§ EARL GRANVILLErose to put a question to his noble Friend the Secretary for Foreign Affairs, arising out of a paragraph which had appeared in the morning papers of yesterday, and which was dated from Plymouth. The paragraph was as follows:—
The ex-Dictator of Buenos Ayres and family, who arrived here on Sunday in Her Majesty's screw steamship Conflict, Commander Robert Jenner, landed yesterday afternoon at the jetty of the Devonport dockyard, where he was received by Commodore Superintendent Sir Michael Seymour. Shortly after landing, the General took up his quarters at Moorhead's Royal Hotel, Fore-street, Devonport, where he was visited by the Port Admiral, Sir John Ommanney, and other heads of departments. In consequence of a Treasury order, every respect was paid by the officers of the Conflict to the noble visitor, and at the Custom-house every facility was given for the ready clearance of his baggage.1279 Now, if this paragraph were correct, it would appear that General Rosas had been received on his landing at Plymouth with more than the usual official honours. He (Earl Granville) did not wish that the hospitality extended to foreign refugees by this country should be in any degree limited. So little was the expression of opinion in this country checked by restrictive laws, and so accustomed were we to meet in social intercourse persons differing from us in political opinions, that he believed that there was no distinguished personage, whatever might be his sentiments on political questions, who would not be sure of meeting with a favourable reception in this country from some party or from some individual. There would be no person more unwilling than himself to limit the feeling which led to such a result; and no man would regret more strongly than he should any want of courtesy on the part of the Government or of any other portion of our community towards those who had been in possession of power in other countries, and who had been driven by misfortune to seek refuge within our shores. He thought that the late Ministers had shown a sound discretion in not receiving with official honours any of the political refugees who had sought refuge in England during the period in which they were in power. Several individuals had come to this country, some distinguished by birth, some by the high authority which they had recently exercised, and others by their literary attainments; but though in every case exertions had been made to secure their personal safety, yet, with the exception of some municipal corporations, no official honours had been paid to them by any portion of the Government of this country. This he thought was a wise and sound principle; and no complaint of the want of such attentions had been made by the parties themselves. He would not on the present occasion say one word respecting the political conduct of General Rosas, nor respecting the form of government which he had established, nor respecting the restrictions which he had imposed on commerce at Buenos Ayres; this, however, he must say, that there was nothing to justify his being made an exception to the rule which had been observed in other cases, He thought that the British Government had acted wisely in sending, in conjunction with the French Government, an expedition to the River Plate, since intelligence had reached this country of the fall of General Rosas. He thought 1280 also that the honours which had been paid to that general would seem to be a slight towards the other distinguished personages who had not been received in the same manner, and that they would form an inconvenient, if not a dangerous, precedent. He expected that the answer which his noble Friend opposite would give to his question, would show that the paragraph which he had quoted, was an exaggerated statement; that the honours paid to General Rosas had been paid spontaneously by the authorities at Plymouth; that no political demonstration was intended by them; and that they had not been paid by the instructions of the Government. The question he had to ask of the noble Earl was, Whether instructions had been given to the authorities at Plymouth to receive General Rosas with official honours?
§ The EARL of MALMESBURYsaid, that the paragraph to which his noble Friend had referred had escaped his notice yesterday in reading the morning papers, and the first time that he heard of it was this morning, when he received his noble Friend's letter on the subject. Assuredly no orders were sent from the Foreign Office, and he thought that he might add none were sent from the department over which his noble Friend near him (the Duke of Northumberland) presided, directing official honours to be paid to General Rosas. He entirely agreed with his noble Friend opposite in thinking that a refugee of rank and station must feel himself more agreeably received when he was received quietly, than when he was received on his arrival with any particular honours. He believed that that was the opinion of General Rosas himself. The only communication which the Government had received from that individual, was a letter, very simply written, asking leave to live as quietly as possibly within Her Majesty's dominions, and to have an individual assigned to live with him until he knew the English language better. He, there-fore, could not explain why the authorities at Plymouth had received the General, in such a manner as they had done, except by supposing that a natural feeling had led them to receive with hospitality and respect a distinguished refugee from a foreign country. And here let him observe that General Rosas was no common refugee, but one who had shown great distinction and kindness to the British merchants who had traded with his country, and one with whom the late Government 1281 had carried on negotiations of an important character, and had even signed a Treaty in 1849. Whatever the private character of General Rosas might have been in South America, and whatever cruelties he might have committed—which belonged to his nation, and which he (the Earl of Malmesbury) was afraid had not been exaggerated—it was impossible that under present circumstances we could mark them here by any stigma. We had received him here as a refugee, with whom we had carried on negotiations and signed a Treaty; and if we could not pity him for the fate which he had brought upon his own head, we ought at least to show some delicacy towards him in his misfortunes, and not to stamp him with the stigma of our reprobation.
The MARQUESS of CLANRICARDEsaid, that the question which he wished to have distinctly answered "Yes" or "No," was this: Was or was not a Treasury Order sent down to Plymouth to receive him in this way?
§ The EARL of MALMESBURYwas not aware at that moment that any such Order had been sent by the Treasury; but, undoubtedly, such an Order might have been sent, as Mr. Gore, in his communication to the Government, had stated that it was an error to suppose that the General had landed with great wealth in England. The fact was the other way; he had very little to live on, and the rest of his life must be spent in penury.
§ VISCOUNT CANNINGwas not in the House when this question was put; but it appeared to him that the question ought to go to a period further back. General Rosas, it seemed, arrived at Plymouth in a Queen's ship, and nothing was more natural or more regular than that the authorities, on seeing him arrive in England in a ship under Her Majesty's pennant, should have done all in their power to mark their sense of the respect due to him on his arrival. He would not put a question to the noble Duke opposite (the Duke of Northumberland) as to whether General Rosas had been received on board Her Majesty's ship with the assent of the Government? He then expressed a general concurrence in the sentiments expressed by the noble Secretary for Foreign Affairs on this subject.
The DUKE of NORTHUMBERLANDreplied, that although the noble Viscount would not ask him the question, he would nevertheless reply to it. No orders had 1282 been sent by the Government to the squadron in the Rio Plata on this subject; but there was a general order sent to all our naval commanders to save life in all such emergencies as those which had befallen General Rosas. It was under these circumstances that General Rosas went on hoard the Conflict. His first intention was to come to this country by the Brazilian packet. He was too late to meet that packet at Bahia, and it was thought that his life might not be safe if he stayed for any time in Brazil. That was the reason why the Conflict brought him to this country. If anything wrong had been done thereby, he (the Duke of Northumberland) was answerable for it, for he had expressed his approval of the course that had been pursued.
§ EARL GRANVILLE, in a low tone, explained the reasons which had induced him to put this question, and expressed his concurrence in every word which had fallen from the noble Duke who had last spoken. It was quite right to issue orders to preserve life; but official honours should not have been paid to General Rosas on landing.
§ LORD BEAUMONTsaid, that while the House was on this subject, he would put a question to his noble Friend opposite respecting the condition of affairs in the River Plate. It was now some weeks since it had been reported in this country—and there was no reason to doubt the correctness of the report—that the town of Montevideo had been occupied by a Brazilian force. He did not ask at present whether that was the case or not; but, supposing that it were the case, was his noble Friend prepared to say that the occupation would be merely temporary, as a measure of police, to preserve life and property, and that it would not lead to any permanent result endangering the practical independence of the Banda Oriental? Perhaps his noble Friend would also state at the same time whether the island of Martin Garcia was in the occupation of the Brazilian troops or not?
§ The EARL of MALMESBURYAs to the first question put to him by his noble Friend, he had to inform him that Montevideo was at the present moment occupied by Brazilian troops. After the town had been evacuated by the French troops, he had been informed by our Consul resident there that it was found necessary to call in the Brazilian troops to preserve order. He had been assured that morning by the 1283 Brazilian Minister that the occupation was only a temporary occupation. He could assure his noble Friend that Her Majesty's Government did not undervalue the independence of Montevideo, and that it had no reason to believe that it was now threatened. As to his noble Friend's second question, he had not heard that Martin Garcia had been occupied by the Brazilian forces, and he did not believe that it had been so occupied.