146 Parliamentary Proceedifigs. .Oft. 5. 



tion in reg.T.'d to the convention of 1739, ^"'^ with regard to 

 tVie difpute about Falklaids Iflands,— fhowing that full informa- 

 tion was given to the- Ho'jfe before their approbation of mea- 

 fures was .ifked for — W'thont thi"?, he contciidci!, it war, impof- 

 fi'ole for the Koxife to jut^ge of the piropriety of tlie meafures 

 that had been adopted. Peace, he allowed, was preferable to 

 ■«^ar, — almnft en any terms ; but had this peace been the very 

 beft, inft^ad of the worft, as it appeared to him that ever was 

 conciuiied, it was llill a proper objeft of inquiry. A tneafure, he 

 contended, by which the weight of our debt, rJready enormous, 

 has been aggravated, and the number of our taxes encreafed. 

 The inquiry becomes mere neceffiiry before it receives appro'-ati^ 

 en when there is reafon, as in the pref^nt inltance, to conclude 

 that the difpute was improperly commenced, that the regccia^ 

 tion was unneceflarily prr>tra<5fe''', and that the Convention, from 

 the co!)du(51: of miniftry, was at lafl: obtained upon worfe 

 terms, and at a much greater expence, than other.vife it m.ighc 

 have been. In proof of thefe aflVrtions, he took a reviev^ cf 

 th^ circumftanccs that had taken place during the neirociation : 

 Adminiftration had at an earlv period announced, that the Court 

 of Spain had agreed to give fatisfaftion for the infult Bii'.ain 

 had fuftained ; yet the armaments went on with encreafed vi- 

 gour. The principles with which our Court fet ou'', had in the 

 Convention been related or abandoned ; and what had been 

 demanded as a matter of pofitive right, had been obtained only 

 on the footing of a conditional treaty. In thefe circimftances. 

 he contended that an enquiry was necefTiry before the Houfe 

 could approve of the Convention, and that the motion he meant 

 to make for a production of papers was proper and necefTary. 



He then defired that the motion might be read-ironi the 

 ;our!<a!s <^or papers r-' lative to the origin and progrefs of the 

 "difpute about Falklar.ds Iflanc's— The motion was, for copies of 

 all papers and prcpofitions by Spain, relative toFalklands Iflands, 

 and the anfwers that were returned : 



For copies of all letters and intormation received at the fe- 

 veral ofTices, relative to adfs of hoftdi'y committed by ,the fub- 

 jefls of Spain, againft the Britifh fettlementb upon thefe iflands : 



For copies of all dem.ands or req'ntitions for fatisfai^ion, of 

 the anfwers returned, rcprefentations exchanged, and in- 

 Itrudiion* fcnt to the Britiih miniffer to the Court of Madrid. 

 It appeared alfo to have been divided into three Gift n<5t moti- 

 ons, V, hich had been feverally carried. 



Air Grey faid, he fliould begin with 3 motion (imilar to the 

 firit, and follow it up, if carried, with motions fimilar to the 

 other two. — He cr-ncluded with moving, 



" That an humble addrefs be prcfented to his Majcdy, that 

 ^' he will be gracioufly pleafcd to give diTe<ft'ons, that there be 

 " laid before thisHouf.', copies of all claims auii reprefentations 

 " made by the Co!:rt of Spain, relative lo any fcttlemcnt that 

 <- has been ntade on the nortii wcftern coaft of America, and 



