The Statesman. — London, England, 1812-05-06 00:00:00

i - . it ; II .111 THE CONVICTED MINISTER. TO IHE RIGHT HON. LORD LIVERPOOL. I MY LORlh—lf the song of victory for the dear hit 0401olition of the walls of lladajos has ceased to vibrate rapture on your Lordship's ear, and you can no more I:•'en to its gratulation because of the twataturs and the weeping of the people; if the crismling crowds who haunt your morning let ee and summand your dinner-table, " to fetch and carry nonsense for my Lord," haie filled their empty maws at your's and the country's expence, and a thorough contempt of them has taken possession of your Lord. ship's mind ; or, if your Lordship is, haply, fatigued with writing letters to such Favourable characices as Mr. HENier, employment degrading to • the noble mind, I pray you, my Lord, " the fringed curtains of your eye-lids ope" but for one quarter of an hour, and condescend to listen to a few remarks on a subject which nearly concerns your Lordship. They come, my Lord, from no Court flatterer, but from one who reveres the sacred majesty of truth and the honour of his country as much as the Right lion. the Secretary for Foreign Agairs,iiimself. I have mentioned the name of lIENAY, my Lord, —be not moved--it is not one of the IlEsnins who humblet: the pride of France, and bade defiance to the ana themas of the Pope, in alt his plenitude of temporal power, example! which your Lorsh:hip.seems desirous of emulating,-*bot a Trans-Atlantic IIE;Ry of your Lordship's acquaintance; at the menti6n of whoso name, methinks I perceive as mucb,shame rising in your cheeks as to corer them with blushes. My Lord, I am one of many millions who have perused, with feelings not easily described ) the Message of the A.meri . tan Pusan:NT to the Rouse of Representa tives, accusing the Goverdrnent of this country with 'having employed an incendiary, of the name of HEYRY, at the time that amicable negociations were carrying on bets% eon this country and America, to foment diesatisfaction in certain of the United States, 'and subvert the Government of that country by in citing the people to rebellion. My Lord, I perused this statement with indignation ; but horror, and every feeling which accompanies conviction and dis gust, were added, when I read over the Correspon dence tubniitted at the same time by Eh.: PRESIDENT to Congres', in proof of the fact. 'Well might a general expression of indignant patriotism burst forth in the American Senate on the reading of these disgraceful documents ; and well may the British nation, which feels its honour insulted by them, eall upon year Lordship to remove so foul a stain. — Unluckily, your Lordship appears in the Corre spondence an approver of the proceeding which has covered us with such shame, and given such handle to our enemies. his in vain, my Lord, that you have solemnly disclaimed, for yourself and for his MAJEs- TY); Government, any intention whatever of foment ing disturbance in the United States.—lt is in vain, My Lord, that you have said, 66 As to the employ ment of any individual, it was entirely unauthorised by me, and even without my knowledge. Govern ment did not even know that Captain IlEstav was employed until after his return to Quebec." The Correspondence is a sufficient refutation of any such 'median. Let us once more turn our eyes upon it. The very first Letter in the Series, which is from Mr. It reser), Secretary to Sir JAMES Came, late Go vernor-General of the British Provinces in North America, dated Jan. 26, 1809, and addressed to this Same Hoary, informs him, that " the informa tion and political observations heretofore received from you were transmitted by his Excellency to the Secretar . n of State, who has expressed his particular approbation of them." " And there is no doubt," he adds, " that your able execution of such a mission as! have suggested would give you a claim, not only on the Governor-General, but on his Monty's Ministers;" who, if we are to believe any thing at all in this notable and most secret and confidential Correspondence, had been duly ittformed of the long and faithful services of 'freest as a spy to us in va rious parts of the Atnoican States. He was now to I be advanced a step in his honourable career. Ile was employed by Sir J.tsres CRAIG on a mission to Boston, " with an important end in view," and leave to insinuate, that if any of the leading party, desirous of a separation from the Union, wished to enter into any communication with our Government, through Sir JAMES CRAIG, he, Hzeav, was-autho rised to receive any such communication, and trans mit it to the Governor-in-Chief, which was to be done with all due secrecy. [See Sir Jsmi:s CRAIG'S Listructions.] Thus was this faithful and approved agent instructed, furnished with money, no doubt, st about which nothing can be done now-a-days, and sent out to stir up the people of the American States to shake oil their obedience to the Constituted Au thorities, and look to Britain for aid in their unna tural rebellion. And thus we 'are led to believe, vhr.terer may now be advanced to the contrary, that all the views of the dissections among the States, sad the different details of the progress of the ph:A which tkjv incendiary was pleased to make and com snunicase is the British Governor-General ; such, in partieular, as his Letter?, stating he had sufficient means of information to judge the proper period when the Governor-General of British America might open a correspondence with those Citizens of Spites who were in opposition to their Government I and his project to render the Non- Jniportation Act onoperative were forwarded for the Worn-443n. teed approbation of our Government at ifetaa. Nay. my Lord, the matter le put beyond / I i ' I . i '' 1 i 1 . 1 1 k i.. ' 11 , : I I 4. 1 I . I i ►ri;E STATESMAN._ a doubt, we should think, by the following .eatritet 1 from one of the letters of recal from RYLAND to ' HENRY : ... "The last letters received from you are to! the 13th April : the whole are now transcribing toJ be sent home, inhere they eannat fail, of doing p ts . credit." And does not your Lorddlip's Secretary, in answer to the Memorial of Iftsrair to your Lord ship, 'wherein he states, " the object of his mrsgois %las to promote and encourage the Federal Party to resist the measures of the General Government, to offer aid, and render the plans then in contemplation, subservient to the slows, of Ms Majesty's Government ;" does not your Lordship's Secretary write under date, June 28, 4141, that " 4 his Lordship has directed me to ac quaint youithat he has referred to the Correspondence in this Office of the year 1803, and finds two letters from Sir Jsmrs Cans, transmitting the correspon dence that has passed daring your residence in the Northern States of America." It would hence ap pear, my Lord, that you knew something of this man, and the nature of his employment, so far back as the year 18J3,—at least it appears Government knew something of him ; and in the sane letter from which the above quotation is made, we find your Lordship approving, in no very equivocal terms, of Mr. ilexes''s services, and afterwards recommend ing him to Sir G nonce Piuxosr, successor to Sir JAMES CRAIG in the Government of Canada, as worthy to fill any public situation which Sir. Geortat I might think proper to place him in. Contrasting these demonstrative proofs, my Lord, with your statement, that the employment of any individnal in such a mission as is here 'mentioned, .wirs entirely unauthorized by y our Lordship, and even without your knowledge, and that Government did not.evea , know that Captain Ilesny was employed until after his return to Quebec ; what are we to think of your , Lordship's memory and veracity, and what are we I to think of the Minister who, at such a time, cola couutenatieo and approve such abominable plotting, so highly disgraceful to the character of a Briton. But if the guilt of participation lies not at your Lordship's doOr, why has the disclosure, the disti -1 vowel, the punishment, been deferred until the heed (it was a venerable one, my Lord !) on which the I ignominy should have fallen, has bees shielded by the tem's) ? For it is plain your Lordship, and sour co adjutors, would now throw the blame of this perfi -1 dious transaction on Sir JASIES CRAIG. You are aware, my Lord, that the dead tell no tales ; but luckily, as I have shown, for the honour of the late Governor-General of Canada, there exists as much indisputable evidence in your Lordship's own hand writing as must convict you of this foul blot in the eyes of every honest man ; and remember, my Lord, that your situation, high as it is, is a respon sible one. At the bar of your country answer, and atone, if you can, for the disgrace you have thus thrown upon her name and her councils, and the augmented danger and difficulties which such mea sures must necessarily create. By this single dis graceful transaction, the fate of millions has been placed at stake. Will it not throw new obstacles in the way of adjustment with America, who, like other countries, sill see from it that she can repose no faith in our protestations of friendship ? Will it not augment the war party throughout the United States ?Will it riot expose to trouble, and even to death, those who have, in any manuer whatever, entered into, or most remotely countenanced, the project or the vivws for theexecution of which HENRY was sent into the American territories ? And will it not tend to check the progress of industry and prosperity, already too much checked, GOD knows! both here and in Ame rica? So, my Lord, this is the way you take to re move our 'embarrassments, and impress surrounding Nations with a high idea of our political integrity, by sending spies into every corner, to speculate upon the state of parties, and act the part of tap-room orators, learning how far the discontented would look to us for assistance in thi s ir schemes to overturn their Government, and pledging our good name to be their stay and their bank in all emergencies: " To rouse the alumberiny, fiends of tsar, To dv the blood-warm waves afar, And desolate the earth." Really, my Lord, if you have many of these pilhful emissaries in your pay, I would advise you , ! to disband a few of them, though you should •te obliged to provide them snug sinecures to inducethera to burn their cyphers and their bundles of most secret I and confidential letters, for we have too many idle I mercenaries in our service, whose reward " cannot be estimated in pounds, shillings, and pence." If your Lordship cannot more cleanly and satisfactorily remove the degrading and dishonourable stigma w hick has been stamped upon our character by the i transaction here unveiled, I would advise removing you for ever from the situation of one of his Majesty's Principal Secretaries of State. have the honour to remain, A FRIEND TO THE: CONSTITUTION. EAST INDIA NIONOPOLY. Thi rrrz w ILL 1' Al presented Petitions from Leeda,Wait es kid, and Halifax, praying for a free and equal enjoyment of the trade to China and the EaNt at the expirattea of (lac present Charter of the I•e,t India tomee.aty. 'flee Marl of BATH peat Meet a Petition to the same tendency from the County of Witt,. The End of LAUDERDALE., previowly tothne#petitions being hid Gs the table, de,ired to remind their Lordships, that the reKtioators were person: employed in the newer valuable part of the manufactures of Great Britain. the le nollen cloths. IMPERIAL PARLIAMEN7'. HOUSE OF LORDS, MAT 5. DECISION ON THE ROXBOROUGH PEERAGE. The LORD ('llANCiiLLOlt , after a speech of considerable length, delivered the iteleirt of the committee of Privileges re specting the Roxborough Peerage, in which Report.the Com mittee thought that Sir Janke lanes Kerr had made good his claim to the titles, honours, and dignities of die Dukedom, Mar quisette, and Earldom of Roxbonsogh. His Lordship then moved that the said repor4 he *kelt into the consideration of the House next Friday.—OMered. The Royal Assent by Commission was gives to the Colhe Duty Re on; the Irish Civil and Whitney Accounts Audit, the Distillery Piohibition, the Irish Spirit Wareham*, the Canada Exportation, the Gold Coln, the Prinemare Astunities, and several other Bills. mostly private. to tboanasher 074. The Cmandssioners were Ilia Lord Chancellor, Lord Within boa, sad Lard Redesd+. onnir.Rst EK CO ITN( The Earl of DEBBY presented a Petition front the norrchant;, traders, and others, of the Town of Li verpo,ll, main-t. the Orders in Council, in which the Petitioner, complained that the said Orders were calculated to favour the unjust told hostile vies: s ut the great enemy, rather than the real or the country, or the peuspairy and t °taint of its at i<fue., traders, and inLahlt. ants. The Petition signe.l bs six or WWII r..- ' spectahle names, and on the moduli of the Noble Earl, nit.; ae.td by the Clerk. PETITION FROM THE LINIMN NlnitCtiNTS. The Marquis of WELLESLEY presented a Peti tion, signed by 700 respectable Nlerchants of Lon don, against the rumoured discontinuance of the East India Company's exclusive t, ede,. or in case Parliament should adopt that measure, praying for a suitable indemnification for ex pences and projects un dertaken and entered into by them on the faith of Parliament. The Noble Marquis, while he pre sented the Petition, defired it to be understood, that he did not pledge himself to support the object of the Petitioners, but he thought it an indispensable ditty, as a Peer of Parliament, to bring forward tithe Petitions of the people, in order that their com plaints might be fairly enquired into, and if possible redressed. Ile had heard of a negotiation which was said to he on foot between the Government and the East India Directors. lie could not readily give credit to such a report; but of this he was sure, that Parliament was tkronly fit and legitimate medium through which any measures of such high and vital importance could legally or properly take plate. The Earl of DU CKI E agreed with his Noble Friend, that the subject alluded to was of the highest importance, and that the utmost caution and deliberation was due to it; but he denied that any negociatiou, properly so called, had beetienter ed into by the Government with the East India Di rectors, though his Majesty's Ministers had cer tainly endeavoured by interviews, and conversations with those persons, to obtain all the information they could thereby obtain on a subject so interesting and momentous. EPIFCOPAL RANK. Lord WALSI NG HAM presented a Petition from the Bishops of Meath and Kildare, praying for the right of certain stuted claims to rank and, precedence. —Ordered to lie on the table. ORDERS IN COUNCIL. Preparative to entering on the th;cussion of the Order of • the Day, Earl FITZ WILLIAM moved, that the various Petitions from the great Manufacturing Towns in the West Riding of the County of York, be read. • On the suggestion of the Earl of LIVERPOOL, it was agreed, that the titles only of the Petitions should be read, as the subject would receive the most ample discussion in the Committer. Lord AUCKLAND rose to submit to their Lord ships a few observations which the state of his health and the warmth of the room, which he already felt rather oppressive to him, would render him unable ; to defer to a much later period of the night. lie re marked the inconsistent conduct of his Majesty's Ministers at present, with what those very persons displayed four years ago, when negotiations were proceeding between the Government of that day, and Mr. Pinkney and Mr. Munroe. Those honest Ministers had the true interests of their country at heart, and in prosecuting those interests, were never at utter variance with the real interests of Great Britain. The present Ministers pursued a different policy. Their measures depended not on any sound or stable basis of public good, but on the interest, the whim, and the caprice of the arch enemy—the present Ruler of France. Lord BATHUHST defended the Orders in Coun cil, as having the sanction of previous Orders issued by the advice of those very Noble Lords who then decried them. . The Marquis of LANSDOWNE was unwilling to go into detail, but he could not avoid remarking the altered tone of his Majesty's Ministers, who at pre sent professed so great a readiness to go into a Com mittee, and afford that information which they had formerly so obstinately and pertinaciously refused. It was,•however, a grateful omen, and had it but occurred at an earlier period, much mischief to the country might have been prevented. The Earl of WESTMORLAND justified the Or ders in Council, and anied that the present period resembled that former one referred to; at that pe riod there were no Petitions on their Lordships' table, the cases therefore were quite dissimilar. Earl GREY observed, that the present was not the only occasion on which the Noble Earl who had just sat down had been pleased to compare the Or ders in Council, against which the Petitions which loaded their liordships' table were directed, with the Ortlers issued in 1807. That comparison had been the constant and'uniform theme of that Noble Earl's eloquence. Rut the Noble Earl was not to be deterred, it seemed, from continuing to repeat as sertions which had over and over again been answer ed and confuted in that House. As to Petitions, Petitions had been offered, but would not be received by Ministers. Yet they came forward on the pre. sent occasion with affected deference to popular opi nion, and yielded to the Petitions of the people. The Earl of LIVERPOOL was unwilling to pro ' tract the discussion of the present subject, as another of great moment claimed the attention of their Lordships. It was really an extraordinary and sin gular situation in which the House was placed, that, while a Committee had been agreed to for the free, ample, and unreserved discussion of a particular question, their Lordships were occupied in previous arguments and declamation on that very question, while another of great public interest was waiting for introduction, With respect to the Ordirs in Cann a, he would maintain, that they were not more of fensive to America than those former Orders already alluded to, and under which America refused to en ter into any treaty of amity with this country. Lord aRENVILLE had no desire to lake up much of the time er atte n ti on of the House; but he contd earnestly wish, if possible, to come at once to a decision of the question - of that Orders in Council, and not even wait for the proposed Committee, cer lain-as he was, that hi that Committee the odious -• .• i~ . and pernicious measure must. he aband.med. singular indeed to hear the • of wtitions, and endearsuring to r:T:nr.ile !!:- sent conduct of ',holsters, to rt!', t r, they yielded at present to the p •!die v • petitions were en the table ; the ion the forme,. o..caii on on the groni!'l of no petitions ; but why were there nor , titi,,i, Lecaiise Ministers wen!a not re,..elve self had offered a petition Po!t c r, ~r • * fordshirt., which %%TS r, fuse:! s ! ;of State. With what. propriety • I talk of their consi•let.:y ? '11:! Ge. eve of the diseossion, in a. Cue,;: ,•:; great nueNtintt, to detiin their Lord,',.,, length; but he could not help rep, line; wi!ti r nation, the similitude which was attem; , fed j , up between the existing Orders ;it Cremch. . • those of 1807. The former contained tiothin' :; verse to the spirit of reconciliation and ictupn. amity between the two countries; and he with pride and exultation, that the principle 1,, c d stating was recognised and admitted at that period the perspicuity, nisdom, and patriotism of Jay. That art. was at that time admitted to bar to a cordial and permanent reconciliation ! ;tad measure.s.for such reconciliation were actuary oil foee, and only failed of their effect, by the intur. Yention of that pernicious influence, whicitgettelai,; ( l afterwards the hinge calamity of which the country, front one end"to the other, was then so loudly am. plaining.-11e would urge their Lordships to annul the Orders in Council, not because they had any t.. semblance to the former Orders, but because they were repugnant to justice. Yet let it nut be suy, posed, for a moment, that he was recommentliw z . or . would ever recommeutl, the reimmiatiutt of the ma , ritime rights of the cnuntry. No, if such a (head. ful alternative were put to him, the loss of American friendship, or of English maritime rights, as the decision must he, he would cling to our n;;ri. time ri ; ;ltts, and renounce America Drt, : Goo! no such fatal alternative was before him: nand it only remained with their Lordships, to consi,'.,l ; the propriety, not to saw necessity - , of rescuing,. by the wholesome exercise of their wisdom, the pac t and prosperity of both countries from the mischicv. ous and ruinous pertinacity with which Ministers hate .persecuted them. The Earl of DERBY rose to remark the strange inconsistence of conduct which he had perceived is bis Nlajestt•'s Ministers on a late occasion. when, having a lktition to piet.ent to the Prince Ite,eot from Liverpool, and another Potiticit iv' a di;rea , :i nature front the same plvce, he received nn kind of information respecting the fate of eithf.tr of them te!. til six we;tks aftorwatt, wl;e11, npon enquiry, k , was told by Colonel that tty , v; had hen rcferretl to Mr. Secretary Itydcr. It was t en, after some conversation, agreed up. on, the question being put from the Woolsack. !lot their Lordships be summoned to meet in a Committee on the Orders in Council to-morrow at half-past two o'clock. AMERICAN PRESIDENFS MESSAGE. Lord HOLLAND rose, and observed, that he. fore he entered on any particulars of a subject that must interest and agitate the feelings of every Eng. lishman, he thought it proper to state, that he could by no means imagine any possible ground on wl‘ich the least objection could be made to the production of such information as he was desirous to obtain. Since he entered the House, however, he had heard that some objection would be made. It was not for him to ascribe, or impute motives relative to the Conduct of other persons ; but he was utterly and completely at a loss to account for that disposition in Ministers, which could incline them to resist ) ' motion ) for jnfo►mation on a subject in which► the honour of the Government and of the country i; deeply and-essentiaily involved. There was no man more cordially inclined than himself to make wry fair and amicable concession to America, The R . . tiers in Council became with him an object of cosi• parative indifference to the high consideration of lt• tional honour, probity, and fair dealing involve:l is the preknt question. When he first came to ;Le House with the impresslop which such s subject a 3( calculated to excite in his mind, he intimated to 11. e House, and to the Noble Secretary of State opposilvt his firm belief, that the whole skim was fottodell in fiction, falsehood, and males oletitT. That opinion he still wished to entertain and cherish ; ladders. meats so specious had since appeared, lh.a timugit was still most unwilling to give them rrodit,ll.! c‘mli not withhold from them a due attention :nal 3 prof" examination. The charge urged by the Ptesidest the American States,_ in hit Message' to the gress, accused the Government of this count,y having employed Captain :boar, in a z•ai)r.ci:y • office not warranted or justifiab4t! by the taw Lions, nor by the inure cioar sail (Anions I:p.ki r•iri • ness and just dealing. To etrpl ,-- -s . any agent let porpcse merely of obtainiog information wis p.r fectly fair And warrantable, and had the of all Governments in its favour but such r. s ;ci—y as bad been by the American President a , -;• , * by t h e British Government to Crdtain floury, no defence or justification in the laws .74f or in any honourable code. To enable exonerate not only themselves but the English rl' tion from the foul imputation hold out both, by the charge 'u which he lind object of the inotion which it was his intention submit to the nonce. 11:: could will v .i h that subject had been brought befox their I,orth;hilis ; his Alajesty's Ministers, as well as for the'' , cua ~,.• (lit as for the honour of the country. Had su,• eject been so introduced, a confident hope mit,ht 1 . 0 entertained that the country's honour alight fectually vindicated.. He :4:11 clung to the 1"):',• that national credit would come clear out from t•.l' I enquiry, but suspicion rested heavily on the istances. Captain Henry, if the statement be entil.'“ to any credit, was employed not for the fair and t 1 gitimate purposes of procuring infor mation, but 10 the unwarrantable, pernicious, and execrable porpo.,v of exciting disaffection and disunion among States of Lnerica of urging and exciting them the hope and proinises of foreign aid to rebel a their legal Government. .What would their LW' ships have thought, if (luring the amicable negocin flogs which were on foot with France, General !t' dreossi had been sent to Ireland with a secret cor mission to excite dissections ) or if one atom recent ~~ 1 ki i F`. ~~ , ~. , !: '9 t 1 .