The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1807-03-11 00:00:00

The Court thee adjourned until Monday meraing,

THtt•,li u.Ny.
siorsoar, M•MCH 9.
This morning. at nir.e o'clock precisely, the
Court met, with the usual ceremonies. purtarant to
ad; liniment. and Sir Home Popham entered upon
his defence: His ohserva:wns generally tended to
•hew that Officers, having commands Ike his. could
not be ft trrted by the literal tenor of the orders
usually given. A command like that, was, from
its vet y nature, dlscrrtion•try, and the word desert.
tion was of very comprehinssve meaning. Admiral
Rooke, when he attacked and took Gibraltar, had no
orders to..guida him; bat he wes not broogfit to
trial. Lord St. Vincent, when he attacked Term-
:if:, did an wirhout sr.', mans, although it could
t be considered as wit/1m the limits nt his command.
The illustri.•ns Nelson, when he pursued the French
fleet to the West Indies and back, certainly went,
by his own discittion, very march out t•f the
course of his com.nard ; but it would have hoer.
impossohle to have Idamed him. the capture tt
Cum.& was entirely an tlpi.dstion of discretim:.
Sir Home Popham recapitulated several other err..
ditions, which, he said. were much more unauthoT
rised elan that which he had undertaken. and tor
which the Commanders who had undertaken them, •

had never been called to any account. Hi:: expedi-
tion. h.- contended, :vas striftly within the limits of
his command ; and this he oh, uld prove, he btmedi
to the sat.sfaCtion of his country, by the evidence
which he should bare the hotour to lay before the
Court. Sir lime, in his defence, particularly vriAed
to impr.-ss the Court with the convinion, that, in l.is
private interviews with Mr. Pitt, he (Mr. Pirt) had
sanetioned and agree with Sir Home on the pro-
pr:ety of Isis attacking Buenos Ayres s but that all
his inietvoews were of that secret nature: thus from
the unkrtunate death of rat groat man, he could
not adduce any positive evidence of such sand.cu:
iSut he was confide:lt he should, from the vs. ry re-
: spetiabse evidence be stoma call on, be en-bled to
,intree tha: such conasnun;catirus‘ had aatsaliv bare
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n! the prospeB, to ex petit that official ordprs should
hve been regularly transmitted to hini by the
Admiralty of that day.
In the course of the Defence, Sir Host dwelt
s:ecincly on ;he manner in which he had been
weed by the present. Board of Admiralty, parri.
ri lily in own points ; those of their acknowledging
receipt of his letters, containing accounts of his
yr oc,edings in the capture of the Cape of Good
/lope, and those containing his plan, and the time
of his sailing for Biel de la Plata. To the first,
their Lordships' Secretary, as Sir Home states,
coldly replied, that be had it in command from
their Lordships •fp acquaint him, that be bad re•
cived his letter and inelotures, giving an account
of surrender of the Cape and its Dependencies,
and had the honour to remain his most obedient
servant. With this letter, in the same packet, was
siirther, acknowledging the receipt of one from Sir
inclosing a letter from Capt. Donclly of the
• ,Ira, detailing his accr:unt of the destruaion
‘`.'eVotte French privateer, in which Sir Home
. d by their Lordships to express to Capt.
.• . 'r thoir warm approbation of his condua,
•c of his officers and men; while, for the cap-
, ,f the Cape, Sir Home had not one word. The
, had been thanked, and spoken of in the hard-
: t terms, but not one word front the Board of

tatty in praise, or even speaking of his conduit
occasion in trims of common satisfaction.
another letter he received acknowledgment
41: neir Lordships hlytng teteived his plan of ope-
:,rilne against the Settle ments of the Rio, de la
Pieta. The same cold manner was here ol,scrved,
a' in the tortiNer ease. Their Lordships had received
fas tossimunications, and the Secretary had the hn-

hour to be his must obedient humble servant.—
,arely, said Sir Home, it my conduS had been di:.
aporoved, it would have been no difficult matter to
li,ve hinted it; or was I not rather to think, that
the neat of the *mender of the Cape of Good
llcpe being acknowledg.d in terms similar, and
tlt..t being an dcquisitiun of undoubted importance,
1 Wight also conclude, by a fair inference, that my
orrations were approved I+y the same taciturnity?
—lle complained mast of the roamer in which he
bad been sent home, in a small prize brig, miser-
ably manned and worse armed. But he thanked
Gni he had arrived safe to meet the accusations
that had been heaped up for his reception. He
commented with much force, and a considerable
degree of eloquence, na the manner in which the
charges wcze drawn up against him ; the unusual
style of which was to stigmatize him (in the w,rds
of the Order) with a flagrant neglea of duty, tirti:h
the same Ord.r, cn the face of it, says, in their
Lordships' opini ~,,, ought riot to go unpunished.
Sr Home Popham havi:T here closed hit obser-
vations, the names of the several witnesses were
called over by the Deputy Judge Advocate. And
having answered to their names, they were ordered
to retire, until they should be severally called upon
by tie Court.
EXAMINATION OF WITNESSES. _ _

Lord Viscount sworn and eiandned.
By Sir Haut Porn Ar.

Q. Will your Lordship have the goodness to re-
Lae to the Court all the communications I had with
r.,Pitt and =out Lordship. collectively or indivt- '
en-sliy, on the subject of an expiidition to South
alsaetica, as far as your recollection may serve you ?
—A. Soot: after I came to the Head of the Board
of Admiralty, I had occasion to learn, that the Ad-
ministration preceding that of which I bad the ho-
rnet. to form a pail. had some conversatien with
General Miranda, relative to some proktas he en-
tertained with raped to South America. I did not
immedietely give much attention to it. because, not
King then at war with Spain. I did not think how,
momently, the Gomm:nett of this country could
Like any aEtive pair. In the summer of 130, I had
little doubt, from the official situation I held at the
Beard of Admiralty, and from communications I
had occasion to hold with the Hoods of other pub-
ic departments, that ruck a war would soon take
place ; ol therefore thought it my duty, through Sir
&peen. Sir H. Popham, and others, whom I had
reason to believe were acquainted with the particu-
his upon this sublet* under the forms, Administra.
tinn, to iniot m myself wore minutely relative to the
views and projella of General Miranda. I likewise
had more than tine confidential coinewahicatiou with
him, and the result of toy opinion was, that although
it might not be i.iise or expedient, or. perhaps,
within the means of this countr,-, at that time, to
commit themselves to the.full extent of his preleets,
it was of the utmost importance to this country, so
tar to watch the progress of hit operations. as to
make use of them, if they could be made Subservient
to the perposea ot opening the ports of South Ameiti;
ca, to the trade and manufaeures of this country ; I
hod almost daily communications, both in town and
at Wimbledon, with Mr. Pitt, and the Heade of the
then Administration ; and the subject was more
to me, bscime, for many years back, par-
Lculatly ut 17yti, I had occasion to considts it very
:namely. with a view of preparing, in concert with
the then Board of Admiralty, operations against
South America, on a very extensive scale. I was
then Secretary of State for the War Department.
consequence of the conversations I had with Mr.
as etready mentioned, in tisllober or Nevem-
• early ads in the time the war broke cut with
• ond the capture of lone Spanish frigates, I
:to H. Popham to attend me in order that
• be at hand to attend Mr. Pitt and myself,
any time we wished to consult him; and I th.r.l:
about the same time, the ship Dian being eacaot,
I wrote a letter to Sir Home Popham, statist Nov.
1.1804, stating, that General Miranda not being
mute nigent with me, as he thought we were at
war with Spain, to commence an attack on Spanish
America ; and not knowing any thing mire conve-
aieut to place tilt Home in, than the Liatkori the
letter dire led Ision, it the weather was fair, to
"nue np. This letter was not 41:;red Ly the
offioial Secretary, but by myself. 1 had nitoty
commuMciLious with hon. and in consequence
cf daily se;:emetionto f had with Mr. Par
on this toh.fril three conimunications coral-
uneil during the remaining period I was at the head
of the Admiralty. I ceased to be at the head of
that situation honfeJtatalcalter the &h April, 1805.
k!:r Shot. I had many troersievis with Mr. Pitt,
cur Snal separation at Path, in the beginning
roc year 1806; but from the timo I ceased to be
.i.a colleague in once, I made It an iekvatiltALLVls

to avoid all eonvasation with him upon all inhjeas
of a public or confidential nature. so that, from my
own knowledge, I can speak to nothing after the Bth
April, 1805.

Q. Does your Lordship wealth direfting me to
attend Mr. Pia, at Wimbledon, in 1110 t, when we
discnssed all Miranda's views, when there was no
person present but yourself and him?—A. I per-
feCtly recolleil such a circumstance and intetvivw,
but cennot speak to the precise petiod.
Q. Was it on the day of the night Mr. Pitt went
to Weymouth to the King?—A. Very likely, as he
went from my house.
Q. I Ines your Lordship tee-Wirt", after conversing
with Mr. Pitt, on that subjeCt, as to the readiest
way to froward the views of General Miranda, Mr.
Inn's direCtiril me to thaw up 'a specific Memoir,
in concert with him, explaining all the views of Ge-
neral Miranda, from time to time, communicated
to me, and delivering it to Mr. Pitt, through him,
or by myself.—A. I recalled, perfectly, receiving
such a Memorial; and, wishing to know the extent
of his views ; bus certainly avoided to commit my-
self, or the British Government, beyond the chiefs
I have already stated, relative to South America ;
upon which soya I certainly entertained a most
anxious wish, almost all the time, until I had occa-
sion to take the public service ender my mere imme-
diate considetation. And that anxiety never dimi-
nished, but much increased, in consequence of all
she events which, for scone years pass, had taken
pace in the East Indies, the West Indies, and, above
ail, on tile Continent of Egli-ape.
Q. In consequence of your Lordship's great
piesiure of business, it is possible sou ma# not re-
coil. .9 all the circumstances of the whole subjeut,
so v.ell as myself. sehlitiad nothing else to think on;
but you may recolleft emOnying me to draw up
such a Met:llo4 ?—A. I certainly did employ you so
to do?

Q. Does your Lordship recoiled, that when you
did roe the honour to appoint me to the Diadem, it
was for the put pose of prosecuting some Fart of the
plan mentioned in the said Memoir ?—A. When Sir
H Po[lam was appointed to the Died, NI, it was for
the purpose of co-operating with General Miranda,
in such ()Ned', mentioned in the Memoir, a? might
be conducivp to the interest of Gr-at Britain.
Q. Does your Lordship recoiled, so far as :o
bring into your contemplation, whether the season
was so far advanced, that the part in which I was
to be particularly employed, wz.; to result me to
the political:sr objeß of the Cape, or to allow me a
discretion of prosecuting other objet;, with a vie%
to open the markets in South America ?—A. I
know that the great object was, to open the markets
of South America, hut casina speak as to g;oeral
details ; but circumstances occur IQ my mint, that
tire business was not then so kar advanced as to he
the sobjed of detailed instrudons. ft occurs to me,
at this moment, as not iosprot;able, that the Coat of
South America, in the vicinity f Trinidad, was,
at one time, looked upon as 1. probable bC.4 RC for
operating. s.
Q. On hearing of the capture of Burros Ayres,
did your Lordship consider it AS an a;,:uisition
materially advancing the ghat ohjeet Mr. Vitt and
Lees 41:4 is view, with revised to Bombmeric.
America f

Mr. hay's (Netted to the question ; but the
Court considered it mere matter of opinion, and
over-ruled the objettion.
Sir HON a Purr A as observed. that by the questirm,
he only meant to prove the opinion et the Cabinet,
as to the miginal plan of aitic king South America,
and the design to follow up that intention.
Mr. Jeans• rsid, that it was quite stifficient for
him, that the 'Court disapproved of Lis objedtion,
to induce him to relinquish it.
A. No doubt, the capture of Buenos Ayres was
highly beneficial to the objet we had M view; but
I sin by no meals sure, if I may sot have taken .hat
impression from the circumstance of Buenos Ayres
baring been one of the specific objects in view,
when the armament was in contemplation In 1796.
I remember there was an armament thin in con-
teniplation, which was to go ronisil Cape Horn,
and to take Buenas Ayrss in its way.
Q. Does Tnur Lordship recollect my having been
confidentially employed both in the late and present
war, by different Wristlets of the Cabinet?—A.
certainly kw's, that Sir Hume Popham was em-
ployed confidentially by the different Members of
the Cabinet he and,: to.

Q. Does your Lordship recolleft. that in my be.
ing employed in con6denti4l set Vial, CIICUTSUItCsi
arose, which were not provided for to my instruc-
tions, nor indeed cculd they Lei and that, under
these circumstances, I exercised very large discre-
tionary powers, in the attainment of the great object
for which I was in employed. I particularly allude
to one of my missions to thz Court of St. Peters-
burgh
Mr. heals ()hefted to the question, upon the
grounds that the Prisoner sought to inter. that be-
cause he had upon other occasions exercised an en-
larged discretim, Le was theretcue warranted to do
.•
so upn the present occasion.
Sir note► Poenete—" I used it to sltew that 1
was meeting the object of the Government by whom
I was employed, and as a justification for my de.
viating from my instructions.
'rhe Paasincter—.. You have no occasion to
&rouble }ourself! as having before exercised a large
discretion, you had reasonable right to presume
that the exercise of a large discretion in this case
was admissible. It is the business of Sir Home
Popham to thew that officers generally had exer-
cised a discretionary power under such circum-
stance.,"

Lord Mrtvttt.t—'• I am afraid, in answering
this and other questions, I may he led to disclose
confidential matters, ohich should notlbe made pub-
lic; hut I may give a general answer, that Sir H.
Popham has been confidentially employed, and re-
ceived the lull approbation of the Governmeot "
Admiral St.stortse--o He may, I think, answer
this question. oiler to aim that So !Wore Pop.
ham was, upon tither occasions, permitted to east-
cise discretionary powers."
By the Pro erutor (Mr Jeavt.)
Q. Dies your Lordship recolied at wh•+t time
Sir Hccle Popham was appinted to the Diadems
cannot recollefl Cie precise time, butkom a
letter of December Mt; it most Itst•a beset about
that period. _ -

gnciationt "Aids were carrying on bet-.cr,on Otis
country and Spain, Flu,: or had not trim:oared be-
fore that perini ?—A. 1 cannot, horn me:v(4y, fix
the precise time, but I make no dcul,t a sh,,rt
time aft.-r thr date of this letter, a.; I r rnt.u.',cr c
accounts came recently before the meetii,?, ~1 Pat li-
arrfria.

Q. Was Sir Home Popham appointed by your
Lot dshiy) to the Diadem, wish a view to carry on
offensive operations against Spanish .iouth America,
and to what part of it in particular i—A. I believe
Sir Home Popham was appointed totlat ship with
a view of co-operating with General Miranda to the
extent of taking advantage of any of his proceedings
which would lead to the acquiring upon the conti•
neat of South America a trade tavouralde to this
country ; but do not recoiled any precise place
having been appointed.
Q. Your Lordship has said, that you had many
consultations with General Miranda ; and the result
of those opinions was, that although it mieht not be
expedient or within the means of this country, at
that time, to commit themselves fully to the extent
of his pr jeds, it was of the utmost importance to
the interests of this country, so far to watch the
progress of his operations, as to make use of them,
if they could be made subservient to the purposes of
opening t4e South American market to the trade of
this country. Wa, that the °hied you had in view
when your Lordship appointed Sir H. Popham to
the aritiesia? and did you continue to entertain
the same °hied, and to the same event, during the
remainder of the time you presided at the Admit-.
laity I—A. It was with the view, mentioned in the
question, that I appointed Sir Home Popham to
the Diadem; mad I du not recoiled that, dosing the
period I. remained afterwards in the Admiralty,
' Government had, in contemplation any plan upon
a more extensive scale.
Q. Was Sir H. Popham appointed to any cons.
mend, authorising him to attack any part of South
America Certainly not, in the proper sense of
the word.
Q. Is there any ante or official document on the
Records of the Admiralty, to your recollection, stat-
ing the objet for which Sir H. Popham was ap-
pointed to the Medea I cannot speak to an
absolute certainty; but I should think there is not.
Q. Your Lordship has said, that Buenos Ayres
was one of the principal objs&s in view, when the
armament was in contemrlatten in I7Sti. Had your
Lordship that °Ned in view at any time since the
breaking out of the present Spanish war, up to the
time of your Lordship's quitting the Admiralty ?
A. At all times, and from every conversation 4
bare had with Mr. Pitt, I make no doubt Busse
Ayres was often the suhjed of discussion ; my res.
son for being 51 confident of it is, that in all the ear
sideratiou I ever gave to the subjed of South Am*.
rice, whetner the attack was to b. made en a larger
or smaller scale, I always considered the Rio de la
Plata as a mess imfortant position for the interests
of Great Britain upon that side of South America.
Q. I would take the liberty of asking whether,
with those opinions, it was determined, by His
M.tiesty's then Ministers, to make any attack upon
Buenos Ayread end -whether Sir Honte Popham
was appointed to any command for that purpose ?
A. I do not believe that His Majesty's Govern-
tn .nt, colledively, had ever come to any resolution
to make any attack upon South America. And it
will be recoils:led, alter what I have already stated,
that it was only for a few months, after the begin-
ing of 180, 1 remained in office.

Ey the Couer.
Q. In the attainment of those objets upon which
Sir flame Popham was employed by his nijesty's
Ministers, in which lie used his own discretion. and
his conduct was approved cd, was he employed as a
Captain in His blajcAy'snavy, or on services distinet
and different horn the naval department ?—A.
Generally of the latter description ; except one :a-
stance of the expedition to the Red Sea.
By Sir Home Pons/sm.
Q. Wu it usual to ein.r a bliiicre at the Board
of Admiralty w,ea au Oificer was appointed to a
command, or selected by the Cabinet for a particu-
lar service I—A. Certainly not.
Q. Is there any service in which an Officer re-
quires more discretionary power, than when he
cum:uands a squadron upon a foreign and distant
station I

'the Court would not permit this question to be
answered.

Mr. Sturges &urns sworn and examined.
/3y me PIbAIDICHT.

Q. Is it probable, Mr. B .tune, ft.m the situation
yoo hold, that you sbi.uld be acquainted witn the
secrets of Crevernmoir :—A. I an not aware of
the meat of that question.
• By Sir Home POP H a Y.

Q. Were you- tele of the Usider Secretaries of
State, in July 1805?—A. I was.
. _

Q. Did I communicate to you at that time some
coolidential inf,irmation which I had received rela-
tive to the Cape of Good Hope ?—ik. I do recollect
that sech a communicati•in was made to me, and I
dont: it was in the month of July, 1805.
Q. litate for what furpilse I made that commu-
nication to you ?—A. That communication was
made to mil in order to convey it to Mr. Pitt.
Q. Wriat was done by you in consequence
thereof ?—A. I communicated the substance of it,
without loss of time, to Mr. Pitt ; and I believe
vitae Sir Home Popham remained in my room at
the Treasury. Mr. l'itt desired me to make
turfer 'molt ies, m the quarter from whence the
communication was derived. I immediately ob-
taine,l an interview with one of the Gentlemen,
from v:hom the information was rcccived, and carved
Lim to Mr. l'itt the neat day. the ic,ult of these
interviews was a complete confirm .tion oft.e state-
oie,,ts of Sir Wail Popham ; and Mr. Pitt in-
stantly determined to take the necessary measures
tur 411 expedition against the Cade.
Q. Do you recoiled whether you received any
instructions from Mr. Pitt, either to confirm the in-
teil'gence I gave you, or to coiled any coliateral
proof of it, antecedent to my seeing him?—tl. Mr.
Pitt, I apprehend. direded ihe inquiry to be made
Isime, in order to snits the most precise intedigence
that could he procuted ; and I believe, but am nit
punitive, that it must have been antecedent to his
seeing Sir Horne l'ophlim en this subj.:ct. Uptia
lacng reminded by Sir Home Popham, I wink 1

from whom the information was deriveit were then
oiaen to me, and, I believe, he did au.ornpany me
!o a house in PALMA, where one of ;Lem, I think,
was if),l-d.
Q. Were re present at any coryverrations with
Mr. Fio, on the subjed of the CapOof Good Hope?
—A. I coo:airily was.
Q. Can you state, from your own knowledge,
that any Expedition to the Cape was in contempla-
tion at the moment I proposed the one in question ?
—A.. I am quite sore Mr. Ptt nad no such Expe.
dition in his contemplation when Sir Home Pop-
ham made this proposal ; and I have 1..) reason to
believe that any other of the King', Ministers had
any such objed in view.
Q. Do you recoiled the confidence reposed in
me by Mr. Pitt, and my taking th, liberty, which I
did, in consequence of that confidence, to ask him,
when he expressed a doubt, whar military (,fficer
should command the Expedition, am' my subm,i,th g
the name of one for his consideration ?—A. i hays
a faint recolledion ; but it is not suffrOently strong
to enable me to speak positively.
Q. TO the best of your recolledlion, whether was
it the Officer that 1 named, that did command ?
A. I have a strong impression on my mint, that
Sir Home Popham was anxious that Sir Devil
Baird should command the army.
By the Couar.
Q. In the conversation you bad with Mr. Pitt,
what was determined, and who was appointed to
attack the Spanish Settlements in South America.
after the attack of the Cape, in case the event of
that attack was successful ?—A. I recoiled no pro-
posal being then made relative to the Settlements in
South America. I certainly have, at airother rime,
heard Mr. Pitt express his opinion on that subject.
Sir HOME POPHAM( here lamented, that on this
prominent feature of his Defence, be was precluded
from offering the testimony of that great ma', with
whom he had concerted the projed. sod who was
new for ever lost to him and his country.
Mr. Huskisson sworn and 'corniced.
By Sir Hone POPHAM.
Q. Were you one of the Secretaries of the Tree.
vary in 1303 ? —A. I was.
Q. Do you recoiled my taking leave of Mr. Pitt,
on the 880 July, 1905, previous to my suing for
the Cape of Good Hope ?—A. I recalled Mr. P tt
and Sir Horne Popbam being in my rooms at the
Treasury, but do not remember his telcirg leave.
Q. Do you recoiled my telling you tnat Mr. Pitt
wished you to famish me with the rnmes of some
Gentlemen who were likely to procure me sent
informafion upon the subjed ?—A. I recoiled genes:
rally a convention a •th Mr. Pitt, who Lrpressed ?fl
anxiety to obtain every possible information rewire
to South America, and desired I would take every
opp-oniony of procuring information, and colledirt
and keeping together such as could be so procured%
Bu, I do not recollect the precise sonversetion ale
loded to. I hare, by the desire ot Mr. Pitt. con•
. versed frequently with Sir Home Popham upon the
subject en soda information.
Q. Was the impression on your mind that I, - •
no the time ;Landed to, ;tither from what i said to
ynu, what afterwards occurred. had had arty
converso ion with Mr. Pitt on the subject of South
America ?
Mr. inters ohjected tc this question, as tot heinli
evidence.
The Cootie also thought it irrelevant.
Q Had you any conversation with Mr. Pin, in
1805, no the subject of S both Amer ica, end partieu.
larly Buenas Ayres, and did gou, I. y his directions,
take any steps respecting theself I—A. I formerly
stated that I had some conversance: with Pitt
on the suhject of South America. and I might say
particularly respecting Buenos Ayres:
Q. Have the goodness to state the nature of those
conversations in general, with Mr. Pitt , but I do
not wish to exed from you any thing that can affect
the interests of the State, or of individuals, however
the result of such di,clomre might be essential to
me in this prosecution ?—A. I believe, almost on
every occasion, Mr. Pitt conversed with me on the
subjed of South America ; his attention was called
to that part of the globe particularly A person
brought to nic a plan or chart ot the Ride la
Pima, which had been then recently, a.: he informed
me, published at Paris, the criginol being taken
from the dips of the King of Spain, at Madrid ; and
he addea, that he had intelligence which led him to
believe that plan would shortly be of use to some
part ot the French Navy, who wctald probably find
their way with troops to that place. Knowing this
person was one in whnm Mr. Pitt mold elace if.
liance, I felt it my duty to communicate to him this
information. Mr Pitt stated to me generelly, the
views he entertained with respell to South Aniersca;
and he generally conceived, that it vint:l,l be a
m es.. anal object to this cOun•ry, to maintain
our naval superiority, and the facility that superi.
erity afforded, to co.rimence the operations against
South America. if the success of the confederacy on
the Continent did not correspond with his wishes. 11
The plan of operatian proposed would not onlr
open the mai Lets of South America, but also pre•
vent the French themselves from diong the, which
he had no doubt they go-old do; he therefore gave
general credit to the person who furnished that
plan. and hoped that we should be hetnre-hand with
the enemy, as our naval means o. re so much .0 error
to theirs. This was nearly th general view of the
measore; but I should very mod, 1... at I cannot stets
particularly, but can crnly state generally, that by Nlr.
Pitt's desire. I did take measures for procuring fur-
ther intelligence resped•ng the slate of Buenos
Ayres. The intelligence came to me through snots
a channel as could be depended upon. And Mr.
Pitt did dire@ me to take preheat:l4ly steps with
reaped to Buenos Ayres, with a view to tocilitate
its capture by a British, f ace, and semi: ships were
immediately put in commission for that purpose.
' Q. Were the views which Mr Pin had in form-
ing the Confederacy oo the Continent, answered ?
A Certainly I believe not.
Q. Do you know of any political olsjedions ex-
istrog at the time I sailed for the Cape, to prevent
my having received instrudrons, or provisional ins
struditans, on the stilled of Mr Pitt's view., rela.
tive to Sown America ?—A. I can only state, that
Mr. Piet, in a convereetiou with me, staied • pelia
tical objedion, which had a certain wriest widli bait

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