The Sun.
London, England, 1812-12-26 00:00:00

MR. RUSSELL TO LORD CASTLEREAGH.

MY Loan,—lt is only necessary, I trust, to
Call the attention of your Lordship to a review of
the conduct of the GoVernment of the United
States to prove incontrovertibly its unceasing
anxiety to maintain" the relations of peace and
,friendship with' Great' Britain. Its patience ,in
suffering the many wrong which it has received,
and its perseverance in endeavouring .by amicable
'means to obtain redress are known to the world.
Despairing at length of receiving this redress
from the justice of the British Goverrunedt, to'
which it had so often applied in vain, and feeling
that a further forbearance would be a virtual 'suf.,
render of the interests and rights essential to the
prosperity and independence of -the nation con-
fided to its protection, it has been compelled to
discharge its high duty by an appeal to arms.—,
While, however, it regards tins course as the
only one which remained for itto pursue, with a
hope 'of preserving any portion of that 'kind of
character which constitutes the vital strength of,
every nation, yet it is still
,willing to give an-
other proof of the spirit which has uniformly dis-
tinguished its pro&edings, by seeking to arrest,
on terms consistent .with justice and honour,. the
calamities.of war, It has therefore authorised. Me
to stipulate' with his'Britamnic Majesty's Govern-
ment, an armistice to commence at or before the
expiration of sixty days after the Signature of the
instrument provi!ling, for it, on condition that the
Orders in Council be repealed; and no illegal
blockades:to be. substituted to them, and that or:-
deis be immediately given to discontinue the ins-
preSsment of persons from American vessels, and
to restore the 'citizens of. the United States al-
ready impre-ssed ; it being moreover well under-
stood that the British Government will assent to
enter into definitive arrangementS as soon as may
be, on these and every other difference, by a
Treaty; to be concluded either at London or
Washington, as on an impartial consideration
of existing circumstances shad be. deemed most
expedient. N -
As an inducement to Great Britain to discon-
tinue the practice: of impressment from American
vessels',, I am authorised .to give' assurance that
a law shall be passed (to, be reciprocal) to prohi-
bit the employment of . British seamen in the
public or commercial service of the/ :United'
States..'

It is Siucerely,helieved that such an arrange-
ment would prole more .efficacious in .securing
tso'Great Britain her
.seamen than the practice of
impressment so derogatory to the sovereigw.at
-
tributes of the United States, and so incompatible
with the personal rights of then' citizens.
Your Lord;hip will not be surprised that I have
presented the revocation of the o,rders in Council as
a preliminary to the suspension of hostilities, when
it is considered that the act of the British Govern-
ment of the 23d, of June last, ordaining that re-,'
vocation, is predicated on conditions, the per:-
formance of which is. rendered impracticable by.
the change which is since known to have occur-
red in the• rclatihns between the two cc entries
It cannot ,now be expected that the Government
of the United States will immediately, on • due
notice of that Act,,revoke'or cause to be revoked
its Acts, excluding from the waters and harbours
of the United States all British arined,vessels, and
interdicting commercial intercourse with Great
Britain. Such a procedure. would necessarily in-
volve consequences too unreasonable and extra-
vagant to he for a moment presumed. The Order
in Council of the.23d of June last will therefore,
according to its own terms, be null and of no
effect, and a new act of the British Govern-
ment, adapted to existing circumstances, is
obviously, required far the effectual repeal of the
Orders .in Council, of whiCh the United States
complain. • .
The Government of the United States considers
indemnity for injuries received under the Orders
in Council and other edicts,. violating the rights
of the'American nation,• to lie incident to their
repeal, and it believes that satisfactory provision
will be made in the definitive treaty to be here-
after.negociated for this purpose.
The ,conditionS now offered to the'British Go-
veljunent for the termination of the war by an
armistice as above stated, are so moderate and,
just in themselves, and so entirely consistent with
its interest and honour, that a confident hope. is
indulged that, it will not hesitate to accept them.
In so doing it will' abandon no -right; it will sa-
crifice no interest ; it will abstain only from vio-
lating the rights of the United States,, and 'in re-
turn it will restore peace with the Vower,. froth
whom in a friendly 'cothmercial intercourse, so
many advantages are to be derived. .
Your Lordship. is undoubtedly aware of the
serious difficulties with which the prosecution of
the \val., even for a short period, must necessarily
embarrass' all future attempts to accommodation.
Passions exasperated by injuries—alliances or con-
quests on terms which forbid their abandonment
—will inevitably) here:ifter embitter and, protract
a contest which might now be so easily and hap.:
-pily‘terminated. •
Deeply impressed with these truths I cannot
bur persuade myself,that his Royal Highness the,
Prince Rcgeut will take into his early considera-
tion the propositions herein made on Lehalf of
the United States, and decide 'on.' them in a spirit
of conciliation a7;:d
- . I have the honour td be,
With high consideration,
My Lord, your Lordship's most obedient
servant, • •
(Signed) JONA. RUSSELL.
. To-the Right Hon. Lord
Viscount Castlereagh, &c:

LORD CASTLEREAGH TO MR. RUSSELL.

Foreign Offioe, Aug. 29

SlR—Althousgh the diplomatic relations between
the two Governments have been terminated, by a
declaratiorr of war on the part o( the United
States, I have no hesitation, under the peculiar
circumstances of the case, and the authority un-
der which you act, to submit to the Prince Re-
gent the proposition contained, in your letter
of the 24th instant, for a suspension of hostilities.

Ole period at which your instructions
must have been issued, it. is obvious that this
owi-ture was determined upon by the Govern-
ment of the. United States in Ignorance of the
0-,-(ler in. Council of the 23d June last, and Ks you
i:l4.'ori-n me that you are not at liberty to depart
from the condition set forth in your letter,,,it only
remains for me to ecTrailit you, that the Prince
Regent feels- himself unt:er the necessity_ of de-
clining to accede'to.the pi opositions therein.con-
tained, as being on carious grounds absolutely in-
admissible. • _

As soon as there was reason to apprehend that
Mr. Foster's functions might have ceased in Ame-
rica,' and that-he might have been obliged to with-
draw himself. in consequence of war being. de—
clared, from the United States, before the above-
mentioned Order of the 23d Julie; 'and the in-
structions consequent thereupOn, could have
reached him, measures were taken for authorizing
the British Admiral on the American station, to
propose,to the United States an immediate and re-
ciprocal revocation of all hostile orders, with the
tender of giving full effect, in the event of hostili-
ties being discontinued, to the •provisions of the
saidupon Condition§ therein specified.
lir order,oiiltii§ statement you will perceive that the
. view you have taken of this part of the subject is
incorrect, and that in the present state of the re-
lations between the two countries, the operation
of the order of the 23d of June, can only be de-
feated bv.a refusal on the part,of your Govern-,
ment to desist froM hostilities, or to comply with
thecondititins expressed in the said order.
Under the circumstances of your having. no
powers to negociate, I must decline entering in-
to a detailed discussion of the propositions which
you have been directed ,to bring forward. .
- • I cannot however;. refrain on one. single point
from expressing my surprize -, namely, that, as a
condition, preliMinary even to a suspension of
hostilities, the Gowernment of the United States
should,have thought fit to demand, that the British
Government should desist from its ancient, and ac-
custonied practice of impressing 'British seamen
from the merchant 'ships of a Foreign- State,
-simply on the assurance that a law shall hereL.iter
be passed, to prohibit the,eruplovment of British
seamen in.the,public Or commercial service. of that
State. - , _ ~

The British Government now, as heretofore,.
is ready to receive feom, the Government of the
United States, and amicably to discuss any rro-,
position which. profe'sses to, have in view either
to check abuse in the exercise of the practice of im-
pressment; or to ace6mplisb, by means less liable
to vexation, the 'object for, which impressment
has hitherto been found necessary, but they can-
not consent to suspend the exercise,. of a • right
upon 'Which the naval strength of the empire
mainly depends, until they are fully convinced
that means can be devised, and will he adopted,
by.which the object to be obtained by tbe exer-
cise,of thq right can be effeetnallY secured.

. „
I have the honour to be,
Your-ip9st obedient humble servant,
(Signed) CASTLEREAGH.

J. Ruskell, Escf. &c.

MR. RUSSELL TO LORD CASTLEREAGH.
18, Tientinck-qtreet, Ist Sept. 1812

MY Loan,-1 have learnt with Much regret, by
your Lordship's note; dated the 29th ult. which I
dirl_not receive until this morning, that the Prince
Regent has thought proper to decline to accede
to the proposition for 'a suspension of hostili-
ties, contained in my note of the424th of August.
It has been matter of surprise to me that my
view with regard to the revocation of the Orders
in Council on the 23d of June last, should have
been considered to have been incorrect, when
appearS'by your Lordship's note that the:British
Government itself had deemed it necessary to give
powers tq the British Admiral to stipulate for its
full effect,. and- thereby admitted that a new aet
was required for that purpose.
'it now only remains for me to announce to
your_Lordship, that it is my intention to embark
immediately at Plymouth, on board the ship
Lark, for the United States, and to request that
permission may be granted, as soon .as may be,
for the embarkation of my servants, baggage-, and
the effects of this legation, and that the necessary
passports may he furnished for my own and their
safe conduct to that destination.

I avail myself of this becasion to apprize your
Lordship, that I am' authorised by the enivern-.
ment of the United States to leave Renben,Gaunt
Beasly, Esq. as its agent fcir nrisoners of war in
this country, and. to ,dcsire that every necessary
facility may be offered him in the exercise of that
trust by the British Government.
I have the honour to be,
• *My Lord,
‘‘Your Lordship's most obedient
Humble servant,
.(Sired) JONA. RUSSELL.
The itigbt Hon. Lord Visiwint Castiereap..

LORD CASTLERF.AGH TO MR. RUSSELL.

Foreign Office, Sept. 2, 1612.

, . . . . . .
5,,---I have laid before his Royal Highnes's the
Prince Regent your letter of the Ist inst. in which
you announce your intention to embark immedi-
ately at Plymouth on board the ship Lark for the
United. States. ,

I haVe already the honour df forwarding to you
an Admiralty, Order for the protection of that ship
as. a cartel on her voyage to America, and I here-
with inclose to you a passport for the free em-
barkation of yourself and family, in conformity to
your request. The Lords Commissioners of his
Majesty's Treasury, will issue direetiOns to the
Commissioners of the Customs to give every faci-lity to the embarkation of your effects.
• If, previous to your departure from England,
you can point out to me any particular manner in
which I can facilitate your arrangements, I beg
that you will command my services.
His Royal Highness has commanded me to sig-
nify to you, for the information of your Govern-
ment, that there will be no difficulty in allowing
Mr. R. C. Beasly, as stated in your letter, to re-
side in this country, as the United States agent
for prisoners of war.
I have the honour to subscribe myself,
With great truth and consideration,
Sir, your most obedient humble servant,
(Signed) ,' CASTLEREAGH.
J. Russell. Esu.