammunition.—(Hear, hear.)—
That the common law of the land was sufficient td'
carry such a prohibition into effect, could not be
questioned. What then became -of the Right Hon.
Gentleman's argument, when he found that a new
law was not necessary thr this purpose? But it was
said, that an additional law was necessary to main-
tain the centrality professed in the proclamation.—
Di I the Common Law say that the King of Spain
should not he at liberty to enlist troops in this coun-
try, but that the Insurgents should? Certainly not;
as-. 1 the prohibition could not be applicable to the
one Power, without being equally so to the other—
unless any Statute intervened to prevent the opera-
tion of the Common Law. If any such Statutes,
framed to n:eet the particular circumstances of the
times in Nk ilich they were enacted, as was the case
vith the two Statutes of George ll.—if any such
Statute.; existed, let them be repealed, and then what
more could the King of Spain require?—(hear.) If
the Common Law of the land had been found suffi-
cient to preset Ye netarality for the last 200 years, how
had it been di-,cove:cd that it was insufficient now?,
Admitting it to be defective, there was an easy re-1
nievly to be foetal in repealing the Statutes that ren-
dered it so ; but Ministers wished to interfere with i
the common law itself. If we had already a law to.!
nst4t the case, what right bad any foreign Power to
call on us 'to enact another law ? It had been ad-1
matted that the conduct. Spain did not entitle her '
to expect any fay our at oar hands ; but then it was