acknowledged. If this be the practice, which I will not stop to
determine, it is grossly improper; and ought to be abolished. Our
Generals, however, had entered Portugal as Allies of a Government by
which this title had been acknowledged; and they might have pleaded this
circumstance in mitigation of their offence; but surely not in an
instrument, where we not only look in vain for the name of the
Portugueze Sovereign, or of the Government which he appointed, or of any
heads or representatives of the Portugueze armies or people as a party
in the contract,--but where it is stipulated (in the 4th article) that
the British General shall engage to include the Portugueze armies in
this Convention. What an outrage!--We enter the Portugueze territory as
Allies; and, without their consent--or even consulting them, we proceed
to form the basis of an agreement, relating--- not to the safety or
interests of our own army--but to Portugueze territory, Portugueze
persons, liberties, and rights,--and engage, out of our own will and
power, to include the Portugueze army, they or their Government willing
or not, within the obligation of this agreement. I place these things in
contrast, viz. the acknowledgement of Bonaparte as emperor and king, and
the utter neglect of the Portugueze Sovereign and Portugueze
authorities, to shew in what spirit and temper these agreements were
entered upon. I will not here insist upon what was our duty, on this
occasion, to the Portugueze--as dictated by those sublime precepts of
justice which it has been proved that they and the Spaniards had risen
to defend,--and without feeling the force and sanctity of which, they
neither could have risen, nor can oppose to their enemy resistance which
has any hope in it; but I will ask, of any man who is not dead to the
common feelings of his social nature--and besotted in understanding, if
this be not a cruel mockery, and which must have been felt, unless it
were repelled with hatred and scorn, as a heart-breaking insult.
Moreover, this conduct acknowledges, by implication, that principle
which by his actions the enemy has for a long time covertly maintained,
and now openly and insolently avows in his words--that power is the
measure of right;--and it is in a steady adherence to this abominable
doctrine that his strength mainly lies. I do maintain then that, as far
as the conduct of our Generals in framing these instruments tends to
reconcile men to this course of act