ページの画像
PDF
ePub

CHAP. IX.

Difpute with Spain. Representation of the earl of Briftol. Difpofition of the court of Madrid. Treaty between France and Spain. England defires a communication. Court of Spain refufes. The minifters mutually with draw. A rupture.

TH

ceived on her part any intention to difavow or even to explain away this offenfive tranfaction, he was readily to accept it, and to afford to that court as handfome a retreat as poffible. The letter which convey-'

Mr. Pitt, and dated on the 28th of July, a few days after the fatal memorial had been delivered by Mr. Buffy.

HE unfortunate intervention of Spain in the late negotia tion, raised so many difficulties, and created for much mischief both abroad and home, that it becomes an era in this hiftory, and it is necef fary we should pursue that objected these instructions was written by from the point at which we left it, to its final and fatal determination. The answer which had been received from the Spanish minifter in London was far from being fatisfactory to our court. Orders were immediately given to the earl of Bri ftol, our amboffador in Spain, to remonftrate with energy and firmness on fo extraordinary a proceeding; to adhere to the negative put upon the Spanish pretenfions to fish at Newfoundland; to reft the article of difputed captures, on the juftice of our tribunals; to continue the former profeffions of our defire of an amicable adjustment of the logwood difpute; and of our willingnefs to caufe the fettlements on the coaft of Honduras to be evacuated, as foon as ever his Catholick majefty fhould fuggeft a method for our enjoyment of that traffick to which we had a right by treaty, and which was further confirmed to us by repeated promifes from that court.

At the fame time that the earl of Brifol was authorised to proceed with that fpirit, which the offended dignity of our court required, and to bring Spain to a categorical and fatisfactory declaration, concerning her final intentions; yet if he per

VOL. IV.

The earl of Bristol punctually obeyed those orders. He found general Wall, the Spanish minifter, much in cold blood, and in very equivocal difpofitions, He heard with great patience the proper and energetic reprefentation that had been very ably made by the earl of Briftol. He applauded the king of Great Britain's magnanimity in not fuffering France as a tribunal, to be appealed to in his difputes with Spain; and declared, that in the propofition which had been made with the confent of his court, things were not confidered in that light; asked whether it could be imagined in England, that the Catholick king was feeking to provoke us in our prefent moft flourishing and moft exalted fituation, and after fucli a feries of profperous events as no fingle na tion had ever met with? He valued, and reciprocally returned, our frequent profeffions of friendship, and our defire of amicable adjustment. But thefe favourable demonftrations were accompanied with fome circumftances, that had a very menac

[E]

nig

ing appearance. For, in the firft place, he declared, that at that time the utmost harmony fubfifted between the courts of France and Spain; that in confequence of their perfect agreement, there was a mutual unreserved communication of every step taken in their several negotiations with England; that France had even offered to affift Spain, in cafe the difcuffions fhe had with us fhould grow into a rupture; and that this offer was confidered in a friendly light. Such ⚫ an intimate union of a third power with one of the parties at war, forebodes no long duration to its friendship, or even to its neutrality with the other. If Spain juftified the procceedings of France, and owned herself concerned in them, it was but one, and that a fhort, step to a junction with her.

As to the three matters in difpute, the Spanish minifter refolutely adhered to them all; and as to the laft (that of the logwood) he obferved, that Great Britain had offered them nothing, but what they had long fince been tired of, treaty and negotiation; that this matter had been already fully difcuffed; and that on this head Spain had given the moft convincing proofs of her defire to be on the best terms with England; for in the beginning of this war, before England had grown terrible by her fucceffes, when their American governors had endeavoured to diflodge the English from fome new eftablishments on the coaft of Honduras, they had at the complaint of our court, in order to take away all caufe of miftrust, ordered the governors to defift from fo justifiable an enterprize. That on the offer of England on this occafion to settle matters in an amicable manner, they chearfully

agreed to that method. But that fix years had elapfed without their receiving the leaft fatisfaction. They even alledged that the Englifh encroachments on their coafts in that time increased.

In this manner the Spaniards vindicated the form and the matter of their proceeding: they fhewed no fort of difpofition to relax from their claims; but at the fame time they no longer infifted on blending together the feveral difcuffions; and they profeffed, in general, though not in very warm terms, a defire of continuing in amity with us. With regard to the matters in difpute, the pretenfions of both powers flood in this pofture throughout this whole difcuffion; except that they were urged with more or lefs afperity, according to the fluctuating difpofition of the court of Spain, which feemed to rest upon no fure and settled principles. There were probably two factions in her councils, who as they alternately prevailed, changed the language and countenance of the Spanish minister. However, for fome time the aspect of things continued on the whole to be rather favourable, and even an express declaration was at length made, that Spain had been, at no time, more intent on cultivating a good correfpondence with us. But fill the French intereft filently gained ground at Madrid; the confidential communications of that court with Spain, her affected moderation in the treaty; the dangerous greatnefs of England: the common intereft of the house of Bourbon, every part of which muft fuffer, both in its dignity and fafety, by allowing the principal of its branches to be. pruned to the quick; thefe points were urged with continual follici

tation;

tation; and they affured the Spaniards that even the figning an alliance between the fovereigns of the two nations, would intimidate England, already exhaufted by the war, and apprehenfive of lefing the valuable commerce the carried on with Spain.

These arguments and fuggeftions at length prevailed, and a treaty was figned between the two courts, the purpose of which was to preferve from oppreffion, and to main tain the interefts of the house of Bourbon. This alliance was of a nature the more dangerous, as it turned upon family, not national interefts, and becaufe not stating exactly its objects, it might be made juft of what extent they pleafed We make no mention of any other treaty than this, of itself fufficiently alarming, because whatever fufpicions may be entertained, there is no certainty that any other has been concluded between those powers.

France had obtained in this treaty almost all that she aimed at ; by it the entered into the clofeft connection with Spain; this connection did not indeed feem directly, and of neceffity to include a breach with England; it led to it, however, almot inevitably. At first the whole tranfaction was kept a profound fe cret; the inferiority of the marine of Spain, and the precarioufnefs of their Supplies from America, in cafe they came to a prefen: rupture with England, obliged them to this temporary referve. France took care that this treaty fhould not tranfpire until the negotiation was broken off; and Spain, whilft he was under thefe apprehenfions exhibited thofe occafional proofs of a pacific difpofition, which we have juft now feen,

But as foon as France had loft all hopes of concludidg the negotiation in the manner he had wished, and had failed in the ufe fhe made of the intervention of the claims of Spain, the circulated with great industry a report, that Spain would immediately declare against Great Britain, in confequence of a treaty lately concluded among the Bourbon courts.

England found that those boafts of the French were too confidently made, and too generally believed, to be altogether without foundation. In confequence of thefe apprehenfions, orders were fent to Spain, to demand in the most moderate terms, but in a manner not to be evaded, a communication of this treaty, or at least a difavowal that it contained any thing to the prejudice of Great Britain. But before these orders could reach Spain, lord Bristol had himself received intelligence of the treaty, and of the hopes, which the French made no fecret of their deriving from that fource. He there❤ fore thought himself under a neceffity of defiring fatisfaction from the Spanish fecretary of ftate concerning it.

the

Upon this application there appeared on a fudden such a change in the countenance, language, and fentiments of that minifter, as indicated but too fully, he juftnefs of the fufpicions that were entertained. The Spanish flota was now fafely arrived with a very rich cargo; French arms had made a confiderable progrefs in the king's electoral dominions; the fuccefs of the imperial arms was no lefs ftriking; the reafons for their former fhew of moderation no longer exilled. They therefore gave a loose to thofe movements which they had hitherto concealed. M. Wall, evading a [E] 2

direa

on,

direct answer, entered into a long and bitter complaint, not only of the treatment which Spain had received from us, but of the haughtinefs of our late proceedings with France; that it was time for them to open their eyes, and not to fuffer a neighbour, an ally, a relatiand a friend, any longer to run the rifque of receiving fuch rigid laws as were prefcribed by an infulting conqueror; that we were intoxicated with our fuccefses; and a continued series of victories had elated us fo far, as to make us reject the reasonable conditions offer ed by France. This refufal made it evident, that our defign in ruining the French power, was the more eafily to crufh Spain; that we propofed entirely to chafe the French from all their colonies in America, to have the easier tak in feizing on the Spanish dominions in thofe parts, thereby to fatisfy to the utmoft our ambition, and to gratify our boundless thirft of conqueft; therefore he would himself be the man to advise the king of Spain, that fince his dominions were to be overwhelmed, at leaft that they fhould be feized with arms in his fubjects hands, and not to continue the paffive victim he had hitherto appeared in the eyes of the world.

question was again put; and at length the only reply was, that the king of Spain had thought proper to renew his family compacts; and then Mr. Wall as if he had gone farther than he was authorised, fuddenly turned the difcourfe, and no farther fatisfaction could be obtained.

The English ambaffador, though aftonished at fo extraordinary a change of ftile, replied with coolness to the invectives, and with firmnefs to the menaces of the Spanish minifter; he obviated the objections which had been made, and fupported our pretenfions; after anfwering in the best manner to what Wall had urged, he returned to his firft demand, an explanation concerning the treaty; as often as a direct answer was evaded, the fame

This revolution in the appearances of things in Spain, was too interefting not to be immediately communicated. Our ministry saw evidently, that the moderation they had hitherto displayed, might be attributed to fear, and that the language of the court of Spain would permit no doubt of their hoftile intentions. Orders were therefore given to the earl of Bristol, conformable to the dignity of the nation, and the juftice of our claim. He was ordered to renew his inftances concerning the treaty; to demand an explanation with a proper firmnefs, but without the mixture of any thing which might irritate; and to fignify, that a pre remptory refufal to communicate the treaty, or to difavow an intention to take part with our enemies would be confidered as an aggresfion on the part of Spain, and an abfolute declaration of war.

Things were now brought to a fingle and precife point. The demand was made in the terms of the order. Then it was that the pride of Spain entirely threw off the remainder of that mafk, which her policy had perfuaded her to affume; the fecretary, M. Wall, replied, That the fpirit of haughtiness and of "difcord, which dic- Dec. 10th. "tated this inconfiderate ftep, and "which for the misfortune of "mankind ftill reigns fo much in

"the

་་

"

the war on the haughtiness of the late English minifter, and on the little management with which his court had been treated, both during the adminiftration of that minifter, and fince his refignation. That had the purport of the treaty been defired in a manner lefs offenfive to the dignity of his mafter, it might as eafily have been obtained, as it could have been juftified; for the treaty, which was believed to have been figned on the 15th of Auguft, contained only a reciprocal guaranty of the dominions of the feveral branches of the houfe of Bourbon, but with this particular restriction, that it fhould only extend to the dominions which fhall remain to France after the prefent war.

the British government, is what has made the declaration of war, and attacked the king's dignity; * and that the earl of Bristol might “return when and in what manner was convenient to him. " The earl of Bristol parted from Madrid the 17th of December; and thus was brought on a rupture which has prodigiously extended the operations, and confequently the miseries of war, and threatens to protract them to a very long duration. Europe unfortunately found herself plunged into the gulph of a new war, at the time The hoped to emerge from the old one, and by the very means which were used to draw her out of it. A point of honour alone feemed to have been the last and immediate cause of the breach; but whoever has diligently attended to the Spanish affairs from the memorial prefented by Buffy to the final anfwer delivered by Wall, will fee that the motives were, however ill understood, of a much more ferious and important nature.

As the two powers had now come to extremities and the English ambaffador had departed from Madrid, the Spanish minifter alfo quitted London; but before his departure he left a paper, in the nature of a manifefto, of very little importance in point of argument, but filled with invectives, charging

It must be remarked that, this paper, whilst it pretends to fet forth the purport of a treaty, dated the 15th of Auguft, does not deny the exiftance of any other treaty which might more offenfively concern the interefts of Great Britain. It was however answered in every article with the utmoft moderation, perfpicuity and force, in a memorial of lord Egremont. Here we close the Spanish transaction; as this is the whole of what belongs properly to the year we treat of. All that remains to fulfil our annual task is to touch upon the affairs of the East Indies and America.

[blocks in formation]
« 前へ次へ »