STATE PAPERS. 



701 



<5ommandors, the unjust orders of 

 the English cabinet lor assaultinc; 

 Spanish property on the seas — ini- 

 quitous orders, and profns'-'ly circu- 

 lated, since all its vessels of war on 

 the seas of America and Europe, 

 M'ere alrgady detaining and carrying 

 \iiito iis harbours as many Spanish 

 vessels as they met with, without 

 rc^pectiiii^ even the cargoes of grain 

 wliich were coniin;; from all parts to 

 succour a faithful nation, in a year 

 of the greatest calamity. Barba- 

 rous orders, since they deserve no 

 other name, to sink every Spanish 

 ship under an hundred ton» ; to 

 burn those which they found on 

 shore on the coast; and to make 

 prize of, and carry to Malta, 

 those only which exceeded an hun- 

 dred tons. The master of a laud, 

 of Valentia, of fifty-four tons, has 

 made this declaration, that he ef- 

 ' fected his escape in his launch u]5oa 

 the Ifitli of November, on (he 

 coast of Catalonia, when his vessel 

 was sunk by an English vessel, 

 whose captain took from him his 

 papers and his flag; and informed 

 him, that he had received these 

 express instructions from his co\irt. 

 In spite of such atrocious actions, 

 which proved to perfect evidence 

 the covetous and hostile views which 

 the English cabinet had meditated, 

 It Mas still able to carry on further 

 its perfidious system of blinding the 

 public opinion, alleging, for this 

 purpose, that the Spanish frigates 

 had not been carried into the Eng- 

 lish ports in (juality of pri:^es, but 

 as being detained until Spain should 

 give the desired securities, that she 

 would observe the strictest neufrii- 

 lity. — And what greater securities 

 could or ought Spain to give? 

 What civilized nation, until this 

 liour, has made use ut laeaus so un. 



just and violent, to exact securities 

 of another ? Although England 

 should liad, at last, any claim to 

 exact from Spain, in what manner 

 could she justify it after a similar 

 atrocity ? What satiafaction could 

 she be able to give for the lament- 

 able destruction of the frigate Mer- 

 cedes, with all its cargo, its equi- 

 page, and the great number of dis- 

 tinguished passengers who have pe- 

 rished, the innocent victijns of a 

 policy so detestable? Spain could 

 not comply, with what she owes to 

 hers'jlf, nor think herself able to 

 maintaiu her well known honour 

 and dignity amongst the greatest 

 powers of Europe, were she any 

 longef to shew herself insensible to 

 such manifest outrages, and did not 

 take care to revenge them with the 

 nobleness and energy which belong 

 to her character. — Animated with 

 these sentiments, the magnanimous 

 breast of the king, after having ex- 

 hausted (in order to preserve the 

 peace), all the resources compatible 

 with the dignity of his crown, fuids 

 himself in the hard predicament of 

 making war upon the king of Eng- 

 land, upon his subjects and people, 

 omitting the formalities of style by 

 a solemn declaration and publica- 

 tion, owing to the English cabinet's 

 haviiig begun and continued to make 

 the war without declaring it. — la 

 conse([uence, after having given or- 

 ders for an embargo, by way of re- 

 prisal, upon all English property in 

 his dominions, and thai the most 

 convenient instructions, both for his 

 own defence, and the ollence of the 

 enemy, should be circulated to his 

 viceroys, captains general, and great 

 olhccrs of the marine, his majesty 

 has commanded his minister in Lon- 

 don to retire, with all the Spanish 

 legation; aad bis majesty docs not 



doubt 



