AWS ANNUAL REGISTER, 
protect it, was doubtless not in the 
contemplation of the English govern- 
ment, at the moment when the 
treaty was concluded ; yet, on the 
27th of April, previously to its 
signature, it was publicly announced 
in the Madrid Gazette, that the” 
king of Spain had annexed the 
property of the order within his 
dominions, to the royal domain: 
its revenues in France and Lom- 
bardy, had ‘already been confis- 
cated, and those in Portugal, as 
belonging to the Spanish langue, 
might reasonably be expected to 
share the same fate. ‘Those means, 
therefore, by which alone its inde- 
pendence could be secured, no 
longer existed ; 
insuperable obstacle to its execu- 
tion (if the English government seri- 
ously meant to fulfil the condition 
to its letter) was the treaty con- 
cluded. With respect to the gua- 
ranty of the four great continental 
powers, it became evident, from 
subsequent events, that they had 
not been made parties to an agree- 
ment, in which their consent was 
of so much consequence, and the 
dissent of any one of them to which, 
must have rendered it insecure and 
invalid. To this dissent it would not 
have been unnatural to have looked 
forward ; few political  arrange- 
ments have ever occurred, which 
have been so well calculated, as 
to secure, on motives of common 
interest, the concurrence of all the 
great powers of Europe; still fewer, 
where, totally uninterested, they 
ceuld be brought within. a- limited 
time, to unite in perfecting a nego- 
ciation, by which the views: and 
objects of other states: were alone 
to. be accomplished ; and least of all, 
where, to delay, or. totally refuse 
and.thtis, with this. 
1803. 
their consent, might be more com~ 
sonant to the secret principles whicly 
directed their councils. Under some 
or other of these predicaments, may 
be ranked the powers whom France 
and England chose to fix upon as 
the pledges for the independence 
and security of the order of St. Joha 
and the island of Malta. 
On what principle, or by what 
rule of conduct, the individuals 
who composed the British govern- 
ment were directed, in thus sign- 
ing to the article in question, doubt- 
less one of the most important of 
the whole treaty, it is certainly: 
matter of difficulty to decide; 
independently of their knowledge 
of the absolute destruction of the 
revenues of the order, which 
alone could render it respecta- 
ble; of the doubts which they 
might reasonably have, of attain- 
ing the guaranty of the great. 
continental powers to an arrange- 
ment, which they knew could not 
be carried into effect; they were 
also well aware, that the Maltese 
themselves would never consent to- 
the re-establishment of their for- 
mer government, and had deter-: 
mined to perish, to. the last man, 
rather than acknowledge the sove- 
reignty of the knights of St. John. 
Are we then to suppose, that with: 
an infatuation, the most extraor- 
dinary and unprecedented, they left 
the dearest interests of their coun-: 
try; the fate of all Europe; and 
their own reputation, as’ honest 
and conscientious statesmen, to be. 
determined upon by the combined 
operations of time and chance 3 and 
looked forward solely to good for- 
tune (hitherto-their tutelary genius), 
for extricaticn from the impending 
difficulties and dangers? Or must 
we 
