ir- 0. INSTRUCTIONS TO Mr OÜSELEY FOR HIS GüIDAN^E IN THE ANGLO-FRENCH INTERVENTION IN THE RIVER PLATE. ( FROM THE ARCHIVO AMERICANO. )No. 4. Foreign Office 9QM February 1845. SlK, You are already awaro that the first and most important duty which will present ¡tself to you upon your ai rival at your post will be the endeavour te eíTect a cessation of the hostiii- ties whieh have been so long carried on by General Rosas ngainst the City of Montevideo, and to restore and secure Peace throughoutthe State ofthe Uruguay. You are also aware that, at the cióse of last year, the Go- vernment of Brazil, in its character of a neighbouring power, and being a party to the Convention of August 1828, which de- clared the Independence of Montevidéo, as well as deeply in- terested in the rcstoration of tranquillity on its own fronticr, urged upon the cabinets of London and Faris, through the Vis- count D'Abrantes, the necessity of prompt and effective inter- ferencc ¡n ordcr to put an end to the war ; and you will have learnt by the papéi s of which copies have been furnished to yon in my Despach No. 3 of the 20th instact, and by the personal commtinication which you have lately had with the Ministers of the King of the Frenen, that the determination of Her Ma- jesty's Government, to accomplisth this object is shared by the Government of France, and that it is the intcntion of the two Countrics to imite their influence, and, if nced be, their forcé for that purpose. í will jiow proceed to give you soine Instructions by whieli to guide your conducf in the discharge of the important duty beforc you.It is not probable that tlie ncw Representativo of France who ¡s about to be accredited to thc Government of Buenos Ay- res will have reached that cily at the time of your arrival; and, although ¡t would be improper to atlempt any coercive measures, except in strict concert with your French Colleague, there «cciiis no reason why you should not try the effect of ami- eable representaron without any delay. Your first steps, there- fore, will have to be taken singly ; and it is the wish of Her Majesty's Government that they shoud be direoted to set beforc General Rosas , in candid and friendly terms , the danger in which his refusal to listen to formar representations from Her Majesty's Government has placed him, and to induce him at once, and of his own act, to desist from taking any further part in the operations against Montevideo. You will therefore lose no time in entering into communica- tion with General Rosas, and with his M inisters. You will slate that the spirit in which Her Majesty's Go- vernment addrcss themselves to the Government of Buenos Ay- res is not one of hostility to that state, or to the influcntial in- dividual who is at the head of it; on the contrary, that the ad- vice which you are instructcd to ofFcr is conceived in friendship, and in a truc regard for the interests of the Republic. It can scarcely be necessary to assure the Government of Buenos Avres that we have no selfish or exclusive object in view. General Rosas will himseif fully comprehend and acknowledge the true character of our proceeding. You willsay that, in exhorting General Rosas to desist from the contest to which he has made himsclfa party, Her Majesty's Government disclaim ail intention of interfering in any rnanner with the Independence of Ruemos Ayres; they do notdeny the right of that state to wage war like any other Independent Pow- er, provided always that the war be conducted according to thc custom of civili/.ed men and the lavv of Nations ; but ihe war in which the Argentino Arms are at present engaged is wa- ged against a state the Independence of which Great Britain is virtually bound to uphold ; and the object of that war is to place the domestic Governm¿nt of Montevideo in hands other than those to which the consent of the state has entrusted it. This alone might justify thc interposition of a power under whose medi.ition the Independence of Montevideo was cstablished; and certainly thc fact that the w \r is without any national cha- racter, so far as Buenos Ayres is comerned, and that General Rosas is, by his own confession, engaged in it as an Auxiliary only, and not as a Principal, would entibie him, without any sa- crifico of Honour or Independence, to submit to a termination of the contest, by the peaceful interposition of friendly powers. You will earnestly cntreat General Rosas soto consider the question, and, by accepting the mediationof England and France, to open a door to its settlement before it is too late to do so with digni- ty ; and you will reprosent to him that the time is come when the rejection of this advice will involve him in dangers and dif- ficulties, from which He cannot hope to escape without serious injuiy to His power; for that the long continuance of the war, the daily increasing losses which Europcan interests are suffering by it the hopelessness of its termination, a.id thc barbaritics which mark its character, have, in addition to the claims of Montevideo for the preservaron of her Independence, determined Her Majesty's Government and that of France to unite for the purpose oí* putting an.end to it. You will assure General Rosas that, not only is this deter- mination taken, and the means of accomplishing it at hand, but that its execution cannot be longdelayed, unlcs? it shall be anti- cipated by a timely and becoming acquiescencc on His part in the proposal about to be made to Him by England and France. You will add, that you state this not as a threat, or in order to accomplish by words what Her Maj' sty's Government will hesitatc to enforce by acts, but as a kindly warning, and with a sincere desire t<> avoid the necessity of adopting measures of- fensive to the dignity of a state with which Great Britain has hilherto preserved Her relations of friendsbip unbroken. I must leave to your own judgment the mode in which you will press these consi lerations, or any others which the state of añairs at your arrival inay suggest to you, upon the attention of General Rosas; but I arn inelined to think that in the first in- stance it will be better not to do so by formal or official Commu- nications; and, although there should not be any reserve or se- crecy on your part towards the Representativo of France, who may be actually resident at Buenos Ayres at the time, it is pro- bable that, until the arrival of the French Ministcr with the In- structions of his Government, the chances ofsuccess to our com- mon cause will be best consulted by your speaking in thc first instance indepcndently, and singly, as the Ministcr of Great Britain. If, as Her Majesty's Government cannot but hopo, your re- presentations in that character should have their due weight, and the Governmentof Buenos Ayres should withdrnw its Troops from thc Banda Oriental, and its Naval Forccs from before Mon- tevideo, or should issuc orders for a suspensión of Hostilities andthc raisingof the Blockade, the first and mbst important object which Her Majesty's Government have in view will have been accomplished. The terms upon wbich Peace shall be íinally settlcd and declnred between the two Repubiics may then be properly left to the united mediation of the friendly Powers, to be discusscd and recommended to the Two Principal Parties so soon as the arrival of your French Colleague at Buenos Ayres may enable you to act fogether in the matter. It is essential that you should observe a strict impartiality in the propositions which you may make to thc Contending Parties ; but the character of the Contest, and the absence of all substantial and national objects—at least on the side of Buenos Ayres—make it difficult to prescribe any conditions as a proper basis whereupon to negotiate a Peace. The point, however, to be principally kept in view, and the one which is of most im- portance to the Mcdiating Parties, is the prescrvation of the ln- dependcnce uf Montevideo. To this the honour of England, France, and Brazilii respectively p'edged, and it is one upon which nocompromi.se can be admitted. The obligations indeed of Buenos Ayres to acknowledge that Independencejaro equally strong as those by which the Medinting Powers are bound; ñor is theer any rcason to supposc se that General llosas will hesitate to recognise it. The Recognition, however, will be of litle valué so long as lie shall continuo the Chief Supporter of General Oribe's cause, whether that support be gi ven ostensibly by arms, or secretly by the aid of money or other influence. With the view, therefore, of setting at rest alljealousy on this score, it might be well that the conditions of Peace should include on one side the removal of General Oribe from the Montevidean Territory, and, on the other, that any Political Refugecs or other Persons, whose pre- sence in Montevideo may be a reasonable source of disquietude to the Buenos Ayrcan Government, should seek an asylum else- where. Amongst thesej General Rivera would no doubt be ¡n- cluded. And to this extent alone would Her Majesty's Govern- ment be disposed to sanction, either on thes irown partoron that of others, any interference in the internal affairs of Montevideo. Should it appcar necesary, under such an arrangement that security shoüld„bc furnishedfor the persons and-properties of the Individuáis afTccted by it, you are at liberty, under proper precautions, to offer the Intervention of Her Majesty's Govern- ment for the purposc. If you should find that General Rosas's Government has any jtist complaint to make, or any redress to ask of the Government of the Uruguay, or if, on the other hand, ¡t should appear'to you that Montevideo is cntitled to require something more from Bue- nos Ayres than security against futuro aggression, it will be your duty, in conjunction with your French Colleague, closely and impartially to examine the claims of each Paríy, and to re- commend such an arrangement as you may judge tobe equitable, and consistent with the honour and independence of the Two States. In conducting enquiry or negotiation on any such points you will, when necessary, put yourself in communication with the Government of Montevideo; either through Her Majesty's Chargé d'Affaires in that City, or, if you deem it requisito, "by repairing thither in person. I need scarcely add, that it i» fully understood between Her Majesty's Government and that of France, that the scttlement of the matters in dispute between the Two Repubiics is not to be accompanied by thc concession of Territorial, or any other sepárate advantages to the Parties con- cerned in the Mediation. It is very possible that the present juncture may be consi- dered favourable for securing the free Navigation of the Tributa- rles of the River Píate, although only indlrectly connected with the chief object of our intervention. Without expressing any opinión as to the course which it may be necessary to follow, if eventually we should be compclled to oceupy those Waters with a combined forcé, Her Majesty's Government are disposed to think that it will be better in the first instance, and so long as there remains a hope of restoring Peace without the aid of forcé, to abstain from any mention of this matter. It is truethat toopen the great Arteries of the South Ameri- can Continent to the free circulation of Commerce, would be not only a vast benefit to the trade of Europe, but a practical, and perhaps the best security for the preservation of Peace in Ame- rica itself. And should Her Majesty's Government not be disap- pointed in the hope which they entertain of being able, conjoint- ly with France, to put an end to the Contest by amicable me- diation, I shall be prepared to give you Instructions to unite with the French Minister in an endeavour to place the free na- vigation of the River Píate and its Tributaries upon a securo footing. For the present, however, and as the question does nót appear to have any necessary connection with the difierences between the two Repubiics, the adjustment of which is our first and most important end, you will do well not to introduce it as— 8 — an csscntial point of ncgotiation. You will. at the same time, be carcful not to enter into any engageinent which shotild fetter the discretion of Her Majesty's Government in dcaling hercafter with this importaut subject. I am not aware that 1 can lay down for you any further directions.as to the terms upon which Pcacemny be enneluded. In any condition which may oceur toyou as adnptcd to the position of the two Parties, or which you may be called upon to support, you will, of coursc, be careful not to smetion anything whicli may be ofTensive l«> the dignity and truc interests of Montevi- deo, any more than to those of the State to wh¡ch*you are accre- dited. Bearng this in view, yon are authorized to declare the wilüngness of Her Majesty's Government to become a Mediatiag Party to the Treaty. Hitherto I have assumed that you will 'find General Rosas well disposed to listen to the Representations which, in the ñame of Her Majesty's Government, you wi l mako to him upon your first arrival. If, unfortunately, this should not be the caso, and if he should refuse to take any step for the suspensión of hostilities. it will still be your duty to abstain from all threaiening languagc, and from any further allusion to forcé. You will wait the arrival of the French Minister, and as soon as he shall have presented himself at Buenos Ayres, you will concert with him the form in which your joint representations shall be made tothe two Repup- blics. A ready acccptance of ourmediation by Montevideo may confidently be anticipated ; and the points to which you have already been directed singly to cali the attention of General Rosas, will then have to be urged upon him with the additiona! weight of the Government of France, and in a more formal and solemn manner. Whatever may have been the hopes and ¡ntentions of Gene- ral Rosas up to that moment, it is hardly possible to conceive that when the consequences which must foliow from a refusa! to listen to the advice of the two Powers shall have been made evident to him, he will allow it to pass unheeded. But if he should refuse to act upon your united representations, and if therc should be any signs of an intention to temporize, and to protract the Negotiation, with a view of supporting General Oribe in a last enort for the subjugation of Montevideo, you will invite your Colleague tojoin with you in declaring, that if, by a certain day, the support ot the Argentino Troops is not with- drawn from the besieging Army, and the Blockade of the City raised, the. Commanders of the English and French Squadrons will be directed to eflect those objeets by forcé. It is ncedless to say that this declaration, when once made must be adhered to. It will therefore be your duty, as soon as you shall perceive a probability that such a step may be neces- sary, to put yourself in communication with the Commander of Her Majesty's Naval Forces in the River Píate, to make him ac- quainted with the objeets proposed in the Declaration, and to re- quest him to concert with the French Commander as to the mode in which it shall be carried out. The raising of the Blockade will of course be effected at once, and without difficulty. -With respect to the withdrawal of the Argentine Troops from the Montevidean Territory, it will be for your joint consideraron how this can be bestenforced. From the information possessed by Her Majesty's Government it would appear that a Blockade of those Ports through which the Buenos Ayrean Government are at present in thehabit of carrying on Communications with the be- sieging Army, more especially that of Buseo, and, if necessa- ry, the oceupation of the lower Waters of the Uruguay, would ef- fectually cut oíf all ¡ntercourse between Buenos Ayres and Ge- neral Oribe's forces, and thereby compeltheir retreat or dissolu- tion. These, howevcr. are matters upon which, if any doubt exists, the decisión must rest with the Commanders of the forcé. You will bear in mind that Her Majesty's Governmei,t have no intention of carrying on any operations whatevor by l.md; and you will nof consent to the disembarkation of any men from Her Majesty's Vessels beyond what may be requisite for the oc- eupation of the Island of Martin García, or any other spot of which, for the security of the combined forces or to make their operations effective, it may be necessary to take temporary pos- session. In such case you will be careful that the amount of forcé contributed by each party shall be as nearly equal as possible. I must add, however, that at any moment, or in any place in which the lives of British Subjects may be in danger, it will be your duty to cali for the aid of such forcé as may be necessary to insure their prompt and eíncient protection. How far it may be just and proper to adopt the same pre- caution in the event of danger to British Property only, will de- pend upon the degree and extent of the risk, and upon other cir- cunstances of the moment, which it is impossible to anticípate. Upon this point therefore I must leave you to beguided by your own judgment.— 10 — It is thc hope of Her Majesty's Government that neither a contínued refusal on thc parí of Ganeral Rosas to come to terms, ñor the still more improbable evcnt of active resistance on his part, may mako it nocessary to have recoursa to a Blockade of the Port of Buenos Ayres. The objects which they have imme- diately in view—the restoration of Peace, and a tranquil Govern- ment to the Republic of the Uruguay—the removal of pressure from ¡ta Capital, and the re-openingof itsports to Foreign Trade —may be effected wíthout any such measure ; but Her Ma- jesty's Government do not conceal from themselves that cir- cumstances may forcé them to take the stop ; and. should all other efforts to induce General llosas to abandon the cause of General Oribe, and to conclude a peace fail, you are authorized to suggest its adoption to your French Colleague; leaving. as in the case of the relief to- be given to Montevideo, the execution of the measure to the judgment and responsibility of the Naval Commandera. It is to be borne in mind, that undcr whatevcr circumstan- ces you may be led to direct the blockade of any point on the shores of the River Píate, or its Tributarles, every encouragement consistent with the maintenance of that Blockade is to be given to the trade of Neutral Vessels with Ports not within the limits of the blockaded district. But Her Majesty's Government are not at present prepared to recommend that, in the cvent of General Rosas refusing to recognize the free Navigation of the Tributarles of the River Píate, the combined forces should on this account alone occupy those Rivers, for the purpose of maintaining the freedoin of their navigation. Inthe opinión of Her Majesty's Government, it is desirable to ktep the one great purpose which the y have in view as dis- tinct from, and as little encumbered, with other considerations as possiblc. At the same time, if an opportunity of furthering any collateral object of importance should offer itself-—such, for in- stance, as the opening the navigation of those Rivers, or the re- storation of Peace to thc Governments of Corrientes and Entre- Rios upon their banks—I need hardly tell you that it will be your duty to use itto the best of your ability. You are now in possession of the general views of Her Ma- jesty's Government upon thematters in which you are about to act. Incidents may occur for which these Instructions do not specifically provide;—and upon which, being far removed from heme, it will be necessary for you to act under your own respon- sibility; but the knowledge which you have had the opportunity — 11 ©f acquiring personally of the sentiments ofthe t™o Govern- ments, will, 1 doubt not, cnable you to carry out their Instrnc- tions under any circumstances which may arise. If indeed you should find, what Her Majesty's Government are not led to look upon as probable, that the City of Montevi- deo, has fallen into the hands of General Oribe before your arri- val in the River Fíate, the abo ve Instructions will for the most part, be no longer applicable. Still, until you can receive di- rections adapted to thc circumstances under which the event shall have taken place, you will remember that, as I have already stated, the chief object which Her Majesty's Government have in view, is the preservation of the Independence of the Uruguay; and that, therefore, an attcmpt by General Oribe, or by any other Individual or Party, to support themselves in power by the pre- sence of Buenos Ayrean Troops in Montevideo, as it would be a flagrant violation of such Independence, might, if persisted in, focce upon Her Majesty's Government the necessity of an active interference. It only remains for me to add, that it will be one of your most important duties to maintain a cordial understanding on all points with the French Minister at Buenos Ayres, and to con- tribute everything in your power to promotc the same feeling bctwccn the Naval Officers of thc two Countiies. I a m . &c. (Signed) Ahekdken. ON. ° 20. Fureign Ojjwe Novembcr 5lh 1845. Sai— Yourseveral Despatchesto No. 47 of the 17th of August.dcscri- bingthe course of events in the River Píate up to that date, have received thfl careful consideration of Her Majesty' Government. Her Majesty's Government have alto given their attention to the Despaches of Mr. Turner relating to the same matters, and especially to his Dcspateh No. 64 of the 13th August to which referencé is made in yours of the I7th of the same m->uth. It does not appe'ar that hitherto any events have oceurred under which the Instructions received by you on lcaving En- glanddo not'furnish you with general principies for your gui- dance. I have the satisfaction of informing you, that Her Majests's Government cntirely approve of the manner in which .you have carried out those Instructions in your t-ansactions both wilh the Government of Buenos A y res and that of Montevideo. The only point upon which I see occasion to add anything to my despatch No. 4 of the 20th February, is, with respect to the light in which the present position of General Oribe, and his pre- tensión! tothe Presidency of Montevideo are to be vicwed. In that Despatch, after stating that the main object of the Mcdiating Powers is the security ofthe Independence of Montevi- deo, and that it is one upon which no compromiso can be admit- ted, it was suggested as a mean.? of setting at rest ail jealousy on that hcad, that the terms of pacification should inelude the remo- val of General Oribe from the Montc\ idean Territory. It is pro- bable, howcvcr, that whilst a elose adhcrcncc to this condition would be more than is necessary to secare to the ¡State and City — 13 — of Montevideo their Independenco and self Government , it would also prove á serious obstacle to an acommodation with General Rosas; aud, therefore, I think it well to remind you, that Her Majesty's Góvernment have no interest or wish to inter- ferc with thefu'l enjoyment by General Oribe of his rights as a Citizen of Montevideo, so longas neither hispresence in the State, ñor his pretensions to Authority, are supported by Froign Arms. To a frec election of General Oribe, conducted according to the forms and spirit of tho Constitution, Her Majesty's Govern- ment would have no right or desircto object. But tosecuro that freedom of choice to his fellow-citizcns, it will be absolutely ne- cessary that the Argentino Forcé, by which he is now suppor- ted, should be withdrawn beyond the frontier, and that the only Troops in Arms in the Banda Oriental should be nnder the autho- rity ofthe Provisional Government. This, therefore, if the oc- casion should arise, you will require, and any olher precautions, such as th.e postponement of the Elections until a certain time shall have eiapsed after the with drawal of General Rosas's Forcé, and until notices hall have becn given to the Crtizens of Mon- tevideo who may be beyond the pivcincts of the Republic. you will propose according to yourjudgment ofthe necessities of the case. What I have here said wiih respect to General Oribe, ap- plies equally to General Rivera, for though Her Majesty's Go- vernment would regret the retara of 'he latter to Montevideo at the present moment. as likely to add to the difficulties which have to be met both there and al Bumns Avies, yctlhey could not, without departing from the impartiality of mediators, pro- pose the exclusión of ono from the rights of Citizcnship enjoyed by the other. You will use your discretion in making the views of Her Majesty's Government, as above stated, gencrally known. VVhcn a Contest is essentially one of Party, it is of course difficult to di- vost Intervention of all Pany chaiactcr, and Her Majesty's Go- vernment have reason to suppose that tho object of Great Hritain and France has been misrepresented and inisunderstood in more quariers than one. In your Despatch No. 47 of the 17th of August, you state that it suits General Rosas' present purpose to avoid the appearancc of being opposed to the English and French Governments, and that he represents their opoi ations as solely directed against General Oribe and his Party in the Oriental State. On the other hand, Her Majesty's Government are aware that the Monte Videans, who are in the service or under the inílucnec i'f General Oribe,— 14 — having at first boen taught that the interference of the Two Pow- ers was in favonr of their leader, were subserjuently, upon the adoption of coercive measures, persuaded that the Mediation was, in fact, an interested foreign aggression, which their duty and their honour called upon them to resist. And Her Majesty's Government also know that a Party in the Town of ¡Mente Video have endeavoured to créate the helief that the mediation ¡s enti re- ly in favour of Éits present government, and that England and France are prepared loenter into a cióse alliance with them. Th's being the case, Her Majesty's Government will be glad to hear that you have taken every fitting opportunity to place the policy of the Two Countries in ils true light; to disclaim on the part of their Governments any interested motives, as well as any preference for one or other of the Parties into which the state of the Uruguay is divided ; and to convince both those Parties that the measures of hostility to which we have had re- course are directed solely against the interference of a Foreign Powor in a question purély national, and one which cannot be decided by Foreign Arms without violence to the Independence of their Country an Independence which Great Britain and France are virtually bound to uphold. I ain, iV <: . (xigned) Aberdisen. Spanith Ainrrion MatiRg Ulficv