18 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1805. 



ciatc for preventing, if possible, all 

 hostile extremities between both 

 countries ; but to this letter no an- 

 swer was given, not even the usual 

 attention of ordinary civility ! — 

 " Such," said his lordship, '' was 

 the troaf^ient shewn to a high- 

 minded and gallant nation, which 

 plumes itself upon the observance 

 of etiquette, and whose pride is al- 

 ways wounded by the slightest ap- 

 pearance of neglect '." Speaking of 

 tiie late seizure and detention of the 

 Spanish treasure ships, he said that 

 proceeding dilfcred materially from 

 those to '-vhich it was compared. In 

 other cases of the seizure and de- 

 tention of merchant ships, they may 

 be restored, the merchants indemni- 

 fied, and the men, if imprisoned, 

 may be enlarged ; but burn, sink, 

 and destroy ship and crew, and who 

 can restore the innocent blood thus 

 ghcd i There vi/ete some acts of 

 hardship and severity which the 

 laws of civilized war permitted, but 

 this atrocious act of barbarity was 

 contrary to ail law of nations, and 

 stamped indelible infamy on our 

 name. After adverting to the folly 

 of conceiving any delusive hopes 

 frgm the eflect of any plundering 

 expeditions to South America, which 

 TTOuid only entail misery on the 

 human race, while it exhausted the 

 blood, and dispersed the navy of the 

 country, he concluded his able and 

 animated speech, by declaring that 

 he spoke from a serious conviction 

 that the war might have been pre- 

 vented by common care on our part, 

 and that, as it was unprovoked and 

 unnecessary, so also would it be 

 most grievous and unfortunate for 

 the country. 



Lord Hawkesbury, on the other 

 hand, contended, that since Spain, 

 by the treaty of St, Ildafouso, b«- 



CHmc ipso facto the ofFensiTC and 

 defensive ally of France, which 

 placed her in a relation of hostility 

 to this country, she was not to be 

 regarded as a neutral state, but one 

 against which policy enjoined for- 

 bearance as long as it was possible. 

 Having no allies in our contest with 

 France, nor any immediate chance 

 of a continental diversion in our 

 favour, we had at all events to wait 

 till our naval and military establish- 

 ments attained their proper height. 

 In, that interval great management 

 was required with Spain, with a 

 view to the security of Portugal. 

 Tlius circumstanced, policy forbad 

 us to put every q;ijstion to Spain so 

 categorically as to leave no issue but 

 peace or war. This certainly was 

 not the mode to be adopted when 

 our object was such a delay as might 

 have enabled Spain to disentangle 

 herself, as she, for a time, appeared 

 disposed to do, from her obligations 

 towards France, and to j)lace our- 

 selves in a situation to protect our 

 ally the queen of Portugal. The 

 agreement that the Spanish arma- 

 ments should cease, and condemna- 

 tion and sale of prizes in the Spanish 

 ports be stopped, was a condition, 

 not of lier neutrality, but of our for- 

 bearance, and at all events had been 

 quickly violated. His lordship then 

 touched upon the armaments at 

 Ferrol at the time that there wer« 

 four French men of war in the port, 

 which, by a junction wth the Spani- 

 ards, might be soon brought to con- 

 tend with the blockading squadron ; 

 and observed, that the pretence of 

 these armaments being intended to 

 send troops for quelling the insur- 

 rection in Biscay, was all a feint, 

 as there was no port in that quarter 

 w here a single man could be landed ; 

 aad «vea if thara was, it could not 



be 





II I 



