he appeals to all Europe, and to the whole univerfe, for the purity of the king's intentions, and for the fincerity of the wishes his majefty has not ceased to make, as well as for the moderation he has always fhewed, though in vain, for the maintenance of friendship and good understanding between the British and Spanish nations. The king having received undoubted informations, that the court of Madrid had fecretly contracted engagements with that of Verfailles, which the minifters of France laboured to reprefent, in all the courts of Europe, as offenfive to Great Britain, and combining thefe appearances with the ftep which the court of Spain had a little time before taken towards his majefty, in avowing its confent, (though that avowal had been followed by apologies) to the memorial prefented the 23d of July, by the Sieur de Buffy, minifter plenipotentiary to the moft Chriftian king, to the king's fecretary of ftate; and his majesty having, afterwards, received intelligence, fcarce admitted a doubt, of troops marching, and of military preparations making in all the ports of Spain, judged that his dignity, as well as his prudence, required him to order his ambaffador at Madrid, by a difpatch dated the 25th of October, to demand, in terms, the most measured however, and the most amicable, a communication of the treaty recently concluded between the courts of Madrid and Versailles, or at least of the articles which might relate to the interefts of Great Britain, and, in order to avoid every thing which could be thought to imply the leaft flight of the dignity, or even the delicacy of his Catholic majefty, the earl of Briftol was authorised to content himself with affurances, in cafe the Catholic king offered to give any, that the faid engagements did not contain any thing that was contrary to the friendship which fubfifted between the two crowns, or that was prejudicial to the interefts of Great Britain, fuppofing that any difficulty was made in fhewing the treaty. The king could not give a lefs equivocal proof of his dependence on the good faith of the Catholic king, than in fhewing him an unbounded confidence, in fo important an affair, and which fo effentially interefted his own dignity, the good of his kingdoms, and the happinefs of his people. How great then was the king' furprife, when, inftead of receiving the juft fatisfaction which he had a right to expect, he learnt from his ambaffador, that, having addreffed himself to the minifter of Spain for that purpofe, he could only draw from him a refufal to give a fatiffactory anfwer to his majefty's just requifitions, which he had accompanied with terms that breathed nothing but haughtinefs, animofity, and menace; and which feemed fo ftrongly to verify the fufpicions of the unamicable difpofition of the court of Spain, that nothing lefs than his majefty's moderation, and his refolution taken to make all the efforts poffible to avoid the mis fortunes infeparable from a rupture, could determine him to make a laft trial; by giving orders to his ambaffador to addrefs himfelf to the minifter of Spain, to defire him to inform him of the intentions of the court of Madrid towards that of Great Britain in this conjuncture, if they had taken engagements, or formed formed the defign to join the king's enemies in the prefent war, or to depart, in any manner, from the neutrality they had hitherto obferved; and to make that miniter fenfible, that if they perfifted in refufing all fatisfaction on demands fo juft, fo neceffary, and fo interefting, the king could not but confider fuch a refufal as the most authentic avowal, that Spain had taken her part, and that there only remained for his majefty to take the measures which his royal prudence fhould dictate for the honour and dignity of his crown, and for the profperity and protection of his people; and to recal his ambaffador. Unhappily for the public tranquillity, for the intereft of the two nations, and for the good of mankind, this laft ftep was as fruitlefs as the preceding ones; the Spanish minifter keeping no farther meafures, anfwered drily, "That it << was in that very moment that "the war was declared, and the "king's dignity attacked, and that "the earl of Bristol might retire "how, and when he should think proper.". 1 And in order to fet in its true light the declaration, "That, if, the refpect due to his Catholic "majefty had been regarded, explanations might have been had "without any difficulty, and that "the minifters of Spain might "have faid frankly, as Monf. de "Fuentes, by the king's exprefs "order, declares publickly, that "the faid treaty is only a con"vention between the family. of Bourbon; in which there is no66 thing which has the leaft rela"-tion to the prefent war; and that "the guarantee which is there in fpecified, is not to be under "ftood but of the dominions, "which fhall remain to France "after the war:" It is declared, that, very far from thinking of be ing wanting to the respect, acknowledged to be due to crowned heads, the inftructions given the earl of Briftol, have always been to make the requifitions, on the subject of the engagements between the courts of Madrid and Verfailles, with all the decency, and all the attention poffible: and the demand of a categorical anfwer was not made till after repeated, and moft ftinging refufals to give the leaft fatisfaction, and at the laft extremity. Therefore, if the court of Spain ever had the defign to give this fo necefiary fatisfaction, they had not the leaft reafon that ought to have engaged them to defer it to the moment, when it could no longer be of ufe. But, fortunately, the terms in which the declaration is conceived, fpare us the regret of not having received it fooner; for it appears at the first fight, that the answer is not at all conformable to the demand: we wanted to be informed, If the court of Spain intended to join the French, our enemies, to make war on Great Britain, or to depart from their neutrality; whereas the anfwer concerns one treaty only, which is faid to be of the 15th of Auguft, carefully avoiding to fay the leaft word that could explain, in any manner, the intentions of Spain towards Great Britain, or the further engagements they may have contracted on the prefent crifis. After a deduction, as exact as faithful, of what has paffed between the two courts, it is left to the impartial public to decide, which of the two has always been inclined to peace, peace, and which was determined on war. As to the reft, the earl of Egre mont has the honour to acquaint his excellency the count de Fuentes, by the king's order, that the neceffary palports for him fhall be expedited, and that they will not fail to procure him all poffible facilities for his paffage to that port which he fhall think moft convenient. Copy of the king of Spain's orders to the governors of the sea port towns of that kingdom, for the detention of the English ships. Translated from the original Spanish. Buen Retiro, Dec. 10, 1761. HIS majefty is pretty fure that the king of England has already, or will, in a few days, declare war, or caufe hoftilities to be commenced againft his majesty's fubjects on this fuppofition, and until we are informed what conduct the English will obferve in their rupture with Spain, which their injuftice has occafioned, it is his majefty's will, that the fhips of that nation that shall be found in any of the ports of his dominions fhall be detained, declaring, at the fame time, that this is only done to keep them as a depofit, and which is to be effected with the precaution, that all concerned fhall think proper to take for the prefervation of the fhips and cargoes, till his majefty finds that the king of England begins the war, agreeable to the regulations among civi the true object thereof, it is neceffary that your lordship will make feizure of all the Englifh fhips, either men of war or merchantmen, that fhould be found in the ports of your jurifdiction, taking off their rudders, and fecuring their papers, to prevent their putting out to fea care fhall be taken that no ill treat ment is offered to their crews, and that no hurt be done to their cargoes, taking what measures fhould be requifite to the fatisfaction of their refpective owners for their prefervation. It is likewife his majefty's pleafure, that an embargo fhall be laid in all the ports of Spain (till new orders) on all fhips or veffels of any nation whatsoever, beginning with the Spanish fhips, in order to hinder any intelligence that might be given to the enemy of this rupture, and to provide against the danger that, by fuch information, the Spanish men of war, or merchantmen, now at fea, would run of being feized by the enemy. This order has no other exception, but that no obftruction or hindrance fhall be put to the departure from this port of any velfel that Don Juan de Arraiga, or the minifters of the marine department, fhall think proper to fend out. The king trufts to your prudence and zeal for the due execution of his orders. His majesty's declaration of war against the king of Spain. GEORGE R. THE object of our fized nations, when they will be let Tattention, fince our accef at liberty to put in execution this his majesty's orders, and that no-, thing may be wanting to obtain fon to the throne, has been, if poffible, to put an end to the cala mities of war, and to fettle the public tranquillity upon a folid and lafting foundation. To prevent thofe calamities from being extended ftill farther; and because the most perfect harmony between Great Britain and Spain is at all times the mutual intereft of both nations; it has been our earnest defire to main tain the strictest amity with the king of Spain, and to accommodate the difputes between us and that crown in the most amicable manner. This object we have steadily pursued, notwithftanding the many partialities fhewn by the Spaniards to our enemies the French, during the courfe of the prefent war, inconfiftent with their neutrality: and moft effential proofs have been given of the friendship and regard of the Court of Great Britain for the king of Spain and his family. After a conduct fo friendly, and fo full of good faith, on our part, it was matter of great furprife to us, to find a memorial, delivered on the twenty-third day of July laft, by Monfieur Buffy, minifter plenipotentiary of France, to one of our principal fecretaries of ftate, exprefsly relating to the difputes between us and the crown of Spain; and declaring that, if thofe objects fhould bring on a war, the French king would be obliged to take part therein. Our furprife was increafed, when afterwards, this unprecedented and offenfive ftep, made by a power in open war with us, was avowed by the Spanish minifter to our amballador at Madrid, to have been taken with the full approbation and confent of the king of Spain. But, as this avowal was accompanied with the moft becoming apologies on the part of the king of Spain, and with affurances, that fach memorial never would have been delivered, if it had been fore. feen that we fhould have looked upon it in an offenfive light, and that the king of Spain was at li berty, and ready to adjuft all his differences with Great Britain, without the intervention, or knowledge, of France; and foon after, we had the fatisfaction to be informed by our ambaffador at Madrid, that the Spanish minifter, taking notice of the reports induftriously spread of an approaching rupture, had acquainted him, that the king of Spain had, at no time, been more intent on cultivating a good correspondence with us; and as the Spanish ambaffador at our court made repeated declarations to the fame effect, we thought ourselves bound, in justice and prudence, to forbear coming to extremities. But the fame tender concern for the welfare of our fubjects, which prevented our accelerating precipitately a war withSpain, if it could poffibly be avoided, made it neceffary for us to endeavour to know with certainty, what were the engagements and real intentions of the court of Spain. Therefore, as we had information, that engagements had been lately contracted between the courts of Madrid and Verfailles; and it was foon after induftriously fpread throughout all Europe, by the minifters of France, that the purport of thofe engagements was hoftile to Great Britain, and that Spain was on the point of entering into the war; we directed our ambaffador to defire, in the most friendly terms, a communication of the treaties lately concluded between France and Spain; or of fuch articles thereof as immediately related to the inte refts of Great Britain, if fuch any there were; or, at leaft, an af furance furance that there were none incompatible with the friendship fubfifting between us and the crown of Spain. Our aftonishment and concern was great when we learnt, that fo far from giving fatisfaction upon fo reafonable an application, the Spanish minifters had declined anfwering; with reafonings and infinuations of a very hoftile tendency: and as at the fame time we had intelligence, that great armaments were making in Spain, by fea and land, we thought it abfolutely neceffary to try, once more, if a rupture could be avoided; we therefore directed our ambassador to ask, in a firm, but friendly manner, whether the court of Madrid intended to join the French, our enemies, to act hoftilely against Great Britain, or to depart from its neutrality; and if he found the Spanish minifters avoided to give a clear anfwer, to infinuate, in the most decent manner, that the refufing, or avoiding to anfwer a queftion fo reafonable, could only arife from the king of Spain's having already engaged, or refolved to take part against us, and muft be looked upon as an avowal of such hoftile intention, and equivalent to a declaration of war; and that he had orders immediately to leave the court of Madrid. The peremptory refufal by the court of Spain, to give the leaft fatisfaction, with regard to any of those reasonable demands on our part, and the folemn declaration at the fame time made by the Spanish minifter, that they onfidered the war as then actually declared, prove to a demonftration, that their refolution to act offenfively, was so abfolutely and irrevocably taken, that it could not be any longer ditembled, or denied. The king of Spain, therefore, having been induced, without any provocation on our part, to confider the war as already commenced against us, which has in effect been declared at Madrid; we truft, that by the bleffing of Almighty God on the juftice of our caufe, and by the affiftance of our loving fubjects, we fhall be able to defeat the ambitious defigns, which have formed this union between the two branches of the houfe of Bourbon; having now begun a new war; and portend the most dangerous confequences to all Europe. Therefore, we have thought fit to declare, and do hereby declare, war against the faid king of Spain; and we will, in purfuance of fuch declaration, vigorously profecute the faid war, wherein the honour of our crown, the welfare of our fubjects, and the profperity of cur nation, which we are determined at all times with our utmost power to preferve and fupport, are fo greatly concerned. And we do hereby will and require our generals and commanders of our forces, our commiffioners for executing the office of our high admiral of Great Britain, our lieutenants of our feveral counties, governors of our forts and garrifons, and all other officers and foldiers, under them, by fea and land, to do, and execute all acts of hoftility, in the profecution of this war, against the faid king of Spain, his vaffals, and fubjects, and to oppofe their attempts; willing and requiring all our fubjects to take notice of the fame, whom we henceforth ftrictly forbid to hold any correfpondence, or communication, with the faid king of Spain, or his fubjects: and we do hereby command our own fubjects, and advertise all other |