Weekly national intelligencer., 1863-03-12


it was the duty Of the Holy Alliance to restore Mis
Prince 10 has throne by the force Of their joint
arms. Russia, Austria, Prussia, and France de-
clared themselves by their representatives in favor
of such measure; but England at this juncture
entered her protest to the whole procedure, and
maintained that foreign Poners had no right to IN
tertere in the Internal affairs Of The Peninsula !.
The result of the conference, was resolu-
tion that no joint action should be taken in the
name of the Holy Alliance for the purpose Of re-
storing Ferdinand to power, but that France, on
her own responsibility, should take upon herself
the task, without let OF hindranee from the other
Governments of Europe.
Accordingly French army entered Spain and
actually reassered and reinstated the rights Of le
gtimacy, while the principle that the monarchs Of
Europe were entitled to "ntervene" for the suppress
sion of democratic and republican institutions re-
ceived rev authenticatiop.
Emboldened by their success in Europe, and i'm
portuned by King Ferdinand for this purpose the
Allied Sovereigns now began to entertain the
serious intention of interposng in the struggle be-
tween Spain and her revolted Provinces in the
New World. The example of such popular insub-
ordination, it argued, could hardly fail to react
upon the subjects of monarchy at home. England,
who had remained an inactive if not an Indifferent
spectator Of the wrongs inflicted on Italy and Spain,
determined to utter her protest in louder tones
against the application to the Spanish American
Provinces of this prerogative, claimed by the Holy
Alliance to force upon an independent People q
form Of government and institutions which were
hateful to them, and from which they had by .
successful revolution vindcated their claim to be
delivered
England, however, had not as yet officially ac-
knoWledged the independence Of these new Span
States, though hostile to any combi
nation Of European Sovereigns for their re-subju
cation to Spain. To prevent this latter contin-
gency Mr. Canning, the British Secretary of For
eigu Affairs at that period, invited the United
States, through our Minister, Mr. Rush, to unite
with the British Government in counter-dcclara-
ton addressed to the Allied Sovereigus. Mr.
Rush. without Instructions could not accede to this
proposal but with boldness which, less than three
years afterwards, was pronounced by distinguish
ed member of Congress "highly honorable to his
diplomatic character" he offered to take the re-
sponsibity Of acting in concert with Great Britain
for the purpose solicited, if she would place her
self precisely in the same position the United
States by acknowledging the independence of the
Spanish Republics. As Mr.. Canning
was not quite prepared for this final and conclusive
step, no such joint declaration was made by the
United States through their Minister in London.
The subject OF Spanish American affairs continued,
however, to engage the attention of Mr.. Canning
and Mr.. Rush in repeated conferences. In the in
teresting work of the latter, entitled Memoranda
of Residence at the Court of London" &c., is
found concise narrative Of the negotiations on
this topic.
Though, for the reasons before stated, no joint
declaration had been made by the two Powers, yet
both Governments coincided in the policy Of at
once preventing, by an immediate movement, any
armed intervention of the Allied Sovereigns in the
affairs of the now independent Spanish American
States; and to meet the issue thus presented the
in the place of an official note to the
Allies, pronounced before the world "that we
should consider any attempt on their part Ii. e. of
the European Alliance to extend their system to
any portion of this hemisphere dangerous to our
peace and security" and that "we could not view
any interposi'ion for the purp.se of expressing
them the Spanish-American Statesl or control
ling in any other manner their destiny by any Eu-
ropean Power, in any other light than as the mani
festation of an unfriendly disposition toward the
United States"
In the light of these facts we are now able to
perceive the true bearing of this notable declaration
1t was, as appears from its terms, caUeat ad-
dressed to the Holy Alliance, warning them against
any attempt to interfere in the domestic concerns
of States owing their separate existence to the
very principle of popular sovereignty which,
had found it, most signal illustration in our own
country. An assault upon the Spanish-American
States for the purpose Of reinstating the institute
of monarchy was, in fact an assault upon the prin-
cipo which lies at the very basis Of our existence
as an independent People 1t was natural, there
fore that we should regard any efforts of the Holy
Alliance to force their system upon the new South
American Republics as dangerous to our peace
and security"
Speaking of this declaration, and distinctly re-
copnisipg its particular purpose, Mr.. WEBSTER has