On the 5th of May, a message from his majesty an nounced the serious intelligence of the prospect of a rupture with Spain. In 1788, a settlement had been made by some of our countrymen at Nootka Sound, on the western coast of America, about the 50th degree of latitude. The ground had been purchased from the natives ; it had never been visited by Spaniards. In the month of May 1789, two Spanish ships of war ar rived in the Sound, and mutual civilities passed between the Spanish and British officers ; but, after a few days, the Iphigenia was seized by the Spanish commander's orders ; the officers and men were sent on board the Spanish vessel, put in irons, and conveyed to a Spanish port. Another British vessel was afterwards captured, the crews imprisoned, and the cargoes sold without formal condemnation. Taking possession of the settle ment of Nootka Sound, the Spanish commander de clared, in the name of his Catholic Majesty, that all the lands between Cape Horn and the 60th degree of latitude, belonged to Spain. When this affair was sub mitted to parliament, addresses were presented to his Majesty, and a vote of credit of one million passed with out opposition. The British government now exhibited at once the firmness of its character in negotiation, and the vastness of its resources in immediate armaments.
By the family convention still subsisting between the houses of Bourbon, France was bound to co-operate with our antagonist; and the national assembly, though intent on other matters, voted an aid of 14 ships of the line. But the court of Madrid plainly saw the reluc tance of the French nation to enter into a war with Eng land, and yielded to our demands, which were imme diate restitution and indemnification. On the second of October, a convention was signed at the Escurial, by which every point in dispute was settled. The settle ment at Nootka Sound was restored, the free navigation and right of fishery in the southern pacific ocean were confirmed to Britain, and a free trade on the American coast to the north of the Spanish settlements, unaccom panied, however, by any formal renunciation of sove reignty on the part of Spain. On the other hand, neither of the two powers were to form a settlement nearer to Cape Horn than the most southerly of the Spanish set tlements.
A new parliament met on the 25th or November. The first object of the minister was to provide for the expense of the armament against Spain, amounting to 4,000,000l.: he proposed to obtain a part of this sum by taking half a million from the unclaimed dividends in the bank of England. But this measure, which would have been a direct violation of the right of a chartered body, was ably and successfully opposed. The term unclaimed dividends, in reality meant, unreceived divi dends; for when the creditors names were afterwards published, numbers or claimants came forward, who had been ignorant of what the bank owed them.
The violence of political controversy on the subject of the French revolution had been kept alive by the mighty events still passing in France, and still more by the publications which issued from the presses of both countries. Among the works in our own language, which excited the strongest, though most opposite, sen timents of enthusiasm, were Burke's Reflections on the Declaration of the Rights of Man by the French Na tional Assembly ; and the answer to that work by Tho mas Paine. In this literary controversy, the most ro mantic and chivalrous principles of loyalty, and a style of eloquence dazzling, and often electrifying, were opposed to the surly republicanism and blunt declama tion of the American school.
Soon after the winter recess, a bill passed for the re lief of the English Catholics from the legal penalties still in existence ; a humane measure, but unnecessa rily confined to such Catholics as should protest against the political authority of the pope. Mr Wilberforce's
motion for the abolition of the slave trade, to the dis grace of the legislature, experienced a rejection.
Some salutary reformations in the practical laws of the country, engaged the attention of parliament. A bill, originating with the minority, was passed for se curing the freedom of elections ; and another for pro hibiting the attorney-general in the right of the crown, or any individual in his own right from disturbing a possessor in his franchise.
The most impnrtant transaction in the internal regu lation of the empire regarded Canada. By a bill which Mr Pitt introduced, the constitution of that country was changed from the arbitrary form which it had re ceived from France ; the habeas corpus act was intro duced ; councils nominated by the sovereign, and houses of assembly chosen by the people, were established in the two governments of Upper and Lower Canada. The British parliament reserving a right of imposing only such taxes as were necessary for the regulation of trade and commerce, left the raising of other taxes, and the disposal of all taxes, to the respective principal legis latures.
War continued to rage on the eastern frontiers of Europe, between the Turkish, Austrian, and Russian arms. By the peace of Reichenbach, which was me diated (in August 1790) by the courts of London and Berlin, Austria had withdrawn from hostility against the Porte ; and elated by their success, the mediating courts now demanded of Russia to abandon her success ful career against the Turks. The Empress Catharine haughtily replied, that she would make peace or war with whom she pleased, without the intervention of any foreign power. Not choosing, however, to pro voke too far those self-created arbiters, she secretly intimated her willingness to conclude a peace with Turkey, on condition of retaining the country eastward of the Neister, a desert tract of territory, valuable only for containing the fortress of Oczacow. This offer be ing peremptorily refused, the empress broke off the conference, and determined to prosecute the war. On the 28th of March, Mr Pitt delivered a message from his majesty to the House of Commons, importing, that the endeavours which he had used with his allies, not having proved successful, his majesty thought it ne cesssary, in order to add weight to his representations, to augment his naval force. In the debate which en sued upon this message, Mr Pitt enlarged on the ne cessity of attending to the balance of Europe, and on the influence of the Turkish empire in the general scale. Mr Fox, and the whole party of opposition, strenuously contended against the projected Ivar. We had no quar rel, Mr Fox observed, with the Empress of Russia ; we had no alliance with Turkey. It was the absurd pride of interference, that prompted us to hazard a war, which could only second the ambitious policy of Prussia, and never could promote our own interests, or those of Europe at large. The Czarina had offered to cede all her conquests, but a barren desert, containing one va luable fortress, Oczakow ; and could it be seriously said, that the balance of Europe depended on Oczakow being possessed by the Russians or the Turks. The policy of a war with Russia on such grounds was so difficult to be perceived or defended, that though the minister still retained the majority of votes, they fell far below his accustomed numbers. Encouraged by the voice of pub lic opinion, both within and without parliament, Mr Grey proposed a vote of censure on ministers, for their precipitate conduct respecting Russia ; and the motion was negatived by only 80 votes. The minister was thus compelled to give way to popular opinion : he re ceded from his armed mediation, after a fleet had been equipped—advising and leaving Turkey to conclude a peace with the empress on the terms which she had pro posed.