Page images
PDF
EPUB

Joseph Bonaparte, and have since resided in France, with the exception of those who held the offices of Minister and Prefet, and the higher appointments in the Church and the army. Those who choose to return under the amnesty are not to reside within twenty leagues of the capital. I understand that several persons have already returned to Spain, under assurances that they should not be molested, and that the decree would soon appear. I do not hear of any measure favourable to the Liberales being in contemplation.

M. de Pizarro told me last night that the Duke of San Carlos expected to be summoned to the Conferences held in London, on the subject of the piracies of the Barbary Powers, and of the African Slave Trade; and that, having written for instructions, he had been directed to attend the Conferencesthat, with respect to the Slave Trade, his Catholic Majesty, after the treaty he had concluded with the Prince Regent, was determined to join cordially in all the measures of the British Government for its suppression, and had instructed the Duke of San Carlos to give these assurances to your lordship. I have the honour to be, &c., H. WELLESLEY.

Baron Humboldt to Lord Castlereagh.

26 Janvier, 1818.

Mylord-Comme Votre Excellence m'a demande dernièrement si ma Cour avoit fait connoître à l'Espagne ses sentimens sur l'affaire des Colonies, j'ai l'honneur de lui communiquer une Note du Prince de Hardenberg à ce sujet. Elle est la réponse au ministre Espagnol, que Votre Excellence m'a dit de connoître et qui est presqu' inintelligible dans la forme dans laquelle nous l'avons reçu. Il resulta de la Note ci-jointe que le Comte de Goltz aura fait, sur le même sujet, des ouvertures plus détaillées au Comte de Fernan-Nuñez. Mais je ne négligerai pas, malgré cela, de marquer au Prince de Hardenberg l'intérêt que vous attachez, Mylord, à ce que la Cour de

Madrid connoisse pleinement et exactement les intentions du Roi, et les vues de ses Ministres à ce sujet.

Les journaux parlent d'une augmentation de 25 p. c. pour les droits sur le bois de charpente venant de la Baltique. Je crois que cette nouvelle est dénuée de fondement puisqu'une telle augmentation anéantiroit tout commerce avec cet article, et par là tout revenu que le Gouvernement en retire à présent. J'ose néanmoins rappeller à Votre Excellence sa promesse de s'informer plus particulièrement de la situation présente de cette affaire, et de m'en donner connoissance autant que les circonstances permettent.

Veuillez agréer, Mylord, l'assurance réitérée de ma haute considération et de mon attachement sincère.

HUMBOLDT.

Lord Clancarty to Lord Castlereagh.

The Hague, January 27, 1818.

My dear Lord-I have nothing of interest to send you from hence, and so much the better, desirous as I am to spare you as much as possible during the species of Cossack warfare you are about to encounter during the present session of Parliament.

The lecture from Moscow (though I have not learnt how delivered) to the sister and brother-in-law have some effect. Both their Royal Highnesses now go out everywhere, and appear gracious, even to the Dutch. The whole Royal family are apparently well united. The Ministry are well satisfied that the power rests with the Crown of sending away obnoxious foreigners, and prepared to advise its exercise whenever necessary, notwithstanding the defeat of Kemper's motion and the hopes amount almost to a certainty of passing the Budget laws, which come on for debate to-morrow. After this After this question shall have been disposed of, the promised projet of law, for checking the license of the press with respect to foreign friendly States, is to be brought forward.

Lord Clancarty to Lord Castlereagh.

The Hague, January 27, evening, 1818. My dear Lord-Since writing to you this morning, Nagell has communicated to me in confidence the substance of a curious correspondence which has passed between him and his Royal Highness the Prince of Orange. The day before yesterday his Royal Highness wrote to him, stating that he was sorry that he (M. de Nagell) should have taken part against him; that it was hard that complaints (des plaintes) should have been sent against him and the Princess to Moscow without having afforded to them, by a communication of their nature, the means of answering these complaints. (N.B. Pretty good proof this that their Royal Highnesses have received some smart and salutary advice from their Imperial brother.) His Royal Highness desires, therefore, to have the despatches upon this subject forwarded by this Government to Moscow communicated to him, and adds that he has no objection to have this request made known to the King.

Nagell's answer to this was, that "he had received his Royal Highness's letter, which he had immediately sent to the King for his Majesty's commands." The King sent forthwith for Nagell, and desired to have the despatches to M. Verstolk and the answer of this Minister from Moscow laid before him, in order that he might have the means of refreshing his memory upon them, and judging whether the Prince's request should be complied with. Having read them over, the King observed that he saw nothing to prevent the communication sought, and directed Nagell to acquaint the Prince that whenever (except when engaged with his Ministers) the Prince would call upon the King, his Majesty would read these despatches to him. This Nagell did accordingly, without saying a word more or less than he was directed, and yesterday received from the Prince a reply, stating "the receipt of Nagell's note, which, from the extreme delicacy of reverting to

VOL. XI.

D D

such a subject with the King, his Royal Highness looked upon as nothing short of a positive refusal to comply with his just request; that, the communication sought being thus refused, the Princess and he must wait in patience till he should receive an answer to a similar application that he was thus compelled to make to the Emperor of Russia, on whose justice he relied to make known to them the nature of the complaints alleged against them, in order that they might have the means of justifying themselves." Nagell, having shown this letter to the King, his Majesty agreed with him in thinking that there was no need of further prolonging the correspondence.

I make no comment on the above, but, heartily wishing that his Royal Highness had a better head and better advisers, remain most affectionately yours,

Lord Clancarty to Lord Castlereagh.

C.

The Hague, February 3, 1818.

My dear Lord-The Budget passed the second Chamber on the night of the 28th ult., and it is now before the first Chamber, in which it has been referred to the sections, the discussions on whose Report will terminate this business, probably towards the close of the present or early in the ensuing week. This matter has been very much litigated in the second Chamber; and, though ultimately carried by a sufficient majority, the Government were, at one moment, in some fear of its failure; and, although no very serious apprehensions are entertained of its being thrown out in the first Chamber, yet it is not fully ascertained to what extent the opposition may be carried.

With a view to operate a decision favourable to his views in some of the Members of the first Chamber, the King has been induced to take a step, which, though of little apparent consequence, I cannot think either wise in itself or quite compatible with his Majesty's desire to avoid the formation of a

regular Opposition in his States-General. Several of the Members of both Chambers occupy the honorary situation of Chamberlains in the King's household. Four of these, Messrs. Vilain XIV., Varnewych, Cornet de Gretz, and another, Members of the second Chamber, voted against the principal Budget laws. A ball was given by the Queen on Saturday last, to which every person who had been presented was invited, with the exception of these four persons; and, they were avowedly excluded upon the ground that, belonging to his Majesty's household, it did not become them to act counter to the views of his Government.

This has become a theme of general conversation and criticism here; and I must own that, besides giving to the persons excluded a degree of consequence to which otherwise they are in no degree entitled, I should fear the example will rather tend to excite some of the Belgic Chamberlains in the first Chamber to resist the Budget law, in the hopes of acquiring to themselves some character as marked and oppressed men by the Court, than induce their pliancy to the views of Government.

A projet of law to restrain the license of the press in favour of foreign Powers and the acts or intentions of their Governments will be presented to-day, by the Minister of Justice, to the second Chamber, and I have taken measures (I should hope successfully) to procure a copy of this document, which, if it shall reach me in time, will form an enclosure in this letter. A more efficient law upon this subject has been strongly solicited by several of my colleagues at this Court, and, aware of this circumstance, I have endeavoured, but ineffectually, to learn the proposed details. It is, indeed, strange, and marks the want of unity in this Government, that, conversing only yesterday with M. de Nagell upon the rumour of such a projet being to be brought forward to-day, he solemnly assured me that he had never seen it, nor had its provisions been ever communicated to him; and that, notwithstanding its peculiar

« PreviousContinue »