§ Lord Wynfordasked the noble Viscount at the head of her Majesty's Government whether any steps had been taken for the purpose of obtaining justice for those poor men who were now wandering naked and in a state of starvation about the streets, and who lately belonged to the British Legion in Spain?
§ Viscount Melbournesaid, their Lordships were aware that there had been two legions; one of which the time of service expired in June, 1837, and the other consisting of those men of the first legion, who had chosen to re-enter into the Spanish army. The men of the first legion who chose to come home, had all been brought home, and received their pay up to the day when they were discharged; they had received marching-money likewise, according to the rates of the British service, but they had not yet received their gratuity, consisting of certain months' pay which was due to them. They had, however, received certificates of what was owing to them, which would be discharged as soon as the Spanish Government possessed the means of discharging them. All pensions to the widows of those who had been killed (except the officers), and payments due to the wounded, had been paid up to the periods to which they were due. This all related to the private men. With respect to the officers of the first legion, a to them; he believed their claims amounted to nearly 90,000l. Their accounts, however, had not been very clearly kept, and there was a difference between them and the Spanish Government with respect to the amount really due to them. But the Spanish Government had agreed to appoint a Commissioner, who, in conjunction with certain British officers conversant with the British army, would sit in London, in order to investigate and facilitate an adjustment of these claims; and the Spanish Government, in the mean time, had promised to make certain payments on account. The men of the second legion had not returned 691 home, though that legion might be considered as broken up, with the exception of one or two small corps; and it was expected they would be settled with, both in reference to their pay and marching-money, in the same way as the others had been. He could assure the noble and learned Lord that the best efforts of her Majesty's Ministers had been incessantly exerted with the Spanish Government to obtain for those men that which was their due, and that those exertions should be continued till their claims were liquidated. But everybody knew the unfortunate circumstances under which that Government laboured; that the pay of the army was extremely in arrear: indeed, that the whole of the operations of the war had been crippled from want of money, and therefore it was not to be wondered at that some delay should have taken place in the settlement of the claims of those men.
§ The Earl of Riponsaid, there was one inference to be drawn from the statement made by the noble Viscount which was highly satisfactory; namely, that it was quite impossible that the order in council, under which the legion was established, could be renewed; but still he did not think that the arrangement was so satisfactory with regard to the manner in which these poor men were to be paid, considering the way in which they had been decoyed into that legion by the ingenious contrivance of the Government. It did not appear that they had anything to rely upon but the promises of the Spanish Government, which was quite incompetent to perform those promises. It was true the men of the first legion had got something better than promises, for they had received certificates, which he supposed were an acknowledgment on the part of the Spanish Government, that there was a gratuity due to them; but that could not be paid, it seemed, on account of the miserable state of the Spanish Government. Perhaps the noble Viscount would state what was the amount of the gratuity which was due to the men belonging to the small remnant of the second legion still in Spain; because from that their Lordships would be enabled to judge more accurately what was the state of the finances of the Spanish Government, on behalf of which we were now carrying on a quasi war.
§ Conversation ended.