Lords Sitting of 18 May 1827

PORTUGAL.
Lord Ellenboroughsaid, he was anxious to draw the attention of their lordships to a subject of extreme importance, unconnected with those discussions which had of late occupied the time of the House. The subject which he was at present desirous to bring under the notice of their lordships, was the state of the British troops in Portugal. The answer given some time ago by the noble lord, who was Secretary for Foreign Affairs, to a question which he had asked, had placed him and their lordships in a situation of great difficulty. As his noble friend had stated, that the production of the information for which he had asked would interfere with negotiations which were pending, he should feel great difficulty in moving for information respecting the state of Portugal. He had, however, a clear parliamentary ground for calling for that information; and, by not calling for it at the present moment, he did not express any approbation of those negotiations, which were now pending, because he was kept in total ignorance of the state of Portugal. If he understood the nature of those negotiations, they were most important; and, in the present state of things,
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the most important event that could take place would be the instant withdrawal of our troops from Lisbon. The casus fœderis under which the British troops were sent to Portugal, it was said, existed no longer; but they were retained in that country for purposes other than those for which they had been sent there. If that were the case, his majesty's ministers were placing themselves under the most awful responsibility. In the present state of Portugal, it was barely possible that British troops should garrison Lisbon without being obliged to take part in domestic contests; and the first shot fired by a British soldier commences the war of opinions. It was reported, that the British troops remained in Portugal for a purpose different from that for which they had been sent to that country. It was said, that they remained in that country for the purpose of maintaining the government. If our troops should be obliged to take part in civil dissensions, Spain would have a just ground of war; France would have a just ground of war; and there was no power in Europe who would not take advantage of the circumstances under which the government had placed themselves, and which must plunge this country and Europe into a state of general war. It was impossible for a keen apprehension not to take this view of the question; and, in abstaining at present from pressing for the production of papers, he expressed a hope, that at no distant period that information which he desired would be given to the House. If, however, his majestys ministers should not feel it to be their duty to lay any paper upon the subject on their lordships' table before the House separated, he should think it to be his duty before that time arrived, under the present state of things, to press for the information be wanted.
Lord Dudley and Wardsaid, that the reason for which he had on a former occasion, declined answering a question similar to the present, which the noble lord had asked, still existed. Undoubtedly his majesty's ministers were acting, on the present important question, upon their own responsibility. They were performing an act, which, in their judgment, was the best they could perform; and when the time for disclosure arrived, they would then see whether that judgment would be confirmed by parliament. In the meantime he would neither confirm nor coatrn-

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dict any of those conjectures in which the noble lord seemed inclined to indulge. All he could do was, to entreat the noble lord not to indulge further in those conjectures, but to wait till the question was fully and fairly before the House.