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Mft. ‘GUAM'S SPEECH
Ti h .t‘ flutist i House nt ('■onritmihs,
Fef.raurv 4. on a motion for an
/
kcflrt-ss'dl’Thanks to llis Majesty,
I m his most gracious Speech.
Mu. flurr ij'iA.M rose to express hi**
ft clings iff. unqualified abhorrent e anil
station at tin prim iples laid down
lv the Allie,-, as applicable to Spain
a principle ns detestable rn practice,
.18 at was sbtmnl in policy. If their
expression of abbot rent e received any
iiusrtrficnfmn at a!!, it should be oivly
that ol indignant disgust, at flie cau!'-
ing hepoerisv ol the language in which
this .-motions principle ;h prouuJ;;.i
ted to the world, lit roe for the
purpose of expressing thru* sentiments
in the first .place; but Jie should ill
discharge his dutv if, in candor to the
House, he did not declare the extreme
gi utiiiuUion lie felt, and which all right
thinking, men must feel, at the sound
and liheivl views Contained in the
Speech, iu reference to the present
state oi affairs in Europe, and the line
of conduct pursued at the'Congress of
Verona. He knew not whether His
Majesty’s Ministers could, under pre
sent circumstances, proceed further.
In the present critical state of this im
mense affair, he doubted whether nny
further steps could have been taken,
than those communicated in the speech.
Certain lie wa, that this communica
tion would diffuse universal feelings
of joy and exultation throughout Spain,
of confidence and encouragement
throughout all free nations, and inde
pendent states, of proportionate dis
may ami confusion to t! ose who, in
total mockery of all justice, armed
themselves with a manifesto against
liberty in the abstract, Mid against in
depeiuluvce, wherever to be found,
ami who, pel haps, might la foolish and
ahurd enough, to arm th rr hordes for
the purpose of carrying their manifesto
into execution. France liers.elf, as well
as Spain, would receive ern ouragement
from this kunmituiicatiuu. I liut small
anil Contemptible body of |/ersons w ho
‘surrounded the throne ut'tnfcir nearest
and must important ncighooi, uiu *vtu
to serve their own pecuniary interests
or their bigotry, pushed -on their sove
reign to such measures, h-r trusted they
Would be in the same pro
portion as others were encouraged.
Having said thus uitiuli .wiwever. Up
ivuki .tut disguise ln lettings with
respect to the internal uiftutrs of the
country- They were now arrived at
a state unprecedented in the i istory of
this country, at least since tha Frencli
Involution. If they looked to tin ■ inter
nal situation of it, they would fin ! that
0114: of the most important brancl’ies of
national industry, flic agricultural,
was in a state of the greatest en tbar
rassment and distress. It must apt near
to every person, that however t hey
might get over the present crisis, it
was one of great difficultv. Mown r
favorable might he the aspect of affiti’rs
he must be a very bold and confident
prophet, but he could not say aver v
thoughtful one, who would take upon
hiiKM'.f to sav, that they would have
the haj'pp fortune of keeping them
selves in a state of neutrality, in the
event of .hostilities between France
und Sparft. It vas in contemplation
of such an event, ne wished to take a
view of the present state of their a flairs
find tiiat alone induced him to trouble
them nt present. As “'hat he should
offer to the House, might appear to
trespass on those prior. *'es of rigorous
economy which he had a’ways ad\ oca -
ted, he*’would explain his views. If
was the -duty of eveiy statesman, to
, -oditv bis couduct bv change of eir
cutDßt\ncc, and by novelties in ihe
situation of public affair*. He Ivetmc
elated Jiis belief, that thy distress that
provmlcn iust.vear, received but a voi y
partial toJiok’iti consemiencc of the*
ta .rs that w re repealed. In speaking
td the agricultural distresses of the
countrv, ho luvrt step aside, to allude
to extant meoivigs ‘ Inch lately took
place on the subji ft. I< seme F the
proceedings wfveh occurred on these
occasion*, he did net concur; out
thouHi he viewed them with disappro
bation, he was disp(B<**l to treat them
without harshness. In some of those
Xi’aces where they took piace, the <lis*
tress was most heavilv feit; an*! ho
w , s inclined to think” that .♦!)** <>u>-
mefitarr ebullition fueling was occa
si uieil by the severity of suiTenjig.
I ‘iiore were certain persons, who h.xd
a ri'dii I*’ express disapprobation more
limTly than others, but it was loudest
in 4ke ninths of those who had the
lust right complain. However for*
ei.r n (ius might appear to the subject
more immediately neture the llouse.it
xvos impossible lie could pass it by
witliou* a few words. He had, in com -
mo<, with several friends of his in that
House, a -*ghtto protest against n
principb’, similar to that whuh the\
Had opposed in the year IMI, “hen
they icfustd their assent tp a bill
9 i
brought Into i m- fTuO ji, /.<-.• pro.c ■mg
the tenant fund (he enforcement, for a
time, 4 5 ‘he landloid s demand. A et,
though this emunatvd from Ministers,
and the proposition?*.! the present day
emanated from a very opposite source,
mark how exfixjpius met, and what a
hair’s breadth difl'mence existed le
---i w een the one mill the other—— that bill,
only professed u> prevent landlords
distraining for rent, when the parties
paid 14s. and 9.1. in the pound, or in
other words,government was then w il
ling to cheat the landlord of one-third
of his righl, whilst the Norwich resolu
tion would go to rob him ot another
third. He merely mentioned this inci-
dentally, to convince Horn Members
they ought not to judge too censori
ously of the conduct of other*, who Jii.d
not the same means ot information, or
of coming to a deliberate judgment, as
that House possibly possessed, lie
could not but regret, that other meet
ings seemed to have taken up narrow
views, and suggested a very inefficient
and inadequate mode of obtaining re
lief from their present distress. Some
had suggested the repeal of the duties
on hops, prompted, no doubt, by the
pressure which they, though few', felt
from that duty, on this wry circum
scribed-description of produce, ihe
Northern resolutionists, on t!ic con
trary, considered themselves acti ig
mainly for the general interest, in de
mandinga repeal ol the duty on dates,
but all must see, except these parries
themselves, that such trilling conces
sions were but dust iu the balance. It,
however, showed the Hous? and the
Government that the distress was still
felt very generally, although they were
not encouraged to take the suggestion
of the remedy from the party complai
ning*. There was but one general and j
permanent source of relict; lie meant
the general diminution ol the public
burthen*, *. curtailment ol the public
expenditure, together with an arrange- j
:nent respecting the Sinking l tad,
which might for ever put an end to I
that delusion for which we hr. ! so long
paid so dearly ; these, taken conjoint
ly with, a general reduction ot taxes,
and of such, in particular, as affected
the persons complaining of iheir pres
sure, were alone likely to effect any*
material amelioration l of tlreir condi
tion. In taking a view or this question,
so far as it was likely to affect our ex
ternal means oi defence, it was far from
Id* intention to deduce an argument,
for the necessity of reducing any of
our ships of war ori actual service.
t'he.subiof t nl the improvement ol t'u*
service, an inquiry uho its manage- •
inent, or an investigation of the means
of reducing its expenses, was perfectly
consistent with the public mterost, and
the duty of that House ; but he would
consent to no proposition toe a redac
tion, whilst the affairs ol Europe were
in their present critical situation* Ihe
same argument, he thought, did not ap
ply to any other branch ot the service.
It certainly did not appear to him, to
apply to the land service ot this conn - ■
try, nor would lie even suppose, a pos
sible, we should have to carry on war
upon the same scale ot enormous ex
pense as we had done in tire last Span
ish war. It might be asked, wherefore
he should so strongly recommend eco
nomy ? His reply was, that ne did con
template the very strong probability of
this country becoming a party to the
approaching hostilities ; and he there
fore, with a view to husband the re
t ources of the country, must advise the
1 louse to save every thing they could
now dispense with for the moment,
■alien large expenses would become
nci essary. No person, recollecting the
anc mat policy of this country, and how
it xv.as always considered to be bound
to support the interest of its ancient
ally, Portugal would hesitate to sup
pose it possible if this ill luted expedi
tion n ow planning at Paris was prose
cuted, and the French army went into
Spain, that in a very lew weeks this
country must be dragged into the war.
live only thing in which lie differed
wit.i the sgaiUnt officer who seconded
p , ,
the Address was toe expression ot a
sentiment favmabic to our preserving
a strict line of neutrality. In this he
vvocld not concur; because lie. thought
our pres* nation oftmi strict a neutral
character would be in fact, to court tlu*
issue, which all true friends of the hu
man race ought to wish us to avoid, (t
our Government promptly discovered
its intentions to support the independ
ence of the Portuguese ami Spanish
nations, he for one, and he believed the
whole English people, to a man, vvouin
joy full y co operate with iiis Majesty s
Government, in any efforts they might
be disposed to make, in order to give
stiic'Hi vto their remonstrance. He
hoped it would be found, that our Gov
ernment had pretty expressly stated,
that under certain circumstances, it
the independence ot our allies were
menaced, they would run to their as
sistancc. If this conduct had been pur
sued, it would doubtless prove to be
the most effectual means of averting
the danger. The more the conduct ot
ihes-c Continental Powers was looked
at and contemplated, the more extra
oulii.V, v ii would appear. He wordd
isk any one then, to take up the rep
rcsent:fiiwns made by the Austrian,
linssiap and Prussian Governments to
the Government oflMadrid, and giving
them, if ha could, a respectful and pa
tient perusal to the end, pronounce
whether they had ever seen any pro
ductions so extraordinary, so mon
strous, as those State Papers.. He
would appeal to any German statist to
explain how these State Papers could
he conceived to be ‘consistent with the
principles laid down hy these very
Sovereigns, as applicable to the objects
legitimately open to the observation
and jurisdiction of those high Poten
tates assembled in Congress, lie
would now attempt to show by a refer
ence to these declarations and a cele-
brated document referring to the sub
ject of (Special Congresses, that the
p. incip'eon which they effected to act
in the tiist instance, had been depart
ed from iu tip*late public State Papers
addressed tu tit* Spanish government.
The Prussian manifesto says, that
“ the Constitution of the Cortes was
such, that confounding all elements
and all povveo - , and assuming only the
single principle of a permanent and
legal opposition against the Govern
ment, it necessarily destroyed that
central tutelary authority which con-,
stitutes the essence of monarchical |
system.” The Russian Note says, j
that the Const tution of the Cortes,
which was, the Note adds, brought (
about in 1820 by some perjured soldiers .
bit which, sail Mr. was!
nothing mure than the Constitution of
the Cortes, established under the aus
pices o* this country, and even Russia •
in 1812, had imposed on Spain laws I
which ti-e public reason of Europe, on- *
lightened by tin* experience of all ages (
stamped with its highest drsapproba- 1
tion ; the Allied Cabinets, and partic-j
ularty that of St. Petersburg, hastened!
to pet an end to the cakun.tr s that|
vvz.ud follow in the train of iustitu-,
tion> wlifoh consecra’e 1 military revolt j
bv the very mode of tiicir establish-,
meut. Now it turns out that tin.* “ pub- 1
lie reason of Europe,” is nothing more ;
or less than the reason of His Imperial j
Majesty —and the experience of altj
ages by which it is etiliglrcm (I, is the
experience of not inure than ten years,
namely since 1812.’ When this very!
same Monarch concluded a treaty with I
the Spanish Government, wherein His’
Imperial Majesly acknowledges a* I"- 1
gitimate, according to t e most appro- j
veil and holy language or dialect of the 1
Holy Alliance, of vvliioh he an- i
(■ears to lie toe ii'-.ni, tins very i*rnu! j
tion of the Cortes tittr.ii estab- 1
lishcu, and which had Wen, in fad,)
onlv revived in 182<;.-Now this was to j
confer oti it, as well as the Constitu
tion they had decreed, the most rtn
qu a lifted praise. It was not for the
Spanish people, alter rousing from a
long night of .darkness and d< snot's*!,
to forfeit the privileges it had acquir'd
hy a cowardly concession when the
bayonet was at their breast. The Con
stitution might have its faults, its spots,’
possibly it had, but as he would be tha
last man on earth to injure the Spanish
cause, and might, nevertheless be dis
posed to argue with the people the pro
priety, at any other time, of disarming
all possible ground of objection to
their Constitution, still lie would say,
“ do not do so now, lut -wait till ihe
time comes when it may Ac supposed
you have not acted thus through un
manly fear, but upon mature delibera
tion and reflection.” What then would
the Mouse think of the treatment
which Fpuin had received in the per
son of its Representatives at the hands
of these august Sovereigns in the Con
gress of Veronk? In fact he could
hardly imagine in w hat posture or cha-
meter our own negotiator* had appea
red there* Hut that conduct, such as
it was, explained what were the inten
tions of the Holy Alliance in meddling
with the Constitution given to Spain.
The treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle hud
been concluded in November, 1318—
by the fourth article of which it was
resolved, m the plenitude” of their
power,•tlrafe’sp'ciil Congresses might,
beheld from time to time, obviously,
as it would appear, dictated in the
same hvpolitical style ns had so dis
tiwguisiiedly characterised the Impe
rial Catharine and the Austrian Court
in their manifestos relati'c to their
•merciful intentions in the then pro
jected partition of Poland. Tic maui
-I’iHo then proceeded to state that
“ calm and constant’’ —calm, no doubt,
in tlm sense’thnt a distinguished polit
ical #ater uses the phrase when he
describes calmness as the atmosphere
in which despotism delights to shroud
itself—calm and constant in their re
solve, uovur to depart from the princi
ples of the law of nations, their only
object is to restore the relations in
which the two countries hitherto stood,
and the repose of the Spanish people,
l his was the strain of political remon
strance, half-sermon, half-romance,
half-state paper, which, in its anxiety
for the interests of morality and reli
gion, could not help reminding us of
similar impious professions by the An
tocratrix of Tlu.wia upon her Seizung
upon Poland, province hv province,
when, after barbarously letin.g loose
her murderous hordes for a whole day
on the defenceless popula ion ot War
saw, sparing neither man. woman or
child, until the number of these un
happy victims exceeded. 20,000 sav-
slaughter**^— u p ofl
dav ordered “I e Dcum to be sung
i in the places of public worship, and
.issued a proclamation, stating that the
I Empress desired repose, only to dis
play to the people of Poland the solici
tude of a tender mother, whose heart
was filled with the most affectionate
wishes for the interests of all her chil
dren. Such being tie objects of these
Special Congresses, he should like to
propose it to the ingenuity of any
German statist, within any reasonable
time or length of argument, for fife is
short and time valuable-—how he could (
reconcile the professions set forth in ;
th-e treaty of Aix-la Chapelle, with the j
conduct of the Special Congress at j
Verona. The treaty of Aix la-Cha-i
pelle stated positively that no poweM;
were T> be included in the delibera- ;
lions of such Special Congresses, ex
cept they were parties to toat system
of Sacred Alliance, or except such
Sta*a* formal I v invited the mediation
of that August Alliance, and sent its
Ministers of-t <te to be present during
giii'ii tl’eliberation. How was the con
tradidiou to be ‘ explained r or how
; 0 .1(1 tne Congress call Spain before
h,T in liie absence of any Spanish ne
gociator, and wit milt c pain inviting
nr u-quc*iing her interference? Vet,
hv v.rl ic *t a resolution passed at
A < rwna, France was about to assa.l
an. l put down the independence of
Sj> .v , had proceeded to take up arms,
and wa* ah.mt to invade her territory
i’hese transactions would prove ales-j
■o i lo all g veenments, what they were
t<> expect from *uch coalitions. Let
ihe House consider what was in the
p over of such puissant Princes to ac
complish by thus proceeding to criti
c se the arts of independent States,
and promulgating their opinions on
what legitimate trovernineiits, as they
have been confessed to be, have thought
proper to adopt lor toe naUnal benefit.
There is, in hut, nothing that is not
taken to pieces oy these meddling
Aristocrats. They first speak of an
intervention between Spain and its
colonies—they then talk of the weak
n.-ss < f the Spanish King’s Ministry.
This, it appears, is a sufficient reason
to place Spain under the bail of the
Cuuexoss, and induce it to demand
that such irieftieient Ministry should
be changed for a better in their opin
ion. I proceeds to its finance, and i
states that ruinous loans have been
effected, heavy taxes imposed: no
doubt agricultural distress would have
been a suffici-nt reason f their in
terposition, if it had existed in Spain.
Lastly, the Russian sympathy is moved
bv it.e alarming fact, “ that blood had
been seen to flow within the precincts
of the Palace of a Iking—and that a
civil war raged throughout the Penin
sula:*’ a civil vyar, which in fact had
been excited y a sanitary cordon of
one of these Allied Powers, proVided
with gold and arms to encourage and
abet rebellion in Spain. If there had
been a massacre of th'e guards in 18-22
it should be recoilectell that Ferdinand
had paved the way t ). these disorders
by putting down in “1814 the existing
order of things, as> settled under the
influence ol’h.sbcst friends, the Libe
rals of that day. ’ In July 182 2, an at
tempt at a counterrevolution had been
made, and an attack was made, to put
down the Emperor of Russia’s legiti
mate ally, the Cortes. Yet because this
failed, the Emperor had the audacity
to assett that disorder and anarchy
followed which made Europe shudder.
As well might he arraign the minister,
who in this country ordered a soldier
to fire on rioters, attacking the invior
lability of our Hwn King’s person. It.
next proceeds to talk of tne Spanish
people having indulged in vain thoo
r es and a disordered philosophy—in
effect, Russia is pleased to impute all
the disorders in Spain to a want of a
‘conservative system—Austria calls on
J the Spaniards to observe the solid
claims of Austria bn their.respect and
attention. This was worse than ab
surd—it was absolutely disgusting.
One was at a loss how sufficiently to
admire the marvellous inconsistency
(fa Power, half European, half Asia
tic whose principles were Oriental and
alien to us, and whose practices were
detestable atv%Toreign to the West of
Europe—holding out to the Spanish
people, a theory by which civilized
Spain should regulate its conduct and
government. The argument in these
documents was this:—We have hun
dreds of thousands of armed men at
our command, and we will not stoop
lo reason with slaves whom we disdain
to attempt to convince.
He could not sufficiently applaud the
reply to these contemptible produc
tions made by the gallant Spaniards.
I t was short and pithy —and whether
the insult was given by Goth, Hun, or
iCalmuc, the frankness of that answer
|t j ;
was fully a match fi r the craft .off
Holiemvan, and its courage more tljav.
an equivalent to the savage ferocity of
the Tartar.— \nd if it should be found
that there were leagued against this,
nation all those tyrants that infest the
world, they could not fail to find a
friend in every Englishmau, and in ev
ery Frenchman* except the contempt
ible party which disgraced the name*
of Frenchmen. ’ Every real French
man, every worthy man of that liberal
and gallant people, which*'after such %
variety of vicissitudes ; so many hard
fought battles, had at last reposed it
\vhat bad-been supposed a durable and
well earned peace, must abhor the de
sign ,of invading the Spanish territory.
Wherever thoffe may be a manlV
heart or u free Spirit, Spain had a right
(o challenge assistance. It would bp
odiouS and a waste of time further to
1 criticise the contents of these State
| Paper*;* whose object seems to have
! been to insult Spain, atul 9etone clus*
[ of her subjects upon another, It mighp
fairly be*objected to his Prussian Ma
jesty, who was so nice a .-critic irj
dirairs of a nation with whom he had
no connection or concern, that it would
be much better and safer policy in him.
to recollect his promise of a Constitu
tion to his own subjects, than to keep*
up large armies for the purpose of ra
vaging the territories- of other States.
What could be more natural than for
this country to request Austria, that
before she was so generous to spend
her treasure in support of the arbitra
ry right of King Ferdinand, she would
only be so just as to reimburse King
George the twenty million pounds
which she had borrowed so long since
to mesarve her Government froin.an
nihil iti n P——What was more natural
than for a tree people to ask the Aus
trian Emperor how his own dungeons
had b.-e i filled with the men, women,
and chi! Iren of the Northern Italian
I at riot., whom his iron-hearted policy
l ad condemned to confinement for ten
or twenty years, or even for life, with
out even kn < wing the crime of which
they were accused ? Os the ltussian
Autocrat, he certainly must say he did
not expect such delicate sympathy of
spirit to be displayed by him as to pro
fess he was scared by blood being seen
to flow within the paJaee of a King—
for however unconnected that Prince
had been himself with* certaiiunysteri
ous transactions, it must be recollect
ed that lie was descended from a fa-,
t ;er and mother* and related to broth-
ers and sisters, whose dethronements
or tmird rs doubtless lie could have
no tiling to do with, though it had, al
ways happened that the reJa'jves ot the
dethroned and the deceased had al
ways reaped the benefit of such a calg*
inity, and had ahvays failed to bring
the perpetrators to light.—Had he
been his Autocratship’s Minister, he
would have advised him to abstain,
and not. touch upon so tender a topic..
He might have touched upon the Turks,
the Greeks, or even the island of Mi
norca, upon which he was so incessant-,
lvturning his eyes ; but lie should have -
advised him ns,ver to have made this a,
subject of his statistic rhetoric. He
could not but allude incidentally to a~
notaule discovery of these Potentates,
which seemed tube the result of a very
complete change of views with respect
to a character now so glibly denumin*
ated by themselves tyrant ami usurper.
Was it because he was no longer on a
Throne, at liberty, or alive, that they
imagined they might undo and
all they had been doing these twenty
years with respect to the late object of ,
heir alternate hate and idolatry ih If
u were a tyrant, their mouths were
forever stopped. England and Spain
alone were at liberty to apply the epi- .
thct to him. Could the king of Prus- -i
sia call him a tyrant who Ijatl followed
lis fortunes for.years, from the time,
le had been beaten by him in 180(>,.
when he bent on the knee,.and kissed,
the blood-stained hand of that patron’
•who then bestowed Hanover upoi) him ?
Could the Envperor Alexander with,
better grace ; call that man usurper,*
who alter he- had been thoroughly
thwacked by him, meekly sat at his
feet, and contented himself with l£e*
crumbs which fell from the
table of this gorged political epicure
A power which far these 150 years had
been successfully fallowing the profit
able system of getting all it could,
whether it were in Europe or in Asia,
strictly abiding by the thrivingprinci*<
pic of G’almuc policy perfected by the
refined policy of the half civilized
Court of ?st. I'etersburgh, which, vvhed
it could get no more, was content on a
late occasion to obtain as a douceur b
few square leagues of land, with a few
bundled serfs upon it, and which in,
pursuance of this principle, had lately r
with a view to get any thing, though rs
was worth nothing now nor perhaps
would ever be, had set up a claim for
an immense trackless territory against
tlMi Government of the United States,
on the north west coast of America,-
no duubt actuated by the same.inater
mvl feelings as his grandmother with
respect to Poland. Os Austria,
! truj;character had been drawn in pet