to the Austrian embassy.

If Spanish liberalism placed Spain in danger of a war with France, Spain
was in equal danger of a war with Great Britain because she was not
liberal enough. The revolution of 1820, instead of reconciling the
revolted colonies, had served as an example to the loyal colonies to
seek their liberty. By the summer of 1822 Upper Peru was the only part
of the American mainland where Spain held more than isolated posts; she
had been compelled to sell Florida to the United States, and San Domingo
had joined the revolted French colony of Hayti. The Spanish cortes,
however, were even more resolute than the king had been to maintain the
authority of the mother country, and protested against the right which
the British had claimed and exercised of trading with the revolted
colonies. The disorderly state of these colonies encouraged the growth
of piracy, which flourished even in the ports which still acknowledged
the supremacy of Spain. Special irritation was caused in 1822 by the
condemnation of the _Lord Collingwood_ for trading with Buenos Ayres, a
place over which Spain had exercised no authority for twelve years. In
the same year the new navigation acts greatly increased the facilities
for trading with Great Britain enjoyed by such places in America as
admitted British ships. In April, 1822, the United States recognised the
independence of Colombia, but Great Britain refrained as yet from
recognising any of the Spanish-American states, partly because of their
unsettled condition and partly because the threat of recognition was a
valuable diplomatic counter in negotiations with Spain.

Instead of a congress being held at Florence it was finally determined
that the Italian questions should be referred to a congress which was to
meet at Verona in September, 1822, and was to be preceded by a
conference at Vienna on the Eastern question; there could, however, be
little doubt that the Spanish question would also be raised.
Castlereagh, or as we should now call him Lord Londonderry, would have
preferred that Great Britain should stand aloof from the Spanish and
Italian questions, but he desired that she should participate in the
discussion of the Eastern question; it was accordingly arranged that he
should represent Great Britain at the conference of Vienna, and he had
actually drawn up instructions in favour of non-intervention in Spain
and of accrediting agents to some of the South American republics, when