§ No. 1.—Mr. Secretary Canning to Sir Charles Stuart.
§ (Extract.) Foreign Office, March 31, 1823. The article, of which I enclose a copy, is contained in the treaty between his majesty and the king of Spain of 1814, but has never been published. It was originally a secret article, but his majesty having declined agreeing to it as such (from the opinion that it ought to be communicated to his majesty's allies), its title was changed from that of a secret to a separate article. It formed part of the treaty communicated to the court of France in 1814, by the duke of Wellington, then his majesty's ambassador at Paris; but it was omitted in the copy of the treaty laid before parliament, at the express desire of the French government, signified by the prince de Talleyrand, then minister for foreign affairs.
§ M. de Chateaubriand will, I have no doubt, at once acknowledge that such an act of compliance with the wishes of the French government, enhances his majesty's claim upon France, to respect the solemn obligation of this article.
§ Your excellency will particularly remark to M. de Chateaubriand, that the treaty of 1814, was not negotiated till after our army had been withdrawn from Spain.
§ (Inclosure in No. 1.) Separate article.
§ His Catholic majesty engages, not to enter into any treaty or engagement with France of the nature of that known under the denomination of the family compact, nor any other which may affect the independence of Spain, which may be injurious to the interests of his Britannic majesty, or may be contrary to the strict alliance which is stipulated by the present treaty.
§ The present separate article shall form an integral part of the treaty of friendship and alliance signed on the fifth day of July, and shall have the same force and validity as if it 1142 was inserted, word for word, and shall be ratified, and the ratifications shall be exchanged within forty days, or sooner if possible.
§ In witness whereof, we, the undersigned plenipotentiaries have signed, in virtue of our respective full powers, the present separate article, and sealed it with the seals of our arms. Done at Madrid, this 5th day of July, 1814.
§ (L. S.) M. EL DUQUE DE SAN CARLOS.
§ (L. S.) H. WELLESLEY.
§ No. 2.—Sir Charles Stuart to Mr. Secretary Canning.—Received April 10.
§ (Extract.) Paris, April 7, 1823. M. de Chateaubriand assured me, that the French government are quite resolved to respect the obligations of the article which I communicated to him.