or France; that the British Miniftry might always remain the arbitrators of the fate of the faid Colonies, in the point of fulfilling any treaties or agreements they might make. But the Catholic King, faithful, on the one part, to the engagements which bind him to the Moft Chriftian King, his nephew; juft and upright, on the other, to his own fubjects, whom he ought to protect and guard against fo many infults; and, finally, full of humanity and compaffion for the Americans and other individuals who fuffer from the calamities of the prefent war, he is determined to purfue and profecute it, and to make all the efforts in his power, until he can obtain a folid and permanent peace, with full and fatisfactory fecurities that it fhall be obferved.

25. To attain, as before-men tioned, the much-defired end of a fecure peace, it is abfolutely neceffary to curtail and destroy the arbitrary proceedings and maxims of the English maritime power; to the attainment of which, all other maritime powers, and even all nations, in general, are become

much interested. The Catholic King, for his part, has done all he poflibly could, that the infults, founded in fuch proceedings and maxims, fhould be put an end to; but this he has not been able to effect by amicable means. On the contrary, injuries have been repeatedly continued, as has been reprefented in the negociation fet on foot with England by the mediation of the faid monarch. The court of London has become for. getful, in thefe later times, that the fhould have adjufted and fettled her differences with Spain ac

cording to agreement. In the fame month of May, in which this negociation was put an end to, there came advices of the violences committed by English fhips and their crews in the river -Saint John, and Bay of Honduras, (of which mention has been made in note the firft) and it was known, alfo, with great probability, that the English Cabinet had given anticipated orders for the invasion of the Philippine Inlands. From fuch deeds, as well as from the foregoing, the impartial and candid world will be enabled to do juftice in this famous controversy, and decide whether the declaration prefented by the Marquis of Almadovar, the 16th June laft, is founded in reafon and truth. In the mean while it fhould be obferved, that the court of London, on the 18th of faid month, iffued orders for commencing and committing hoftilities, and making reprifals against Spain, who did not iffue fimilar orders till after fhe had received advice thereof.

particular, against the difrefpectful treatment of the Spanish flag, and the violation of the territory belonging to his Catholic Majefty. As nothing could be more diftant from the King's intention than to break the friendship fubfifting between Great Britain and Spain, it is by order of his Majefty, that the faid Viscount Weymouth offers fuch a ftate of the matters fet forth in the faid Declaration, as, he doubts not, must fhew the fincerity with which his Majefty hath endeavoured to main. tain the general tranquillity.

The little defire for peace, as fuppofed on the part of the King, is deducible from the conduct attributed to Great Britain during the lait negociation: after the profeflions of the impartiality of his Catholic Majefty, his offers of mediation between Great Britain and France, and after the acceptance of the fame, the Declaration affirms, That every ftep had been taken neceflary to produce the best effects, in order to prepare the two powers towards an accommodation equally honourable to both parties; that to this end wife expedients had been propofed; but notwithstanding thefe terms were conformable to fuch as the court of London, at other times, judged proper and conducive to an accommodation, they were, however, rejected in a manner that proves too well the reluctance on the part of the British Cabinet to restore peace to Europe, and to preferve the friendship of his Catholic Majetty.'

The conditions offered by France were, to the highest degree, injurious and inadmiffible; the King exprefsly declared, that he confi

dered them as fuch; nothing can be more evident than that the expedients offered by Spain inevitably tended to enforce the very injurious conditions, but just before declared as inadmiffible.

The pernicious confequences of the propofed expedients had been explained to the court of Spain, by order of the King, and that they were in the most amicable manner exprefsly rejected. Had it been otherwife, there could be no reafon for an ultimatum: yet it is not without altonifhment, that, after the first answer, the King received the ultimatum from the court of Spain, not only containing the very fame offers thus rejected, but announced with fcarce any difference in point of form.

The Declaration further fays, That, on the 28th of Septem ber, the court of Spain had notified to the belligerent powers, that in cafe the negociation did fucceed, the would then determine how to act.'-If the open part the court of Spain now takes, be THAT the fecretly intended at that time, it would have been more confiftent with her dignity THEN to avow it, and range herfelf openly under the banners of France.

Instead of fuch a conduct, the court of Madrid, affecting impartiality, hath offered to mediate, but not to dictate the terms of peace, promifing to communicate to each court the conditions claimed by either, that fo they might be modified, explained, or rejected. When the propofals made by France were rejected, and the Declaration made to Spain to ceafe her mediation, fince her en

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deavours

deavours did not fucceed, it was accompanied with affurances, that the friendship fubfifting between the two nations fhould not be interrupted.

How far this is true, appears from the actual Declaration, announcing hoftilities on the part of Spain, without venturing to ftate the non-acceptance of the terms as one of the causes of the war: but should it be otherwife infinuated, it will fornith his Majefty with an additional reafon to complain of the injustice and arrogance of fuch a pretenfion.

The previous caufes which the court of Spain hath thought pro. per to urge, are, the infults againft her flag, and the violation on her territory. As to the first, these are the terms of her memorial: • Prizes had been made; veffels had been fearched and plundered; many have been fired upon, who were forced to defend themfelves; the registers and packets belonging to the court, and found on board his Catholic Majefty's packetboats, have been opened and torn to pieces.'

All forts of American veffels have been received in the ports of Spain; they have been furnished with falfe documents, and fuffered to carry Spanish colours; their privateers have plundered all nations without diftinction; and fuch has been the induftry of the Spanish Miniftry in order to enhance the number of grievances, that thefe depredations were by them reprefented as injuries committed by Great Britain. Thefe complaints, which do not exceed the number of twenty-four, fel dom fpecify the author of the fuppofed infult, and thofe which did

were frequently ill-founded, and in general frivolous; however, i is granted that the answers were amicable. The King thought it worthy of himself, not only to ufe every precaution neceffary to prevent diforders which might offend neutral powers, but also to exert every effort to punish the authors, and repair the lofs of the fufferers. Such hath been his conduct at all times, when poffible to discover and convict the guilty.-Among the vaft operations, fuch as in the prefent war, it is not surprifing that fome irregularities have happened; but when fuch cafes were proved, reftitution was made with ample damages, and all damages paid.

It has been advanced, “That his Catholic Majefty formally declared to the court of London, ever since France commenced hostilities, that the court of Madrid would regu late her conduct by that of the court of Great Britain.'-Nevertheless thirteen English veffels have been feized, on what pretence, or by whofe order, we are ftill to learn, although his Majefty ordered fuch reprefentations to be made, as are ufual, on the like occafions, between nations in a state of ami. ty; which his Majefty did, not attributing thefe feizures to a perfidious and inimical defign, until the conduct of the court of Spain has been better explained by the prefent Declaration.

The pretended violation of the Spanish territory may be reduced to four heads.

In the first place it is faid, That the dominions in America, belonging to the court of Spain, have been threatened,' without fpccifying time, place, or circumftance.

Secondly,

Secondly, the memorial mentions, That the Indians have been fet against the innocent inhabitants of Louisiana, who must have fallen victims to their fury, had not even the Chatcas repented, and revealed the confpiracy.'-It is well known that the Governor of New Orleans tried to feduce the Chatcas, and that he received with open arms thofe tribes which committed devaftations in the English Western fettlements. Thefe tribes returned, but were not fet against the Spanish territory; it was never attempted, nor was fuch an idea ever entertained.

The Declaration afferts, That a formal representation was made to the court of London concerning thefe different grievances, and, feeing the equivocal expreflions on the two preceding points, fuch remonftrances were particularly neceffary towards the ftrict obfer. vance of the good faith between two nations at peace.'-It is not true that the least representation was ever made on either of the two preceding articles, to which the most ample and fatisfactory answers might have been given.

Thirdly, they pretend, That the fovereignty of his Catholic Majesty, in the province of Darien, and on the coaft of Saint Blas, hath been ufurped, the government of Jamaica having appointed an Indian to the rank of General over thofe provinces.' -On this fubject, inftructions were difpatched, bearing date the 28th of April laft, as is ufual be. tween nations in friendship; no advices being received from Jamaica on this matter, fresh orders were fent for a full explanation,

but in point of time no answer could yet be expected.

Fourthly, That the territory in the Bay of Honduras has been ufurped, acts of hoftilities committed, the Spaniards imprisoned, and their houfes plundered; as alfo that England had neglected to fulfil the ftipulated article relative to this coaft, agreeable to the 17th article of the treaty of Paris.'

With regard to the English subjects frequenting the Bay of Honduras, that matter had been regulated according to the aforefaid article, and finally adjusted with the court of Spain in the year 1764; fince which period no complaint having been made on either fide, this court is ftill ignorant whether the least cause ever exifted.-Surely this cannot be included among the pretended grievances which the Declaration fuppofes as having been duly re prefented either to the English court, or to her Ambaffador at the court of Madrid.

Such are the motives alledged by the court of Spain in the name of his Catholic Majefty, as a juftification before God and the world for commencing hoftilities against Great Britain. The King appeals to the actual state of affairs, being the fame as that which subsisted fince the conclufion of the last treaty, as a full proof that no attempt was ever made on his part to infringe this treaty. He appeals to his uniform conduct ever lince this epoch, to furnish ftill Itronger proofs that he hath endeavoured to preferve the fame with all the affiduity and care which the interefts of humanity and the happiness of his fubjects

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required.

required. Ultimately, he appeals to the conduct of his enemies, and in particular to the aforefaid Declaration from the court of Spain, as the laft proof of the neceffity he is under to defend the rights of his crown and people against a determined project to invade the fame; a project wherein the court of Spain at length openly joins, without the leaft reafon to colour fuch a proceeding.

A MANIFESTO published at Paris, difplaying the Motives and Condua of his Moft Chriftian Majefty towards England.

TRANSLATION.

HEN the Sovereign Dif. pofer of events called his Majefty to the throne, France enjoyed the most profound peace. The first concern of his Majefty was to fignify to all the powers of Europe his fincere defire, that the bleffings of peace might be perpetuated to his kingdom. This gracious difpofition of his Majefty was generally applauded; the King of England in particular teftified his fatisfaction, and gave his Majesty the most expreflive affurances of fincere friendfhip. Such a reciprocity of fentiment juftified his Majefty in believing that the court of London was at laft difpofed to adopt a mode of conduct more equitable and friendly, than that which had been adopted fince the conclufion of the peace of 1763, and that a final ftop would be put to thofe various acts of tyranny, which his fubjects had in every quarter of the globe experienced on the part

of England, from the æra above mentioned. His Majefty perfuaded himself that he could still place the greater reliance on the King of England's proteftations, as the primordial feed of the American revolution began to unfold itself in a manner highly alarming to the intereft of Great Britain.

But, the court of London, vainly imputing that to fear or feeblenefs which was only the natural effect of his Majefty's pacific difpofition, ftrictly adhered to her cuftomary fyftem, and continued every harathing act of violence againft the commerce and the navigation of his Majefty's fubjects. His Majefty reprefented thefe outrages to the King of England with the utmoft candour, and, judging of his fentiments by his own, his Majefty had the greateft confidence that the grievances would be no fooner made known to the King of England, than he would redrefs them. Nay, further, his Majefty being tho roughly acquainted with the embarraflment which the affairs of North America had occafioned the court of London, charitably forbore to increase that embarra ment, by infifting too hastily on thofe reparations of injuries, which the English Ministers had never ceafed to promife, nor ever failed to evade.

Such was the pofition of affairs between the two courts, when the meafures of the court of London compelled the English colonifts to have recourfe to arms to preferve their rights, their privileges, and their liberty. The whole world knows the era when this brilliant event fhone forth; the multiplied and unsuccessful efforts made by

the