Lords Sitting of 11 February 1819

CONGRESS AT AIX-LA-CHAPELLE—HOLY ALLIANCE.
The Earl of Liverpoolhaving laid on the table, an Additional Paper relative to the payment of the pecuniary indemnity by France to the Allied Powers under the convention signed at Aix-la-Chapelle, on the 9th of October 1818,
Lord Hollandwished to ask the noble earl, first, whether any paper had been laid upon the table respecting the slave trade; and next, for some explanation respecting the documents which had been laid before the House. He did not mean to desire an explanation of the language

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of some of the protocols, in which the noble earl would, perhaps, find it difficult to discover a meaning, but to confine himself to certain expressions which appeared to refer to what was commonly called the holy alliance (to which it had been hitherto understood England was not a party), and to ask whether the noble earl intended to communicate a copy of the holy alliance to the House? In a protocol signed at Aix-la-Chapelle, the 15th November, 1818, by the plenipotentiaries of Austria, France, Great Britain, Prussia and Russia, he found it declared, "That they" (that is to say, the powers above-mentioned) "are firmly resolved never to depart, neither in their mutual relations nor in those which bind them to other states, from the principle of intimate union which has hitherto presided over all their common relations and interests—a union rendered more strong and indissoluble by the bonds of Christian fraternity which the sovereigns have formed among themselves." Those bonds of Christian fraternity, he concluded, meant the holy alliance; and this treaty being thus alluded to in a protocol agreed to by this country, he thought it of importance, with a view to a proper consideration of the subject, that the House should be in possession of a copy of that treaty of holy alliance, in order to ascertain what were its stipulations.
The Earl of Liverpool, with reference to the question respecting the slave trade, stated, that he expected shortly to be enabled to lay papers upon that subject before the House. The other question of the noble lord he had no hesitation in answering. The treaty of holy alliance was signed at Paris, in 1815, personally by the sovereigns of Austria, Russia and Prussia, without the intervention of any ministers, and was communicated to this government. It being, however, contrary to the constitution of this country, for the Prince Regent, acting in the name of the sovereign, to sign an autographic treaty, without the intervention of a responsible minister, intimation to that effect was transmitted to the other sovereigns, stating, at the same time, that the treaty alluded to was in conformity with the disposition of the British government; and this government had since indirectly acceded to it. It certainly, however, was not his intention to lay upon the table a copy of the Treaty of Holy Alliance.
Lord Hollandthought, that their lord-
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ships ought to be told what the principles were to which the noble secretary of state alluded. The protocol on the table declared, that the five powers, of which this country was one, were united, and acted on a principle of intimate union, rendered indissoluble by the bonds of Christian fraternity. The treaties and conventions of Aix-la-Chapelle were represented to have been on certain principles, and those principles, it was to be inferred, were the same which had served for the foundation of the Holy Alliance. It appeared proper, therefore, that that paper should be communicated to their lordships; and he wished to know from the noble earl, whether he meant to lay it before the house.
The Earl of Liverpoolsaid, he had already stated, that this country was no party to the treaty in question: it followed of course that it could not be regularly called for by their lordships. It certainly had not been his intention to produce it, nor was he aware of any ground on which it could be laid before the House. The reference to principles to which the noble lord had alluded, was merely to those on which the allied powers had all along publicly acted.
Lord Hollandwas sorry the noble secretary of state was not disposed to give their lordships this information. He was extremely anxious to see what were the bonds of Christian fraternity to which the protocol he had alluded to referred.