HISTORY OF EUROPE. 



129 



After all that wc have said upon 

 the subject, the whole probably re- 

 solres itself into this, that as the 

 official documents are before the 

 world, upon which each i)arty rests 

 its justification, the public have 

 every means to determine the ques. 

 tion of the justice of the war. On 

 that of its policy, the events and 

 final issue of the contest may, per- 

 haps, furnish its best criterion. The 

 resources and comparative strength 

 of two nations are best measur- 

 ed during their state of actual op- 

 position. 



Independently of the vast sums 

 which France demanded from Spain, 

 under colour of an equivHleut for 

 the contingent, provided by the 

 treaty of St. Ildefonso, she de- 

 manded also a Tcry considerable sub- 

 ."iidy from Portugal, as the price of 

 her neutrality. In fact, it seemed to 

 be the system of Bonaparte to 

 compel the weaker nations of Eu- 

 rope to contribute, to the utmost ex- 

 tent of their means, towards theex- 

 pcnces of his wars. Spain, Holland. 



Portugal, Naples, the Hanse Towns, 

 in short every po\ver and state that 

 he could threaten and intimidate, 

 were all forced to supply this novel 

 branch of revenue, which has been 

 well defined, by the modern politi- 

 cal writers, under the denomination 

 of, " exterior receipt." While we 

 lament, however, the fallen condition 

 of those once proud and happy- 

 countries, and their being forced 

 into alliances, or wars, contrary to 

 their interests and their wishes, yet 

 we cannot, at the same time, admit 

 the principle that they are to be 

 spared, on that account, by the 

 powers which they attack, or escape 

 the consequences of a just reprisal. 



How much soever we may have 

 wished to have laid before our rea- 

 ders the whole of the official cor- 

 respondence upon the subject of this 

 chapter, the number and rolumi. 

 nousness of the necessary docu- 

 ments preclude their entire inser- 

 tion; those however of most mo- 

 ment will be found under their pro- 

 per head of" state papers." 



Vol. XLVir. 



K 



CHAP. 



