Membres les plus marquans du Ministère de Sa Majesté Catholique, et les Cours Alliées sembleroit avoir un moyen facile d'imprimer à leur langage cette imposante uniformité.

Leurs Ministres en France ont traité jusqu'à ce jour en leur nom, avec un Plénipotentiaire de la Cour de Madrid.

Ne pourroient-ils pas aujourd'hui lui présenter en commun des observations dont le résumé va suivre, et qui rappeleroient au Gouvernement Espagnol la conduite ainsi que les principes politiques des Monarques Alliés ?

Ces Monarques diroient les 5 Ministres, n'ont cessé de former des vœux pour la prospérité de l'Espagne. Ils en formeront toujours. Ils ont désiré qu'en Europe, comme en Amérique, des institutions conformes aux progrès de la civilisation et aux besoins du tems, pussent procurer à la totalité des Espagnols de longues années de paix et de bonheur. Ils le désirent de même aujourd'hui. Ils ont souhaité que les institutions devînssent un bienfait réel par la manière légale dont elles auroient été introduites. Ils le souhaitent encore à présent.

Cette dernière considération fera deviner au Ministère de Sa Majesté Catholique avec quel sentiment d'affliction et de douleur, ils ont appris l'évènement du 8 Mars, et ceux qui l'ont précédé.

A leur avis le salut de l'Espagne, ainsi que le bien de l'Europe, exige que ce crime soit désavoué, cette tache lavée, ce scandale détruit.

L'honneur d'un semblable réparation semble appartenir aux Cortès. Qu'ils improuvent et déplorent hautement le moyen employé pour établir un nouveau mode de Gouvernement dans leur Patrie, et qu'en consolidant un régime sagement constitutionnel, ils portent les Loix les plus rigoureuses contre la sédition et la révolte.

Alors, et seulement alors, les Cabinets Alliés pourront maintenir avec l'Espagne des relations d'amitié et de confiance.

Développées d'un commun accord par les Représentans des 5 Cours, ces observations signaleroient dès-à-présent au Ministère Espagnol, la ligne de conduite que suivroient les Gouvernemens Alliés dans le cas où les conséquences du 8 Mars perpétueroient en Espagne les troubles et l'anarchie.

Si ces conseils salutaires sont écoutés, si les Cortès offrent à leur Roi, au nom de la Nation, un gage d'obéissance, s'ils parviennent à asseoir sur des bases durables la tranquillité de l'Espagne et la paix du Sud de l'Amérique, la révolution aura été vaincue au moment même où elle croyoit obtenir un triomphe.

Si, an contraire, des craintes peut-être trop justes se réalisent, au moins les 5 Cours, auront-elles rempli un devoir sacré, au moins un nouveau fait auroit-il signalé les principes, indiqué le but, et démontré l'action de l'Alliance Européenne.

L'Empereur attend la Réponse des Cours de Londres, de Vienne, de Paris, et de Berlin, sur la Communication que son Cabinet leur

adresse à cet égard, et les prévient que le présent Mémoire est l'instruction qu'il a fait envoyer à tous ses Ministres au sujet des affaires d'Espagne.

NESSELRODE.

[See Confidential Minute of the British Cabinet, on the Affairs of Spain, May 1820. Vol. 1822, 1823. Page 71.]

REPORT of the Secretary of State to the Cortes, relative to the Foreign Relations of Spain.-11th July, 1820.

(Translation.)

If the situation in which Spain was left, not only by former years of incapacity and mismanagement, but likewise by those immediately succeeding the heroical but sanguinary struggle which secured the National Independence, has prevented this high-spirited Nation from successfully employing the arts of policy upon every occasion which has, of late, presented itself; if accumulated misfortunes have caused her to retrograde since the last century, when wisdom and sage counsels, authority and power, caused her to be,at once, respectable and respected; yet can her former and her recent triumphs never be effaced from the recollection of the Nations of the Earth; and the glorious deeds which we have all witnessed, are proofs that even her present state of decadency has been unable to impair her energies, to extinguish her ancient love for freedom, to lessen her character for moderation, or to weaken her sentiments of attachment to the Throne, and of fidelity to her King.

In the midst of events so calculated to discourage and afflict, the long desired and inevitable political regeneration, destined to restore to Spain her ancient magnificence and power, has at length taken place, the natural result of the Political Constitution of the Monarchy, the authority of which has been irrevocably established by the unani. mous suffrages of the Nation, and by the paternal cares of a generous and beloved Monarch.

At this fortunate point we have arrived, happily preserving relations of perfect friendship and amity with the Powers in general. With 2 only of them have circumstances occasioned a misunderstanding,→ the Portuguese Government in the Brazils, and the Republic of the United States of America. Negotiations have however, been begun, and are still pending upon the subjects of difference with those Powers.

The occupation of Monte Video by the Portuguese Troops in the year 1816, gave rise to disputes with the Court of Rio de Janeiro, and rendered it necessary to recur to the mediation of the Great Allied Powers, Austria, France, Great Britain, Prussia, and Russia: that me diation was undertaken by them, and commenced under the favourable auspices of a recognition of the justice of our cause, but its progress

has been interrupted, or prosecuted with indifference, and has not been productive of any result, because the Naval Expedition, so necessary an auxiliary of mediation, was never despatched, and because the peculiarity of our position could not fail to give to our Negotiations that character of diminished favor and influence, which are the usual concomitants of political transactions in all circumstances of difficulty and embarrassment. The whole attention of the Government, having been subsequently devoted to the great political change produced by the assembling of the Cortes, no further advance has been made in the Negotiation, and fresh combinations will necessarily result from the new state of things; in which His Majesty's Government will not be found wanting, in all that can contribute to the prosperity, glory, and rights, both of the Crown and of the Nation.

The other Negotiation, now pending, relates to the Treaty concluded between the King and the President of The United States, on the 22nd February of last year, and not ratified by His Majesty. This Treaty had for object the settlement of disputes, the protracted duration of which rendered their termination the more imperative. The questions were, the payment to The United States of a sum, claimed as an indemnification to their Citizens, for losses incurred in various ways, and the laying down a line of demarkation, which, by fixing the western limits of Louisiana, might put an end to mischievous errors, and to cavils and altercations of a most serious character. In the lengthened discussions which preceded that Treaty, the controvertible points of limits, &c. were sifted and argued with the greatest judgment and ability by the Spanish Ministry. By that Treaty, the King offered to The United States the cession of both the Floridas: various circumstances having, however, induced the Royal mind not to ratify it, His Majesty found it necessary to accredit a Plenipotentiary to Washington, for the purpose of making eertain explanations. Having arrived at his destination, that Minister had scarcely opened the Negotiation, when it was interrupted by the intelligence of our political changes. The nature of this important Negotiation, and the indispensable necessity of submitting it to the consideration of the Cortes, (territorial cession forming one of its preliminary objects) preclude His Majesty's Secretary of State from being more explicit, until the moment, in all appearance not far distant, when, by order of the King, the whole matter will be Jaid before the Cortes for their special consideration.

France engaged to pay a large sum to the Powers of Europe, to indemnify them, as far as possible for the Claims which poured in upon her from all sides, as the result of her military triumphs. But before ascertaining each individual demand, it was of course necessary to go through the tedious operation of a general investigation, the delay consequent upon which caused the accumulation of a considerable sum destined for the Claims of the Subjects of Spain in the extraordinary

emergency in which the Government found itself, when fitting out an enormously expensive Expedition, at a time too when its Treasury was exhausted, no other alternative presented itself, than that of appropriating the money in question to an object of such vital importance; this, however, was done by way of Loan, and every means suggested by a sense of justice was adopted, for the security of the Capital and the punctual payment of the interest. The details of this transaction will be laid before the Cortes; since it is as much His Majesty's anxious desire that a strict regard should be paid to the Claims of the Crediditors, as it is the duty of the National Representatives to sanction the necessary arrangements to be made for the payment of them.

We continue in a state of harmony with the Barbary Regencies, and it is hoped that no interruption will be experienced to that with Algiers, although it has for some time past advanced unjust Claims upon pretended Debts, and has lately sent to sea 5 Corsairs, whose intentions are, at least, suspicious. The Naval Squadron of The Netherlands, which, agreeably to the Stipulations of the Defensive Treaty, concluded at Alcala on the 10th August, 1816, with the Sovereign of that Country, was to act in concert with a Spanish Force, in repelling any attacks which might be meditated by those Regencies, has arrived off Gibraltar, where it remains to watch the Algerine Ships; whilst His Majesty's Government, animated by the wish of scrupulously fulfilling the Stipu. lations of the Treaty, and of protecting our Coasts and Commerce, are, notwithstanding the well known embarrassments of the Treasury, making every exertion to enable our Contingent to join that of our Ally.

The most satisfactory Answers have been received from the different Cabinets, to the Official Communication, made to them, first by the Minister, and afterwards by His Majesty himself, announcing the change which has taken place in our political system. In fact, nothing appears more difficult, than for those at a distance from the scene of action to comprehend, how so vast a change could have been effected with such unexampled discretion and tranquillity;, but the measures which have been adopted since the month of March, those which are now in progress, and will be accomplished, with so much honour and glory for this loyal and judicious Nation, and for its magnanimous and beloved Monarch, by consummating the work of our temperate proceedings, will succeed in securing to us the universal respect, nay the admiration, of all the Nations who are observers of our conduct.

In short, our relations with all the Powers are those of friendship and perfect harmony; and the only subjects which require negotiation and adjustment, are the differences to which I have above alluded.

11th July, 1820.

EVARISTO PEREZ DE CASTRO.

REPORT of the Secretary of State for the Ultramarine Provinces, to the Cortes of Spain.—11th July, 1820. (Translation,)

THE establishment of the Political Constitution of the Monarchy, on the memorable 9th of March of the present Year, was followed the next day by my appointment to the Secretaryship of the Colonies, with which the King was pleased to entrust me ; but, notwithstanding the most strenuous exertions, the re-construction and organization of the Office could not be accomplished for several days, owing to the dispersion of its Functionaries in many and distant Countries. The first step towards the due arrangement and furtherance of its duties, was to collect together the whole of the business which had been distributed among the different Secretaryships, and other Establishments, suppressed by the new order of things, although it properly belonged to this Department, in virtue of the powers, which, on its creation by the Decree of the 6th of April, 1812, had been conferred upon it by the Extraordi nary Cortes. The collection and classification of these crude and undigested materials have been no less irksome and tedious, than difficult and embarrassing, both from the confusion naturally consequent upon their passing through such a variety of hands in so many dif ferent quarters, and from the dissimilar and peculiar methods adopted by each Office in the arrangement of its Papers: if to this be added, the difficulty of obtaining the Documents that occasioned the Orders and Instructions which had emanated from the Secretaryship itself, previously to its extinction-of procuring all the Books and Registers in which are recorded the important affairs which had been transacted by it; the ineffectual search for all the Manuscripts, Memorials, Reports, Maps, and other aids so indispensable in such a vast Establishment;some idea may be formed of a task as disagreeable as it was necessary to the public service, and of the time consumed in an occupation, which, although unavoidable, diverted the attention from objects of acknowledged utility. Not a moment however, was, on this account, lost, in communicating to all the Ultramarine Provinces, the joyful events which had occurred in this Capital, and in every part of the Peninsula, and in ordering the Political Constitution, promulgated at Cadiz in 1812, to be immediately acknowledged and sworn to, and the Authorities and Public Bodies provided by it re-instated and re-organized; at the same time abolishing or modifying those which it suppressed or reformed, conformably to what had been done at the happy epoch, when it was proclaimed and sworn to, for the first time, in those Regions.

It could not escape the wisdom and profound policy of the King, that so favourable a crisis was the best and most desirable opportunity, for re-uniting the affections of all his Subjects in both Hemispheres; for reconciling and attracting them towards the new paternal and equitable Government that he had established, and in which are to