HISTORY OF EUROPE. 



27 



refused to communicate to us the 

 terms of licr convention with France, 

 and was making hoslile armaments 

 in hei ports, it this country had re- 

 course to measures of just precau- 

 tion, the abusive and vulgar terms 

 of dujiiicity and fraud, so liberally 

 besto'vcil upon his majesty's ser- 

 vants, r!T.;st recoil upon these who 

 were inconsiderate enough to make 

 use of them. Spain was expressly 

 told thitif, during our forbearance, 

 in order to give her time to disem- 

 barrass herself, if possible, of her 

 engagements, she made any arma- 

 ments, it would be considered by 

 this country as an immediate decla- 

 ration of war ; and Spain, after all, 

 haviug made the armaments so often 

 spoken of, surely it would be pre- 

 posterous to say that this country 

 had no right to act witiiout making 

 another declaration. Gentlemen, 

 indeed, insisted that this seizure was 

 pot a measure of precaution, but 

 of open hostility ; but though he 

 was far from admitting that, yet he 

 would maintain that we were justi- 

 fied in either. We kuew the dispo- 

 sition of the French ruler too well 

 not to be convinced that he who 

 was so prodigal of the blood of 

 France, whenever it was necessary 

 for the purposes of his insatiate and 

 extravagant ambition, would not be 

 ▼ery tender of the blood of Spain, 

 when its power was at his com- 

 mand ; we knew that this Spanish 

 treasure was to be employed in aid 

 of France, and as we also knew that 

 by forming a junction between the 

 Spanish ships and her own in the 

 port of Ferrol, France might strike 

 a blow by which she might gain a 

 temporary advantage against tliis 

 country, or an unexpected advan- 

 tage over our squadron of blockade, 

 and, thus cijcumstanced, his raajes- 



ty's government would have been 

 altogether unjustifiable, if they had 

 allowed the enemy the advantage of 

 this double war against us. Had 

 they acted otherwise — had they suf- 

 fered this three millions of treasure 

 to be transferred to France — had 

 the combined squadron at Ferrol 

 suddenly attacked and defeated eur 

 squadron of blockade, or^ aided by 

 winds favourable to them, and ad- 

 verse to us, had proceeded, with a 

 large fleet of transports, and etfected 

 a landing in Ireland, and had his 

 majesty's ministers afterwards coma 

 before parliament, and throwTi 

 themselves on its lenity, he would 

 ask what would then be the languag* 

 of these advocates of humanity i 

 He thanked God the case was 

 otherwise, and he confidently sub- 

 mitted it to the judgment of the 

 country and the whole world. On 

 a division, which took place at six 

 o'clock in the morning, there were 

 for the original address 313 — against 

 it log — majority 207. 



On the 13th of February the house 

 of commons voted the following 

 sums for the miscv-IIaneous services 

 of the year: 1,004,948/. for the 

 ordinary expences of the navy; 

 1,553,690/. for building and repair- 

 ing ships of war : 975,000/. for the 

 hire of transports ; 525,000/. for 

 prisoners of war ; 57rOOO/. for sick 

 ditto ; 414,000/. for Americaa 

 claims ; 135,721/. for emigrants and, 

 American loyalists; 53,719/. for 

 convicts at home ; 20,000/. for law^ 

 charges for the year ; 12,000/. for 

 the expences of the public offices ; 

 29,000/. forstationary of both houses 

 of parliament ; 12,000/. for dissent- 

 ing clergy and emigrants ; 20,000/. 

 for New South Wales ; 8,300/. for 

 Upper Canada ; 7,163/. for Nova 

 Scotia; 2,000/. for the island of 



St, 



