The Statesman.
London, England, 1812-05-30 00:00:00

It

TUE COUNTESS OF GLENCARA:

•
COMPLAINT MIAINST MR. PERCEVAL.

A great interest has been excited by a publication
prlvately and gratuitoosly circulated within the last
two or three weeks by the eonutess Dowager of
tOeticairn, consisting. 1. ol a Letter to the Right
lion. Spencer Perceanloeirin his refusing to recom-
lamed to the considerntion of the Crown, or of Par.
!lament, certain claims made by her Ladyship upon
1 lie. Government, for compensation fOr eapenees hi-
carnal by her former husband, W. Hamilton, Esq.
the account of Government in the American war,
in the West ladies, where Mr. Hamilton held the
office of Solicitor, and afterwards Attorney-General
the Leeward Islands; 2. A Memorial to the King
%awn the subject of those claims; 3. The testimonies;
f several persons to the truth of the ntlegations I
open which those claims are founded, iSclutling the;l
authorities of several • emittent Commanders, and
sonoiscihem that of the late Lord Nelson; 4.. An-
other Letter to Mr. Perceval, of 'a prior date,: on
the sense subject ;—the whole intended as an appeal
to the nation agaiest the refusal of Mr. Perceval to
allow Lady Glencairtes tine to be brought before
1 arliameet, where, as most of our Readers :alibi
ptlive, no claim upon the public *purse can be re..!
tagged Without preriods recommetaintion. op the
I.art of the Croon. It will be perceived at tile pet-
set, that the case of Lady Glencairn somewhat #e-
salable. in its engine that of the unforbanote
criminal Bellingham. But hesitlos the becoming re-
solution which her Ladyship took to appeal to the
public sense and liherality of the 'British nation
rtgainat the wrong which she conceivtatelna suffered
from the Minister, there is also this further differ-
enre between her case and that of the guilty wretch
to which it bears some features of resemblance, that
her Ladyship's claims appear to be well. feunded.—
The history of Lady Glencairn's ease is briefly this:
—Her Ladyship; whrais a daughter of the late, and
Aster el. rhe,preaent Earl of Buchan, and also sister
of ton t Erskine, married, its 1770, William Leslie
Ilamilton, Fact. a Gentlenme of the Bar, whom
she represents as rising into eminent practice at.
home, when he. was requeoted, and induced, in the
year 1777, to accept the situation of Solicitor-Go-
'floral of the I.4e...vard Islands—a situation which it
esiential to his Majesty's service, and that of.
th° pubFe„.to have at that time ably filled, not only
respect fir he legal and judicial accounts of the
settlement, liut Mao on account of political circum-
stances connected with the war then! raging ,in the
British American anlonitte. The. Attorney-General,
r. Wat ner, beingiocapoeltated from business by age
and infirmities, and the Governor, Mr. Burt, being
extremely embarrassed in his circumstances, almost
the whole weight and expence of the ,Administration
fell upon Mr. 'Hamilton, including the public table
kept for the Officers, the collection and communica-
tion of intelligence toahe Govertnecias of the neigh-
bouring islands, and to the naval and military officers
cotnmandiag the forces on the station. For the lat.
terosf these objects it became necessary frequently to
employ ships at eery high freights, for which Mr.
Hamilton alone furnished the means of payment; and
the expence of these ships was, we are ted to under-
stand, the principal item in Mr. Hamiltou's account
with the vol.:anent. The amount of thestetal ex-
pentliturt. chargeable to Government, oa the part of
kr, Hamilton, is estimated at .15,0001. and in this!
La(s G: 'a'airn says, she is warranted and
vegetated by the opinions of many other high au-
thorities as well as that of the late Lord Thurlow.—
Rist the vessel in which Mr. Hamilton embarked his
papers and vouchers, on his return to Eegland, in
consequence of declining health, in 1780, having
foun,l(tred at sea, and Mr. Hamilton dying soon after,
there events; together with the death of Governor
1.1.. rt,, and the capture of St. Christopher's, prevented
the claim for compensation due to Mr. Hamilton
from being immediately urged, when • Mrs. Hamil-
ton because the wife of the late Earl of Glencairn ;
and that Nobleman, looking forward to the in-
heritance of a large fortune, which would come to
him if he had survived his mother, was unwilling
to allow his Countess to be an humble suitor to
the G-vernment, upon the merits of a former hus-
brine.% sacrifice. Rut the Earl of Glencairn dying
before his mother, the fortune to which he was hair
passed to another branch of the family. Lady Glen-
cairn having thus been cast back • into her former
narrow c.rcumstancea, resumed the task of urging
her anima upon the overnment'. and in support of
the facts alleged, she has obtained the testimonies of
small! most respectable persons who had actual
ittiowledge of them ; and among them Admiral Cam-
aning, who had .served walk station; Mr. Ick, of!
Grose-house, kosigatsbridges Private Secretary .to
,the Governor of the Leeward. lidendeat the time; I
• Carham; M. P.; Mr. Knoxfof Holing; Mr. Bur.
ton, Chief.atulge of Amiga, &c. There is added
to these testimonies the authority of this late-Lord
N who is stated to have, raids at a aseetang held
at Mallard's hotel, in Dover-street, (tit the Infigitil of
Sistealher, 1803, a few days ;wins to Lord Nelson's
list departure from England, for the purpose of con-
Pub% on the meat effectual means, of obtaining a
remuneration:from Government for the expeaces in-
curred by Mr. Hamilton in the public service:—
" Information k the mainspring bribe service,and can
never be purchated at too high a price. had it not
heels for private information which sees procured at
gniat eapence, and with matchless addressrthe battle
of the Nile had never been fought.; and had I in my
late pursuit of the Coonhim;tl Fleet, received on my
arrival in the West Indies, such information as Mr.'
Hamilton was in Oa habit of obtaining ,and trailer
mining to the Cotamandera.ou that station, that Beet
should have been now !yip; 'at Spithead ; and here
(added his Lordship, pointing to Sir R. Meates, who.
- accompanied .him, and was sitting. at some distance'
front the table), is a Gentleman who knows it."
b9rii Nang hiving declined being •tbe advocate
of Lo. rd Glenc.airres claims with the Ministers, on the
georand.that,biaiuterference would rather injure than
nerve
.bej,...1.1). 041111 fponermisslon &o Appeal to kis
ait,hnritr ;•46,1(hich_. Lead Neheau replied—" Yes,
It 'Janata,. ea alltoff, eery perajaoll; and L Axil be
always ready cartage to ataerli Oat the irapolicy ef.
the treatment 4 which you epmPlein evenexceeds, if
possible, its injustice, and this,l(..will maietaio,
whether before the Board of Admiralty, that of the.
Tresury,nr the station at large, iu my place iu the
Bouse of Lords."

~~

Upon these testimonies and authorities Lady Glen-
cairn endeavoured to bring her claims under consider-
ation; but could neither get an opportunity person-
ally to put her memorial wrsonallyin his Majesty's
hauls, the state of his sight and health being given
in etcuse for the denial, although the Marchioness
Dowager Townshend had been indulged with an au-
dience for a Similar purpose : nor could she obtain
from Mr. Perceval the recommendation of her claim;
to Parliament, with the sanction of the Crown. The
most remarkable passage in the whole statement pub-
lished.by Lady Glencairu is one in which Mr. Per-
ceval is reported to have observed upon the force
placed by Lady Glencairn upon the authority of
Lord Nelson :—" lam sorry to.find, Lady Glen-
egtirn, Aid you, reist so muck on the force of Lord
Nelson's opinion • with am,
.you could offer no name
Of legs weight; I never thought of Lord Nelson
and his services as the world has; so far otherwise,
WWI CONSIDERED HIS DEATH AS THE SALVATION OS',
THE COUNTRY for had he lived, he, in one wog or
other, woald have ruined the nation, and emptied
the Treasury ! !"

•
We can scarcely believe our senses when we read
such blasphemous expressions ngainst the memory ofl
Nelson, as that his death could have been said, and
that too by a late chief Minister of England, to have
been the stdration of the country; and the circum-
stance of Mr. Perceval being no longer living to de-
lend himself for or from having used the expression,
confirms our disposition to incredulity ; but on the
other side, Lady Glencairn's declaration is not to
be lightly discredited, particularly, when we find
that oneletter addressed to Mr. Perceval himself, in
which she repeats these words to him, is dated at
tath, so long since as the ltth.of March, ao!I was
deliveyed at his house in Dowsing...street on the 17th
of that moth, acgording to the letter with which
Lady Glencairn's publication begins. This last-
mentioned letter appears to have been written in
April, consequently Mr. Perceva.l had time to reply
to, and to correct any thing erroneous or injurious
to him that appeared in either, and the latter, as
well as the farmer, contains this ungracious and out-
rageously offensive. speech respecting Lord Nelson.
Lady Glencairn having failed of making any ini-.
pression favourable to her suit upon the Mini2ter,.
and averse, through:motives of delicacy, from urging
it with the Prince Regent, by means of the private
influence of her brother, Lord Erskine, resolved to
publish the whole case; and having given• notice of
her intention to Mr. Perceval in the letter of the 9th
of March, delivered in Downing-street on the 17th,
she has accordingly published the statement now be-
fore us ; which will be found well worthy of atten.•
ition : for Lady Glencairn's case is certainly a 'hard
one. Mr. Wilberforce bad used all his influence
with Mr. Perceval to obtain for her Ladyship the
consideration desired. It appears that Lady Glen-
cairn, while these matters were pending, had dined
in company with Mr. Perceval, at the table of her
!Royal Highness the Duchess of Brunswick ; and on
that occasion Mr. Perceval cited some observation of
Mr. Burke respecting Lord Erskine, which gave con-
siderable offence to her Ladyship.

Extract of a LPttor from Cape Town, Cape of
Good Hope, dated 21st )larch, 18 H. (By the ship
Mariner.)—" This torn is in tho greatest alarm and
consternation. A ship having arrived here a few
days ego, with a cargo of Slaws, Or. Sinkantyn, the
Health Doctor, wit-. is a Outchnian, w..;lt on board, !
as usual, and reported them to be Lifee,rl with the
Small-pox!—Another Phy.Fician was then sent by
his Excellency the G,irertrw, to inspect the slaves,
who contradicted the former report, and declared
the disorder to be the Chicken Pock ; in c,onfidence
of whose skill and. judgment the slaves were per-
mitted to land. But, most melancholy indeed has
proved the result, for it has actually turned out to
be the Small Pox—a disorder more dreaded here than
the plague, and justly—for when introduced it has
proved AS. f4t3l, sweeping off nearly one-third of the
population. Thirty families in town have. already
caught the dreadful distemper : all communication
between the town and country is stopped—all public
sales are prevented, and the stores shut up by public
Proclamation—the greatest panic prevails—the gloom
is universal, and all experience great privations
even of the necessaries of life, in consequence of the
interruption of all intercourse with the country dis-
tricts. Every precaution which prudence could sug-
gest, has been adopted by Government—great num-
bers are daily vaccinated at the 4tadt House, by Dr.
Spencer, whose attention is indefatigable—while the
Colonists are so incensed against Dr. Hussey, that he
I.dares not appear abroad, or his personal safety would
irendangered. I hope my next will inform yee, that 4
this iisitation, so dreaded, and so dreadful, in this cli-
mate, has passed elf without its usual destructive ra-
vages.—;frar Governor is a just end good man, little-
! fatigable in his endeavours to promote the interests
of the colony. He has already corrected many abuses
of long standing; rescinded several arts, and re-
versed some rigorous and oppressive sentences of the
former Governments,' and he is deservedly and uni-
versally beloved.
(A true Copy).

" L. A. IL"

lirrramnern Swum—A Coroner" Jury sat at
Mr. Shephardis, the New Ranelagh Vauxhall, on
Tuesday last, before A. GELL, Esq. the Westminster
Coroner, on a view of the body of Cecilia Strickland,
who was drowned in the Thames by her own act on
Saturday last. It appeared, by the testimony of a
banker's clerk, and also au artist,' that the de.
ceased, who resided in respectible servitude in
Westminster, had been in their company at one of
the public-house hops, in the neighbourhood of the
fair, all night, instead of being at home in the even- 1
ing. The two young men had accompanied her front
now, and whilst walking along Milibank, at an
early hour in the morning, the unhappy girl request- I
ed of her male companions to walk on ; and they
having gone on a f.'w paces, she plunged herself off
the bank into the river. Assistance, by means of
boats, was instantly afforded, and the body was
conveyed to the shore with signs of life, after having
been eight minutes in the water. No doctor could
be had, however, and the spark of life soon became
extinct. Under all the circumstances of the case,
the Jery were of opinion, the act proceeded from re-
preaches of conscience, which led to despondency
and they delivered a vedict

r

THE STATESMAN.

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