The Sun.
London, England, 1813-03-22 00:00:00

AekrtlCAN PAP2R.g.

10 US E OF 111.: ittSEN siT VE S
FRIDA+',3AN.29.

• FOREIGN RELATIO'NS,
die
Mr. Grundy from the CommitteeOf FOreign
lations-, Made the following Report.
"..That in preSenting,to the House at this time
a view of •our relations with Great Britain, it is
deemed unnecessary to recite the causes Which
produced the war. The wrongs whick the United ,
States had received from that Power, for a long
series of years, . had already been laid .before the
public, and need 'not again he enumerated ; they
were too deeply felt to have been forgtitten, al-
though theymay be forgiven by. the American peo-
ple. The United States having engaged in .the
war for the sole purpose of vindicating their rights
and • honour, that motive alone should. animate
them to its close. It becomes 'a free and virtuous
.people to give an useful example -to .the world.—
It is the duty of -a 'representative Government, to
'render a faithful. account of its conduct to itS.con-
,stituents. A just sensibility to great and unpro-
yoked wrongs and indignities will justify an ap-
peal to arms : an honourable reparation should
restore the blessings of peace.: every step which
they take should be guided by a, sacred regard to .
principle.
" To form a Correct estimate of the duties
whieit. the United States.- have to perform, it is.
necessary to take a view of the communications
which have I,..:ssed between the •ExecutiVe of the
United States and the. British Government since
the declaration of war. - Such a view, the Com-
Mittee is , persuaded, %Till skew distinctly the
existing ground of controversy betweeh tha two
nations, and the indispensable
.obligations on the
United States to maintain it.
" Your Committee has seen with much satis-
faction, that at the moment of the declaration of
war, the attention of - the Executive was engageAL
in an effort to bring it-to a speedy and 'honourable'
termination. As early as the 26th of Jane last,
the Charge des Affaires of th-• .United 'States tit
London,was ,instructed to propose. to the British
Government an armistice,,ko take immediate el-.
'feet; on conditions -whiell'2it ifi.believed the im-
,partial'world will consider safe, honourable, and,
advantageous to Great Britiiin. They were few
in number, and limited to positive,, wrongs daily
, practised. That the Orders. in Council should be
repealed; and that our flag should prOtect, our
seamen, were the only indispensable conditions
insisted on. 'Other. wrongs, ',however great, were
postponed for amiCallle negociation. • As en in-
ducement to the British -Government to forbear
these, wrongs, it was proposed to repeal the:non-
importation Jaw,and'tb prohibit the employment
-Of British seamen in the public and private vessels
of the United • States ; particular care was .taken
that these proppsitions shciuld be made in a form
as conciliatory as they were amicable in sub-

stance. - •
‘, Your .Conimit;ee cannot avoid expressing.
their astonishment at the manner in which it was
received. It Was. -not suffieientsto reject the pro-
posed armistice : terms of peculiar reproach and
intuit .were adOptcd to, make the. rejection, oifen-
stv . - - •
'clt tappened that almost on .the same flay itt
whielethe United States, after having-been
oat with accumulated .wrongs, had Tesorted toothe
fast and only remaining,honourable alternative- in
support 'of their riglitS, the British. Government
had repealed conditionally-its Orders. do Council.
That measure was .unexpected, because every ap-
plication for it had failed, akhOugh repeated to
the very Moment itavas decided on. Conditional
as the repeal wat, it was admitted to have re-
moved a great obstacle to accommodation,
The other only remained,---..the practice, of
impreasment.. It was proposed to. the British'
vermneut to open.ilit• amicable acConimodation 'to
provide substitute 1,(3 it; which shetuld he con-
sidered an ample equivalents The sithtittite,prOf
posed was defined, and of.a character so- comprc,
hensive as to have removed', as was presumed,
every pbssible objection to an aCcommodatitni.—
The proposition Wore made to ,pc..chidc Aritish
seamen- from our service was
,enlarged` so as to
comprehend all' native British subjeets, not al-
ready natiirali?ed,, or entitled to naturalization,
under the laws of the United. States : this
was likewise rejected.. Your Committee lac
sought „with 'anxiety some proof of a' dispo.,„
!Rion in the -British Government to accom-
modate, on any fair condition, the important
difference between the two nations relative to
pressment; but they have sougbr in vain : nontris
to be foand either in, the communication of the.
'British Minister •to the AlllCricall Charge. des
Affairs, in ,London, or in those of the Commander
of the British naval forces at Halifax, made by the
order of his Government to the Departmeat of
State. They have seen with regret, that although,
Lord Castlei4agli professed a willingness in) his
Government to receive and dkenis autieably any
propositioli,Jurving in view either to check Anse
in the practice, et impressment, or to provide, a
substitute to it,. he nut only declined entering into
a negociatiou for the purpose; but discountenanc-
ed the enectation, 'that any substitute could- be
proposed which his Government would accept. It
merits-notice, also, though it ceased to be a cause
of surprise, that in the communication of Adiniral
Warren to .the Department of State, the subject
of impressment was not even alluded,to.
" Ilad the Executive consented to an -armistice
on the repeal of the Orders of Council, with Out a
satisfactory, provision against impressment, or a
clear and 'distinct understanding the BritA
Government to that effect, in some mode entitled
to confidence, your Corowittee would not have
hesitated 'to disprove it. The inipressment of
our seamen- being deservedly ctinsidered 'a princi-
pal cause of the war, the war ought to be .prose-
anted until than cause Was removed. 'To appeal to
arms in defence of "a right,. and to lay them down
without seeuringit, Ott a satisfactory evidence of
good disposithavin the opt,oshe party to recei'veit,,
wou'd be Considered iu no other light' than it re
linquishment of it. To attempt to,• negociate
terwards, for the security of such right, in the eX.•
pectation that any of the arguments• which have
been urged before the declamations of war, and been.
rejaeted would have more weight, after 'that ex-
perimisit hakbecn math:. is vain, would be an act