422 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1S12. 



Majesty, to the Letter of the 

 Minister for Foreign Relations, 

 of the I7th of April, 1812. 



London, Office for Foreign Affairs, 

 Jpril23, J 8 12. 



«' Sir, — Your Excellency's let- 

 ter of the 17th of this month has 

 been received, and laid before the 

 Prince Regent. 



" His Royal Highness felt that 

 he owed it to his honour, before 

 he should authorize me to enter 

 into any explanation upon the 

 overture which your Excellency 

 has transmitted, to ascertain the 

 precise meaning attached by the 

 Government of France to the fol- 

 lowing passage of your Excellen- 

 cy's letter : ' the actual Dynasty 

 shall be declared independent, and 

 Spain governed by the national 

 Constitution of the Cortes.' 



" If, as his Royal Highness 

 fears, the meaning of this propo- 

 sition is, that the Royal authority 

 of Spain, and the government es- 

 tablished by the Cortes, shall be 

 recognised as residing in the bro- 

 ther of the head of the French go- 

 vernment, and the Cortes foimed 

 under his authority, and not in 

 the legitimate sovereign, Ferdi- 

 nand the Seventh, and his heirs, 

 and the Extraordinary Assembly 

 of the Cortes, now invested with 

 the power of the government in 

 that kingdom, in his name, and by 

 his authority ; J am commanded 

 frankly and explicitly to declare to 

 your Excellency, that the obliga- 

 tions of good faith do not permit 

 his Royal Highness to receive a 

 proposition for peace founded on 

 such a basis. 



" But if the expressions cited 

 above apply to the actual govern- 

 ment of Spain, which exercises 



the Sovereign authority in the 

 name of Ferdinand the Vllth, 

 upon an assurance of your Excel- 

 lency to that effect, the Prince 

 Regent will feel himself disposed 

 to enter into a full explanation 

 upon the basis which has been 

 transmitted, in order to be taken 

 into consideration by his Royal 

 Highness ; it being his most ear- 

 nest wish to contribute, in concert 

 with his allies, to the repose of 

 Europe; and to bring about a 

 peace, which may be at once ho- 

 nourable, not only for Great Bri- 

 tain and France, but also for those 

 States which are in relations of 

 amity with each of these Powers. 



" Having made known without 

 reserve the sentiments of the Prince 

 Regent, with res])ect to a point on 

 which it is necessary to have a 

 full understanding, previous to any 

 ulterior discussion, I shall adhere 

 to the instructions of his Royal 

 Highness, by avoiding all super- 

 fluous comment and recrimination 

 on the accessary objects of your 

 letter. I might advantageously, 

 for the justification of the conduct 

 observed by Great Britain at the 

 different periods alluded toby your 

 Excellency, refer to the corres- 

 pondence which then took place, 

 and to the judgment vphich the 

 world has long since formed of it. 



" As to the particular character 

 the war has unhappily assumed, 

 and the arbitrary principles which 

 your Excellency conceives to have 

 marked its progress, denying, as I 

 do, that these evils are attributa- 

 ble to the British government, 1 at 

 the same time can assure your Ex- 

 cellency, that it sincerely deplores 

 their existence, as uselessly ag- 

 gravating the calamities of war : 

 and that its most anxious desire, 



whether 



