lar, the king
closed the session with a speech on the fourteenth day of June, when the
chancellor in his majesty's name prorogued the parliament. [262] _[See
note 2 M, at the end of this Vol.]_

THE KING OF SPAIN PUBLISHES A MANIFESTO.

Letters of marque and reprisal were granted against the Spaniards; a
promotion was made of general officers; the troops were augmented;
a great fleet was assembled at Spithead; a reinforcement sent out
to admiral Haddock; and an embargo laid on all merchant ships
outward-bound. Notwithstanding these preparations of war, Mr. Keen, the
British minister at Madrid, declared to the court of Spain, that his
master, although he had permitted his subjects to make reprisals, would
not be understood to have broken the peace; and that this permission
would be recalled as soon as his catholic majesty should be disposed to
make the satisfaction which had been so justly demanded. He was given to
understand, that the king of Spain looked upon those reprisals as acts
of hostility; and that he hoped, with the assistance of heaven and
his allies, he should be able to support a good cause against his
adversaries. He published a manifesto in justification of his own
conduct, complaining that admiral Haddock had received orders to cruise
with his squadron between the capes St. Vincent and St. Mary, in
order to surprise the Assogue ships; that letters of reprisal had
been published at London in an indecent style, and even carried into
execution in different parts of the world. He excused his non-payment
of the ninety-five thousand pounds stipulated in the convention, by
affirming that the British court had first contravened the articles of
that treaty, by the orders sent to Haddock; by continuing to fortify
Georgia; by reinforcing the squadron at Jamaica; and by eluding the
payment of the sixty-eight thousand pounds due to Spain from the
South-Sea company, on the assiento for negroes. The French ambassador at
the Hague declared that the king his master was obliged by treaties
to assist his catholic majesty by sea and land, in case he should be
attacked; he dissuaded the states-general from espousing the quarrel
of Great Britain; and they assured him they would observe a strict
neutrality, though they could not avoid furnishing his Britannic
majesty with such succours as he could demand, by virtue of the treaties
subsisting between the two powers. The people of England were inspired
with uncommon alacr