612 



ANNUAL REGISTEU, 1895. 



represented, but transformed into a 

 ground of complaint, because the 

 forbearance extended to the aggres- 

 sors was not carried to a dangerous 

 and inadmissible extreme. In con- 

 sequence of intelligence above 

 stated, directions were sent to his 

 majesty's minister at Madrid, to 

 make representations and remon- 

 strances to the Spanish court, to 

 demand explanations relative to the 

 existing conventions between Spain 

 and France; and, above all, to in- 

 sist that the naval armaments in 

 their ports should be placed on the 

 same footing as they were pre- 

 viously to the commencement of 

 hostilities between Great Brit.-.in 

 and France: and he was further di- 

 rected, explicitly to state to the 

 Spanish government, that his majes- 

 ty felt a duty imposed upon him of 

 taking, without delay, every mea- 

 sure of precaution ; and, particu- 

 larly, of giving orders to his admi- 

 ral, oif the port of Fcrrol, to pre- 

 vent any of the Spanish ships of 

 war sailing from that port, or any 

 additional ships of war from enter- 

 ing it. — No substantial redress, no 

 satisfactory explanation, was af- 

 forded in consequence of these re- 

 peated representations; whilst, un- 

 der the cover of his majesty's for- 

 bearance, the enemy had received 

 considerable remittances of treasure, 

 together with the facility of procur- 

 ing other supplies. — Every circum- 

 stance of the conduct of Spain was 

 peculiarly calculated to excita the 

 attention of the British government 

 — the removal of Spanish ships out 

 of their docks, to make room for 

 the accommodation of the men of 

 •war of France — the march of 

 French troops and seamen through 

 the Spanish territory — the equip- 

 ment of naval armaments at Ferrol 



— the consideration that the junc- 

 tion of this armamewt with the 

 French sliips already in that har- 

 bour, would create a decided supe- 

 riority of numbers over his majes- 

 ty's squadron cruising oif that port 

 — the additional naval exertions, 

 and the consequent increase of ex- 

 pence which this conduct of Spain 

 necessarily imposed upon Great 

 Britain. All these togetiicr required 

 those precautions, both of repre- 

 sentation and action, to which his 

 majcstv had immediate recourse. — 

 While oiVicial notice was given of 

 his majesty's intention to adopt 

 those necessary wicasurcs, the Spa- 

 nish government was at tiic same 

 time assured, that his majesty still 

 felt an earnest desire to maintain a 

 sood understanding with Spain ; but 

 that the continuance of such a state 

 of things must be subject to the 

 conditiiMi of abstaining, on their 

 part, from all hostile preparations, 

 and on making, without hesitation or 

 reserve, that full aud explicit disclo- 

 sure of the nature and extent of the 

 subsisting engagements with France, 

 which had liitherlo been so fre, 

 quently and so fruitlessly demand- 

 ed.— The precautions adopted by 

 his majesty were such only as he 

 deemed iiuiispcnsibly necessary to 

 guard against the augmentation by 

 Spain of her means of naval prepa- 

 ration durin<r the discussion, and 

 against the possilfe consequences of 

 the safe arrival of the expected 

 American trcasuve in the Spanish 

 ports ; an event Avhtch has more 

 than oiue, in former times, become 

 the epoch of the termination of dis- 

 cussions, and of the commencement 

 of hostility on the part of Spain. — • 

 The orders issued by his majesty, 

 on this occasion, to the admirals 

 commanding his fleets, afford the 



most 



