The Long Ago Times

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PARIS, February 19th, 1824 — A recent piece in the Journal des Débats has elicited both amusement and outrage among those in the UK who keep a close eye on international affairs. The French Government has been seen congratulating the commercial circles of Europe on the supposed benefits of granting America free trade access – a move attributed surprisingly to Ferdinand of Spain. According to Paris, Ferdinand has generously allowed trading rights to his trans-Atlantic territories, a decision the Journal des Débats deems revolutionary, given Spain’s historical protectionism and the policies of Charles V and Philip II. Such claims stretch credulity to the point where one wonders if the decree exists at all. It might be kinder to spare the Journal des Débats the struggle of belief by simply retracting this dubious decree.

It’s high time we dispensed with these absurdities and communicated directly to the French Government that their thinly veiled attempts to meddle in the Americas under laughable pretexts won’t go unnoticed or unchallenged by Britain. Lord Nugent’s recent address made it clear that Spain has effectively become a satellite of France, a situation that doesn’t benefit the master state financially or strategically in the short term but sets a precedent for asserting dominion and later exploiting resources. The British diplomatic effort seems puzzlingly inactive. After interactions with Sir Charles Stuart, the French Government’s proclamation of free trade for South America and Mexico appears misguided. Has Stuart not clarified the futility and irrelevance of such a concession, or is his advice being blatantly ignored?

The rationale behind France’s move to separate commercial interests from colonial independence questions is bewildering. British and colonial merchants were already content; their trade routes were established and secure without needing France’s or Spain’s endorsement. This decree only serves to unsettle them, potentially driving them to cling tighter to their initial trading partners out of a mixture of spite and principle.

This purported gesture of free trade, supposedly signaling a return to sensible and actionable policies, raises the question: sensible for whom? The colonies had already embraced such policies, rendering Spain’s late-to-the-party realization irrelevant. They can’t offer what they no longer control. This mirrors the strategy Napoleon used: proclaiming and enforcing rights over subjugated lands. In this light, a Bourbon monarch’s similar approach seems both ironic and impotent.

The British government’s stance needs clarity and forthrightness, both domestically and internationally. The British public will support a firm stand against any French or Spanish aggression towards the Spanish colonies in the New World, especially if Spain remains under French influence and occupation. A clear statement might preempt any planned disruptions. Dithering or deceit will only delay the inevitable need to act and could tarnish the British government’s reputation for either misleading the Bourbons or tacitly endorsing a plan they ostensibly opposed.

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