SPAIN AND MOROCCO—QUESTION. (Hansard, 27 March 1860)

THE EARL OF CARNARVON

said, he wished to put a Question to the Govern- 1323 ment with respect to the existing relations between the Spanish Government and the Government of Morocco. He understood from a telegram which had appeared in the morning papers that conditions of peace had been signed. When, a short time since, he asked his noble Friend (Lord Wodehouse) a question upon the subject their Lordships were told that overtures of peace had been made by the Spanish Government. The conditions were understood to be an indemnity for the expenses of the war, that a Roman Catholic bishop should be allowed to reside in the interior, certain commercial stipulations in favour of the trade of Spain, and a cession of Moorish territory over and above what had been conquered by the Spanish arms, and including a part of the coast of the Atlantic opposite the Canary Islands. He was anxious to know whether Her Majesty's Government were yet in possession of any official information with regard to the terms that had been agreed to between the belligerents; whether those terms were substantially the same as had been offered by Marshal O'Donnell; or whether they had suffered any abatement. On a former occasion when the matter was discussed he did not press for the production of any papers, because the state of things was such as might have rendered it inconvenient and detrimental to the public service to have produced them; but he hoped the Government were now in a position to furnish at least some portion of the correspondence. It might be impossible for them to lay the whole upon the table; still it ought to be in their power to communicate that part of it which would show what was the actual position in which the question now stood, the attitude of the parties who had been engaged in the war, the extent and character of the claims which had been made by the Spanish Government, and the concessions promised or made by the Moorish Government. The production of the correspondence was not simply desirable in the interests of Great Britain, but it was equally so for the Government of Spain. Already some of the despatches had been published which had passed between the Moorish and Spanish Governments with respect to the origin of the war; and he was free to say that if those papers contained the true version of the transaction, and represented the whole case of the Spanish Government, it certainly did not appear to be consistent with that spirit of fairness and justice for which 1324 he was always willing to give that Government credit. Rut in one of those despatches from the Moorish Minister to the English Consul General at Tangier there was this very remarkable statement. The Moroccan Minister said that the Moorish people and Government were at this moment suffering severely owing to their deference to the wishes and desires of the English Government which had been conveyed through the Consul General to them. Now, he thought that for the sake of the dignity and honour of this country it would be only fair that the House should be informed what were the wishes and desires which Her Majesty's Government had thus conveyed to the Moorish Government. He wished to imply no doubt that they were satisfactory; nevertheless it was important that Parliament should learn what they really were. He could not altogether forget the relations which subsisted between Spain and other countries. He could not forget the recent bombardment of Tangier by the French fleet. He could not forget the whispers which had, as it was well known, circulated in Northern Africa with regard to French co-operation and French intentions in that quarter of the world. And, lastly, he could not put out of sight all recollection of the very remarkable map for the redistribution of Europe in the year 1860, which was published in Paris about two years ago, and in which, amongst other territorial changes, it was proposed that Morocco should be annexed to Spain. All these considerations made it a matter of deep importance that Parliament should have ample information upon the subject. He believed that the commerce of this country with Morocco was a growing commerce, and that in the ordinary course of things it was capable of still further development and extension. But if Spain succeeded in acquiring possession of the northern coast, if the whole extent of territory from Tetuan to Tangier were ceded to Spain, and if she made further acquisitions upon the Atlantic side, from that moment, whether for good or for evil, the empire of Morocco would cease to exist as an independent State, and at once pass under the control and influence of another Power. So far as our own interests were concerned, especially in reference to Gibraltar, they were too apparent t to need dwelling upon for one moment. Hitherto we had drawn all our supplies for the garrison at Gibraltar 1325 without stint and without difficulty from the Moorish coast. It would remain to be seen, in the event of that coast passing into the hands of a foreign Power, how far we should be able to retain the advantage we now possessed. He should be glad to hear from his noble Friend, first whether the telegram to which he had alluded was correct; and next, whether he was prepared to lay any portion of the Correspondence on the subject of Spain and Morocco upon the table?