The Statesman.
London, England, 1823-04-15 00:00:00


tl e'r sep- ration from the mother coup ry ; although the for- •
mid recognioion of ulate provinces. at indepett tent sittes,by
his Majesty, ms y be histeile4 or retarded by various external
c•rcumstances, as well as by the more or less satisfactory pro-
wrest, In each state towards a regular and settled form of go-
re •.'meat. Spain a . long been apprised of his Majesty's
(simians upon this eject. Disclaiming in the most solemn
manner any intention of appropriating to himself the
portion of tile late Spanish possessions in America, Ms
Nlajeqty is sati-fled that no attempt will be made by France,
to bring en ler her dominion any of those possessions, ,ither
to% co;.quest, er by cession. from Spain. This frank expla-
nation upon the point: 011 which perhaps alone the possibi-
lity of stay collision of Frani:o with Great Bo stain can be ap-
prehended In a war bet n cen France and Spain. your Excel-
lency will represent to M. de l'hatesubriand, as dictat.d by
an earnest desire to be enabled to preserve, in that war,
strict and undeviating oeutrarity—a neutrality not liable to
alteration towards either party, so long as the honour
and just interests of Urea% Britain are equally respected by
both."
With respect to whet regardeonr relations and engree-
ment with I'ortngal, the Government of France has is••
way• known that sny unprovoked attscli on Portugal
would call forth resietunre from Greet Britain. But on
this subject it aptlys that m :eh tnieronception preveile.
It appears to bate been thought that our engagemews
were °Neat nature that we were boned to fly to the a.-
sistance of Portugal, even if it attsci,eil any other State;
but this was putting into the hand: of Portugal the
power oh milk' is; war or peace for us—the had only to go
to war, and on this principle we were brAmil to enter into
her contests. I confidently at.ert, hosteler, that we are
b.lund only to assist Portugal, if unjnstl: :mailed.. If
there is one principle of the lair of nations mute certain
than another, it is that a defensive alliance does not per-
mit one Power u' commit another to a war by making as
unjust attack. France his constantly oleolored that she
shonlol not meddle with Portugal. either by word or deed,
and therefore a War w,th Portugal is. not to he expected
unless Portugal should attack France. If Portugal with-
out being attacked should force on oar, I am sore Clot we
are under no obligation. I do nut state what our policy
may direct, but am sure that there is no obligation on
Great Britain to defend lhotogal 'abbe enter into offend a
war. lam not stating what oar pelicy might dictate to
us ender soch cirtatmstancee. butt what our Treaties engage
us to perform; and it ie only :spies! an unprovoked mu,. k
that they bind Great Britain to defend Ps.rtugal. Never
has the Government of this conetry contracted engage-
ments it did not fulfil; but becaese it correctly and faith-
fully adheres to its Treaties it is of much importance to
know exactly what they hind its to Perform. With re-
•psct to the other point, th t Spanish possessions in Ame-
rica, which is likely to drive us from the. path of neu-
trality, in the present state of things there was no elsoice.
So long as peace continued, and Spain bad no enemies
in
-Europe, it wasa matter of discretion on our part how
far we interfered between her and her col m'es. And
when we saw that ally efforts she could in die to conquer
them were hopeless, we had recommended her to come •
to an accotnmodation with them on the principle of re-
cognizing their independents., while they acknowledged I
the. supciority of the Mother Collate!. We have never
ceased to give this advice without any reference to our
our own commercial advantages; for all that we hare •
sought for or wished was to be
.put upon the same foot-
ing as the most favoured nation. Even more than
this, when our good offices to mediate between them had
been asked, we had answered we were ready to under-
take it if they desired it, bnt that our interference could
not depend on the invasion of Spain. Circumstances
are now changed. Though Spain holds dotuthion
de jure over her colonier, it is necessary for Great Bri-
tain to 'We that, de facto, a separation has taken
puce; though not from glider her -dominion de jure,
they are so separated in fact that no cession of them made
by Spain can be regarded by Great Britain as valid,
(bear.) We have been forced to make this declaration,
io order that we might not hereafter look with regret to
see these Colonies in a st re different from that in which
we might wish or expect to see them. Sir, I am convinced
that on all these points, and in all these proceedings, his.ll
jesty's 'Moisten have provided for every thing which
touches the honour of Great Britain. I know that there
are gentlemen who bays given it as an opinion that we
ought at once to have stated that an invasion of Spain
would be war with England. But when the exieting
Treaties are examined, such a line of conduct will be
found neither borne out by justice; uor recommended
by policy. Ido not say that such a war would, in its
own nature, be unjust, but that there is not inch a call
for our interference as makes it unjust not to interfere.
Those gentlemen who entertain an opinion that we
should have immediately declared war, do not, perbapt,
consider that the necessity for it should nut only •
hi argent, but that it should be consistent with our
own interests to make us anzio:s to rush into it.—
Mete Gentlemen judge only from their feelings,
and are carried away by their hatred .of a strong
power over-running and trampling on a weaker
State. For such feelings I cannot ,blame them, they are
highly honourable • but in their bosoms they are uncitastis-
*by any other feelings, end there are some which weigh
more powerfully than these with those persons, in whom in-
dignation is chastened by prudeno t. Rut though Ido not
go along with those Gentlemen who declare for war, neither
Ao I agree to the arguments which have been put forth in •
support of aggression (hear, hear t). In trompariton with
the conduct of the French Government in 1793, of which, •
and of the conduct of Great Britain, at that time, much his
been said in comparison v(ith that conduct ; what has Spain
done ? What country has she openly appropriated like Ge-
neva or Savoy, 110 fore a sword iseleawn ? If Europe then
united against France, it was not because the was disposed to
amend her political institutions, butbecause she was anxious
to propagate her own doctrines, and extend her dominion.
But, was it for France, whose example has set Spain and
ECrope in motion—was it for France, now totarn against
Spain, and be the first to strike-at. her for doing what
France had herself done and justified. But, though
elo pot agree with those gentleinen 'who call for war, it is
net my business to challenge disienssion tam this point—
tiqr wtlh Ido it. Neither will I shrink from discussing
this question whenever called on to'do so. There are,
also, sortie persons of (Minion', Bar if ',we did not are
tually go to war, we should at least have menaced France
with doing so ; but•this is an opinion to which a Bri-
tish Statesman can never • subscribe, Ile never can
consent to threaten an act which he knows he does
not mean, or has not the power to perform. Ma-
her opinion has been announced, which is, that we
should wage only a maritime war; but 1 trust that we
never shall, as I ant sure we never can, make war as an
auxiliary, but as a principal ; I am quite sure, that if the War
hid been proper, it would nothave been possible to have
carried it on,on this mitigated scale,nor would such a war
havebeen of advantage to Spain. Could the capture of
Martinique, or souse other colony, either redress or come
terbalance the invasion of Spain? If we did go to war,
we should have entered into it with all our powers sad
all our energies, and have taken all its burdens on our-
selves, as we did with the late war in the Peninsula.
This, then, is the question.—ii Our honour safe? has that
been done 'which our interest prescribes? The decision
has been such as to secure our honour and preserve oar
interests; anti accords am persuaded, with the general
sense of the country. Our determination, then, is to re-
Mails neutral, to preserve a strict neutrality, not a pro'
reseed neutrality, which admits of hostile feeling' and boo
tile conduct towards one of the parties. The line of new
teality which weshall choose, I can deseribein a few word..
There is a gulden rule which is applicable in politics AS well
as in morals, and it is this —" Do unto other' As saw would
bedone unto;' and similar to this I say to England--
ole unto others as you have made others do unto yon.--
England as a Belligerent, laid down the basis of neutral,
rights, her decisions stead unquestioned ois tote b;iiide
the world, and will descend as a guide to the teutotett