18] ANNUAL REGISTER, 181(5. 



Buonaparte's stipulation to with- 

 draw his armies from Spiiin, un- 

 dertook to give his assistance in 

 expelling the English troops from 

 the Spanish territory. Ferdinand 

 was set at liberty, and returning 

 to his own country, withdrew to 

 Valencia, keeping from him all 

 good men and patriots. He re- 

 fused to sign the constitution 

 framed by authorities legally con- 

 stituted ; and without doing any 

 thing to revoke the treaty of Va- 

 lency, employed himself in pio- 

 jects to get rid of the Cortes and 

 the Regency. Troops in British 

 pay, and commanded by a British 

 officer in the Spanish service, 

 were sent against the Cortes, and 

 that body, with the Regency, 

 were obliged to surrender their 

 authority, while lists were put 

 into the hands of the sovereign of 

 those who had taken the most ac- 

 tive part for their country. Jt 

 was unnecessary to enter into de- 

 tails of the ^cceeding measures 

 of the King of Si)ain, all directed 

 against the policy and interests of 

 Great Britain ; or of the ci'uel pu- 

 nishments inrticfed on those who 

 had contended for his crown ; since 

 it was well known that twenty- 

 seven members of the Cortes, and 

 two of the Regency, had become 

 victims to the animosity of Ferdi- 

 nand. After dwelling some time 

 longer on these topics, and allud- 

 ing to the British interference in 

 the internal atfairs of France, the 

 hon. meinber conchided with 

 moving " That an humble ad- 

 ulress be presented to his Royal 

 Highness the Prince Regent, en- 

 treating his Royal Highness to 

 take into his gracious conside- 

 ration the sufferings of the mem- 

 bers of the late Spanish Regency 



and Cortes, and representing that 

 the alliance at present subsisting 

 between his Royal Highness and 

 his Catholic Majesty affords the 

 most favourable opportunity for 

 interposing the good offices of 

 Great Britain in their behalf with 

 the weight that belongs to her, 

 and to the sentiments of this 

 House, and of the people." 



Lord Castlereagh rose, and after 

 exprcBsing his surprise at the ex- 

 traordinary and novel nature of 

 the motion which had just been 

 read, he said, he regarded the po- 

 licy now proposed to the House 

 as extremely unwise, and calcu- 

 lated to do much mischief, witii- 

 out a chance of producing any 

 substantial benefit to the persons 

 whose cause it professed to es- 

 pouse. He then remarked upon 

 the tendency of the hon. gentle- 

 man's speech to excite jealousy 

 and animosity, and to involve the 

 two countries in mutual hostility; 

 and was next led in the train of 

 argument, to make observations 

 on the proper kind of interference 

 which might be exerted with re- 

 spect to foreign countries. Di- 

 gressing to facts relative to France 

 at different periods, he took occa- 

 sion to censure the manner in 

 which individuals of this country 

 had thought proper to interpose 

 in the late religious differences of 

 that country, alfiriiiing that the 

 charges brought against the 

 French sovereign and govern- 

 ment as encouraging persecution 

 were entirely groundless, and had 

 been received with displeasure by 

 both parties. 



Ccmiing to the direct point, his 

 Lordship complained that the 

 hon. gentleman had proceeded to 

 allegations against the govern- 

 ment 



