2] 
friend, sailed for Gibraltar, where 
they arrived and were admitted 
on the 15th. On the next day 
Duff sent a letter to Gibraltar 
pointing out these persons as be- 
ing objects of suspicion to the 
Spanish government; and the 
consequence was, that they were 
arrested by order of gen. Smith, 
the lieut.-governor, delivered to a 
Spanish commandant, and con- 
veyed back, in irons, to Cadiz. 
Puigblanc was there tried, and 
acquitted of the offence with 
which he was charged, but was 
informed that he must still be 
tried before the tribunal of the 
Inquisition. He, however, effect- 
ed an escape to England, where 
he made his case publicly known. 
The general indignation excited 
by the circumstance of a British 
governor’s lending his authority 
in aid of the proceedings of an 
odious tyranny was partaken by 
the ministers, and lord Bathurst 
wrote to gen. Smith and sir J. 
Duff to enquire into the particu- 
lars of the case, and to intimate 
the impropriety of such an inter- 
ference. General Smith, as it 
appears, had only succeeded to 
his post temporarily, on the death 
of general Campbell, and might 
be supposed little acquainted with 
its civil duties. Sir James Duff 
was 80 years of age, and had 
Spent more than half his life in 
office at Cadiz, where he enjoyed 
general esteem. 
_ The introduction of this matter 
into parliament began on Nov. 
22, 1814, by a motion from Mr. 
Whitbread for an address to the 
Prince Regent, that directions 
might be given for laying before 
the house copies of all commu- 
nications by the. British consul 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 1815. 
at Cadiz to the commandant at 
Gibraltar in May last, relative to 
certain Spaniards supposed to 
have taken refuge in that garri- 
son, with an account of the con- 
sequent proceedings ; which was 
carried. 
On February 13th Mr. Goulburn 
moved for an address for copies 
of a correspondence between earl 
Bathurst and sir James Duff in 
reference to the same subject. 
Mr. Whitbread thereupon ob- 
served that the principal charge 
against sir James Duff related to 
an order he had given for exa- 
mining a British convoy at Ca- 
diz with a view of preventing cer- 
tain Spaniards from making their 
escape from persecution. It was 
answered, that the papers moved 
for would comprehend every thing 
required on the subject ; and the 
motion was agreed to. 
The papers having been pro- 
duced, Mr. Whitbread, on March 
Ist, rose to make a motion, pur- 
suant to notice, respecting the 
conduct of gen. Smith and sir J. 
Duff. After an introduction, in 
which he expressed, with his 
usual energy, his indignant feel- 
ings at any participation of per- 
sons acting under the British go- 
vernment in the detestable tyran- 
ny now prevalent in Spain, he 
moved for an address to the Prince 
Regent, returning thanks for the 
communication of the requested 
papers ; declaring the House’s en- 
tire disapprobation of the trans 
actions disclosed by those papers, 
as injurious to the honour of the 
nation, and cruel to the unhappy 
objects of them: requesting his 
Royal Highness to cause to be ex=. 
pressed in the strongest terms, to 
sir James Duff and major-general 
