Star. — London, England, 1812-02-14 00:00:00

'I 'me published, printed at Mr. A. J. VALFT'S Press, Tooker. court, Chancery-lave, London, 'HE PLEASURES of FRIENDSIIIP; a Poem ' , in two Cantos. By FRANCES ARABELLA ROViDEN, Embellished with an elegant Frontispiece andirlgnett‘. 2d edit, price 115.—1 n the Press, • A Poetical Introduction to the STUDY of 80T. 1 1.T with . preliminary Lessons , and seven Copper-plates. By F. Roy.. pas Yd edition, price 10e. 6c). Ivor Schools. • sold by Longman, Hurst, and to. Paternoster-row; infte and Cochrane, and Murray, Meet -street: J. Harris, St. Path's Chureb-yard, aad all other Bonitsellers. Where also may be had, SERMONS on Public Occations,with historical, ctiecal, and Poetical Notes, containing an article (intim CATHOLIC QUES TION. By R. VA LP Y, D.D. F.A.S. 2 abls. two. price t us. boards. An ADDRESS i`rom a CLERGYMAN to his PARISHIO NERS, 3d edition. By the same, price Ss. 6d. fine paper ss. POE I'ICAL CHRONOLOGY of ANCIENT and ENGLISH HISTORY, wish Historical and Explanatory Notes, 6th edition. By the same, price 2s. P4RL/41.VENTARr PROCEEDINGS, HOUSE OF LORDS 4 FEBRUARY is. Their Lordships met at about three o'clock, on the Appeal Cause, Kerr v. Kerr, when Mr. Maconnochie was heard con citisivrly for the Respondent : and Mr. Leach, at great length, in .sfe*, for the Appellant. At half-past fite o'clock, the further litatinewap poirponed till to• Morrow. Mr. NV! t.t.taM DUNDAS, and others from the Commons, brought up the Naval Stores' Embezzlement Bill, and a private Voclosure Bill, which were read the first time.—Adjotarned till to-morrow (this day.) HOUSE OF COMMONS. The East-India Lynn Bill went through a Committee.—Report ordered to be received to -matey. Mr. CURWEN postroned his motion with respect to the number of Suits in the Court of Chancery, which stood for to morrow, till to morrow se'nr.ight. Sir THOMAS TURTON said i as the Army Estimates was to become to-morrow the subject of dhcuarion in the House, he wished for att account of the numbs r of Troops now In Great Britain and Ireland, extracted from the latest returns. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER had no objec tion to the-production of such an account, but could not perceive whit advantage the Hon. Baronet could expect from it. Sir THOMAS TURTON said, that it was usual to produce an account, such as he required, on similar occa►ions. AMERICA. Mt. WHITBREAD rose to make his promised motion. He could not but feel regret, that a mo tion on a question of such importance should be at , tended by so few Members. Whatever others might think of it, he felt it to be of the greatest consequence to hafe that information laid before the House, which was the object of the motion with which he should conclude. He had thought it advisable that no time should be lost ; and he had brought it forward on a day that interfered with no other public busine,s.— All parties seemed to agree in deprecating a war With America ; and yet that event, it must be admit ted, was but too prrbable. The Governments both ofGreat Britainand America had, from the b!ginning, professed uniformly a conciliating disposition. Un fortunately, however, with all those professions of friendship on both sides, the breach had widened day by day. From all the authentic information he could derive, from the President's speech, and other proceedings in America, war seemed inevitable, if we continued to persevere in the same system which we bad now pursued for five years. The case between us and Atnerica Vas now placed before the eyes of all the world, exbepting the two Houses of Parlia ment in this country. Congress had the whole merits of the case—the people of France had them—any one who merely read the newspapers had them—but the British Parliament had them not. He should he glad to know why the papers were withheld which he solicited near the close of the last Session, and which now, with the additional documents on the subject were, as lie understood;to be refused to him, and to the House. Motions for papers were certainly not infrequent, whenever there was any ground tor ask ing information, or any jealousy of the conduct pur sued by Administration. SCh was the case in the Russian armament, and r dpecting the Walcheren expedition. Such also was the case with respect to some parts of our conduct regarding the peninsula. Such information being asked, bad been frequently accorded ; but Avben withheld, it was generally stated, that the disclosure would prove injurious to the result of negotiations pending ; and it had even been said, that other Governments would dislike it, and that fo teign Ministers would be induced to hesitate in making communications, which were likely to be . made public before the objects of them were com pleted. Here there was no such plea, since the whole matter had been disclosed ; and all he asked, was the production of papers which had been already printed by order of Congress. In reading those pa. pers, he saw great reason for blaming the conduct of those who conducted the correspondence, on the part of this country, with America ; but he should then make no specific charges against any person, because • the House was at present presumed ignorant of the contents of the papers, and, as he learfied, was to be kept in that ignorance. In a late discussion, the Chancellor of the Exchequer had wisely said, that he should counsel to bear more from America than from the ancient states. If that was wise counsel, surely it must have been also wise conduct to act towards that country with the strictest and most punctilious atten tionlo decorum. The reason for this peculiar atten tion was sufficiently obvious ; but he would say, that so far from that having been the case, it might be shewn, if the papers were produced, that the greatest inattention, amountingeven to diplomatic incivility,had been experienced by the American Ministers in this country ; and that our tone in America since the recall of Mr. Erskine, had baen most inconciliatory ; but all the means of shewing this, he was that night to be re fused. The Right Hon. Gentleman, who was the Minister's colleague at the time when the celebra ted or famous Orders in Council were promulgated, had never refused giving the House correspon dence which had been previously printed. Indeed, it appeared like an insult to one's reason, to refuse to produce, formally and technically, documents of such a nature, of which every person could obtain posses sion in another way. The papers at present in pos session of Parliament came down to the termination of Mr., Erskine's mission. That Gentleman was suc ceeded by Mr. Jackson, who certainly did not go out with such instructions and in such a tone, as to be very likely to conciliate. Things proceeded so far, that there appeared every probability of an open rupture : the consequence of which was Mr. Jack son's recall. It was by no means, however, his in tention to move for the correspondence between Mr. Jackson and the American Government, since that bu ones& had now gone byi and beshould be exceedingly son to rei►ive so tmpleisant a mutat. Abstaining from that, he should cotne, after a long interval, to the appointment of Mr. Foster, whose mission, open ed inauspiciously, and bad been conducted in a sitni las manner and which, it appeared, had terminated uofertunately. Neither the instructions which were given,to Mr. Foster, por the manner in which his negoctation had been carried on, bore the appear ance* or had the effect of conciliation. He should next briefly call the attention of the House to some pointe relative to the correspondence between the Marquis Wellesley and Mr. Pinckney, which com menced about the beginning of January, 1810, and terminated in February last year. Of Mr. Pinckney, it was hardly necessary for him to say any thing.— He appeared to have conducted himself so, as to skew tt sincere disposition to conciliation and amity, taking at the same time the important views of the interests of America which might be expected from an enlightened Statesman. He had approached the Government of this country with the utmost respect and decorum, and had been zealous in all his efforts either as to the time or the style and mode of con veying his sentiments : but he had not been treated by the British Minister for Foreign Affairs with a similar degree of attention and punctilio. It should be recollected, that at the commencement of this cor respondence, a great degree of soreness existed in America from the disappointment experienced by the American Government in the termination of Mr. of a sear. lie begged that It might be understood, ' that be asked nothing but what had been printed.— The date of the latest part of the correspondence be tween Mr. Foster and Mr. Mourn was in October. 1811 ; and the last document was, he believed, dated the very last day of that month. In November, a Message was presented to Congress. from the Presi dent, tollowed by the Report of a Committee ; and frUm the complexion and temper of these proceed ings, it might, in point of fact, have been inferred that,all negotiation had terminated. He did not know any good ground for refusing these Papers ; but there were many important reasons for granting them. The novelty of the subject was indeed worn off. The question had been sn repeatedly discussed, and the same ground had been so often traversed, that he acknowledged it might be a little tiresome to read these documents with all the attention which they merited. He did not mean to blame those who had been engaged in this diplomatic correspondence fur so going often over the same ground ; still it must be somewhat dull to.read. He did justice to the abi lity displayed in these papers ; but, after all, conside ring that it was only repeating the same thing so often, the subject must pall. But the present'question was not, Whether they should go to war with Ame rica ? He did not call on the House to decide that ; but only for the documents necessary to enable them to decide when the question came before them. The House could not be in a condition to decide, unless Jackson's mission. Mr. Pinckney addressed Lord the papers which he called for were produced in a Wellesley in a letter containing a statement of the technical shape. Whatever night be thought cf; case respectineMr. Jackson. At that period, when the subject in the House, he was sure that the guts that remarkable sensibility existed in the American tion excited a great deal of interest out of doors, and Government, and throughout the country, after the that there was no small anxiety among the public for termination of Mr. Erskine's negotiation, and the the success evened this very motion. Whether Ame = unfortunate substitution of the mission of slr. Jack- rica shewed too great a partiality for France, or not, son, one would have thought that no Ault of deco- —whether this country was wrong, or Arnerica, rum or attention would have occurred : yet at the or both,—whethet or not the Orders in Council were very outset, other matters of greater importance, he politic, and whether or not it had been practicable.to (Mr. W.) must suppose interfering, the British Mini- act up to the full extent cf them,—this one thing was ster . returned no answer to Mr. Pincicney's letter till clear, that they had been the cause of great comma the 14th of March ; a period of more than 2 months. ciat distress. No one doubted but it would be a great Mr. Pinckney waited for an answer with decoroas blessing if America were to open her markets for our patience. He had himself since said, that he was produce ; no one doubted but a war with America prepared for a delay, but not for one so lohg as that. would be a great evil, and attended with the most On the 15th of February, it should be observed, Mr. calamitous consequences to this country. It was of Pinckney had again written to Lord Wellesley, on little avail to talk as some did, of chastising America, the subject of the blockades ; a question of the area- of putting her down, of annihilating her as it were. test interest to America. -This letter was answered by No : that was out of our power. We had created her Lord Wellesley on the 2d of March. On the 30th of by our impolicy, and there she would stand, in spite April, Mr. Pinckney wrote to Lord Wellesley on the of Apr efforts. He was not sure whether the time WAS subject of the Berlin and Milan Decrees ; but he re. not past for terminating these disputes amicably. If ceived no answer from his Lordship. On the 3d of he had spoken on the subject forty-eight hours ago, he May he wrote again, and remonstrated against the would have said that there were hardly any hopes of a practice ofgiving to British ships the character of Ame- friendly adjustment; and that the Constitution frigate, rican ships, by means of false papers ; a traffic, than which sailed from France on the nth of last montlohad, which nothing more shameful and more injurious carried out an agreement which might perhaps have' to American interests could exist. To this coin- proved fatal to the interests of this country; yet there, plaint of a practice which was infamous, and Brie- had been fresh arrivals, whichtoa certain extent dispel. ' vously injurious to America, no answer was given. led thisapprehension, although he thought theexpecta. On the 23d of June, Mr. Pinckney wrote, referring to tions entertained by man', of an amicable termination his letter of the 30th of April, and requesting a reply; of our differences were still by far too sanguine.— but here again no answer was given. On the 7th of. The articles which had been contracted for by Ame- July, Mr. Pinckney wrote, complaining of the long rican subjects prior to the 2d of February, 1811, were delay that had taken place in the appointment of ano- to be admitted into America ; and a great quantity ther British Minister to America. To this letter he of goods might, by this means, find their way into received in answer a verbal asset - once that a Minister that country, according to the system of Ikenced should be appointed immediately. On the Bth of fraud and forgery establisbedby the Orden in Council. August he again wrote, referring to former notes, Much might, no doubt, be,sworn away in this man and again requesting an answer, to which none had ner ; and the relief that might be experienced by our been given. On the 21st of August he again wrote, commerce from this partial opening, would be an respecting the blockades, and his letter was again un- evidence of what might be expected if the trade were answered. On the 25th of August, he wrote on the thrown open altogether. The Orders in Council were subject of the revocation of the Berlin and Milan de- given up now, he believed, by many of their warmest trees, and received an answer on the 31st of August. advocates. From our principal manufacturing towns On the 15th of September, he wrote respecting the —from almost every quarter—there were the loudest blockade of Elsineur, stating the circumstance of four complaints against them ; and many even of those American seamen belonging to the Viola. No an- merchants who had indulged the most sanguine ex swer was given as to the men, but they were subse- pectations from their operation, would now, he ima quently released by order of the Lords of the Admi- gined, confess that their hopes had been disappointed. ratty. Much as he was astonished at the manner of But he did not, at present, say, that such complaints Lord Wellesley, he was more so when he considered ought to be attended to. He did not propose to enter the particular period. Every body knew, that one/ into the discUssion, but merely to put the House in of the nicest and most difficult points in discussion possession of the information necessary for that dis was that which related to the seamen. Surely when cussion He confessed that America was popular with an opportunity offered of conciliating, by a prompti- him. It had been driven before by our impolicy into tude in rendering justice, as in such a case as this, one a war with this country; and the issue of that con would suppose that a Minister professing conciliation, test had been such, as that of such a contest ought to entertaining a just view of the political and commer- have been. He had eo jealousy whatever of the great cial interests of this empire, and knowing how fatal ness and prospetity of America. The greater Ame the consequences of a rupture with America might rica was, the better for this country—the more flou be, and seeing where the question of right lay, would rishing„ would be the state of Great Britain : and from eagerly embrace the occasion to do justice. But no: that flourishing condition, the prosperity of America Mr. Pinckney found the practical effect of his repre- would derive a fresh impulse and additional vigour. sentation in an acknowledgment coldly and reluc- He had seen nothing of injustice or impartiality an the tantly made ; but not the least trouble taken to do it conduct of America. (Hear, hear, from the Chancel in a conciliatory manner—Lord Wellesley abstain- for of the Exchequer and others.) Nothing of the ing from putting any thing on this subject upon pa- kind in the conduct of the American Government to per. On the Bth of September, Mr. Pinckney wrote this country. He knew how the trumpet had been of respecting the ship Fox, and shortly atter demanded first sounded, that America had been acting in secret his audience of leave. The speech of the Prince Re- hostility to Great Britain ; and how that had been gent noticed our affairs with America in general lan- followed up ; but the truth w as , t h at America, being guage ; such as could not be said to hold out strong the only neutral nation, had naturally taken advan hopes, being merely expressive of earnest wishes.— tage of that situation, and acted as Great Illitain, or Earnest wishes to preserve peace every body might ! any other Power would have done, if placed in simi entertain ; even those who had no hopes. But the lar circumstances. America had been ill-treated bath speech certainly had a tendency, at the time a was by France and England ; both had exacted from her delivered, to excite an idea that some discussions' what it was perfectly impossible for her to pel'orm. were going on which were likely to lean to a favour - She had borne with this as long as she reasonably I able issue : but there was no such prospect. * Mr. could, without ma- resorting to defensive measures. Pinckney had demanded leave, and all discussions At last, she was compelled to lay on the Embargo, for the time ended. Mr. Foster's mission to Ame- and fortify herself by the Non-Intercourse Law. To rica was in fact not a continuation but a resumption neither of the belligerents had she acted with injus of discussion. He was expected to carry out with tice, though ill-used by b ot h : b ut F rance h a d w i sdom him to America the means of conciliation ; but the ' enough to be the first to retrace her steps, and adopt American GOvernment was again disappointed ; for a conciliatory tone. The recent accounts from Ame- Mr. Foster had only to restate what had been stated rica rendered the production of the information which before, and the American Government to reply as he called for a matter of still greater importance.— they had previously replied. Having called the at- I The admission of our manufactures would probably tention of the House to these particulars in the dis- I give umbrage to France ; and Great Britain ought cussions between our Government and that of Ame- I to be prepared, to take advantage of this favourable rica, he (Mr. Whitbread) should purposely abstain occurrence. 'Whether he succeeded or filled in his from entering at that time into the consideratirn of motion, he would at least have the satisfaction of the Orders in Council, or the revocation or virtual having done his duty. He concluded by moving,] repeal of the Berlin and Milan Decrees. As the Or- " that an address be presented to the Prince Regent, ders in Council were likely to be discussed in a few for copies of the correspondence betweefrour Govern days, and as they involved an extensive range of ment and America, through the medium of the re matter, he thought it more proper to reserve what spective Ministers, with the documents referred en in he might have to say upon them for a future occa- that correspondence, from the Ist of January, 1810, sion. He should therefore confine himself, for the up to the latest period." present, simply to a motion for the information which Mr. STEPHEN expressed his satisfaction at hay he was desirous to have laid before Parliament previ- ing heatd from the Hon. Gentleman, that he had Ilr) OUS to the future discussion and decision th at m us t intention of going into the justice or policy of the soon be forced upon Ministers, on a review of that Orders in Council, since the subject would soon come coaduct which had at length brought us to the verge in a separate shape before the House, when it might • :4hera.taLheesha4tjind'illei 6.4 be ctseessed with rd Meth mote advent a g e . Bit (u th ijo e n Honourahle G while he relieved him from the necessity of e ' into the question of justice or Polier, which r t " g fully prepared to do, he could not but regret, wi sta th n o h d a t d ar j g n u m in p g ed th t : a su c b o j at in generalities, and said, that the conduct f ' country towards America was wrong. By t i a :, t - f r: reeding of the Hon. Gentleman, he was ' ,L ice ,' very unpleasant dilemma. He could not enter ' I A: into the conduct of the Americans, without th e sk of consequences which it was far Iron nis wish to duce; and yet he would assert, in of their having been any injustice in the conduct of u s 46 country toward Amenca, we had the stronges t c ea against her that ever doe nation had Against •n but he would not appeal to the evidence which h e bad brought with him, and he misted he sh led Le delivered front ever engaging in so Oatie•taaint ad c ia dispute. At present, be would tidy say in r e „ Th i n that there never was a More untounar,t that Great Biitain had been unjust towards Am 4 or wantin zin a spirit ofcino4l"ifin. eli neler' trPy, from Mr. Perceval i others). On the nothing but the utmost aversion to a q — er a w i t America could have enabled this countly to have borne so much. So far from having do ne any di .. to provoke a rupture with Amerce the . si nyist persevering, and almost even bawds it ng hall been employed to avoid it. Hewould f ir;e4r ing now into that topic, more tactical irly b enne He thought the question was not whether we Ik e a go to war with America, but whether America navy go to war with us ? (Hear, hear,) He saw me p o d that could result Prom a premature agitation hi d b i House of the differences between the tw, crestsini I but, on the contrary, was satisfied that it aligh t i s attended with a great deal of inconvenieaceandea. chief. If, however, he should be forced into a Ife. cussion of •the justice and policy of the Orders s e Council, he would follow the Honourable Gendese es through the latter branches of them, as he had e we through the former ; and had no doubt but he calk prove what he now asserted—that they wage ne m. unjust nor impolitici Hedenied that there was ny e ', deuce of the mercantile interest in general mmie le i ft the Orders in Council as injurious to tradelfthey they must have forgot the prostrate st.ite of our c aw merce previous to the issuing of the Orders io Comb cil; and its prosperou's condition since that time—the whole forming the strongest body of evidence dam ever appeared on such a subject. But when mules' did the Hon. Gentleman hear a wish expressed, the America should be annihilated ? For his pat held never beard any wish expressed with regameten e dispute with America but one, and that was, that a war with that country ought to be avoided, could be done without that utter ruin to theinaritiat rights and commerce of Great Britain, must be the consequence of )ielding to the pretensions of France. (Hear, hear.) He saw al danger of annihilation to America, except frestie strong opposition. Which would naturally be ma among themselves to the unfortunate measures wild 'their Government was now pursuing. When Ai ' Hon. Gentleman talked of adopting a proper use conduct with regard to America, he well underlie( what was meant by that ; it meant, that we wets* allow her to take up the whole carrying trade; my; even the whole coa,targ trade of France ; that es 'ought to consent to her carrying on the whole ca. 'mace of our enemy without interruption. nava the amount of the prnpotition and what wastes* extraordinary, the Hon. Gentleman asserted, that this would be foe the benefit of our commend— This, he confessed, appeared to him a paradox, If which he should be glad to hear an eeplanatim.. The moral effects ot the system established I lie Orders in Council, had also . been the subject of xi. madversion ; but the Hon. Gentleman was nimbi there as well as in his other positions. He (*.be. phen) denied that therwere the source of then an. raj .effects. (Hear, her. from Mr. Whidweel).— He denied it ; and did not see what good esd hong answer to have adverted to them. No ass more deplore whatever moral depravity might be effat ot the measures pursued by our enemy& the fault lay with the enemy, and not with dab try.—When the Hon. Gentleman spoke d and p erjuries, he ought to have stated where chiefly prevailed. They, look place prineinallf intercourse with the north of Europe in the • trade, where the Orders of Council had Dowse ration. The orders of May. June, and Jan • confined the previous orders to the countries •Aately subject to the controul of France, dr* Continental system, as it was called, had Ins tended, as far as depended upon the Whew d French Government, to Prussia, Denmark, aid . den. If, then, these frauds and perjuries • in the Baltic trade, let not the Hon. Godless* the alarm that these arose from the Orders is cif, when they were chiefly practised as a where the Orders in Comae,' had no errs** was impossible for the Hon. Gendeman to a war with America more than he did; Irie only to say that it was not a qlestioti for their mination. It was for An t 9 decide the she had fallen upon a new system, and made pretensions t and he was astonished to hear it that America had evinced no partiality tot F France, it WAS well known, had made large sinus on the subject of maritime rights, anal rn had been followed by America. She had asked than the Hon. Gentleman himself had everaskif her before. In conclusion he stated, that ivl r America would be avoided, if it could be 110.1 would not say in consistency with the digaitl• lioeour, but with that rf the existence of the vale Mr. CURWEN insisted, that it was ice , House could be prepared for the discussion o f important topics connected with the Orders is • cif, without the information called for by the He put it to any man, whether, if any other had treated Great Britain as our Gorettlorm is 7 treated the American Minster, we wolild cast thought it a just cause of complaint, and ever do unless a satisfactory explanation or reperwllar ii be procured ? The Honourable G spoke last did wise to abstain from that Part 4 2 subject, as he would have found it difficutt toner any arguments hi justification of such a heed' duet. His Honourable Friend (VFW 4 ) said, that he rested the case on thertillg He did not with hint on 4 Imm" . rience of the a N:ts of the War"' ~~ Ist ill 70 04 PO / Wig 101 if. 410 101 l 1: ibi iic Pi a Owl 'lt Ilea INN to I but Oar . PI tid i ih %I .I % 1 -4 1 I ,