§ MR. BERNAL OSBORNEwished to put to the Foreign Secretary a question, of which previous notice would probably not he required—whether the protocol was authentic, which appeared in that day's newspapers, respecting the arrangement entered into by this country with France, Spain, and Portugal, for an armed intervention in Portugal; and whether the noble Lord was ready to lay that protocol on the Table?
§ VISCOUNT PALMERSTONI hold in my hand a note which I have received from a noble Lord whom I do not now see in his place—the noble Member for Lynn—giving me notice that he meant to ask that question, and to follow it by two or three other questions upon the same subject. I have no difficulty in answering the question of the hon. Member, by saying that, as far as a hasty perusal enables me to judge, the protocol which appeared to-day in the papers is a fair and proper translation of that which was signed on Saturday week. The hon. Member asks whether there will be any objection to lay the protocol on the Table; and I answer, none whatever. It will be the duty of Her Majesty's Government to lay it on the Table.
§ MR. BERNAL OSBORNEwished also to ask the Secretary to the Admiralty, whether it were true that the Geyser war steamer had sailed with shot, shell, and other ammunition; and whether it were for the general service of the fleet, or for the reduction of Oporto?
§ CAPTAIN F. BERKELEYWhatever 1292 had been sent out was for the service of Sir W. Parker's squadron.
§ LORD G. BENTINCK(who had just entered the House): I understand that my first question is answered. My second question to the noble Lord is, whether he is now in a condition to give a history to Parliament of the events, and transactions, and circumstances, which, in the opinion of Her Majesty's Ministers, have justified this armed intervention in the domestic affairs of Portugal? The third question which I have to ask my noble Friend is, whether he can state to the House of Commons the nature of those solemn declarations made in the course of the last summer by the Queen of Portugal to her people, the alleged infraction of which is set forth as the justification of the Portuguese people for rising in arms against the Government of their Sovereign? The last question I wish to ask is, whether the Government are possessed of any new information to the effect that the insurgents, already in possession of the whole country, up to the walls and gates of Lisbon, have been prevented only by the presence and interposition of the British and Spanish fleet from taking possession of the city of Lisbon itself?
§ VISCOUNT PALMERSTONIn reply to my noble Friend, I have no difficulty in stating that Her Majesty's Government will lay before Parliament, with all possible expedition, papers setting forth the grounds upon which Her Majesty's Government have deemed themselves justified in taking what I admit to be the exceptional course which they have thought it their duty to adopt in the present state of Portugal. I will lay before the House any papers that I can, bearing upon those transactions of last year to which my noble Friend refers, though I cannot call to mind any particular paper which will distinctly show what he inquires about. With regard to the last question, I can only say, that there is a British naval force, and a Spanish vessel or two, in the Tagus; but there has been no collision between them and the insurgent forces south of the Tagus; but as to that question, it really must be left to my noble Friend to inquire what it was which prevented the insurgent forces from making that attack. I may as well observe now, that my hon. Friend (Mr. Hume) has given notice of a Motion for to-night upon this subject, probably imagining that the House would go into Committee of Supply; I believe that if there is any supply proposed, 1293 it will necessarily be at a late hour—too late for beginning a discussion of such magnitude and importance—and, as papers are to be laid upon the Table, perhaps my hon. Friend will postpone the Motion till the House is in possession of them.
§ MR. HUMEhad no doubt the House would be in a better condition to judge of the conduct of the Government when those papers should be laid on the Table; but he Was unwilling to postpone the discussion beyond Friday, with the understanding that it would be the first business of the afternoon, by which time he should hope the papers would be in the possession of hon. Members, His only object was a fair discussion, and to see whether the Government could justify their proceedings. He would, therefore, postpone his notice, taking it for granted that the Government would proceed with Supply the first thing on Friday.
LORD J. RUSSELLhad already stated that he should take the third reading of the Loan Discount Bill on Friday.
§ LORD J. MANNERSwished to call the attention of the Foreign Secretary to the circumstance that there had been rumours in town that a collision had taken place between Her Majesty's naval forces and the insurgent troops in or near Oporto; had the noble Lord received any information leading him to believe that there was any foundation for those rumours?
§ VISCOUNT PALMERSTONhad not received any information on the subject.
§ MR. HUMEmust press his Motion that night, unless he had some assurance that a Committee of Supply should be moved on Friday; otherwise, the Motion would be thrown over into the next week.
LORD J. RUSSELLshould be quite ready, when the papers were in the hands of hon. Members, to bring on Supply immediately, or in any mode to allow the discussion to take place, and forward it in any manner in his power, but would not commit himself to a day for bringing forward this question if the papers should not be before the House.
§ MR. HUMEasked whether the noble Lord the Foreign Secretary would state what papers there were that could not be prepared in a couple of days?
§ VISCOUNT PALMERSTONcould promise that all possible expedition should be used; but the hon. Member might have an impression that more rapidity could be used in the way of preparation of papers than was really possible in transactions of 1294 this kind. A good deal of correspondence had of course passed in the last six or eight months; the matter should be condensed in as small a compass as possible, but it would not be just to the House, any more than to the Government, not to produce the papers necessary for enabling Parliament to form a fair and correct judgment upon the case.
§ VISCOUNT PALMERSTONwould certainly lay the protocol on the Table.
§ LORD G. BENTINCKAnd also, I hope, the declaration or proclamation of the Queen to her subjects in June, I think, last year.
LORD J. RUSSELLThere is no objection to lay the protocol on the Table; but when other papers are asked for, I must say that the House could not come to any opinion upon this subject without knowing, not only what has taken place between the Queen of Portugal and her subjects, but also what has taken place with reference to appeals made by the Queen of Portugal to other Powers, and offers made by them to interfere in the affairs of that country. Unless the whole is laid before the House, the House cannot form an opinion, and I do not wish merely to lay on the Table the papers that suit the particular views of hon. Members.
§ MR. BERNAL OSBORNEwished his hon. Friend the Member for Montrose to give some pledge that the question relative to Portugal would be brought forward on Friday night. The House was left in ignorance whether the hon. Gentleman was resolved to proceed, or whether he might not listen to the persuasive tongue of the noble Lord the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, and postpone his Motion. The armed intervention which was intended, would lead to most disastrous consequences; and it was neither more nor less than an intervention in the cause of despotism. It was all very well to speak of waiting for the production of papers; but British subjects at Oporto were exposed to the greatest risk, even to the sacrifice of their lives; and it was announced in regard to the Viscount Sa da Bandeira, that unless he immediately agreed to a suspension of arms he should be excluded from the amnesty. Was not the question, then, one which required to be dealt with immediately? He begged to call upon his hon. Friend to give some guarantee that the 1295 question would be brought before the House as soon as possible.
§ MR. HUMEhad already expressed his determination to bring forward the question on Friday. He had asked the Government to let him do so on going into Committee of Supply; but, if they refused, he should avail himself of another mode of bringing the question forward; though he regretted that in the latter case he would not be able to take the sense of the House. Nothing would prevent him from taking the course he had proposed; and he had only to put it to the right hon. the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether, on Friday, one of the first Motions would not be that the House go into Committee of Supply?
LORD J. RUSSELLcould assure his hon. Friend that Her Majesty's Government had no wish at all to avoid the discussion. The better the facts were ascertained, the better would stand the case which Her Majesty's Government had to present. But it was not desirable that the House should enter on the discussion without becoming acquainted with the whole circumstances. The noble Lord the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs had said, that though it was necessary to give certain papers, he had no wish for delay. There were, however, some papers of very great importance, which ought to receive the attention of the House; and if these could be delivered in time, the right hon. the Chancellor of the Exchequer would move to go into Committee of Supply on Friday; but he (Lord J. Russell) could not say that he wished to provoke a discussion unless the House was in possession of the requisite information.
§ MR. OSBORNEexpressed his intention to resist all Motions for Supply till the question was brought before the House.
§ MR. BORTHWICKthought one reason for not letting the matter lie over, was the tremendous effect which delay would produce in Portugal. The statement of the noble Lord (the Secretary for Foreign Affairs), that the document which had appeared in the public journals, quoted from the Paris papers, was a faithful transcript of the protocol, would produce a greater effect, and probably a more disastrous effect, than any armed intervention. The noble Lord had described the case as exceptional. It might well be called so, when they found England taking the side of a 1296 Queen who had re-established the Inquisition in a form more odiously terrible than that which existed in the middle ages. The noble Lord would, he hoped, hasten the printing of the papers.
§ LORD G. BENTINCKinquired whether the noble Lord could not let the House have the papers in detached portions? If they were so voluminous as the noble Lord the Secretary for Foreign Affairs had hinted, hon. Members could not otherwise expect to get them perused.