290 SPANISH AMERICA. 



Fox and Lord Grenville had been suc- 

 ceeded by that of the Duke of Portland, 

 Mr. Percival, the Earl of Liverpool and 

 others, who were then heartily disposed to 

 give the aid of the British government to 

 the scheme for the emancipation of Spanish 

 America. 



This policy, however, was soon after- 

 wards changed, in consequence of the 

 events which took place in Spain ; and the 

 effect of which was to render Great Britain 

 the ally of the Spanish nation against the 

 ambition of Napoleon Bonaparte. The re- 

 lations which thus sprung up between 

 Great Britain and Spain, of course, put 

 out of the question all idea of employing 

 a British force to assist in detaching the 

 Spanish colonies from the mother-country. 



It then became the policy of Bonaparte 

 to obtain a command, if possible, over the 



