Star. — London, England, 1810-08-29 00:00:00

rIAMER!CA► Prost the Noised hudifterseers Amongst the papers lately laid before the tritish irliAment respecting American affairs, is a dispatch fruit Mr. Erskine to Mr. Canning, dated 4th De comber, 1808, which principally relates to a conver sation between Mr. Erskine and myself. This took place at my house, and without any previous ap. pointment : but as Mr. Erskine had during the pre ceding week conversed with Mr. Madison on the same to pics, and the result had been communicated to me the day before by Mr. Madison, I was prepared for the subject ; and every sentiment I uttered was in perfect unison with those of the President and the Secretary of State. What was meant by colonial trade has already been explained by Mr. Erskine ; but as his own share in those conversations with seve ral Members of the Administration is, in his dis patches, altogether omitted, and the conditions ex pected by the United States from Great Britain are pot distinctly explained, it is proper to state briefly the general grounds which were considered here as forniing a proper basis for an adjustment of differ. ences, if a conciliatory disposition was found to exist o n the part of the British Government. 1. Reparation fur the attach on the Woe:speak —The President's ; Proclamation merging in the proposed non-intercourse act, by which the public ships of both Great Britain and France would be excluded from the ports of the United States, the ostensible obstacle to making the reparation, acknowledged to be due, was removed. 2. Order: of Cun:il —To be repealed simply on the ground of the Non-intercotirbe Act applying, In that event, exclusively to . }ranee, so long as her decrees violating the neutral rights of the tufted States continued in force. 9 im,oreftmext of Seamen.—To be entirely abandoned; Ame tica aFreing to txclude from her navigation seamen not citizens of the Uni.ed States, on the principle contained in the instructions of the 20th May, 1807, to Messrs. Munroe and Pinkney, which, on account of the rupture of the negociations, were not, in that respect, acted upon. 4. Colcnial Trade.—The right to the direct trade, viz. that car ried direcly from the Colonies to the belligerents in Europe, to be waived by the United States ; provided that the trade between the United State.; and the Colonies, and that in colonial articles te t vvrn the United States and other countries, was formally re sward, according to the principles containe d in the same in ltructi.mS. 5. Commerdal Rdationt.—The partial Non-importation Act of the United States, and the convoy and other extra duties of Great Britain, to be repealed; and generally every source of collision, arising from that species of commercial warfare, to cease, by a rutual repeal of all discriminating duties, in conformity with the instructions in Messrs. Munroe and Pinkney, before men. toned. two nations to place each other, in every ether re spect, on the footing of the most favoured nation. On this last point, my observations were general and equally applying to both countries; the system of restrictions which thaw of Great Britain had forced the United States to adopt, being equally injurious to both ; and Mr. Erskine is mistaken in supposing that I would have preferred, at first, measures of a more decided nature to the Embargo. Mr. Erskine appears, so far as can be inferred from the correspondence now published, to have supposed that, in order to induce his Government to take into consideration those propositions, and to adopt a con. duct consistent with just principles, and with the great and permanent interests of Great Britain, it was ab solutely necessary to dissipate the prejudices they had imbibed : and his efforts seem accordingly to have been principally used in trying to convince them of the sincere disposition of the members of the Ameri can administration to adjust the differences between ' the two countries. Knowing the earnestness of his endeavours in promoting that object, the difficulties he had to encounter in his attempts to induce the British Ministry to take a comprehensive and correct view of the subject, and the sanguine temper which he discovered throughout the whole transaction, I feel no disposition to cavil at the general colouring of the language ascribed either to other members of tite ad ministration or to myself. But there is part of the dispatch in which I cannot for a moment acquiesce. From casual expressions imperfectly understood, and incorrectly stated, and from what he calls , 4 my manner and slight insinuations," Mr. Erskine infers, that I thought that the President (Mr. Jefferson) had acted with partiality towards France, and that I had attempted to contrast Mr. Madison's sentiments in that respect with those of the President. That Mr. Erskine's object was to use the change of Presidency as an argument to induce the British ministry to alter their measures towards America, and that the opinions thus ascribed to me were his orn, is su ffi ciently obvious from the whole tenor of his dispatch. But the inference, as it relates to me, is totally erro n ero us ; an d M r . E rs kine must have mistaken my assent to the existence of surmises of partiality in Mr. Jefferson towards France for an ac quiescence in the truth of them. I might with truth have spoken of Mr. Madison, rst as feeli ng any part i cu l ar a d m i rat i on f or t h e Bri tin constitution and institutions, but as having neither bas nor enmity towards France or England. But I tiler could, or did, contrast his sentiments in that aspect, or ascribe to him opinions on the subject of tar foreign relations at variance with those of Mr. detterson. I knew those surmises respecting Mr. Jefferson to , e altogether destitute of foundation. To have, in he most indirect manner, suggested or countenanced ibelief i n t h em , wou l d have b een di rect f a l se h oo d.. 3 insinuations from h av i ng , even b y my s il ence , acquiesce d in of that nature, when Mr. Erskine once, and once only, dropt a hint to that effect, intimating a supposed hostility to England, and that the Presi dent had not placed her conduct in a fair light before the public, I imtnediately repelled the charge, and amongst other observations, reminded him that the only time when the British Government had, by the Imposed equalization of duties, made an approach of I liberal and conciliatory nature towards America, it vas immediately met by the President, who had ex- Iressly recommended the subject to Congress in his 111 ,Nag,e ; and t h at t h e p l an h a d b e en defeated by the t umour of that p art y i n Am er i c a which was consi 'led the best disposed tords Great Britain. That •T! that occasion a change took place in my manner, very probable ; but Mr. Erskine has ascribed it to source very different from that which occasioned 't• I had very lately been zealously employed in repelling the charge—a charge which I never could . hear without indignation. Eight years of the most ! i nnate intercourse, during which .not an act, nor hardly a thought respecting the foreign relations of America was concealed, enable me confidently to say that Mr. Jefferson never had, in that respect, any other object in view but the p r otection of the right s of the United States against every foreign aggression Gr wiury s from whatever nation it proceeded ; and hits, mrtety ;nth**, °Wised teividlis all the befit , gerents the most strict justice add the Most scrupulous mpartiality. His character stands hot in need of his i declaration : k is due to myself. The groundless accusations of foreign bias disci in fiuence have been generated solely by the violence of party spirit and they were adopted abroad as an apology or pretence for unprovoked aggressions. A just sense of the injuries received, and tht most ttm perate efforts to obtain redress, constitute what has been called partiality. And it seems to have been forgotten that, from the time when Mr. Jefferson be , came President till the month of August, 1807, no ' actual aggression on the neutral rights of America had been committed by France; whilst, during the same period, the nominal blockades of enemies' ports by England, and the annual actual blockades, as they may be called, of our own—the renewal, contrary to express and mutual explanations, of the depredations on the indirect colonial trade—the continued impress ! meets of our seamen, and the attack on the Chesapeak —had actually taken place. During that period the laws, the executive acts, the negociations of the American Government, could have been directed to that Government alone from whom injuries had been received. But from the time when the rights of the United States were invaded by both the Belligerents, every public measure has equally embraced them both ; the like efforts, founded on the same basis, have uniformly, though without success been made to ob tain redress from both ; and the correspondence now published furnishes at least irrefragable proofs of the earnest desire of Mr. Jefferson's administration to adjust the differences with Great Britain, and of their disposition to remove, for that purpose, whatever might serve as the shadow of a pretence for a denial of justice on her part. (Signed) Washington, 21st April, 1810. ALBERT GALLATIN. GLOUCESTER COUNTY MEETING. On Saturday last, a very numerous Meeting of Freeholders was held at the Booth )call, Gloucester, convened pursuant to a requisition far the purpose of taking into consideration the nomination of a proper person to represent the County in the present vacancy. PAUL WAVIER, Esq. the High Sheriff, having opened the business of the Meeting in the customary form, — Colonel Kmoscorz rose, and s lid, that having, in a partial canvas of the County, found much of the interest pre-engaged to which he had 1 , eked forward in aid of his nomination as a candidate, he had been induced to withdraw his pretensions. He begged leave, however, to put in nomination, for the honour of becoming their representative, the Hon. Mr. But ton—a gentleman whose declared attachment to the Whig interest justly entitled him to their approbation and support. EDWARD SHEPPARD, Esq. seconded the Motion, and addressed the Meeting to the following effect :- 6s It gives me, Gentlemen Freeholders, sincere satis. faction to find the burst of approbation with which you have received the nomination of Mr. Dutton. I am persuaded that that approbation will be most fully justified by the conduct of Mr. Dutton in Parlia ment, should he meet with the honour of your sup port in being elected the Member for the County.— Gentlemen, it is with the greatest satisfaction that I have the honotir of seconding Mr. Dutton's nomina tion, persuaded as I am that I am acting for the wel fare of the County, and at the same time in unison with those principles, and in support of that cause, which I have near at heart, the principles of Whig. gism and the love of Liberty, which I deem to be consonant with the genuine love of the British Con stitution. Gentlemen, it is highly necessary at all times, but more especially in times like the present, that some express and clear declaration should be given to the body of Electors at the recurrence of this period of exercising their franchise, of the poli tical opinions of their future Representative, and some declaration as to what will be his mode of con duct in the discussion of certain great political ques tions which will most probably arise in Parliament. It has been too common, on such occasions, for can dic:ates to compromise the expression of their princi ples, and of what will be their future conduct, so as to give no offence to either party, and to include all. Vague expressions of general attachment to the Con stitution, and perhaps to the Liberties of the Coun try, have been sufficient to carry Whig Candidates on the very shoulders of Popularity, through an elec tion : but such should not satisfy you, Gentlemen— You ought, as a duty to yourselves and to your coun try, to know explicitly what are the political senti ments of your Representative, and what will be his decided conduct on most important Constitutional subjects.—The manly and honourable manner in which Mr. Dutton has come forward, and the open and explicit declarations he has made, will be as satis factory to you, as they are honourable to him. [Here Mr. Sheppard read Mr. Dutton's declara tion of his principles, in which he said] " I feel no hesitation in explicitly avowing my determination : " To support to the utmost of my power our glorious Consti tution—To oppose all Revolutionary Principles. " To support a Reform in Parliament as to Rotten Boroughs. " To oppose Corruption in all its shapes ; and, " To vote for the Abolition of all Sinecure Places and Pen sions, except those which are given to such as by some glorious act have deserved well of their country." " Gentlemen, (continued Mr. Sheppard,) I per. ceive I need say no more. Take this Address home with you ; read it yourselves, and shew it to your children : it is the manual of a Whig, the creed of an honest candidate, the declaration of a man of ho nour and integrity." The Honourable Mr. DUTTON returned thanks for the honour conferred upon him by this nomination. He hoped to merit the approbation of his constituents at large by a faithful discharge of his public duty, should he ultimately prove the object of their choices and he pledged himself to act conformably to his pub , lic declaration. EDMUND PRONYN I Esq. rose, for the purpose of no minating Sir Berkeley William Guise, Bart. as a gen tleman highly worthy of being chosen their represen tative in Parliament. It was well known, that this county was divided into two political parties, and for forty years it had been uniformly represented by one Member in each interest. He trusted for the sake of concord and unanimity, that this routine would still be preserved. He said that he was ow an old man, but he had the felicity to recollect, that upon a for mer occasion he had been instrumental in preserving the peace of the county. He wished it to be so at present ; ani did not know how this desirable purpose could better 1* ereitec t -hY the tieetiott of fir Williatn, the son of his old friend, on the Whig itite rest. I-le had ho doubt that his pUblic conduct iitmed justify their partiality, and that he would Ultimately become as highly popular among his constituents sts his worthy predecessor had been before him: 'l'. B. he LA Mott, Esc{. seconded the nominatirdli and heartily joined issue with his friend Mr: #robyn, in wishing that the peace of the county might be pre: served on the present oceasion: Sit S. W. Guist nekt rose, and addressed the meeting as follows Gentlemen, unaccustomed to public speaking, you will, t am confident, excuse my stating, from written minutes, the declaration of my politital sentiments—a declaration the more necessary, in consequence of misrepresentations which have been industriously circulated throughout the county. Sin cerely attached to those principles in which I have been educated, I have ever professed myself to be a genuine Whig ; and I trust my actions will never be at variante with my professions. In loyalty to the King, and veneration for our inestimable Constitution, I yield to no man ; and to preserve that Constitution pure and unimpaired, no exertion of mine shall ever be wanting. The Constitutional Prerogative of the Crown, no less than the Liberty of the People, I consider it the duty of your Representative to sup. port and maintain. A moderate and temperate Re form of Abuses will receive my most hearty concur. rence ; but the dangerous spirit of innovation will ever meet my determined opposition. In my parlia. mentary conduct, if I have the honour of your sup port, I pledge myself to a conscientious and inde pend?.nt discharge of my duty—uninfluenced by Mi nisterial intrigue s unbiased by the clamours of Party. As a Guardian of the Public Purse, I shall always deem the prevention and punishment of peculation a principal object of my duty ; and the measures from time to time proposed for the Public Revenue will have my uniform and vigilant attention. The local interests of the County shall hever be forgotten or neglected ; and should the collective sense of the County express an opinion on great political ques tions, I shall ever feel a deference to the sentiments of my Constituents. The recollection of the charac ter and political conduct of my relative, Sir William Guise, while he filled the important station to which I now aspire, will induce the wish to follow his ex ample ; andithe only reward which I shall ever look to, will be that with which he was gratified—the approbation of my Constituents. With respect to ; certain political opinions which have been ascribed to me, I have endeavoured, in a printed address, to ex plain how I have been misrepresented. On another subject, on which I understand a popular cry is at tempted—the approbation I have given to Colonel Wardle—l would add a few words : Of Colonel Wardle personally, I know nothing ; neither his pri vate character nor motives are the object of public discussion ; but his manly and independent conduct on a late investigation, appeared to me, as well as to the greater part of the Nation, to entitle him to the thanks of his Country ; and I scrupled not to declare my sentiments on the occasion. To his public con. duct alone, on that investigation, my views were di rected ; and so far as that conduct went, I still retain the same opinion. Gentlemen, on abstract questions of policy, on which our greatest Statesmen have differ ed. it would ill become me to give an opinion ; and I am sure you will not require it. On all such questions I pledge myself to give the arguments which may be adduced a full and candid attention, and to vote on the result as my conscience my dictate. Upon these principles, and these principles alone, I offer myself to your approbation. By such a course, I trust I shall not forfeit the good opinion of my friends, nor disappoint the expectations of any part of my Con stituents." GEORGE AUSTIN, Esq. said, he considered they had met for the purpose of nominating a proper person as their Representative in Parliament, and that any Freeholder, however humble his situation, had an equal right to deliver his sentiments. He most heartily and sincerely wished that the peace of the 1 county might be preserved ; and lamented, as he was sure the county did in general, and more particularly most of his friends then present, that two Gentlemen of the same party, of the same interests, and professing the same political sentiments, should be opposed to each other. He could not, however, help feeling, that the Honourable Candidate had some claim upon that interest in the County, which, upon so late an occasion, returned their popular Member, Lord Dursley ; and more particularly, as that Gentleman, unsolicited, had then come forward, in the hand somest manner, in support of his Lordship, whose po litical sentiments were known to him. A long as that Honourable Gentleman supported those principles he held out—a Reform in Parliament, an Inquiry into all existing Abuses, and an Abolition of Sinecure Places, he would meet with the general support of the Whig Inte rest; and, if the successful Candidate, they would hail and claim him as its Member. Upon the Hon. Gentle man's first offering himself to their notice, he had con sidered him a Blue, and had commenced a canvass against him ; but, after the manner in which he had proclaimed and avowed his sentiments, it would be great injustice not to admit them ; and they all knew, that sentiments were not, like titles and estates, here. ditary. Mr. Austin was much interrupted during the delivery of his speech, by repeated acclamations of Guise, Guise! and he retorted with great spirit and propriety, how unjust it was to deny any freeholder the privilege of delivering his sentiments ; observing, that if they protected him, he would endeavour to pro tect them, in obtaining an impartial hearing. E. Pamirs, Esq. in reply, said, that he could not admit the force of that claim to support, which had been made in favour of Mr. Dutton, from that inte rest which had espoused the cause of Lord Dursley, at the last election. E. SHEPPARD, Esq. questioned the propriety with which any man could be denominated a Whig, who had favoured the pretensions of Sir E. B. Sandys, upon the occasion alluded to. Sir B. Wm. GUISE, considering himself called upon, positively disclaimed having given the smallest coun tenance to Sir E. B. Sandys. On the contrary, he had pledged himself, through the medium of a mu tual friend, in case of necessity, to support Lord Dursley. J. DE Visme, Esq. said, that although unused to public speaking, he could not remain silent upon an occasion of so much importance. The present novel and curious coalition of the families of Berkeley and ige add tie* is ilotitittir light dila and comb.nation totally to Jestrop lode:send nt interest of this great , and n, nmt county. He said it twist to in the recollection o Gentlemen, that not many years back, the Whir .11 the present cant,liseei tile Honourable Mr. Datt it, was him elf the Repre sentative of this County, and was itrrodired on .r, iy by the Bide Party. Th y could h t better resist Such a plot as this, and destroy it* eft 64 than by support ng the nomination of Sir Wm (Mee; whose fortune was arnple ; —whcise ind..pendeht eripciples were so well known—and whose ancient While Had so long been charactetisel as the genuine and zea lous friends of the Whig interest, and the present happy Constitution, as established it the glorious Re volution. They might rest assured, that such a c ha re:ter as th:s would nevet betray the most reposed in him. In a contest like the present, themselves, their families, and future generaticns, were deeply ino•res ted ; and he had no doubt that success would fin :fly crown their exertions in this truly laudable and patri otic cause. The Rev. Dr. HeststiNh then address• d the Meet ing. He was glad to find that the good old Con stitutional practice, of a previous County Me ling, so ling in disuse, had been reverted to upon this ix CA. Skil. The worthy and respectable Baronet w!io had that day been proposed for their choice, possessed, in an eminent degree, all those excellent qualities which fitted him to become their Representative, uitainted by any of those vices which disgraced the age and country we lived in. He possessed a not le indepen dence of mind, combined with a thorough knowledge of the Laws and Constitution of his coun ry, which he had made his particular study. Firmy att•iched to those old genuine Witig principles, which placed the present Family on the Thr‘ine—printples it had been the mistaken policy of the last fifty years to dis. countenance, with a few exceptions, from the tine of Lord Bute, down to the present *weak Adminotr.4 0 , . After dwelling at some length upon these topics, the Reverend Gentleman took a view of the Representa ti in of this County for the last thirty years ; in which he observed, that upon the death of the late Sir Wm. 3uise, the Noble Admiral (Berkeley) succeeded him in the Representation ; and, upon the address of the latter to his Constituents, stating, that " imperious necessity required every person to be at his post at this important crisis," the County was turned over to Lord Dursley, who bad represented it about three months. " And now, Gentlemen," said the Rev. Doctor, " mark the dreadful dilemma in which that party is placed, and which they little expected would arrive so soon ; they cannot bring the worthy Admi. ral forward again, for he feels the absolute necessity of every person being at his post at this important crisis ; and the next brother is not of age to bring forward." [Some of the Freeholders here observed that he was of age.] " Then," continued Dr. H. " they thought it too soon to bring him forward, and therefore support Mr. Dutton ; as, in all probability, from the age of Lord Sherborne, at no very dis tant period the County will revert to the same channel again, if he succeed to the Representation of it. This, Gentlemen, has been submitted to for the last twenty years, under the idle and childish, the vain and frivolous pretences, of preserving the trots quillity of the County ; that things had much better remain as they are, than disturb the peace of the County—expressions more fit for a company of ti mid old women, than the Freeholders of such a County as this. (Laughter.) You may well laugh, Gentlemen, but such expressions have actually been made use of by those who, from their rank and edit. cation, ought to have been ashamed to have used them. I trust, Gentlemen, that these and other consi derations will induce you to come forward, to support the worthy and respectable Baronet, to whom the county is under the highest obligations for giving it i_an opportunity of asserting its long-lost rights. In the mean time I would recommend you to establish an Independent County Club, in imitation of Stafford. I shire, and other counties, who have come forward to resist the Aristocratical influence of the Peers : I do ; not mean all Peers ; only those who do not understand the Constitution, or, if they do, act diametrically op posite to the principles of it ; for we have an instance well known in this place, of an illustrious Peer who considers it his highest gratification to come forward as an advocate for the rights of the people*. Now, Gentlemen, I have done. You perceive I have made use of very plain language, for, in my opinion, it suits the subject best, and I wish to be understood by every yeoman, as well as by those of more refined education. I have only to observe to you, that if you support the Worthy Baronet, you support your ' selves and the cause of independence ; if not, you only ' rivet your own fetters the stronger, and deserve to j wear them for ever." GEORGE TALBOT, Esq. spoke next. Amongst se veral other topics, he took occasion to blame the as persions which had been indiscriminately thrown upon the character of the Noble Families spoken of in the course of the debate. He likewise thought that the word Ida, which had been made use of, was en epi thet both unprovoked and misapplied. He said, he had been canvassing for Mr. Dutton, whom he deemed highly worthy of the honour of being elected their Representative. J. DE \NMI, Esq. said, that although the word g , plot" might sound rather harshly, he was still of opinion that the independence of the county was in danger of being swallowed up by the coalition. S. PEACH PEACH, Esq. thought that Mr. Dutton was justly entitled to credit for the public profession of his principles. If their opponents thought that any plot existed, they ought to resist its evil tendency by every exertion in their power; but fur himself he professed his entire ignorance of it. The High Sheriff now called for a show of hands, which he declared to be in favour of Sit B. Wm. G uise, who then returned thanks to his friends for their very flattering support, and he entertained no doubt of ul timate success at the hour of trial, should their ex ertions be necessary. The Hon. Mr. Dutton likewise rose to thank his friends, adding, that he hoped to be honoured with their attendance on the day of election as he was .)e. termined to go to a poll. The meeting, after thanks had been voted to the High Sheriff, upon the motion of Mr. De Visme. for his impartial conduct throughout the business. broke up. The hall was crowded beyond allformer •• Tbe Duke of Nuchik. . , : I , , , i A