HISTORY OF EUROPE. 
this aid in the way that should be 
deemed most acceptable by herself. 
Upen this plainand certain principle 
the instructions of lord St. Vincent 
and his coa‘juters, were entirely 
founded. They were ordered, in 
the first place; to communicate thé 
intelligence received from various 
quariers, of the hostile designs en- 
tertained by France, and to encou- 
rage, by every offer and argument, 
_ any disposition to resist them, which 
they might perceivein the prince re- 
gent or his ministers. In a word, 
they were to offer the whole naval, 
military, and pecuniary resources of 
England, in so far as the same wére 
‘disposable, to assist the Portuguese 
iP defending themselves from. the 
threatened invasion. It was, how- 
ever, to be considered as a possible 
case, that the court of Lisbon might 
be found either too timid, or ‘too 
slothful for the crisis in which it was 
placed. The influence of the coun- 
cils, or the terror of the army of 
France, might prevent our ally from 
adoptivg the vigorous measures pre- 
scribed by the dangers of the occa- 
sion, Or,it might be, that upona 
full and fair investigation, Portugal 
should be found wholly incapable 
of defence, against the combined at- 
tacks of France and Spain, — In this 
case another offer, equally liberal, 
was to be made on the part of the 
rilish government. In the event 
of bis finding that the court of Lis- 
bon either could not or would not 
defend itself, lord St. Vincent was 
instructed to offer the whole of his 
fleet, with the army already em- 
barked, and waiting his signal to 
sail, as well as the most liberal sup- 
plies of money, for the purpose of 
securing the Portuguese government 
a safe retreat in the Brazils, and 
establishing them there as an inde- 
Vor. XLVI. 
‘should, 
295 
pendent state. Thus, if the court 
of Lisbon either chose to defend 
Portugal, or was afraid to run the 
hazard ‘of ‘such a cottest, or found 
itself unable to resist the enemy, or. 
from whatever cause, preferred a 
tetreat, in either case the British 
government offered to plate the 
whole resources of the empire at 
its disposal ; without a single'equi- 
valent, except that of saving an an- 
cient ally ; without any security for 
the future; upon no condition or 
bargain whatever, except that Por- 
tugal should do her best to resist or 
to escape. ‘The transactions so dis~ 
graceful to the English name, which 
have recently taken place elsewhere, 
render it necessary’ to add, what 
might otherwise have beeh taken 
for granted, that no idea whatever 
was entertained of taking the fleets 
‘or arsenals of Portugal in security 
or as a deposit; and that such a 
demand was never hinted at, either 
in the instructions of the mission, or 
in the communications held with the 
court of Lisben. _ we TEES! 
There was, however, a'third case, 
highly improbable no doubt, ‘but 
still within the bounds Of ‘possibi- 
lity, and to be provided for accord. 
ingly. If the court of Lisbon 
from indecision and ~ the 
influence of a French party in its 
councils, both refuse to defend its 
dominions in Europe, and to retreat 
to those in South America; if it 
should persist in a resolution neither 
to fight nor to fly, but determine to 
remain and be voluntarily swallowed 
up, with its whole resources; by the 
invading enemy,’ it thea became 
the duty of England to prevent those 
resources from falling info the hands 
of France, and accordingly the ad- 
miral and general were instructed. 
to declare, that should the “enemy 
Q inyade 
