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parated from their officers, to such towns as he may think proper.

We do not pretend to treat them as prisoners; and I confess that I am astonished that two years should have effaced from your recollection the discussions and transactions with Spain, of which you were informed, respecting a similar body of Portuguese troops, not prisoners. If my memory does not fail me, his majesty's government then insisted, that the king of Spain should not only separate officers from soldiers, placing a certain number of the latter only in the same town, but that the whole should be removed far into the interior of the country, and that a detachment of his majesty's troops was sent to Portugal, because the king of Spain had not performed the duties of neutrality, as was required from his Catholic majesty, and had suffered the Portuguese troops, in Spain, to commit the very act which I have repeatedly assured you that the king of England will not permit those in England to commit.

But you forget, likewise, that these are undeniably a body of foreign troops in England, reEngland, respecting whom we are corresponding, and instead of treating them as prisoners, I should say, that his majesty's servants have done very little in requiring that they should quit Plymouth, and be separated from their officers; the latter to go to Exeter, or where they pleased, as individuals, the former to different towns named, not in specified numbers, as you state, but in numbers not exceeding certain specified numbers, in each town. This was proposed for their convenience as well as for that of the towns named.

I was charged with this discussion with you, because Monsieur le vicomte d'Itabayana informed lord Aberdeen that it was the marquis de Palmella who paid these troops. That gentleman has no political character in this country. I undertook this disagreeable office, in order to avoid giving this discussion any official form. But the case is the same, whatever be the form given to the discussion, and I earnestly entreat you to put an end to it, by removing the troops immediately from Plymouth, according to my suggestion of 19th Novem ber, if you do not think proper to send them to the Brazils.

In making this entreaty, I do so in the true spirit of a friend; and I must add, that you render but little, if any, service to the cause of the queen Donna Maria da Gloria, in obliging the king to resort to the measures which have been ordered, in case of any breach of his majesty's neutrality, and that you impose upon me personally, a most painful duty in obliging me to inform you, that you will be responsible for all the consequences which will follow your omission to obey his majesty's commands, as conveyed to you by me.

I confess that I am astonished that you, who have so long served your country in a diplomatic situation in this, should not see that it is impossible that this government should not insist upon the adoption of the measure which I required should be adopted, on the 19th November, or its substitute, as proposed by yourself.

I have the honour, &c.
(Signed) WELLINGTON,
Duque de Victoria
The Marquis de Palmella.

(Fourteenth Enclosure in No. 37.
Translation.)

THE MARQUIS DE PALMELLA to
THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON.

London, January 2, 1829. Monsieur le Duc,-I had the honour to receive, the day before yesterday, in the evening, your letter of the 30th of last month, and I will confess to your excellency that the determination which it announces gives me great pain.

Your excellency again insists upon the necessity of removing immediately to a distance from Plymouth, the Portuguese troops which are there assembled. I flatter myself that at the moment at which I write, four transports, with persons on board, which for the last fortnight have been ready to take their departure with the first fair wind, will have set sail.

I am engaged in preparing, with all the haste possible, those which are to follow; and I can assure your excellency, that, from the moment when I declared to you that these individuals should go away, sooner than accept the conditions which the British government required for the continuance of their residence in England,that is to say, to be dispersed on different points, indicated by your excellency, and the officers to be separated from the soldiers,-from that moment, I say, the preparations for their departure have been carried on without intermission.

Your excellency must have been informed of these preparations, as well as of the impossibility of the vessels quitting Plymouth, on account of the continuance of contrary winds,—an obstacle which neither the orders of the British government, nor all the goodwill

on my part, can enable them to surmount.

The change of weather which has taken place since yesterday, induces me to believe that it will be too late to send them fresh orders; besides, M. le Duc, I am firmly convinced that these individuals, in directing their course to the island of Terceira, do no more than avail themselves of the right which it is impossible to deny them without injustice, and that, far from violating the neutrality of his Britannic majesty, they respect it as they ought, in quitting, without arms, and on board merchant vessels, the territory of his Britannic majesty, in order to proceed to an island, of which her majesty, the queen of Portugal, is sovereign de facto as well as de jure.

The last intelligence which I have received from Terceira is of the 18th December, and at that time there was no civil war in that island, as your excellency supposes, and it was entirely under the dominion of the government which governs it in the name of her majesty the queen, Maria 2nd.

The British government may certainly object to the subjects of a sovereign, the friend and ally of his Britannic majesty, going to any territory belonging de jure to that sovereign, but which may de facto be under the dominion of a government which I consider as an usurping government; but it appears to me evident that the government of his Britannic majesty cannot, without deviating from the neutrality which it professes, prevent them from returning to the country which remains theirs, after having refused them permission to remain

in England, without being dispersed. And certainly the acknowledgment of the title and rights of her most faithful majesty is of very little value, if the same power which acknowledges them prevents her from sending her subjects to a country which remains under her dominion, but which may stand in need of them for its defence.

Your excellency recalls to me what took place two years ago, with respect to the Portuguese rebels, whom his Catholic majesty, at the demand of the governments of Portugal and England, dispersed on points at a distance from the frontier of Portugal.

I cannot conceive that the two cases can appear to you parallel. The individuals in question had made inroads, at different times, by force of arms, into Portugal: they had been protected, armed, and organized in Spain. The Spanish government itself (and if I am not mistaken, your excellency made mention of this circumstance in parliament) had disposed these troops in a way to menace Portugal with an attack; and therefore the assistance of British troops, which I was ordered by my government to solicit, was conformable to the treaties upon which I founded my claim; and the Spanish government had not only been guilty of a breach of neutrality, but had menaced Portugal with an attack, and had given just cause of war.

Therefore the demand which was subsequently addressed to the Court of Madrid was justified by the acts already committed, and became necessarily a guarantee against their repetition.

How, then, can it be possible to

cite such a precedent, in order to apply it to the actual case, where there has been, on the part of the Portuguese, no abuse of the asylum which has been granted to them in England, nor any act which can be imputed to them as a violation of the neutrality of the country? And how can the British government believe itself obliged to prevent her most Faithful majesty from sending some of her own troops, which happen to be in a neutral country, to a part of her dominions where she is actually acknowledged, and obeyed as legitimate sovereign?

In addressing these observations to your excellency, I only acquit myself, with regret, of a last and painful duty, so much the more necessary, as your excellency attributes to me a responsibility which I think ought not to fall upon me.

I will conclude, by announcing to your excellency, that I will transmit a copy of this letter to his excellency the marquis de Barbacena, who, in his capacity of plenipotentiary and delegate of the august father and guardian of her majesty the queen of Portugal, finds it, I believe, to be his duty to correspond officially with the government of his Britannic majesty, on the interests of her most Faithful majesty. I have, &c. (Signed)

LE MARQUIS DE PALMELLA.
His Excellency the

Duke of Wellington, &c.

No. XXXVIII.

Instructions to CAPTAIN WALPOLE, Dec. 12, 1828. By the Commissioners, &c.

Whereas, a considerable number of Portuguese soldiers and

other foreigners are about to sail in transports from Plymouth or Falmouth, and it is supposed they intend making an attack on Terceira, or other of the western islands; and his majesty having been pleased to command that a naval force should be immediately despatched to interrupt any such attempt, you are hereby required and directed to take the ship and sloop named in the margin under your. command, and to proceed, with all practicable expedition, to Terceira; and, having ascertained that you have succeeded in reaching that island before the transports above alluded to, you will remain yourself at Angra, or Praya, or cruising close to the island, in the most advisable position for intercepting any vessels arriving off it; and you will detach the other ships as you shall deem best for preventing the aforesaid force from reaching any of the other islands.

In the event of the aforesaid foreign force approaching Terceira, or any of the other islands, you are to cause whoever may be in command of it to be informed that you are instructed to prevent their landing at any of the western islands; and, should they persist, notwithstanding such warning, in hovering about, or in making any efforts to effect a landing, you are then to use force to drive them away from that neighbourhood; and you will, in such case, keep sight of them until you shall be convinced, by the course they may steer, and the distance they have proceeded, that they have no intention of returning to the western islands, or of proceeding to Madeira. You will, however, in this event, leave one of the ships

under your orders at the western islands, to act again, with regard to the said foreigners, as before directed, in the event of their parting from you at sea, and returning, or in the event of other detachments of a similar description, from England, afterwards making their appearance amongst the said islands.

In the event of the foreigners in question proceeding towards Madeira (after your turning them from the western islands), you are to pursue the same conduct towards them, in first warning them against making any hostile effort there, and afterwards, if necessary, in using force to prevent it, as before directed with regard to the western islands.

In case of your proceeding, as above directed, to follow the force in question, or any part of it, until you are satisfied that they do not intend to return to the western islands, or to attempt Madeira, you are, after quitting such force, to return to the western islands, to rejoin the ship you will have left there, and to assist her in securing the remaining objects before explained.

And you are to continue on this service until you receive further orders. Given, &c. 12th

of December, 1828. (Signed)

G. COCKBURN.
G. CLERK.

Benjamin Clement, Esq.
Captain of his Majesty's Ship
Shannon.

(Transferred to the Captain of

His Majesty's Ship Ranger,) By command of their lordships.

(Signed) J. W. CROKER

STATEMENT as to the FINANCIAL OPERATIONS of SPAIN..

The Journal du Commerce published the annexed article respecting the financial situation of the Spanish Government in the money-market at Paris. "Negotiation of the royal loan, consisting of a nominal capital of Francs. 90,180,000 francs, which have yielded to the Spanish government about

"Negotiation of 136,782,000 francs rente perpetuelle, which, at the rate of 38 per cent., have yielded to the same government

42,000,000

52,000,000

94,000,000

"To deduct 15,000,000 of rentes unsold and in the hands of the government's banker, or its agents, at the same rate of 38 per

cent.

5,700,000

88,300,000

"This sum has been employed in the following man

ner:

"Five series of the Royal loan have been reimbursed at 4,500,000 francs each

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22,500,000

"Arrears of four years

15,000,000

37,500,000

"Arrears of the produce of the rente perpetuelle, to the 1st of July 1829

9,000,000

"Paid for English claims, in virtue of the treaty of the

28th of October 1828, 200,0007. "Paid to the French government on the 1st of last July "Redemption of the rente perpetuelle to the 1st of September (see the Moniteur) of the 3rd.

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10,100,000

2,000,000

2,400,000

"Salaries paid to all the Spanish embassies by the banker of his Catholic majesty at Paris since 1824

4,000,000

"It appears that on the 1st of last September, the English claimants received for arrears on the 600,000l. of rentes given them in payment

750,000

65,750,000

22,550,000

"Note-Mr. Guebhard has remitted direct to the Spanish government, on the produce of the negotiation of 61,792,137 francs of the royal loan, which he effected in cash, deducting 5,840,000 (35 per cent.), which he kept as commission, &c., for which receipt was duly given him by Mr. Burgos

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which have been remitted to Spain by the banker of the Spanish government. "It is, in fact, notorious to the whole commercial public of Paris, that important remittances of paper on Spain were made for a long time; the rate of exchange of that period has proved the fact. There remains at the disposal of the agents of the Spanish government, to meet the exigencies of the half-year ending in January, the negotiation of 15,000,000 francs of unsold rente perpetuelle, which, at the stated rate would yield to the Spanish government 5,700,000 francs.

"With regard to the profits accruing to the agents of the Spanish government on the negotiation, of 48 per cent. on the royal loan, and 38 per cent. on the rentes perpetuelles, altogether amounting to about 15,000,000 on the former, and 12,000,000 on the latter, which the purchasers of these securities have supplied, not including the immense advantages derived from stock-jobbing speculations, which have also been obtained at the expense of the French, it is not difficult to guess their destination.

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