STATE PAPERS. 



611 



io begin a war, he would want no 

 other declanition than what he had 

 already made. The answers of the 

 Spaiish government were at first of 

 an evasive nature : his majesty's mi- 

 nister closed the correspondence on 

 his part by a note delivered on the 

 eighteenth February, in which he 

 declares that all further forbearance 

 on the part of England must depend 

 upon the cessation of all naval ar- 

 maments, and a prohibition of the 

 sale of prizes in their ports ; and 

 unless these points were agreed to 

 without modilication, he had orders 

 to leave Madrid. On the second of 

 these points a satisfactory answer 

 was given, and orders issued accord- 

 ingly ; on the first a reference was 

 made to former declarations. To 

 the question about disclosing the 

 treaty with France no satisfactory 

 answer was ever given. As, how- 

 ever, no naval preparations appear- 

 ed to be proceeding at that period in 

 the ports of Spain, the matter was 

 allowed to remain there for a time. 

 ]n the month of July, one thousand 

 eight hundred and four, the go- 

 vernment of Spain gave assurances 

 of faithful and settled neutrality, 

 aud disavowed any orders to arm in 

 (heir ports ; yet in the subsequent 

 month, when these assurances were 

 recent, and a confident reliance re- 

 posed in them, the British charge 

 d'affaires received advice from the 

 admiral commanding his majesty's 

 ships off the port of Ferrol, that re- 

 inforcements of soldiers and sailors 

 had arrived through Spain for the 

 French fleets at Toulon and Ferrol. 

 On this intelligence two notes were 

 presented to the Spanish ministers, 

 but no answer was received to either 

 of them. Towards the end of the 

 month of September, information 

 was received in Loadoo from the 



British admiral stationed off Ferrol, 

 that orders had actually been given 

 by the court of Madrid, for arming, 

 without loss of time, at that port, 

 four ships of the line, two frigates, 

 and other smaller vessels ; that (ac- 

 cording to his intelligence) similar 

 orders had been given at Cartha- 

 gena and Cadiz, and particularly 

 that three first-rate ships of the line 

 were directed to sail from the last- 

 mentioned port; and, as an addi- 

 tional proof of hostile intentions, 

 that orders had been given to arm 



the pacquets as in time of war. 



Here thin appeared a direct and 

 unequivocal violation of the terms 

 on which the continuance of peace 

 had been acquiesced in ; previous 

 notice having been given to the 

 Spanish government, that a state of 

 war would be the immediate conse- 

 quence of such a measure, his ma- 

 jesty on this event stood almost 

 pledged to an instant commencement 

 of hostilities : the king, however, 

 preferred a persevering adherence 

 to the system of moderation so con- 

 genial to his disposition : he re- 

 solved to leave still an opening for 

 accommodation, if Spain should be 

 still allowed the liberty to adopt the 

 course prescribed by a just sense of 

 her own interests and security. It 

 is here worthy of remark, that the 

 greundless and ungrateful imputa- 

 tions thrown out agtxinst his majes- 

 ty's conduct in the Spanish mani- 

 festo, are built upon the foundation 

 of this forbearance alone. Had his 

 majesty exercised, without reserve, 

 his just rights of war, the repre- 

 sentations so falsely asserted, and so 

 insidiously dwelt upon, could not 

 have been even stated under any 

 colourable pretext : the indulgence^ 

 therefore, which postponed the ac- 

 tual state of war, was not only misi 

 R r 2 ropre«eate4-. 



