2805.) | Cry 
| STATE or PUBLIC AFFAIRS, 
In February, 1805. 
THE BRITISH EMPIRE. 
WIOON after we clofed our account of 
t) the Pablic Affeirs of our laft Num- 
ber, the papers relative to the war with 
Spain, includiag the declaration by the 
Engiith Government, were laid before Par- 
lament, by his Majefty’s Minifters. The 
declaration fets out with the prepofition 
that, ** From the moment: hoftilities had 
commenced between Great Britain and 
France, a fufficient ground of war againtt 
Spain, on the part of Great Britain, ne- 
ceffarily followed from the Treaty of St. 
ildephonfe, if not difclaimed by Spain.” 
It then ftates the terms of that Treaty 
in the following words—<‘‘ Spain ‘cove- 
nanted to furnifh a fiated contingent of 
naval and military force for the pre- 
fecution of any war in which the French 
Republic might think proper to engage. 
She [pecifically furrendered any right er 
pretenfion to enquire into the nature, 
. Origin, or juttice of that war, She fti- 
pulated, in the firft inftance, a contingegt 
of troops and fhips, which, of itfelf, com- 
prifed no moderate proportion of the 
means at her difpofal; but in the event 
ef this contingent being at any time found 
infufficient for the purocfes of France, 
- fhe further bound herfelf to put into a 
ftate of activity the utmo force, both by 
fea and Jand, that it fhould be in her 
power to colle&t. She covenanted that 
this force fhould be at the dilpofal of 
France, to be employed conjointly or fe- 
parately for the annoyance of the com- 
mon enemy; thus fubmitting her entire 
power and refources to be ufed as the in- 
ftruments of French ambition and aggref- 
fion, and to be applied in whatever pro- 
portion France’ might ‘think proper, for 
the avowed purpofe of endeavouring to 
fubvert the Government and dettroy the 
national exiftence of Great Briiain.”” 
Tlie deciaration proceeds to fhew that 
the Englith Government was wihlipg to 
wave the extreme exercife of its rights, on 
affarauces of a pacific difpofition towards 
England on the part of Spain. It conti. 
nues to trace the relative fituation of the 
two countries, till © in the month of 
OStober a convention was figned, by 
which Spain agreed to pay ta France a 
certain {um monthly, in lica of the naval 
and military fuccours which they had fi- 
pulated by the Treaty to provide, but of 
the amount of this dum, er of the na- 
tyre of any other flipulations which that. 
Convention might contain, no offcial in- 
formation whatewer was given.” 
Gur Government then remonttrated, 
‘¢ That afubhdy, as large as that whick 
Spain was fuppofed to have engaged te 
pay to France, far exceeded the bounde 
of forbearance ; that it could only meet 
with a temporary connivance, a5, if it was 
continued, it might prove in fa&t a greater 
injury than any other hofiility. In reply 
to thefe remonitrances, it was reprefented 
as an expedient to gain time, and af- 
furdnces were given which were confirm. 
ed by circumfiances, which came to his 
Majeity’s knowledge from other quarters, 
that the difpofition of the Spanith Goverce 
ment would induce them to extricate 
themfelves from this engagement‘, if the 
courfe of events fhould admit of their 
doing fo with fafety.”” 
The Englith Government now took 
their fand on the following grounds, -on 
which it profefles te have aéted up to the 
declaration of war by Spain. Our Mi 
nifter at the court of Madrid, fir pro- 
teded againit the convention, 23 a wios 
lateon of neutrality, and a juftifiable caufe 
of war; fecondiy, he declared that our 
abftaining from hoftilities mu depend 
upon its being only a temporary meafure, 
and that we mutt be at liberty to confider 
a perfeverance in it as a caufe of wars 
thirdly, that the entrance of any Frenck 
troops into Spain-muft be refufed; \and 
fourthly, that any naval preparation mu& 
be a great caufe of jealoufy, and any at~ 
tempt to give naval affiftance to France am 
immediate caufe of war. 
. The declaration goes on to reprefent 
our Government as ftill defirable to pra: 
tract, if poffidle, the decifion of the quef= 
tien. The report of ‘* fome naval arma- 
ments in the ports of Spain had ‘occa- 
fioned a frefh correfpondence between ‘his 
Majefty’s Minifier and the Spanith Go- 
vernment. Inone of the notes prefented 
by the former, he declares, that af the 
Sing was forced to begin a war, ‘he 
would want no other declaration than 
what he had already made. The anfwerg 
of the Spanith Government were at firtt 
of an evafive nature ; his Majelty’s Mix 
miter clofed the corref{pondence on his 
part by 2 note delivered on the 18th of 
February, in which he declares that all 
further forbearance on the part of Eng. 
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