$ TMT BPA PEERS. 
loyalty and their attachment to your 
majefty’s perfon and government, 
by their uniform attention and di- 
ligent exertions in the pafling of 
fuch bills as were moit likely to 
conduce to the honour and dignity 
of your majeity’s crown, and they 
have endeavoured, in all their pro- 
ceedings, fhewn the fpirit of a great, 
' a loyal, and a free people. 
Your majefty’s commons cannot 
but contemplate, with peculiar fa- 
tisfaction, the growing produce of 
the revenue, the rapid progrefs of 
Our manufactures, and the general 
- increafe of commerce and trade; 
circumftances affording the moft 
flattering proofs of the profperous 
ftate of the country, in which they 
have no doubt of your majefty par- 
ticipating with them, and in the 
fatisfa@tion afforded by the con- 
templation of thefe great and im- 
portant objects. 
Your majefty’s commonsare well a- 
ware, that the principal caufe, among 
many others, to which thefe great 
national benefits are to be afcribed, 
is the continuance of peace; but, 
fenfible as they are of thefe blef- 
fings, and anxioufly defirous of ren- 
dering them permanent, they have 
lately afforded your majefty a fub- 
ftantial proof, that it was their una- 
nimous opinion that peace ought 
not to be maintained but on fuch 
terms as fhould be ftri€tly confiftent 
_Wwith the honour of your majefty’s 
crown, and the interefts and wel- 
fare of your majefty’s fubjects. 
“J 
ee ean me ee ee a ae ee aera aa meee 
Meffage from his Majefty to both 
_ , “Houfes of Parliament, May 25, 
* . 1790; relative to the capture of 
certain VPofelr, by the Spaniards, 
_ in Nootka Sound. 
[285 
GEORGE R. 
IS majefty has received in- 
formation, that two vefflels 
belonging to his majefty’s fubjetts, 
and navigated under the Briufh 
flag, and two others, of which the 
defcription is not hitherto fufficient- 
ly afcertained, have been captured 
at Nootka Sound, on the north- 
weftern coaft of America, by an 
officer commanding two Spanifh 
fhips of war; that the cargoes of 
the Britifh veffels have been feized, 
and that their officers and crews 
have been fent as prifoners to a 
Spanifh port. 
The capture of one of thefe ve 
fels had before been notified by the 
ambaffador of his Catholic majeity, 
by order of his court, who, at the 
fame time, defired that’ meafures 
might be taken for preventing his 
majefty’s fubjeéts from frequenting 
thofe coafts, which were alledged to 
have been previoufly eccupied and 
frequented by the fubjeéts' of Spain. 
Complaints were alfo made of the 
fifheries carried on by his majefty’s 
fubjects in the feas adjoining to the 
Spanifh continent, as being con- 
trary to the rights of the crown of 
Spain. In confequence of this com- 
munication, a demand was imme- 
diately made, by his majefty’s or- 
cer, for adequate fatisfaction, and 
for the reititution of the veffel, pre- 
vious to any other difcuflion. 
By the anfwer from the court of 
Spain it appears, that this veffel 
and her crew had been fet at li- 
berty. by the viceroy of Mexico; 
but this is reprefented to have been 
done by him on the fuppofition that 
nothing but the ignorance of the 
rights of Spain, encouraged the in- 
dividuals of other nations to. come 
to thofe coafts for the purpofe of 
making eftablifiments, or carrying 
on 
