House Of Commons, Tuesday...
The Times, 1824-02-18T00:00:00

* A person brought fromt the Batik an account of the number antl vaiue of the Bank-notes at preAent in circulation; and another per. #on brought certain returns from the Court of Chancery, relative to the arrears of business in that Court.-They were ordered to be printed. The Sheriffs of London and Middlesex appeared at the bar of thse house with a petition front the Lord Mlavor, Aldermsen, anud oin- moos of the city of London, iti Common (ouncil assembled. pray- ing for relief fr'om the existing coal-duties. Mr. Alderman WOOD, int movinz that this petition be brought up, expressed a hope that the Chiancellor ot' the Exchequer had al- ready received a sufficient number of petitions to induce hiin to take of'this unjust and partial tax. The inhabitants of otler parts of the country were equally clamorous fur the abolition of the duty on coals, though they were not sufferers fromts it to the same degree as the inhabitants of London and Westnminster. Indeed, the utueqimal severitv with vwhich it pressed ott the tnhabitants of the metropolis was evident front this tact-thsat the cities-f ILondon anti W'estniin- rcr paid three-lifthso l'the wioleduti upon coals levieil throttgliout the kinglom. Ie trustetd that it wars unnecessary to say more to the Chanczllor of the Exchequer to induce hitn to give sonie relief to the present petitioners. The petition was laid on tise tatle, and ortdered to be printed ; as -ere three similar petitions-onc frotm the ward of AIdgate, pre- sented bvy Sr. Alderman BFB1DGFS ; another from the ward of Cripplegate, presented by M1r. Aldermai tVooD; and a third frotm Sihaftesbure, presented by a Member whose name we coutld not leart. Colonel DAVI ES gave notice that on Wednesday, the 2" th. he should tlove for an account of the manner in wvhich certaiii sums o' money, taken from the indemnity paid by France to thiis counitry, had been expended. IREILAND. hltr. JOUIN SM1 ITH waS understood to s3y, that on Moonday the lIt of Marcis, he should mjve that there should be taken a survey asnd valuation of Ireland. Mr. CURWS N post ned till tq-morrow his motion relative to the crinxinal hlwY of the rsle ot' M1 all, Ir. IIUMIE moved for a returu of the nutober of midshipmer. pronmoted to lieutenant!, of lieutenants pro !;oted to commanders, .snd soon thmrousgh the vtm.ous grades of service in the navy, to the rank of Adsnirl, t'rom the Ist of January, 1823, to time 1st of Ja- nuary. 1824, stating the name of eacit officem, and the tine of ser- "ice In itis various ranks; alo for a similar return of the niumber of promotions in the Roval Marine corps; also fur a retuirn of the rnumber oD masters and wavrrant officers promoted to the rank of lieutenantse, since tle late order of thc Board of Admiralty on that subject. specifying the nrtmber of' years such officers had served.- Otrdered. GAME LAWVS. Mr. S. WORTLEY rose, pursuant to notice, to brinr in a bill to anend the laws for the preservation of game. He considered no. siting to be more important to the happiness, the well-being, and tise Mtoral character of the coantry. than an immecliate revisioni of i ese laws. Though he ,yav by station a country gentleman, and I ad for many years past been a strict pseserver of his gasme, he was convinced that these laws might be so amended, as to enable imidivi. duals, who were anxious to preserve their gause, to preserve it withi rreater ease and satisfaction to themselves, acd withl less prejudice r-nd detriuent to the coutntry, than they cotild ever hope tor utnder t ie present systern. Game had hitherto never beets consimlered it ihis country as property, but had been protected by a code of latw ptculiarly its owsn. Now thte first principle of his bill was to make *-ame as nearly property as its nature would admit ; and he Iwherefore gave to every person on whose land game was reared,' rennsission to act with it as lie pleased. Front tliii first prin. c ple followetd :a permission to'dispose of la:ne it, open tmar- I eta; ftr after the evitlence wliicth liad beets submitted LO a com- ) ttee of that house, and wliich hact since been promulgated through. 4.ut the ountrv, it would be madness to suppose that game was zot sold. and gi3 regularly supplied to the mnarket as any other I mxury. Indeed, alter the report of the gatne c(onmmittee, no deli. m acy of feeling could prevent any man troml purchlasing gatne; and it was quite evident that no blame coutld Tossibly attach to any of their friends in large towns, who thouglit fit so to purchase it. HLe (lid not appreliend any of thle evil consequences whlsich some gentle- mien anticipated fro-n legalizing the sale of gamne, as ie proposed ti t no person should sell it withotut being provided with a licence. It was his Intention to do away with all qualihications arising fromn IAod (heer, lseart, and to put the law upon nearly tile saine footing s-i it now rested on its Scotland. By the law of Scotland, every tsman allowed to kill game on his own land; and atly tman who possesses a ploughgate of land has ; right to give another leave to shoot stpon it- Now, he intended to give the same right to any man rtho was its lossessiorn of a certain quanitity of land, *ehicht might be hereafter eetersnioed. The hon. member then detailed certain alterations t;hich he intended to make in the law relative to the appointment of pamuckeepers, but with a voice so very inarticulate as to be inaudible isi the gallery. He intended,to give to the owner of the land a sum- itAnry remedy apginst all trespassers-to imsake tic persons so tres- I-astng liable to a penalty, i' they refused to give their na;ses upon s:emand, and to increase that penalty, if upon trial of the itrforma. lion it were found that they had given false namses. The lionour. tible gentleman then observed, thut there teas one description of per- , on, of whiclt there was a very great numnber in thts country, whose occupation led to more vice and wretchedness than was to be fiSmlndin almost any other class. (Hear, hear.) Hie alluded to those l ersons who went out at night poacling. (Hear.) Those persons, i Ishis spinion, ought tole severely punished, and (as we un- derstoodt the punishment should be varied for the first, second, and tieird a-fnce. It wonld, he believed, have an excellent effect, if t 'ose who were detected wvere, in the first instance, obliged to enter i tto recognizarii4 to abstain front such practices in future. No. t sing wai ao likely to prevent a poacher from carrying on this trade, ns the recollection tbat some friends or relatiuns were bound over *-ith himis for his goodhbehaviour. It was a system practised in Ae- veral otbiei cases; and persons disposed to ofFend in a particular .btaxmer, were -of:en stopped from comnmitting crime, by the recollec- eoio, lthaf if they erred, others wvould suffer for their rmisconduct. He 2snot aware tha* Le had any thing farther to state. le might, how- e ver ohseve, that fvhen he proposed to place the sale of game in the L ans eflic_nsed persons, he had not stated how or to what extent t!spt' was tsrobe cffected. lle had merely laid down the principle on ihl he meant to proceed. Hw would put it to those gentlemen who. -*-iEr.afisfied witlh the present state of the law as suflhtient for tie p>t-ction of gane;s&hether the practice of poaching was not hourly and dahly. on the incresse ? law had foLowed law, one nolre severe than auotlusr- but sihl the evsl had increased. (Hear.) The snore thcy look-ed into thessubject, the' sore clearly would they perceive Size truth 4f the facts stated before tlse comnsittee,and the consequent recessity ofa teriang an rnending the law. The hon. gentleman then mott '. for leave to bring m a bill to amend the iaw4 for the preerseatiots Of game." rShjr J. SzHE:LJ2 ; did not rise to oppose the bdn'ging in of the bi;ll but ne enpat, in the oultset, protest against the principle on- shic5h itpro; cod Iffhie'llh were cSrrled, gasale otatld BOOtS dis apPear, rind.those Aelil.sports to shtriel auntsty gentlemeti were so muc atachd wuldbe il'ctullydestroyed. Oni thi second reain h shuldcetailytak th sns~fbeiburi.~He begged time (*etbress4 -vriou pas of- te co nry,- -were extremely anxouson hismeaslr1 ad ia apottrnity ought to be aiforded themto sarethei senimets. etiot gentlemten suppose that game alone would be atffected by the proposeil, alteration. The fact Was9 thlat if it were-carried, fox-huntin lg also would bedestroy6d, (A iasugh.) I Mlr. S. WORTLBY was desirous to Obtain this opinion of all persons whio were concerned in the mneascufe, and wsch that Yiew would allow as much timne as could conveniently be spared. Bt this hon. friend would recollect, that besides the clams he had alluded to, there was a very lar~e body of peesoirs-nasniely, tine public'-who were interested in this measure. It wasunidoubtedly of importance, to hathoty, hatthequetio '~ouWbed6cided as early as possi- ble.(Hea.) H hoed S brig ontheseconid rearling before the Sir . SHLLEYwasanxius fr a eeklonger. CONDCT F HSMAEST'S INISTERS TOWARDS SPAIN. L,ord NIUGENT said, in laying brefore the liouse the grounds of the motion of' which he lhad somie days ago given notice, he moust begini with stating, that he did not mean to animadvert on the vote to whichi thec house hadl agreed on the first night of the session. This, however, he miust say-.dsat with respect to that part of the address of his Majesty's llfnisrtcs which regarded the neutrality of this country betw'een Franice atid Spain, he felt entirely with his hon. antd learned friend (M1r. Brouglham), whio on that night so forcibly and so eloqutently expressed his)ientiments,-he felt withi him, th at it was very difficult indeed to concur entirely in the tenss6 Of an adldress whichi could seenciothing but a subject of congratulation in thet resultfOf the policy pursued by, this country during the war wititerminated. I-le thoughit, on the onie hand, that the policy whicllst Goerinmten Goenetprotessetd to adiopt towatrds Spain, was, froml thle outset, very little sulited to the high., andi energetic tone which this country eught to assumpe to herself; and, on thie other, he could not help thinking that our conduct, in not atiheriti to that intentleeri policy, hail been mnos, inisincere aend unworthy. He could not pierstusde himself but that the course taken by Mvinisters ladl been mnost hostile to the ca-use of Spain-that cause, with reference to whiich thecy had expressed themselves determinited to rempain neus. iral on several occasionls. This couintry hiad been exposed, in conse- quence, to the reproaches of every friend of liberty, and to.the scorn aitil contempr of those Powers who had, unfortuviately, triumnphed againist the freedosm of Spain. The reiult hiad been as injurious to the interests of England as to those of thie coniquer"d coun try. He could not but deeoly lamenit, that Spainchad beetis allowed to fall, almost witho'ut a. blow. She was nor ruined by tIre actual hostility of this country,; but by beliine, as hie believe'd she had been, deceived by the lollow pro- fessions nf neuitrality which were held out by this country. Hie did not thiink lie could t'ail in mnaking outt a case for the prodluction of tilit papers which he mepant to concludec by ;.iling fur. lie Etiought it right to stare, that, in the course ofhis Observations, lie meatnt- niot to conitradict, in any respect, those words of H-is Alajesty's speech in whiichi it was said, " that, in the strict neutra- lity which he determinedl to observe in that contest, lie best consultect Ithe true interests of his people :" but lie would Iargue, that iti thje coLtrse of those transactions, the Goverinmenit of' this country liasi made thiemiselves parties against Spain, at time most critical anti inTportanit miomnent of lier history. Thle last sessioti came to a close, withsout this hause being able to look.fairly at the chsarac. Iter of tlire neutral policy, at it was ezahletl, wvhichi had been adlopted. Ut,ianinuiots as they were at tiatar rinie, in their disapprobation of tire unijust and violenlt aggeession) which was then m-eclitated against thait State, It was imp.S.sible for themT to foresee the conduct wliei nch inis- ter- nisiant to pursue. They were prepared for ministers tde. Iclinittg to take any part in a foreign quarrel, althoughi in tust quarrel were in volved questions of' principle niost iti-. portaiit to Englatnd-tnost important to all tree states-quttes- tions of principle oti wvhiclh, indeed, the independents v." all tree States~ mainly restedi but they were not prepared then for a grastuitotus 'departure front a prof'essed neritraliry-they Iwiere not preparedl for acourse of conditetwhicht was every, wayiitsju. riotus to otir Ititerests. The language of mninisEets led thetit to sup- pose, that if stacy did tinot take runat miore generous part whichl ap- peared to seine better befittinig the ancient chiaracter and liberal pL- licy olt this counitry, they wouAld niot, at least, descend secretly and covertly to beconsie the partisans andi assistants of Fraitce in tier unprirsciplent aggressioni. How far ithey liad doiie so, was nowv to be iliquired into. The use-less regrets which liad been expressed by ithe other sidie of thte house-she vain lamntetations whicih hindi beets potired forthi ove!r rite fate of Spain-were btit a psoor atoniemenlt for rtei eviis whicth, lite believed, thit cotititry, so maitisly cotntributed to bring upon tier. They couldl not dlisguiise from their Own t'eeliigsgn tItlis itt-that owinig to the course whiceh had been taken, mninisters miust be considered as the principal spoliators of the Peninsula. They liad given to the French thiose advantages which) thiey well knew hiow to msake use of; andi, by doing so, they had giveni up the strongest grounids of the prosperity, antl security. of their country. Ilie isteant niot to advert to what took plaCe laSt year- hie wotild riot touchs onj the many comnpliances which were then unfortunately miadle by ntinisters ott questions of principle rise nmost essential to our welfire as a free state-he wouldI not allude to thie abiandonmient of afl those real and effective means which this counitryv possiessed, of' giving a SUPPort worthy) vf Enigland to those rigtrtLs-of giving a support worthy of Liiglatid to thiat constitutional system of Spaiti, to wlhich,. be it reinenibered. wve gave our solensis sanction in 13121. Ale would not ask nowv, whe ther, ifsa bold arid de. cisive tone had beets usied at thie C-ongress at Verona, ii %would hlave savedl Spain, withiout the necessi~ity of this countrv emibarking in a war : nieitlher woiild tie ask mvhetliter, under any given c ircuisn- stancee, it because Englaiid to stand by patiently, withi her eyes strut to the cirol disregard withi whichl his Mlost Chriis- tiats Ml ajesty treated our protest. These questions litad been decided last year, Arid he would not imisroduce thieta now. lie would nierely denmand, was this sysseusa of nieutrality the fit policy for thit country, to pursule? He believed it wa., so considered by tire great bulk of tlie Etiglish people. All that he riseant to say wvas, that this grounid, Ionv and humble as it unquestionably was, M inisters liad since abandonied. WVhat was considered at Vteronia as a pOssi6le gruounrt for the initerference of trIs consltiry, if it occurred, hart acttially taken plaee. Yet wve besl nit or,t nor opposed Fiance, buit we ab- solutely assisted her. W1e had aflowed somie of tIre mot ittiporr'atin psrivileges nf' our tradinrg systein, and even tIre ho Ou ofou flag, to be invaded with irsipunit. The pocs-sible cause of our taking part ii rtris war was foreseen at Verona. That cause was, if circumstances imparted to it tIre character of a war of aninexation. Trhiat was looked sipon as a ground_which wnrtld inevitably lead us tLo take a part in the contest. it was evidernr, froni va~rioius acts of the Frenchi Governnient, that the war (lid assurne that aspect. No soonier did the Dauke d'A ngotilernte be. come aware of the difficulty of advancing into Spain -no sooner was ire man"e acquainted witli tIre vast expense which was Occasioned by that servil bod y whilm he had hiimself agreed to support-than, by a public edict, lie Oeclared his object to be to take possession of Spain. He (Lord Nugent) alluded to tise edict publishied at Andujar in rIse beginninig of' August last. The Duke d'sAngouleme then rteclarenI tire power of' the Spanish Regency at an enrd, and he called for the miilitary, as well as the civil authority, to be placed in his hands. Did he (Lord Nugent) blanse the Duke dl'Anvouleme for this act ? No. H4e believed it was, fou nded irs hu manity, and was demnanded by the miost iruamedi. ate ntecessiEv ; but lire must say, that it was a declaration, as strong as terms coullti make it, " that the real object of the war wats the an. nextio ofSpan s aproinc ofFrnce." This was nor a risers vainempy poelaatin o hispar. Tie edict of' Andujar wvas nor irsgenralcicultio ttros"hbpan,whien, iu point of' fact, the Frenh rng as oised is acrssseerytown in die Peninsula. Tihey, certitiy gol ot pais rIs gon fithi of France oni thiat oc- casion;- lisautsue, on crosn h yrences, a proclamation was issuerI'lby, the invad ing ary po isig the Span Isimation thjat no flag but the Spanis flashudb hoisted in such townsi as might be garrisoned by the French. Buit no sooner was thle proclam-ationi of Adujr pulised, hantIrewhoe character, appearance, and objet ofthe a wth Sain asIltered ; and Ithe Duke d'An. goutee becme vitualy vicroy o theSpamnishi provinces. But the Britishi Cabinei a elre,i hie fatnous ncotes of instruc. Lion (of which they had heard so muc last year) trn th Igh huni. Siecretary of Staite for Fuoreigs A ldr, to the Due f',T tWVellrng." ton, Ithat " cause what coine mnay, thsconmt~y would never astsist France in the inva-sion of Spatin."Bu how was this declarationi adhieTed to ? On tIre i-ssue of thiat question he wouild rtst hiis case. 11Conict what conse riisay, thiS Lountry wioultr never assist France it) the inva-sion of Spain," wvas a tolerably stronig phrase ; and he remembererI the chieers withi whichi thiat. declarationi was re- ceiveil when it was propounided to the house by the right lion, secre- tary, as part of his inistructirmris to the Duike of Wrellington. But, its less thnls a mnouth afterwards, wvhat was thieir surprise and that of' poor, sacrihiced, betrayerd Strains, to see die Britiha nitnisneir accredit. cr1 t,, Eime Suanurti Goverm-ent at Sieville, throw himssel~ into the hands of the Duke d'Angotilenie arid the French Governnienrtj, antI statirsg tIre gror4td of thiat step) to hre, an act which the Spanirih ornes hiad done in the management of the internal affairs oif.Spain The moment Sir WV. A'Gourt wvithdIrew himself from SeviUle, it migirt be said that this Giovernnmentliad published a proclamnation ag,airnst rile liberties of Spain. (Hear.) A itistinet indication of a hostile reeliing was thus nianifested. 'VWas that wvithdrawal, tor was it niot, an inldication of a hostile na ture ? Did Sir W'. A'Court withdraw tsiimself'froni thie Spanish Governiment in accordance wvith instruc. tiorts whichi he had received front home? if he diaf riot act in con- sequence of Instrucetions froin homne, why was he cointinued ? Hay. lag withdrawn hirns,lf under such circumestatrces, and at suich a ma. nlienit, when perhaps die fate of' Spain hti'rgcd. Ont the condn,1t of thlis country, wliry was -ire not recal ed-why was he riot impeached by Mlinisters, if lie had actedt without oirders? If I.e took tlin ste i consequence of instructions from houte, then lie croutenried it Was con. trarv to all oeri tprofessions, to all otur arrangenlents, to all our pre. viouis declaraittons, so all our psledges of good thitti. This country appeared to have evinced a hostile feeling towards Spain, because thie Cortes, in the legal exercise of their unquestionable auttidrity, bad declared the Kitty for a timp: incapable of exereising the roy4l functionis, anti aprrohited a regency f'or the special asid oinlypurpose ofremovinlg the sear of governmeiit to Cadiz, whiere the Kin was again to be restorert to Isis authority. In doing that act, sleCotes exercised their undoubted right. IV'ere they, the Parlaiaent of' England, ithe persons ,vlso ought to qitesinion the legality of such a proceedingz, in coimmon wvithi Sir W. A'Couvrt? Did thiey-firget the act of the British ParliamTent in 1810.1 1? lit adverting-to thatt sub. foridthte should 1,. for a momen thn of kintoucn _ut th s~am sentence the name of our late revered Sovereimg-a Sovereign gene- Irsly reveredt and belo"ed,who, at the chose of alongreign, was struck witlI the heaviest calamity that could afflict our nature-God forbid that lie should be capable of introducing Ihis name along with that of a irretch, who, unfortunately pliceel on a throne, was the scourge and abhorrence of his people-who visited them with the basest ingra. titude for all that they had done, and for ARl they had forbonie to do-who afforded the most finished spedimen thatperharrs ever ex- isted in human nature, of all that was base and grovelling, perfi- dious, bloody, and ty:raniical. - Thereforebe was-a fit object for the texs4er sympathies of those Powers who venerated divine right and adored lginitunacy.The circumstances which led to theconduct of Par. liament in 1810, and thsose on which the Cortes acted in 1823, were different; but the exercise of power was the. same. Now. had the Cortes of Spain that power, or had they not ? AndtI was Sir Wialiam A'Court a fit Judge of the circuznstances -un der wlhich that power ought to be used ? If, min '1810, -th illinister- of airy foreign Court had withdtawn himself from Lar. don, on account of the Regency Act-if the Spanish Ambassador had objected to that mewsure and cit0d it as a reason for quittisg the metropolig-it' he had said, tsat he was accreditccdto the -King, and not to the Regent, shou)i( we not have considered such a minister as either insane, or as having been instructed by his- Governinent to manifest a hostile feeling? He would not advert to the case of the Convention Parliament, which was a self-constithted- bvtly. The Cortes had not asrumed such apower as that Parliamnentba,d wielded. The Core distinctly- said, " The '.iig :Is intApable for a time to exercise the royal fanctiont, but we will provide- f his iamsledliate restoradionj when he is in a pisese of sarety.'4 Vet. 't was Dn thlis account thlat'Sr W. A'Court abandoned the SpanishGovrn ment,t owhidhhe had treen accredited, Then came the three"peas britMid'otes gf the Allied Po*cs.,-EitglanA,'in the persQn of Sir NV. AlMilit, fQllb*bng in the train dfthose three ft*ers, w~hose priaci-. Kle Ahlia prviogydiiclaianed, iind aghinit whos~e condpict she a(poetd'Yes; she followed in their train ait an humble dis- tance, but with lid most faWi eflcts 'lie did not think that Mtinii- ters coiuld lid *lusindere enough, and base enough, to wartant this -proceedling; but certain it was, that Sir W. A'Court hind not been recalled, to answer those charges, which, if this couln- try had not acted with the basest duplicity towardis-pain, they werZe bound to investigate. No set of' men were so particularly i~te- ested in examining the conduct of Sir Ml. A'Court throughiout these transactions- as the ministers of this country. He hoped that muelf better opportunitiei wouldt be givcn to that house, by the produiction of the correspodence with thec Spanisht Governiment, to ascertain clearly what the real conduct of Sir W.A'Court bad b;een. Any thing which he could, state on this suxbject must rest only on bare assertion; and whatever credit the house might be prepared to to give to his statement, it couldl not he considered as a ground for any proceedinlgwhen ttangible documents werep roducible.- ]Full; hovrever, as ,Sir W. A'Cotnrt was of his unabated desire to miediate, at anY moment, In a spirit friendly, to Spain, he always contrived to place'hirmself in a position where mediation was imPossible. HJe allowed the time to pass awvay, when th,e Govern- mnent left Seville, until the blockade of Cadiz was commenced, Whic effectually prevented himr from proceeding to that place, and be knew very well that Cadiz alone was the proper spot for negotiation. Whiere was Sir W.V A'Court from the period of the Govemnment leaving Seville, until the period of the investment and blockade of Cadiz?e He was at Seville with the French armly-the army of the Faithn, andl the Servile Army; He was at Seville, where he must have known thle encouragensent which he was giving by his presence to the Servile Army. He would state a Circumstance which wouldI sliow the effiect Sir WVilliami A'Court's; presence had on the Ser- vile pairty. No less a posit'on was imade to him by an infuiriated and sanjuinary mob, hdebytheir prigats, thant that lie should be mnade governor of Seil inte name at' the absolute Kinig! The offer was dveclinedl, by his stating, that if so oreposteroug a proposal was again nmade po hin, lie must leave Seville.' He (Lord Nuigent) de- mianded why liehad reniained one m-omient in Seville with the Frnenh arm~, the Servile party, the priests, and their iob? He must have renlained under the impression that this Government was taking a slecided ipart against the liberties aof Spain. Thtis waus done in the teeth of the professions we made of our anxious inclination and wish to come forwerd, at any moment, with a proffer of medi- ation, in a frienidly disposition, towvards Spain. Now, whbat was the immediate effect of Sir NV. A'Court's conduct. The immediate efFect of his withdrawing himself from the Government of Spain, and the reason he assigned tor so doing, wvas this-t]Ae hint which lie thps offered, very intelligbly, was immediately taken by, every trai- tor in Spain, tromn one enid of the country to the other the army Commanded by Morillo immediately deserted ; that General also deserted, stating, by a public proclamation, that the grounds for his treachery were the sanue that had indiuenced the proceedings of Sir WV. A'Court, andl that the conducet of that indiyi~tual, the conduct of the Britishi minister, was the cause of his treason to hsis country. Hfere they saw a base wretchi defending the treason lie had committed againistthe freedom of his nativeland, by referencto the conduct of the minister of E ngland. There was one part of the conduct of Sir WV. A'Court to whlich, he could not but refer. H e was boundl tohbelievethiat Sir NV. A'Court meiant well, mieant cliarim ablv anid genierously, in the attempts ha 'made, in inure than one instance, to induce thie Spanishi Generals to withdiraw from the contest after the treaoni of Ballaste- ros. He hail given this advice to General Alava-a mnan whose pa- triotic, hollourable, anid hiigh-mindedi character, stood not in need of his praise. What he was about to relate on thlis Poiiit, lie would .begin by, stating, tipoi o his honour, that lie had not heard it directly or indirectly from that gallant officer. Ile hand it from geileral notoniety, andI as suchi lie would state it, althioughi he was niever more Certain of thie truthi of any given fact. Gteneral Alava, it was true, had never expressedi any decided con- currence in the abstract principles of the Spanish constitution :but he hiad felt nobly and honestly-, that from the momient Spain' was threatened with a foreiin attempt to disturb her institutions, thie cause of those instituitions became identified wvithi herself. Faithiful, thterefore, to hlis dluty-true anid loyal to Frinciples whtichi could only at suchi a timie be questioned by those w 10 sought the overthirow o'f Spanishi inidependence-General Alava hatl withstood the tempts. riot, hield outt to Iiim, to save liis Own' nIost valuable life from dlie wreck of his wretched country and whl-o waS thte per- son who had tried to persuiade this officer to save himself front the sinking cause of' Spain-secretly to withidraw himiiself from, hier, and so extinguish hier last hope ? It was Sir Wlihliani A't"ourr, wrhoin he (Lord Nugent) was bound to believe liad doise this upon principles of the purest generosity, and out of tie deepest pirsonal attachment to an individual whose patriotismi lie aduiired, but whio initist, nevertheless, at the same time have for- gottenl-what tieneral Alava bitmielf didi not forget-that the with-. daw ing of such a person from Cadiz at such a timie, could niot fail tobh ininen dnge~r, if not Idestructioni, to the cause of liberty-to haSteii on the faeof Spain, whtile yet haY Possibility it might he pro- tracted, andI to subject nhi own character to the reproaclh, to the abo; mination, and indeilble infamy, which hiad blasted the nanies of Abisbal, AMorihlo, und Ballasteros. Ile repeated hlis conviction that Siir Nil. A'Court couldt have been mtoved to thiis act by nothinig hot a 7ealous and most generouis wishi to save the life of one of the best imen iii Spain-of a mian wvhose connexions withl British influence and hootoir hadl made himi Peculiarly an object of' symipathiy both hiere and in his counitry ; buit still, was it tidir, or withiin the duty of Sir 11'. A'Court, at; the repreientativeot England..-.wai it withinl liii duty-the man whlo, to say the least of it, hiad kept stuidiously- aloof from co-operating with the Constitutional Ojovertiaent-wliohad kept himnself aloof at (iibrultar...who had placedt hlinsielf' in a distanit position fromn Cadhiz.-who at best hadl been buit a coild, suilleni, noi,- cnutng mediun, between the last si ghs of' exirn Spi n h sympahie of this country ? li'as it worth Sixr 'iUrl iani A('Court's whle ei to save Such a man as General Alava, to strike a last blw atteding strength ot the Spaniish constittition ? It wa ith great unwillinginess thiat he trespassed s-o lonig uponi the timrlea ofwthie hiouse, ant] lie -would not continue to do so one momient longer thani Was ablsolutely nieessary but there were one or two facts within his knowledge which might not be generally kniown to honourable nieinibers4. Hie- asserted-and it was a f-act wliich he believed 1ininiseres' would not denty-that overtures hact been mnade at Madrid by the Cortes and acting (Goveronment of Spain, to Sir Williamt A'Court, offerinig to recognize the inilepenidence Of Spiatish South Amierica upon termis most madvanitageous in every way to Great Britain ? Was the right hon. gentlemian api- Posite ttlr. Canning) prepared to dleny that this was the fact ?e Theii he should assert, uintil he was contradictedI by the right lion. genitleman opposite, that such overtures hai been mnade, and uiinn the temis whichi he had described ; and yet the Englisht Goveturmeuvt had ratlier preferred to risk all the daniger and dlistress whlich niight occur between England and the Absolute Governiment of Spain upon that subject-ahJ the disputes which, perhiaps, be- fore Ewvelve mionths were over our heads,. ih lng sit a war whiceh would extend th-rough all Euirope -;-we hiad thjought prprto risk all this, rattier than accept the proposition of tile Cons.tritu tional patrty. Hie asserted-let it be contrndikted !-that the Contes lhad repealed tihe ancient Spanish laws, restricting toreigni commerce; that they, had acknowledged, inl thie most liberal mian- ner, the clairis of the British merchants and gonie on to make a provision for the liquidation of those caaiuis: indeed, uponi that paorn, wve had had an assurance, and received a congratulation, last year in the King's speech. TIhese thling's bad been offersd as, an earliest of the desire atf Spaiii to miake the mediation of Enigland in her cause, not mierelyv an act of juistice and humanity, but of' in- terest; but we had nleglected themi all, in order to graiify the muore imiport-ant consideration of enabling France to restore Ferdlinand to thlethirone, and of allowing him tully to gratify all dtie hellish, mnurderouis passions, which had been in actioni ever since he had been pernmiitted to leave Cadiz, to glut hn is ~vengeance w,th the expiatriation or destrucriots of all 'thiose who had (tared to giye SpainL those free insttitutions- which we (Enlgliand) had acknowledged tbr her in 1812. The rest...besides the blood- wh lich We had conceded to France, might be stated shortly. Wle had allowed a blockade tobhefornied by France, of such a nature thst we-ourselves, iii tl.- very mid-day-of our mnaritimne power-mnasters as we weme of the sea, and asserting rights upon it which, until niow, we hd neer rcogizedin ay foegnstate.as wve ours7elves had neter nsttued,or retndd t intiute-a bloeckade, by whiich notonl th whle nghh cmmecehad been excluded froni the ortsof pain butsheseatof er governiment inivested, and ur on miiste shu outfromi political communica- Callon. All ithis, which was a conceession perfectly newc aiid unpire- cededted, we had conceded without remonstrance, to the successful anlibition, of the Frenchi the right of setirch, too, hadi been given and still withiout remonstrance, under circumstances hicih affbrdes no pretext even for suchi a precauition). Englishi inerchant vessels had been boarded and detainied, under every circumistance o1' violence and insulL- Their Captains had be~en detained prisoners upon the dreka3 of French ships. Itn more than one instancee, thi-s liad occurred at seat-not, even, in the- neighbourhood of the port o.4*Cadiz, but more timan one degree of west lontgitde f'ran, it. English ships had been detained which had entered Catdiz previous to the blockade. They had lain there, withi cargoes on hoard, to thle ruin of their ovwners, wvithout tie means of applying for aid to any political author4iy, of ouir own ; anld when applic-ation hati been made uiPon thd sub;jiaYto thfe Frenchf admniral, it hiad beeni refused with everymeasure of inciviiity and insult, titnighttbe asked, why representations had not been made to the regular authorities ? Fo'r this plain reason-becutle there were no British asothorities in Cadliz at the tilme-~breause the British minister, instead of renjamning to Pinotect, at least, British interests at Cadiz, lhad uvithdrawn himself, and was passinl his-auitumn at Gibhraltar.-.because the British Cois- ai1 at C'tiz, Al r. Bracken bury, instead of being at his r,ost, had also withdrawn,anti wuspassing his nutumnin Enigland-because there was nooe atnl 'iiishri, akt Cadiz, to whomn replesentationat could be in'ade, exce-pt a niterchant, a Alr. Engl'and, acting under the tite of Vc-CoSul, but without atuthoriiy, withiout instructionis, witout '" influnc, without support, or any.nisels of interfering ef- fecitually fur the piotection of British property. And this really was not all. liei sid notEknow how thlehouse miight feel as to acir. elUsistance which he was about to relate; but he perfectly, remiemn- beredl what lie liinsself lhad felt at lieariug of it;- and, avowing that thlose- feelings li-ad been feelings9 of' shamie and of disgust, he ~Lill trusted they were oil hu 1l7 as 'must be natural in the ocIs Or an ma wh fe_ keenl an. eiatl otehnu Dreat orany nanwh t'teenly and (lelicately for thie honour of the ountry oat which be was a member. Let the house hear the fact, and judge. Mlr. Appletoii, the American charge d'Waires, at Cadiz, was preparing a protest to the Duke d'Angouleine in the matter of certain American vesseLs detained at Cadiz. Two ang. lisbi captains of merchant ships, who-had entered Cadiz and taken in their cargoes prior to the blockade by the French being declared- who were lying mi the harbour to the ruin, of their owners, and saw no means of application, nor British authorities to apply to-these captains went to iMr. Appleton-to the American minister, and en. treated as a favour that he would have the goodness to include their namest in his pretest. - Here, dien, was thie British flag asking pro- tection from tne Americans against the French ! For the Ameeri- cans, they were our brothers in origin and in teelirag. He trusted that he should always thiink of them as he thought of them now- with the warmest interest and admiration. He hoped at aome period to bee England and America linked in the bonds of the closest interebt and amity, fbrming a rallying point for the rights and li- berties of thie world; and he tiusted thatthe timeat .which lie should behold this was not 'very far distant: but he minght be allowed to feel some jetlousy, some slight lhumiliation, at seeing thi, interests of the British flag abandbned by the British Minister and seeking, though protection from Americw yet still protecion romn a foreign Power, For the effect of this in-lorious policy,as re6'rded England, we-netd now look only- at the 6,paish poats, and see all the com- nierce of Whe cpuptry under the control and in. thef hands of France. kren6h vessels,.he was infonned, were adrnitted dtity trre-into every port of Sp;ide,-while heavy dntleawere s-till levied ipon 'the eihips of Gree; Briain. Blilboa, Milaga, Cadiz, Barcelons-Carthagena, al were-reisonem 'by-the. soldiers of. Franc ~Bihb4a'and- MUalaga, whichnihad long been the seats of Bditiashfactories ';` adiz, perhaps therposifosnndabieipoint fr a naval flirce in'thi -sorld - 40artha- geFt1ayerblall7 the fiet baboutt im al Spaill. 'He E~d 4 i verbialty," beeause, thiere tAa a1 tpalish proverb which said-in the metaphoric style of that country-tbilt thtere were but tliree safe har- bours in Spain-Jn,Juy ndCrhgena. Then there was Bar- celona.-the key*in a militryr~view, of,tffewilit couzntry. Barcelgrna w its I the.possemition of the Frencb, as well as aul th-ose othet pl&ize which we lIe thoaght it worth our whiile, but it very fewv yearit since, at the expense of so inrft blood and treasure, to wrest from fthei. The family compact, ulAich was considered the grotund of one of the lQnestan seeret ontstsii whchthis country lhad ever been engaed-y ths plic thetinilycomDpact was sacrificed. Ever obectof or wr wchBurdprtewas gratuitously abandoned. Whatver tateof hing lb painwasto be p reserved ; if it was fit to eav Fedinndat ibet t sae imself with the blood of the bes me thi hs cunty hii'verprouced, it was surelv at least the utyof nglnd o peytt Sainfrom becom-ing a itovince of The renc emire;and o lss s tovindicate her~ dignipty and he? righs in-maner hich unhppil, se had totally neglected to do. Itwsbecause hafl htn thi trnsaction, the interests of Eng- land had been sacriie, ehonour tarnished, and her conquests abandloned, that lie oe for pspers to give the habuse full informa- tion uothsujc.Tere wiv a document which lhe believed to hav,e=be rsetdt the righit lion. gentleiian opposite (Mr. Can- ning); butashdd not know the fact positively, he haa not in- cluded it in i oin The document to which he alluded was a State paper, sent during the last few days of the Spanish Govern- inent at Cadiz-a paper sent to Admiral Jabat, (we believe), to be,i laidl before VI r. Cannsing, as a protest against thie whole conduct of Sir W. A'Couri since thie Spanish Government had left Seville. If in the coursge of what he had said, in the tirme that he had engaged the house, he lhad expressedl himself too warmly, lie could only beg patdoni of' the house, anti( attribute the error to a degre ot' feeling' upon the subject whlich he could not disguise front the house or him-. self to bie one of the deepest and most serious description. The no- ble lord concluded by moving, thiat an humble address- be presented to his Msajesty, praying that he wvould direct copies to be laid upen the table of the house of all instruction,s to his MNinister Plenspo- tentiriry at the Court of' Spain, with a viewy to his conduct in. the war between that countrz and France, from the,period of the entry, of the Frenchi troops into, Pain, up to that of the surrender of Cadiz, incluasive ; and alo copes of all correspondence between Sir W. A'Oourt artd the Spai= Government, relative to the mediation of Englant in tie contest. Mlr. CANNING mnerelt: ruse to answer one or two questions whichl had been put to hiim by the noble lord opposite, before the dle- bate went any farthier. Looki'ng from the perio at which the Spanish, Government left Seville, to the surrender ot Cadiz, the noble lord asked whether Sir WV. A'CourE, during that timec, had acted upon instructions, or upon hiis own personal discretion. Thie answer wvas, that Sir W. A'Court had acted, in somie degree, urpon both. Government had endeavoured to .orese.e every, ease whichi was likely to arise, aiid had furnished S~ir W1'. A'Court with instructions, in every such case, how to act;- but that gencleman, had also been made aware, that if circurmstanices should arise wvhich the cauttion of minis- ters had nor enabled them to foresee, the greatest confidence -was placed upon his personal discretion, and apprisedl that, suppsn anyicrse ofor himieul and unprecedented itatuire to occur, the %safest c .. re or in woldbe to repair to Gibraltar, and eitlher remain there until lire should receive instruction,, or proceed to any otlier spot at which his services miight seein to be re- quiredl. It so happened, that nonie of the cases foreseen by Go- vernment did occur, and that a case did occur-upon whichi he shiould nut dwell now, because he did niot nrean, in the present stage, at all to argue thte question. A case did occur, which no wisdom, of miani couild have foreseen, viz. ,--the deposition, for a limited period, of' the King. Sir Ni. A'Court, certainly, had not been prepared for this evenat; and it would be rathier a high demnand upon the sagacity of Mlinisters, to say that they should have anticipated it- undert such circlanistances, he of' course acted tar the rimue upoii his own dliscretion. It Was true that Sir NV. A'Court's continiuance for a shiort period at Seville had been misconstrued by a factiouLs party at that place, antic thiat they, attempted to iiake himi an Jnstrumenit in their hanads.: but, whien the noble lord stated this, lie ou~ght Ito have addedl, that he had refuseid to become ithe instera- mnlin that was desired. On quittinig Seville. Sir WSilliaum A'Court had mode it known to Government that he' should remain as near Cadliz as lire couldt. H,e had gone to San Lucar, and from thence to Gibraltar ; and biad at once intimated at home, on his leav!nr' itle seat of' (Spanish) Governnment, thjat there were two cases in wdichr, it' ire hiad tin instruLctions, lie shiould act torthwitli upon his owvn view-that, if he rtceived any inotice that hiis presence in C!adi7, wouldl condluce to tile personal safety of tire King, lie shiouild proceed thiere; anid tust lie shouuld take llie samne course, unltIss lie was; in- s4tructed to thi? contrary, if lie heard thiat the King wvas restored to the functions of governmient. Instrnictions, however, had reacited Sir WV. A'Court and wheni the propiey timie came, lie 0Mr.Canning) and hai, colleagues slhouldI be readv tojustify tliat instructicon,which forbadesir Wil.A'Court to pout hiiniself inito a blockadedt place. TIhe blamne of thaLt co-urse, if it was blanrieable, belonged to hiimself and his friends. The coturse, suchl as it was, thecy were ready to itustain and to justify. Bitt lie thought chlat, bef'ore thie debate wentI airy furthier, it was right that Sir Al'm. A'Court shtoluld, upon that anuit, be entirely ex- onerated. MNr. STURGES BOURNE defended the connituct of hIll M)a. =etysnirnisters, and exprressed Iiis surprise that, if the viewv of their Ithuc hroughnout-Europe was such as had been stated by tire noble lordi, tIre present occasioni shouild be the first at which he had heard any imrputation uopn it. Tire counitry would, at least, give tine Governmienit credit for hraving prevented a war, whichi would have gone Ifromi one enid of, Eurtrre, Iirobably, to tIre otcher, and broughit England inito tke contest. 'That fact was absolutely certain, Withl the g-reater proportion of the Spanish P;opurlation. But it wvas worth whlile to examiine a littlIe faTtlier the circuniscatiem tLinder whichi this country wouldi have been comnpelled to go, into action, if slirehad iirterferred withi an armed force. H-ad we gone to war for Spain, rye tinnst have acted eitlher as principaLs or as auxilitaries. As prinrcipali, no one trail ever contemnplaied our enggig n the corntest ; and asi auxiliaries, who was it thlat we shiouladghagvel been actiaigwith? Wiith Abisbal,iNlorillo, and Ballasteros.(Hear.1 Nl'ould England have been coniteinted to see her troops led on by suchi nien aLs these ? W~hiat her tate wvould have been if slire had, it was not v'ery dlf. hicult to determine and aLs rega rded the resigniationi by the Spanriards of the cliiefecoinniantd, it. woultd be recollected, that even unider the Puke of W1ellingtoni, so late in the Peninsuala-r contest as after the battle of Salaiansca, whleii that g,reat General hiad delivered Por. tugal, was %till in the muidst ef victory, and the Spanish Govenm- mlerit was ready to inves%t himn wvith the direction of its arilsies Ballasteros, ott that v-ery accounit alone, abandoned tire cause of iris counitry, anid at a moment, too, vivheri rthe operations of' the allied anrmies were notoriously crippled by his deflection. (H-ear, heaLr.) It was in vain to dwell upon the Policy' Awich ininisters hail pursued with respect to war. H7e believed that there war bitt onie opinion upon it from one end of the counjtry to the ether (hear, irear) ; and lie should thlerefore comie to the charge, that the conduct of Sir Al. A'Court liedl constituted a breach of' that neutrality which tlte Englishl Governmvent had unidertaken to preserve. The first complaint of Sir 11'. A'L'otirt was, his not havingi proceeded to Cadi-z. It was aniswered, if ari ansswer was ne- cessary. in orte word. TIo whtomi, Baunt how was Sir W A'Court, asa miniister of England, accredited? To the King of Spain a'E -Sville. When there ceased to be a King of Spain, therefore, his cre- dentials fell to tire groutnd. It was said, that Sir W,. A'Oourr's not proceeding to Seville, evinced a desire to lceanini opposition to the -Saihconstitutioiaj cause If' there had bteen arty suchi leaking, SrN.A,Arurt mnight have been recalled; and no~ wiser course Icould posribly have been devised than hiis going to Gibraltar. He wol ett~ke the ailvite said to have been given to Gekneral Alava by -Sir W. A' Court. W hy, ithe noble lored anTitted himself the mTotives which led to that advice ; and liow did it appear that Sir WV. A Court had advised in tirie character of a Aliniister of Great Bri- tain, arid rIOt irs the character of a private friendi ? The thiird chare~ hwvrwas ofta still, inure extraordinary n ature. It was cial that this coumitry, had permitted tire blcaktade of Uadiir. Anrd wheare wasi it laid down tiiac a nuriotal power hadl authority to Pre- vent one nationi frot-a blockading the poeteof anotlicer? Atid was it we, Iofall people, who wvere to strike so readtily at the rigis of blockade-we wholhad b3een so noterious for Elue rigid enforcement ofit?(Hear.)These, as it seeined to hint were clic three grounds, or at least the three prin- cipal onies, ripen which tire noble lord had moved for the production of most important docuinents-thst the secret inscructioris of the Knto ills inister Plenipotentiary should be latid before the House of Commkon, 11;s, and, throiu~h tire l4ouse o1' Commonson, before the eyes oaf all Europe. l'or hiimself, he thought there was not tisc slighittst case miadle out for the productioni of suceh documnents. The right liron. gentletran went oni to vinsdicate the proceedings of ithe right buon. Foreign Secretary f'romn any imptitation of untidirnelss to the Cortes, or of' partiality for the ititerests of their oPponents. It a difficult to coniceive fhow any, such charge could be niade against themi, whrei,tir,ouj~hout all the transactions of thtat mnonsent- oe OsPeriod, 'the radvice wmvhrch tiad been commuiinicatedi fromi tlue )3ri- tish Goveri-nmeni to rlint of Spain, by Sir N't. A'Conrit, biad been gienwithiiou any contemiporaneous conivmunic'ation with tire Fren1ch11 party. TI'iat the adivice was sound, thlat it was wvisely gie,subsequent eventsr hadt folly proved. M5ust unfortunate hdit tuirned out for S,pain, andi many of those conce-rned, that their advice had not beeni taken. If it had beerm taken, rio man who lheard hinti could douibt thant Spaini would have been eniabled to retain a freer constitutioti thliot at presefnt she could hope for. The proposals of hisMla.irsty's ministers failed of success, aridtitre results wiere but too wellk'nown. Y'etthiough their maedia- tion wvas rejected, thaut did niot pre-clude the interpositionm of Sir II'. A'Couirt upon the occurreisce of airy opportunity. in which bis ser- vices were likely to b-e usefucl. Accordinigly, up to thie last uionseiit he used lila beat etlbrts to induce tire Spairmlh Goveviiraetit to avoid war, Blint thley, ought to consider whet Was cthe situation of the British Governamenat in the mecan tints. In preservingp chiat iieettrality wlichi reflected so much honiour oi rise wisdotio 'of their courndlils, hiad they rio obstacle to overcoisie ? W1as it nothing to have to resist the isolicitatiornsi of' one bell gerent who hiad beset thiem for the aid of their iilterferencee, arid thiat, too, at a runie wheni tire general feeling at lhoists nright be assumied, fronts particular dt- mioliistrations, to be stronigly, opposed to iliac neutrality ? Difficult as were the tiutiesi of that stationi wilicti liis right lIron. friend now filled at any t.ime,ann,l peculiarly difficult as they were at that particu- - lae tints, they were niot a little aggravated by the obstacles to wlhich he hiad referrfed. Whllat strength must hiaye been required to hold the ica-les even betweeni the two parties, when thtere was thrown into one of them~, tlisi alnost overpowering weight of opinion ! At the very tiiitusiliat tire noble lordi was expressing his dissatisfaction at the treartorent of Spaint by the English Governmenrt, the French had nienifested againist them the sanie kind of uneasiness and discontent. What better proof could there be tliat the conduct of his right honl._friend wasjust such as for tdie best interests of his own countrv could be wisied-_hat he had turned tneitlier to the righit nor to the left-thlat he inad gone forward in that hionest and manly course whichf would be his fullest jusdtiication with the honse, and the sub- ject of his praise in tisne to come ? In the absence of all reasonalele ground for tire motion of the troble lord, he would beg leave to move as an amendnaent to leave out of the motion all the words after the word " that," and to substitute these wordts-"This house is duly sensible of the advantages derived to this country from that neutrality in the late war betwveen France end Spain, which his Ma- jesty atcne beginning of that war declared it to be his determination to observ, and which it appears to this housce, under circumnstasnces of pileculiartdiffitulcv has been mnost scrupulously and inviolably The gallery was clearing ftr a division, wlhen. Lord NUGENT,again rose to offer only oei or two observations in reply. He thought that lie must have been mistaken in the drift of those reniarks which ire had ventured to offer to the holise. As to the amendirient, it was but a Tepetition of the vote to which the house had corne in the discussion of last session, and i it was not worth while for the right honourable gentleman to put the house to the trouble of dividitag upon it the sense of the house being already asce-tained. Frdou the remnas of the righthon. gent. upon the motion, he seened to suppose tlint the offer of the Eng- lish Coart was simplv an offer resting upon the disposition of-the .spanish Government forits success, tire condition being merely that of altering the constitution. He could not spenk with the certainty of official nfoirnation~, becausethc papenswere notnosvbeforethe house: - but nnless he had becn eg 'ousty nihainformed, t}se offer made by thenighthonc. ForcigSecretary to the Spanish Government was of a. thrfold-nature,~ the first partbf that offer was immediattly - iented to by the Corteg; tise secontd wa3 of* kind whicb, conststent. ywith3 national honoaar could not be subscribed by lie Vortes;. he third, consistently wth the constitutiop which they were swomn o maistiin1 could,ot be accepted. The rec itiots of the inde. ndenccd the SssztW'hrucricin StAtes was irst of these-pro. Witions, aid,"'aheusideratood, itia {nstaittlyr osoire - by the Cortes. The seond wns to 'exact a pledge from themn that no- njury thould be done'to tlhe person of tee Ring or -of any mle of tife Royal 4mily. As no violence hadaet that time been lone to tbe King of, Spain or any one of hiAfamiily,lt wnuld have iUl behoved the Government of Spain to give a pledge which, as it pre. 5umed danger to the King's person, was inconditeut with their ho. nour. Thethirdpropositionrequired a promisefrom the Cortes, which this Goverment mnust have known that it was impossible for the Cortes to give Itrequired thattbenext Corteaw bichshould be called should consent to modify the coestitution according to the' suggestions of the British Lovernment. He Wo&ild put it to this house, or to any other Parliament which had over sat ir it-he woul. put it to any constituent body that ever represelted the- rights of a. free state, if the Cortes then acting could have pledged themselves. to any act to be done by a constituent body not eren in existence.. UWhen that ofrer was made, tbe .Saniah Court was at SevMle; and; upon the retiring to Cadiz, Sir V. A'Co4rt removeda first to Sari Lucar, and then to Gibraltar. In the absetie of the papers, they were left to concluide that he withdrew from Seville as seon as the. offer was made but for three weeks after the departure of the Spa nish Court, Sir W. A'Court remained in Seville, while it was in the orccupation of the French army and the Servile party, until the news arrived of the blocading of Cadiz. It was then for the firt time that Sir W. A'Court vouchsafed an answer to the reprsentations of the Cortes. as if he was undetermined to do-as if he had waited for as accident tO move him, and this accident, which no sagacity of his, could have foreseen, turned up. " See now," he then said with an eagerness very unlike his former delay, " how hopeless is your case_ the French troops are in possession of your territory-French ships have blockaded Cadiz, and are watching the mouths of your liar. bours-nothing renains to you but timely subnission." This did not seem like the conduct, which in these circumstances of political adlversity,should have been observed with respectto the Cortes and the Spanish people. Nothing yet offiered in the debate had shaken the grounds upon which he rested his motion. He was bound in duty to divide the house upofs it: should it be rejected-and he wasfree to own thnt he had reson so expect that it would be rejected by a for. midable majority-he would t.ten offer another resolu.ion, upon which it was not his Intention to .cffr a single remark, still less to divide the house ; he merely wished to have his opinions -upon this momentoussubjectrecoirded upeanthe'pials. The house then divided-. For ihe amendment 171 Fortheoriginalmotion . . 30 Allajority . - 141 The second resolution, the nature ofwhich did not .trainspirc while the gallery was open, was put, and negatived without a divIsion- IRISH LAW COURTS BILL. The house resolved into a comnmittee, and a salary was Voted out of the consolidated fund for a ta)txig officer in the common lah' busi- ness of the courts. The house resumed, the reDort to be reseived to-.moOrow. SUPPLY. The report of the comnmittee of supply wN as biought ulO Sir G. COCKBURN, in observance of the .<uggestl of the hon. muember for Aberdeen, given last night, han brought down the papers relative tO the promnotion of maS.trs in the navy; andl though it wvould be seen from the papern that he ha been right inl his statement of the fact, he was bo-'Id in candour to admit. that withl the informaion wl.ich t-hu hon.menm ber had then before him, he could have com4e to no other than that eri. roneous conclusion which ie had formed. He (Sir Georgec ockburn was not aware of the precise form of the regulations of which-he had spoken, wlhen he asserted, in contradiction of the hon. gendteman, that masters in the navy were able to advance in promotion according to their merits, just the same as midshipmen and fieutenarnts. The fact was, that the papers on the table upon which the hon. gent. had pro_ ceeded were incomplete, and to perfect them, another order in coun- cil, which he now held in his hand, dated August 15,1805, must be added. This order was for the remuletion of the promotion of masters. in the navy; and after reciting the order of 180, upon the same sub. ject, (the only order in possession of -,he honourable member for Aberdeen), it dccreed the suspension of the order for the future, in. regard to alU masters whose meritorious conduct had deserved well of the Admiralty, who were thereupon to be allowed, at the dis- cretion of the Lords Commissioners,to lass their examinations to serve as lieutenants; and six years of service in the navy, either as master or second miaster, was to be considered equivalent to the same nuru- ber of years spent in the service in the c4apacity of midshipman. .11r. HU-If E claimed the benefit of the admission now so honour. ably made by the gallant admiral. He had proceedetl upon the best. information which could be got t'rrmn the papers before the house, for which he had moved in last session. It was no fault of his that this order had not been included in the returns. H e hoped that when he got the papers which he had moved for, it wotuld be found that some one or more meritorious individuals had availed themselves of that provision in the regulation which the honoura'ble baronet had read. M1r. IV COURTENAY rave notice, thatto-morrow he should move for leave to bring in a bill to consolidate the laws respecting bankruptcy. Air. H U5lE wished to know, whether the army estimates, or the remaining navy estimates, would be brought forward on Friday ? Lord FAL!UERSTON said he shiould bring forward the army estimates on that day, if the papers could be printed in time. Sir GEORGE COCKBURN said he would lie ready to bring on the navy ordinary estimateS, if the army estimates were disposed of in timie on Ftidav next The reciprocity duties' indemnitv bill was read the first and second time, and ordered to be printeiL-Adjourned. HOUSE OF COMLM:ONS. Tl-ESnAY. PPR 17