Suffolk was appointed Keeper of the Privy Seal, in the room of the Earl of Halifax, who fucceeded Lord Sandwich as Secretary of State for the Northern department. Several promotions alfo took place in the law departments; Mr. Bathurst, was created Baron Apfley, and ap pointed Lord Chancellor, Mr. de Grey, Chief Juftice of the Common Pleas, Mr. Thurloe, Attorney; and Mr. Wedderburne, Sollicitor General, and also Cofferer to the Queen. Some other changes took place, as well in the law, as in other departments. CHA P. V. Declaration Signed by Prince Maferano, and the acceptance by the Earl of Rochford. Are laid before the Parliament. Address for Papers. Motions upon the interference of France. The Convention arraigned, and defended. Great debates. Addreffes moved for. Amendments propofed. The original question carried. Proteft. Jan. 22. T was not till the 1771. Ivery day of the meet ing of Parliament, that the declaration was figned by Prince Maferano, and the acceptance by the Earl of Rochford. By the former, the ambassador in the name of his mafter, difavows the violence used at Port Egmont, and ftipulates that every thing fhall be reftored there precifely to the fame ftate, in which they were before the reduction; but at the fame time declares, that this restoration is not in any wife to affect the queftion, of the prior right of fovereignty of thofe iflands: and by the acceptance, the performance of thefe ftipulations, is to be confidered as a fatisfaction for the injury done to the crown of Great Britain. This tranfaction was immediately announced to both Houfes, and copies of the declaration and acceptance were foon after laid before them. An addrefs was then prefented, for copies of all claims and propofitions made by the court of Spain relative to Falkland's Island answers, from the firft fettlement of it, together with the alfo, copies or extracts, of all letters and other papers, which contained any intelligence received by the officers of ftate, touching the commencement of hoftilities, or any warning or other meafures, indicating the hoftile intentions of the court of Spain, or any of its officers, against the faid ifland, and of the reduction and capitulation of it;-as alfo, of the demands made by the minifters, for fuch reparation as there was a right to expect for the injury received, and the infult upon the honour of the crown in feizing the island by force, and for obtaining fecurity for the rights of the people, which was deeply affected by that injury, to gether with the anfwers; and of all reprefentations made to the court of Spain, fince the first intelligence of its hoftile intentions, as well before, as after the place was taken; and of the letters and inftructions fent to the minifters at the court of Spain, and of all letters received from them. A A number of papers were accor-, in which, except two fhort letters from the Earl of Rochford, no paper or tranfaction of any fort appeared; nor that it was not fhewn, in what manner the negociation had been again refumed, after it had been totally dropped, and our minifter was ordered to quit Madrid, which he actually complied with. It was faid, that either there was fomething in this matter which could not bear the light, and that administration, in order to hide it from the public, and to give some colour to their conduct, were obliged to conceal fome papers entirely, and to garble and mutilate those which they produced, or else that they did not think the Houfe worthy of an answer. dingly laid before the Houfe, confifting of letters, protests, and warnings, which we have before taken notice of, and which had paffed, or been tranfa&ted, between the Spaniards and our officers, at Falkland's Ifland, from the 30th of November, 1769, to the figning of the capitulation, on the 10th of June 1770; together with the articles of capitulation, lifts of stores, and the letters wrote to the Admiralty, by the Captains Hunt, Maltby, and Farmer. To thefe were added, the correfpondence between Lord Weymouth and Mr. Harris, from the letter wrote by the latter, giving an account of the Spanish intelligence brought from Buenos Ayres, on the 23d of Auguft, to the laft which was written by the former, fome small time previous to his refignation, on the 28th of November; alfo the letter of recall, written by the Earl of Rochford on the 21ft of December, and another, on the 18th of January, 1771, which contained inftructions to M:. Harris, to go back to Madrid, and to refume the functions of his office. It was obferved upon the examination of thefe papers, that the terms of the addrefs had not been complied with, and that no one paper, relative to the claims or reprefentations made by the court of Spain, fince the first fettlement of Falkland's Island, or of the anfwers given, were amongst them, though they had been particularly Specified and required; that the first letter of Lord Weymouth's, which appeared, was marked in the office, No. 10; that there was a long chafm of near two months, To this it was replied, that all the offices had been fearched, and fuch papers as had been found in them, were now before the House, and that they knew of no others; that many of the fuppofed tranf actions, if fuch there were, must in courfe of time have taken place before several of the prefent gentlemen in office had filled their refpective departments; that if any other matters had been tranfacted between the two courts, they were perhaps carried on verbally; or if otherwife, they could give no account of them; that they had a fufficient number of papers before the Houfe, to enable them to judge of the conduct of administration in this negociation; whether they have done enough to fatisfy our prudence and our honour? and whether they have laid the bafis of a folid and reputable agreement with Spain, or given up the rights and character of the crown to his Catholic Majety? In a word, that Suffolk was appointed Keeper of the Privy Seal, in the room of the Earl of Halifax, who fucceeded Lord Sandwich as Secretary of State for the Northern department. Several promotions alfo took place in the law departments; Mr. Bathurst, was created Baron Apfley, and ap pointed Lord Chancellor, Mr. de Grey, Chief Juftice of the Common Pleas, Mr. Thurloe, Attorney; and Mr. Wedderburne, Sollicitor General, and also Cofferer to the Queen. Some other changes took place, as well in the law, as in other departments. CHA P. V. Declaration Signed by Prince Maferano, and the acceptance by the Earl of Rochford. Are laid before the Parliament. Address for Papers. Motions upon the interference of France. The Convention arraigned, and defended. Great debates. Addreffes moved for. Amendments propofed. The original question carried. Proteft. Jan. 22. 1771. IT T was not till the very day of the meeting of Parliament, that the declaration was figned by Prince Maferano, and the acceptance by the Earl of Rochford. By the former, the ambaffador in the name of his mafter, difavows the violence used at Port Egmont, and ftipulates that every thing fhall be reftored there precifely to the fame ftate, in which they were before the reduction; but at the same time declares, that this restoration is not in any wife to affect the queftion, of the prior right of fovereignty of thofe iflands: and by the acceptance, the performance of these ftipulations, is to be confidered as a fatisfaction for the injury done to the crown of Great Britain. This tranfaction was immediately announced to both Houfes, and copies of the declaration and acceptance were foon after laid before them. An addrefs was then prefented, for copies of all claims and propofitions made by the court of Spain relative to Falkland's Ifland from the firft fettlement of it, together with the answers; alfo, copies or extracts, of all letters and other papers, which contained any intelligence received by the officers of ftate, touching the commencement of hoftilities, or any warning or other meafures, indicating the hoftile intentions of the court of Spain, or any of its officers, against the faid ifland, and of the reduction and capitulation of it;—as also, of the demands made by the minifters, for fuch reparation as there was a right to expect for the injury received, and the infult upon the honour of the crown in feizing the island by force, and for obtaining fecurity for the rights of the people, which was deeply affected by that injury, to gether with the answers; and of all reprefentations made to the court of Spain, fince the first intelligence of its hoftile intentions, as well before, as after the place was taken; and of the letters and inftructions fent to the minifters at the court of Spain, and of all letters received from them. A A number of papers were accor-, in which, except two fhort letters from the Earl of Rochford, no paper or tranfaction of any fort appeared; nor that it was not fhewn, in what manner the negociation had been again refumed, after it had been totally dropped, and our minifter was ordered to quit Madrid, which he actually complied with. It was faid, that either there was fomething in this matter which could not bear the light, and that administration, in order to hide it from the public, and to give fome colour to their conduct, were obliged to conceal fome papers entirely, and to garble and mutilate thofe which they produced, or elfe that they did not think the Houfe worthy of an answer. dingly laid before the Houfe, confifting of letters, protefts, and warnings, which we have before taken notice of, and which had paffed, or been tranfacted, between the Spaniards and our officers, at Falkland's Ifland, from the 30th of November, 1769, to the figning of the capitulation, on the 10th of June 1770; together with the articles of capitulation, lifts of ftores, and the letters wrote to the Admiralty, by the Captains Hunt, Maltby, and Farmer. To thefe were added, the correspondence between Lord Weymouth and Mr. Harris, from the letter wrote by the latter, giving an account of the Spanish intelligence brought from Buenos Ayres, on the 23d of Auguft, to the laft which was written by the former, fome fmall time previous to his refignation, on the 28th of November; alfo the letter of recall, written by the Earl of Rochford on the 21ft of Decemher, and another, on the 18th of January, 1771, which contained inftructions to M:. Harris, to go back to Madrid, and to refume the functions of his office. It was observed upon the examination of thefe papers, that the terms of the addrefs had not been complied with, and that no one paper, relative to the claims or reprefentations made by the court of Spain, fince the first fettlement of Falkland's Island, or of the aufwers given, were amongst them, though they had been particularly Specified and required; that the firft letter of Lord Weymouth's, which appeared, was marked in the office, No. 10; that there was a long chafm of near two months, To this it was replied, that all the offices had been fearched, and fuch papers as had been found in them, were now before the House, and that they knew of no others; that many of the fuppofed tranfe actions, if fuch there were, mut in courfe of time have taken place before feveral of the prefent gentlemen in office had filled their refpective departments; that if any other matters had been tranfacted between the two courts, they were perhaps carried on verbally; or if otherwife, they could give no account of them; that they had a fufficient number of papers before the Houfe, to enable them to judge of the conduct of adminiftration in this negociation; whether they have done enough to fatisfy our prudence and our honour? and whether they have laid the bafis of a folid and reputable agreement with Spain, or given up the rights and character of the crown to his Catholic Majesty ? In a word, that the fingle queftion is, whether they deferve cenfure or approbation for what they have done? The interference of France in this negociation, became alfo a fubject of much difcuffion, and motions nearly fimilar were made in both Houfes, for an addrefs to his Majefty for information, whether that court had fo interfered; and in case it had, for directions to lay before them, an account of all tranfactions between his Majefty's minifters and thofe of the French King relative to it. It was urged in fupport of thefe motions, that there were many apparent reafons for thinking, that the negociation had been only refamed again through the mediation of the court of France, and that it was evident the declaration had been in a manner extorted by that influence, without any difpofition on the fide of Spain, either to give the smalleft fatisfaction, or to make reftitution. That the minifter's denial of this tranfaction is not by any means fufficient; the nation are not to take the word of any minister, let his credibility be ever fo great, in a matter of fuch importance. If there has been no fuch tranfaction, the King will fay fo, and his word, which muft be believed, will be pledged to the public for it; but if there has, it is fit they should be made acquainted with it, that the authors of fo pernicious a measure, tending to give a fanction and efficacy of the most dangerous and fatal nature to the Family Compact, may be brought to a public and exemplary punishment. Upon a total denial of the exiftence of any letters or papers between the French court and ours, relative to the negociation, the queftion was propofed to the minitter, whether France had not interpofed as a Mediator? to which it was answered, that France had not been employed by England to act as a Mediator; that the word, interpofed, was a word of an extenfive and indefinite fignification, and fhould not be replied to as a queftion; that the papers they had required were before them, and it was a new doctrine, instead of papers, to afk for verbal negociations; that an affair in which the general peace of Europe was involved, muft naturally intereft all the powers in it, and they would all neceffarily interpofe in fome manner or other; and that it was manifeft that there had been no difhonourable interpofition, from the terms of the declaration, which had given us all the fatisfaction we had, from the first, defired. Several objections were made to these answers; and it was faid, that if the Houfe could obtain neither any information nor fatisfaction, relative to verbal transactions, an end might be put to every fpecies of enquiry, as the minister would have nothing more to do in order preclude it, than to fay that the tranfaction, of however dangerous a complexion, had been merely verbal. Upon the question being put, the motion was however rejected by a prodigious majority in both Houfes. The convention was violently attacked by the oppofition both within doors and without. It was faid to be a moft daring act, to accept in the King's name of a declaration, by which the right of fovereignty of the island is brought into difpute; that the declaration, as it now ftands, is a perpetual re cord |