What is necessary to enable us to mediate for Spain with honour, is the redress of the grievances which we have against Her. But that matter is in Sir William à Court's hands; and is, I hope, in a train of settlement,

With regard to the length of your stay at Madrid, I have only to refer you to your own and Sir William à Court's joint discretion.

I shall hope to hear from your Lordship soon after your arrival, and as often as there is a safe opportunity of writing.

The Rt. Hon. Lord F. Somerset...

I have the honour to be, &c.

GEORGE CANNING.

(Inclosure.)—Memorandum of The Duke of Wellington, for Lord Fitzroy Somerset.

London, January 6, 1823. IT is important to make the Spaniards feel, that a King being necessary for the government of their Country, and a part of their System, as established by themselves,-it follows, as a matter of equal necessity, that the powers and prerogatives assigned to the King in the System, should be such as to enable Him to perform His duties, and such as, in reason, a King ought to be satisfied with.

If the situation of the King is not what it ought to be ;-if He has not the power to protect Himself, and those employed under Him, in the performance of their duty in the service of the Public; and if the King has not reason to be satisfied that the power allotted to Him by the Law is sufficient,-the Country will never be in a state of tranquillity, be the System of Government what it may.

There will be perpetual, successive, Royalist Insurrections in one part of the Country or the other; and the King and His Government will be objects of never ceasing jealousy and distrust.

The Family connection between His Catholick Majesty and the King of France, and the interest which the latter naturally feels for the welfare of the former,-will occasion a perpetual irritation between the two Countries, so long as the situation of the King in Spain is not what it ought to be; which it may be expected will, sooner or later, occasion War, and the invasion of the weaker Country.

Thus, then, those Spaniards who really desire the peace and welfare of their Country, must look to an alteration of their Constitution, which shall have for its object, to give the King the power of executing His office. I confess that I do not see any objection to this alteration, either in the antecedent conduct of the King, or in the apprehension that His Catholick Majesty will abuse the power thus confided to Him. The King will feel the advantages of the position in which He shall find Himself, and will have no motive for wishing to overthrow the System established, particularly if the alteration is made in concert with Him; and, moreover, the spirit of the People, and the exertions

of those Individuals who have prevented the existing System from being overthrown, will preserve that to be established, even though the King should be desirous of overthrowing it, by the abuse of the power entrusted to Him.

This will be the case particularly, if the proposed alterations of the System are concerted with the King. Indeed, no other mode of making those alterations can have the desired effect: as, if they are not made in concert with the King, His Catholick Majesty will not cordially carry into execution the System proposed; and, both King and People being dissatisfied, there will still be the same causes for internal disturbance and for external War as exist at present. The concert with the King on the alterations, must be a real one: and the King must be satisfied, that the Constitution, as altered, will secure the foundations of His power over the Executive Government, and will give him the means of protecting Himself, His Family, and His Servants

Neither do I see any reason for deferring to make these alterations in the recent transactions of Foreign Powers. Those transactions are all professedly defensive. France professes, by her Army of Observation, to be defensive; and declares that She will not pass the Frontier, excepting on the occurrence of certain Cases. The alterations of the Constitution, on the principles proposed, would render those Cases so improbable, as that the continuance of the Army of Observation would be an useless expense; and there is no doubt that it would be immediately withdrawn.

Then, another advantage which would result from this alteration in aid of internal tranquillity is, that France would most probably immediately adopt some efficient measure to prevent the assembly of the Royalists within the French Frontier. All Spaniards who pass the Frontier, might be ordered to reside at such a distance from the Frontier, as to render their intrigues or their operations within the Spanish Frontier nearly impossible; and thus the asylum given in France to Persons of this description, would not be inconsistent with the peace and tranquillity of Spain.

But this is not all. The Spaniards must see that all the sources of the prosperity of their Country are nearly destroyed; and that the very foundations of social order and government are in a state of risk. There is no Trade, no private or publick Revenue: the National Property cannot be sold: the interest of the National Debt cannot be paid; nor can the Army, or any of the public Servants or Establishments; and no Money can be borrowed.

I happen to know that the principal monied people in Europe, will not lend their money to Spain, till they shall see a System prevail in that Country, which shall afford some hope of the re-establishment and permanence of peace and good order.

D

If all this be true-if it be true, besides, that the best chance that Spain has of coming to some Arrangement with her Colonies, is to be found in some settlement of her internal dissensions and distractions, it is impossible that any reasonable Spaniard can doubt that the time is come, to effect those Alterations, which the common sense of mankind points out to be necessary.

SIR,

No. 10.-Mr. Secretary Canning to Sir William à Court.

Foreign Office, January 6, 1823. THIS Despatch will be delivered to you by Lord Fitzroy Somerset, who has the goodness to undertake a Journey to Madrid, (without any Official Character,) in the hope of being useful to you in the very difficult and complicated state of your present Negotiations, through his acquaintance with some of the prominent Characters among military and other publick men in Spain; and through the knowledge which he possesses, and is known to possess, of the views and opinions of the Duke of Wellington.

There may be those among the leaders of the Cortes, or in Offices of the Executive Government, who would listen to friendly counsels, coming from a Man to whom Spain is so deeply indebted as the Duke of Wellington, and to whom her welfare is naturally so dear, from the very services which he has had the glory of rendering to Her, though they might turn a deaf ear to any other suggestions.

The object of England is to preserve the Peace, of which her exertions have prevented the immediate interruption. But it is much to be feared that Peace cannot be preserved, if things remain in their present state, both at Madrid and on the Frontier of Spain.

France can hardly be expected to withdraw her Army of Observation, without some assurances from Spain, which she may plead as satisfactory. We ask no such assurances for ourselves, and we annex no penalty to the refusing or withholding them: but it would enable us to do much, that such assurances should voluntarily be given to us; and perhaps they may be given less reluctantly through the confidential Friend of the Duke of Wellington, than directly to yourself, even if you were authorized Officially to receive them. The interval is precious, and it is hoped that it may not be thrown away.

I enclose to you a Copy of a Letter which I address to Lord Fitzroy Somerset, and of a Memorandum with which he is furnished by the Duke of Wellington.

You will see that he is to consult your judgment as to the occasions on which, and the Individuals with whom, it may be expedient that he should enter into communication; that he will repeat to you whatever

*See No. 9, page 31.

passes in such Conferences; and that the length of his stay and the time of his departure are to be determined with your advice. GEORGE CANNING.

I am, &c.

The Right Hon. Sir Wm. d Court.

No. 11.-Mr. Secretary Canning to Sir William à Court.

(Extract.) Foreign Office, Jan. 9, 1823. ENCLOSED is a Copy of an * Official Note which I have received the King's Commands to address to the French Chargé d'Affaires in London, in reply to the Duke de Montmorency's Answer to the Note of the Duke of Wellington of the 17th ult. which tendered to the French Government the Mediation of His Majesty for the adjustment of its Differences with Spain.-You will communicate my Note to the Spanish Minister.

Our position between France and Spain is strictly mediatorial, even though neither of the two States should (for different reasons) think fit to avail itself of our formal Mediation: and though We are not invested with the office, We must endeavour practically to perform the duties of it.

I have received the King's Commands to signify to you His Majesty's gracious approbation of the ability, zeal, and perseverance with which you have executed the Instructions heretofore confided to you, with respect to the Commercial and Maritime Claims of His Majesty's Subjects,-the settlement of which, after so long a course of complaint and remonstrance, will be mainly to be attributed to your exertions.

The difficulty of the task imposed upon you by the tenour of those Instructions, contrasted as they are with the more acceptable communications which you have subsequently had to make to the Spanish Government, is fully acknowledged; and your success in reconciling two apparently opposite courses of conduct, and producing (as it is hoped you may do) a favourable result in both, will be proportionably appreciated by your Government.

If any thing of personal indisposition towards yourself, shall appear to have been excited in the mind of those with whom you have had to negociate, from the pertinacity with which you have been directed to press the unpleasant topicks of your late Conferences, you will not scruple to set yourself right, by throwing the whole responsibility upon your Instructions.

It would have been very desirable indeed, if it had been proper, to qualify the unpleasantness of those Instructions, by accompanying them with some distinct intimation of the part which the Plenipotentiary of His Majesty was taking in Spanish Affairs at Verona: but such an intimation of our separate opinion could not be given, in fair

*Soe No. 12, Verona and Paris, page 19.

ness to the Allies, while their deliberations yet continued, and while the result of those deliberations was undetermined or unknown.

Now that the whole of our conduct is before the Spanish Government, you will assuredly find no difficulty in convincing them of the correctness of both parts of it; in shewing them that a determination to vindicate our Rights against Spain was not incompatible with a respect for Her National Independence; and in availing yourself of the removal of that dissatisfaction, which must always have tinged our intercourse with the Spanish Government, while our just Grievances remained unredressed, to impress upon M. de San Miguel our desire to prove, by our Good Offices in Europe, how little any feeling of hostility entered into the Measures to which we were compelled to resort for the defence of our honour and our interests in America.

No. 12.-Sir W. à Court to Mr. Sccy. Canning.—(Rec. Jan. 9, 1823.) (Extract.) Madrid, December 26, 1822.

I SAW M. de San Miguel again this morning, who continued to speak in the same friendly tone as during our last Conference, and repeated his assurances that every thing respecting our Claims should be arranged to our entire satisfaction, provided the Cortes granted him the Faculties he demanded.-This I trust will be done.

In the course of this Conference M. de San Miguel said, that he fully understood our position, and our friendly intentions towards Spain; which arose indeed from a conviction of our own Interests. It never could tally with English Policy that France should be in military occupation of Spain.

He then added, that from every report which had lately reached him, he did not believe that any War was likely to take place.-The Congress was over, and the Great Continental Sovereigns had retired to their respective States, leaving every thing to France: and he had reason to believe that France was by no means in those decidedly hostile intentions, which there had once been reason to apprehend.

With respect to the possibility of any future solicitation of British Mediation, he gave me to understand that it was a Question of so delicate a nature, and necessarily so dependent upon contingencies, that he wished, at present, to say nothing upon the subject. If ever such a solicitation took place, it would be done in the most open, frank, and unreserved manner, by an Official written Document, which should leave no doubt upon the mind of one Party, as to the intentions of the Other.

I shall draw no inferences from this conversation. nor argue upon the probability or non-probability of our Mediation being solicited; as you, Sir, will be much better able to judge correctly of this matter, from the communications you receive of what is passing in the Cabinet of the Tuileries.