124] ANNUAL REGISTER, 1817. 



of drawing the attention of the 

 great powers of Europe, who 

 thought themselves bound to in- 

 terpose in favour of Spain, who 

 was little able to protect itself 

 from hostile aggression. Accord- 

 ingly, the several courts of Aus- 

 tria, France, Great Britain, Prus- 

 sia, and Russia, presented a note 

 to the Marquis d'Aguiai', secretary 

 of state to his most Faithful Ma- 

 jesty, to the following efl'ect. 



Paris, March 16. 



The occupation of a part of the 

 Spanish possessions on the river 

 Plate by the Poi tuguese troops of 

 Brazil was no sooner known in 

 Europe, than it was the object of 

 official and simultaneous steps 

 taken by the cabinet of Madiid, 

 \vith the courts of Vienna, Paris, 

 London, Berlin, and St. Peters- 

 burgh, in ui'der to pi'otest solemn- 

 ly against this occujjation, and to 

 claim their support against sucli 

 an aggression. 



Perhaps the Court of Madrid 

 might have thought hei'self en- 

 titled to recur at once to tlie means 

 of defence which Providence has 

 placed in her hands, and to repel 

 force by force : but, guided by a 

 spirit of wisdom and moderation, 

 she was desirous first of employ- 

 ing the means of negotiation and 

 j)eisuasion, and she prefeiied, not- 

 withstanding the disadvantage tliat 

 might result to her possessions 

 beyond sea, addi'essing lierself to 

 the five undermentioned powers, 

 in order to an amicable adjustment 

 of her ditlcrences with the court of 

 Br;izil, and to avoid a rupture, 

 the consequences r f which might 

 be equally disastrous to the two 

 countries, and might disturb the 

 repose of both hemispheres. 



So noble a resolution could not 



but meet with the entire approba- 

 tion of the cabinets to which the 

 court of Spain has addressed her- 

 self : and animated with tlie desire 

 of preventing the fatal consequen- 

 ces that might result from the 

 present state of affairs, the courts 

 of Austria, France, Great Britain, 

 Prussia, and Russia, equally the 

 friends of Portugal and Spain, 

 after having taken into considera- 

 tion the just claims of the latter 

 power, have charged the under- 

 signed to make known to the ca- 

 binet of his most faithful Majesty — 



That they have accepted the 

 mediation demanded of them by 

 Spain. 



That they have seen with real 

 pain, and not without surprise, 

 that at the very moment when a 

 double marriage seemed to bind 

 more closely the family ties already 

 existing between tlie houses of 

 Braganza and Bourbon, and when 

 such an alliance was to render the 

 relations between the two coun- 

 tries more intimate and more 

 friendly, Portugal has invaded the 

 Spanish possessions on the river 

 Plate, and invaded them without 

 any explanation whatever, and 

 without any previous declaration. 



That the principles of equity 

 and justice which direct the coun- 

 cils of the five courts, and the firm 

 resolution they have adopted to 

 preserve, as much as is in their 

 j)ower, the peace of the world, 

 ])urchased by such great sacrifices, 

 have determined them to take cog- 

 nizance and part in this atfair. in 

 the intention of terminating it in 

 the most equitable manner, and 

 most conformable to their desire 

 of maintaining the general tran- 

 quillity. 



That the taid courts do not dis- 

 semble 



I 



