Star.
London, England, 1810-02-06 00:00:00

sr •
,ig - •. ", .i . . • kits tkictli Ira here. in Anttary, iit wisielritst* fortis,
..---•....0 the Particulars of several conversations that Had pass-
.
MESSAGJI
FROSI THE PRESIDENT or THE UNITED sTATEc, TRANS- ed between him and Mr; Madis'oul Mr. Gallatin and
yourself, but especially the two last:. that it app eared
WITTING EXTRACTS raost THE costagsroxmics or
from these conversations, that, in the opinion of the
MR. PINKNEY. persons with. whom they were held, the Government
To the House Of Representatives of the United States,
Agreeably to the requeseerpressed in the resolutinit ofn .the llnited States would be willing that Great
of the 13th instant I laisrlsefore the House extracts ntain should consider the measures.
then contem-
from the Correspondence the Minister Plenipoten- plated by Congress relative to Nen-intercourse and
the indiscriminate-
exclusion' of belligerent vessels from
tiary of the United States at London. our waters, as presenting an opening for the renewal
Dec. 16, 1809. (Signed) JAMES MADISON. `of amicable discussions with this country : that it
BRIEF ACCOUNT would br. disposed, in the case of the Chesapeake, to •
Of an unoffidal Conversation between Mr. CAN): iNO and Mr. I
. receive as sufficient reparation, in- addition to the
PINKNIT, on the tstb of January, 1809, cogtinued on the
224 of the same month. [Transmitted by Mi. PINKNEY to prompt disavowal and recal of Admiral Berkeley, the
the Secretary of State.] restoration of the seamen forcibly taken out of that
I dined at Mr. Canning's with the cols: difilcimatigue vessel : that, on the subject of the Orders in Council,
on the 18th January. Before dinner he came up to_ jit would have no objection, in case they were revoked
Me, and entering into conversation, adverted to a re- as regarded to the United States, to repeal the Em-
port which he said had reached him that the Ameri- bargo and Non intercourse Laws as to Great Britain,
can Ministers (here and in France) were about to be and to continue them as to France and Holland, and
recalled. I replied, that I was not aware that such such other countries as should have in force Maritime
a step had been resolved upon. He then took me Edicts similar to those of France, so long as those
aside, and observed, that according to his view of Edicts remained—that it would allow it to be tinder-
the late proceedings of Congress, the resolutions of stood, that the 'British cruizers might capture Ame-
the House of Representatives, in committee of the rican vessels attempting to violate the Embargn and
whole,- appeared to be calculated, if passed into a Non-intercourse Laws so modified : that it would even
law, to remove the impediments to arrangement with agree to abandon, during the present war, all trade
the United States, on the subjects of the Orders in with enemies colonies from which we were excluded
Council and the Chesapeake, by taking away the in peace : that it was prepared to regulate by treaty
discrimination between Great Britain and France in the commercial relations of the two countries, upon
the exclusion of vessels of war from the American the basis of the most favoured nation, or upon hat of
ports. He added that it was another favourable car- reciprocal equality; and, in a word, that it was ex,
cumstance that the non-importation system which tremely desirous of re-establishing the most perfect
seemed to be in contemplation, was to be • applied good understanding, and the most friendly connec-
equally to both parties, instead of affecting as hereto- anon with Great Britain.
fore Great Britain alone. Mr. Canning proceeded to inform me, that in conse-
I proposed to Mr. Canning, that I should call on quence of these representations, some,parts of which
him in the course of a day or two, for the purpose of he said I had myself confirmed in two conversations
a free communication, upon what he had suggested. in January, he had framed and transmitted to'Mr.
To this he readily assented ; and it was settled that I Erskine two sets of ins,ructions,dated the 23d of that
should see him on the Sunday following (the 22d) at month, but not forwarded till some time afterwards,
twelve o'clock, at his own house. the first of which related to the business of .the Chesa.
In the interview of the 22d, Mr. Canning's impres- peake, and the second to the Orders in CounciV and
sions appeared to be in all respects the same with the proposed Commercial Arrangements. I'hesb in-
those which he had mentioned on the 18th ; and I structions, together with the passages in Mt. Erskine's
said every thing
.which I thought consistent with can- letter, written, I believe, in December last, which
dour and discretion, to confirm him in his disposition contained the above-mentioned representations, and
to seek the re-establishment of good understanding some other details, which I ought not to repeat, Mr.
with tis, and especially to see in the expected act of Canning read to me.
Congress, if it should pass, an opening for reconci- - Although Mr. Canning made me acquainted
nation. with Mr. Erskine's instructions, he could not in any
It was of some importance to turn their attention degree apprize me of the explanations transmitted
here, without loss of time, to the manner of any pro- by that Minister, of the grounds and motives of his
ceeding that might be in their contemplation. It proceedingt ; and I could not be sure, from any
seemed that the resolutions of the House of Repre- thing which Mr. Canning had stated to me, that I
sentatives, if enacted into a law, might render it pro- had been to understand the exact nature and charac-
per, if not indispensable, that the affair of the Chesa. ter of the transaction. I believed, therefore, that it
peake should be settled at the same time with the bu- behoved me to be particularly careful how I received
sinessof the ordersand embargo,and this I understood what Mr. Canning thought fit to disclose to me. In
to be Mr. Canning's opinion and wish. It followed looking *back upon the past I discovered no induce,
that the whole matter ought to be settled at Wash- ments to a less cautious course. I remembered that
ington and, as this was moreover desirable on vari- Mr. Canning had not told me in our conversations
ous other grounds, I suggested it would be well, in in January (one of which occurred the day before the
case a special mission did not meet their approbation, date of his letter to Mr. Erskine) that he intended to
that the necessary powers should be sent to Mr. confide to him such powers as he must then have
Erskine. been in the act of preparing, or indeed any powers as
In the course of the conversation, Mr. Canning all. Thai in our conferences in April, after the arrival
proposed several questions relative to our late peope- of the Pacific, the same. reserve was, practised,
sal ; the principal were the two following : ' 1 —That in the last of those conferences Mr. Canning
1. In case they should wish, either through me or admitted only (and that too upon being pressed by
I
through Mr. Erskine, to meet us upon the basis of me) that in the business of the Chesapeake, he ' had
our late overture, in what way was the effectual ope. written to Mr. Erskine, in compliance with what he
i
ration of our embargo as to France, &c. after it should understood to be my wish, that the settlement of that
be taken off as to Great Britain, to be secured. It affair should be transferred.to Wa,shington,' that even
was evident; he said, that we should do no more than i then thc time, when he had done so,. was not men-
refuse clearances for the ports of France, Ste. or I tioned ; and that as to the Order's in Council,-1 was
prohibit under penalties, voyages to such ports, the suffered to suppose that*negociation iii 'America had
effect which my letter of the 23c1 of August, and 1 not been authorised. It occurred to me," moreover,
my published instructions,, proposed to have in view, that as it had already been decided that dr. Erskine
would not be produced ; for that vessels, although was to be disavowed, and as that decision had been
cleared for British ports, might, when once out, go made public through the Board of Trade, I could
to France instead of coming here ; that this would not hope to prevent that disavowal, and that with my
in fact be so, whatever the penalties which the Ame- :imperfect knowledge of facts, it might be worse than
rican laws might denounce against offenders) could useless by. laboured discussion to attempt it.
not, he imagined, be doubted ; and he therefore pre- " With these impressions I could do little more
sumed that the Government of the United States than manifest My concern that conciliatory arrange-
would not, after it had itself declared a commerce ments between the American Secretary of State, and
with France, &c. illegal, and its citizens who should his Majesty's accredited Minister at Washington, act-
engage in it, delinquents, and after having given to j ing in consequence, and professing to act in purso-
Great Britain by compact an interest in the strict ob- t once of orders fromhisCourt,were not like to have that
servation of prohibition, complain if the naval force effect which was naturally to be expected from them.
of this country should assist in preventing such acinn• " I understood, however, to declare with confi-
merce. dente that the American Government had met Mr.
2d, He asked, whither there would be any objec- , Ei-skine's proposals in a just and friendly spirit, and
- British with • desire that while its own honour - -

,

AMER,

tion to making the repeal of the . orders 2nd
the American embargo cotemporaneous ? He seemed
to consider this as indispensible. Nothing. could be
less admissible, he said, than that Great Britain, after
rescinding her orders, should for any time, however
short, be left subject to the embargo in common with
France, whose decrees were subsisting, with a view to I,
an experiment upoh France, or with any other view.
The United States could not, upon their own princi-
ples, apply the embargo to this country one momeat
after its orders were revoked, or decline after the I
event to apply it exclusively to France and the
Powers connected with her system.
I took occasion, towards the close of our conversa-
tion, to mention the recent appointment of Admiral
Berkeley to the Lisbon station. Mr. Canning said,
that whatever might be their inclination to consult
the feelings of the American Government on that
subject, it was impossible for the Admiralty to resist
the claim of that officer to be employed (no other
objection existing against him) after such. a lapse of
time since his return from Halifax, without bringing
him to a Court Martial. .The usage of the navy was
in this respect different from that of the army. But
I understood Mr. Cannily to say that he might still

_ a sincere . and
essential interests were fairly consulted and maintain-
ed, a liberal respect should be shewn for those-
Great Britain."—(Ts be continued.)
CONGRESS—SENATE, Dgc.
The Bill to prevent the abuse of privileges and
immunities enjoyed by Foreign Ministeri Within the
United States, was read a third tine, arid' decided by
yeas and nays as follows :
Yeas 20—Nays 2—So the Mt was passed: ••
The Prtsident communicated a Letter frani the Se-
cretary of War on the subject of torti fiedtion's. ,
Whereupon, on the motion of Mr. SMITH, 00427-
land, the galleries were cleared, and it was agreed that
the Report be read with closed doors.—Ordered that
it lie for consideration. . .
HOUSE OF REPMENTATIVES, DECEMBER. 21:
A communication aFts received; from the Secretary
of War, stating the situation and state of the different
fortifications of the United States.
Objection was made-to the reading of this paper,
on the ground that it"-would afford oflicial- informa-
tion to the eneidies of the United States, 1i they have
any, of their weakest points. •
taken on the re, a'

of it, and

A question was
tied in the affirmative.
The Report was referred to the Committee of For.
1. tificaions.

be brought to a Court . lartial, although not
understand him to say that this would be the case.
He said that Admiral Berkley, in what he had done,
had acted wholly without authority. I did not pro-
pose to enter into any discussion upon the subject, and
therefore contented myself with speaking of, the• ap-
pointment as unfortunate.
Extract of a Letter from WILLIAM Pimitmer, Esq. Minliter
Plenipotentiary of the United States in London, to the Secretary
of State, dated London, May 28, 1109,
-
In the interview which took place on May 25, Mr.
Canning said, that the British Minister had acted, in
his ,late negociation and engagements with you, not
only without authority, but ia direct opposition to the
most precise instructions : that the instructions actu-
ally given to him had beau founded on his own let.

RUPTURE WITH MR. JACKSON.
. The House again in Committee of the whole oa
the res(Aution from the Senate,
• Mr. ESIOTT concluded his speech against it.
Mr. Gocu.soN and Mr. Ross spoke in favour of it.
And at half past three, on the motion of Mr. Ur-
ILANi, the Committee rose and obtained leave to sit
again, and the House adjourned.
DiCRUBER 22 —The Bill from the Senate, respect-
ing Foreign Ministers, was read twice, and referred
to a Committee of the whole House on Tuesday.
The House resolved itself into a Committee of the