HISTORY OF EUROPE. 



£3 



*' again from that date to <lic 29ih 

 " of September. That, in the first 

 '^ of these intervals, being little less 

 *' than six months, the ncgociation 

 " for a treaty of nentrality between 

 " France and Spain was begun, 

 *' continued, and concluded ; yet 

 *' not the smallest iiiHmation was 



, •' given, in that long time, to Mr. 



' •' Frcre, of the light in which that 

 " negociation was considered here ; 

 " of tlie language it was proper for 

 *' him to hold ; or of the measures 



• *' it might be necessary for him to 

 " take, although frequent commn- 

 *' nicationswcre made to him on the 

 *' subject by the Spanish govern - 

 " ment, who appear to have been 

 '* disposed to pay great attention, 

 " in this instance, to any represen- 

 " tation from Great Britain. That, 

 " during the last of the abovemen- 

 *' tioncd periods, the same minister, 

 " though left again for many months 

 " without any instructions what- 

 *' ever, negociated and concluded 

 *' some agreement with the court of 

 *' Spain on this important subject, 

 " of which agreement no opinion 

 " was ever expressed to him from 

 *' hence, either before or after its 

 *' conclusion ; nor does it even now 

 *' appear, from any official docu- 

 " ment, whether the same was 

 *' meant to be allowed or disallow- 

 ** ed, ratified or rejected, by the 

 *' British government. That we 

 " feel ourselves compelled to ex- 

 " press to his majesty, that, in the 

 " farther progress of these transac- 

 *' tions, the indecision and Tieglcct 

 " of his government were snrceed- 

 '' ed by resolutions and acts of vio- 

 *' lence equally injurious to the 

 " honour and interest of the king- 

 " dom. That we should have ap- 

 '• plauded any ondeavour, by firm 

 " and temperate representationj to 



" extricate our relations with Spain 

 " from the confusion in which they 

 " were involved, and to bring thera 

 " to a distinct issue of acknow- 

 " ledged neutrality, or decided war, 

 " but that we find no trace of any 

 " such atteiiipt ; and that, in the 

 " middle of September, on the first 

 " intimation of supposed movements 

 " in the Spanish ports, acts of hos- 

 " tility were decided on by his 

 " majesty's government, previous 

 " to all complaint, and executed, 

 " without notice, during a period 

 " of amicable ncgociafiun. That 

 " the dispositions of Spain appear, 

 " from the information of his ma- 

 " jesty's minister at Madrid, to 

 " have continued up to that moment 

 " friendly to Great Britain, and 

 " that the conduct of his majesty's 

 " ministers, in having, under such 

 " circumstances, anticipated all ex- 

 " planadon, by a concealed order 

 '• for an attack njjon Spanish ships, 

 " ])roperty, and subjects, cannot 

 " be justifiable on any ground of 

 " public law, much less leconciled 

 '' to those principles of moderation 

 '' and liberality which belong to the 

 " British character, and which, in 

 " the present situation of Europe, 

 " is peculiarly the duty of this coun- 

 " try to maintain inviolate. That, 

 " in reviewing the discussions which 

 " immediately ])receded the jiresent 

 " war, wc cannot but represent to 

 " his majesty the essential diflcrence 

 " between tlie conduct of the per- 

 " son left in charge of his majesty's 

 " afi'airs at Madrid, and the tenor of 

 " the instructions under which he 

 " appears to have acted. That the 

 " explanations given to that gentle- 

 " man. by the Spanish government, 

 " though not, in all respects, adc- 

 " quate to the just expectations of 

 " this country^ Avere yet such as 

 C 4 " ought 



