§ SIR ROBERT PEELSir, I am sorry to detain the House for a very few minutes while I refer to the reply given by the noble Lord (Lord John Russell) to the question I put to him in the earlier part of the evening as to the communications which had passed between Sir A. Buchanan and the Spanish Government with reference to the present persecutions in Spain. I do not know whether I correctly gathered what the noble Lord stated. If I did, I can only suppose what he uttered had been put into his mouth by people interested in the matter, and not the expression of his own undivided opinion.
§ LORD JOHN RUSSELLI beg to say I gave no opinion. I stated facts.
§ SIR ROBERT PEELThat makes the case a great deal worse, as I shall endeavour to show in a very few words. I 831 know there are men in Spain at present who are persecuted solely on the ground of their religious faith. I have myself presented petitions very numerously signed from different parts of this country, urging Her Majesty's Government to take some steps by the exercise of their moral influence with a view to obtain their liberation. The noble Lord on a former occasion admitted the fact, but he said he thought he was unable to take any very active measures, owing to the sensitive character of the Government. Now, the noble Lord, in answer to questions which I adjourned on two or three occasions, said the Spanish Government, Marshal O'Donnell, and the Minister of Justice were anxious to give every liberty to religious opinion in Spain, but the fact was that those persons who called themselves Spanish Protestants were connected with secret societies for the dissemination of doctrines which were subversive of good Government. In the act of indictment against those men, however, it is expressly stated that they are imprisoned in consequence of their religious opinions, and not upon political grounds. It is very well for the noble Lord to have that clever answer put into his mouth, but I should ask the Spanish Government why they do not try these men? Why are they treated worse than thieves or murderers, and debarred from all communication with their families? I have received letters respecting the conduct of the Spanish Government towards these unfortunate men which would bring tears into the eyes of any hon. Gentleman who should read them. The men are positively dying in a cold, damp prison, and yet the Government will not bring them into a court of justice to be tried. The persecution, too, is extending. At Seville twenty or thirty men were arrested for assembling together in a room, but it being found afterwards that they only went to discuss newspapers and pamphlets, they were discharged with the exception of two who were thrown into prison. Such persecution is an insult to the nineteenth century. It is high time that the noble Lords the Members for Tiverton and for London should, from their antecedents on this question, show some spirit, and tell the Spanish Government how they look upon this subject. They should have the moral courage to tell the Spanish Government that this conduct is quite incompatible with the liberal feelings of modern Europe. Until the other day the Austrian 832 Government was the most arbitrary Government in Europe on religious questions. The concordat made with Borne was supposed to be one of the most extreme documents ever published in Europe; but on the 8th of April last the most complete liberty had been given to the professors of that Protestant religion throughout the Austrian dominions. Now here are the Spaniards continuing in this dreadful course of persecution, and the noble Lord gets up in the House of Commons and pretends to say that these men are suffering not from any question of faith, but solely because they are connected with secret societies whose principles are subversive of the authority of the Government in Spain.
§ LORD JOHN RUSSELLI beg to say that I never stated that these men were suffering on account of being connected with a secret society, nor did I say that the allegations applied to those particular persons. I said that it was the allegation of the Spanish Government, that these men would have been pardoned, but that could not be done, because, since they had been in prison, the Government of Spain had discovered that several societies did exist, which, under the guise of Protestantism, were endeavouring to promote the establishment of a republic in Spain. I did not vouch for the allegation, but I said that such was the allegation of the Spanish Government.
§ SIR ROBERT PEELI want to know, then, why the men have not been brought to trial? The noble Lord knows well that the same allegation has been always made in times of religious persecution. I am convinced that these men are not connected in any way with any political movement, and I charge the Spanish Government with a subversion of the truth in pretending to assume that they are. These men are entirely innocent. and I hope the British Government will act as it did in 1852 and 1853, and will point out to the Spanish Government that such persecution is offensive not only to the feelings of England but of all Europe.