STATE PAPERS. 



681 



" His majesty is persuaded that 

 you will participate in the feelings 

 which were expressed by his ma- 

 jesty, when it was required that his 

 majesty should consent to com- 

 mence the negociation, by aban- 

 doning the cause of Spain, which 

 he had so recently and solemnly 

 espoused. 



" We are commanded to inform 

 you, that his majesty continues to 

 receive from the Spanish govern- 

 ment the strongest assurances of 

 their determined perseverance in 

 the cause of the legitimate mo- 

 narchy, and of the national inde- 

 pendence of Spain ; and to assure 

 you, that so long as the people of 

 Spain shall remain true to them- 

 selves, his majesty will continue to 

 them his most strenuous assistance 

 and support. 



" His majesty has renewed to 

 the Spanish nation, in the moment 

 of its difficulties and reverses, the 

 engagements which he voluntarily 

 contracted at the outset of itsstrug- 

 gle against the usurpation and ty- 

 ranny of France ; and we are com- 

 manded to acquaint you that these 

 engagements have been reduced 

 into the form of a treaty of alliance; 

 which treaty so soon as the ratifi- 

 cations shall have been exchanged, 

 his majesty will cause to be laid 

 before you. 



" His majesty commands us to 

 state to you, that while his majesty 

 contemplated with the liveliest sa- 

 tisfaction the achievements of his 

 forces in the commencement of the 

 campaign in Portugal, and the de- 

 liverance of the kingdom of his 

 ally from the presence and oppres- 

 sions of the French army, his ma- 

 jesty most deeply regretted the ter- 

 mination of that campaign by an 

 armistice and convention, of some 



of the articles of which his majesty 

 has felt himself obliged formally 

 to declare his disapprobation. 



" We are to express to you his 

 majesty's reliance on your disposi- 

 tion to enable his majesty to con- 

 tinue the aid afforded by his ma- 

 jesty to the king of Sweden. That 

 monarch derives a peculiar claim 

 to his majesty's support in the pre- 

 sent exigency of his affairs, from 

 having concurred with his majesty 

 in the propriety of rejecting any 

 proposal for negociation to which 

 the government of Spain was not 

 to be admitted as a party. 



" Gentlemen of the House of 

 Commons ; 



" We are commanded by his ma- 

 jesty to inform you that he has di- 

 rected the estimates of the current 

 year to be laid before you. His 

 majesty relies upon your zeal and 

 affection to make such further pro- 

 visions of supply as the vigorous 

 prosecution of the war may render 

 necessary ; and he trusts that you 

 may be enabled to find the means 

 of providing such supply without 

 any great or immediate increase of 

 the existing burthens upon his 

 people. 



" His majesty feels assured it 

 will be highly satisfactory to you to 

 learn that, notwithstanding the 

 measures resorted to by the enemy 

 for the purpose of destroying the 

 commerce and resources of his 

 kingdom, the public revenue has 

 continued in a course of progres- 

 sive improvement. 



'• Ml/ Lords and Gentlemen ; 

 *' We are directed to inform you, 

 that the measure adopted by par- 

 liament in the last session, for es- 

 tablishing a Local Militia, has been 



already 



