The Statesman.
London, England, 1812-05-23 00:00:00

BELLINGHAM.

COPY OP OF A LETTER PROM LORD GRANVILLE LEMON
COWER TO VISCT. CASTLEREAGH; MAY 17, 1811.
Stanhope-street, May 17th, 1812. I
My Loan,—lt appears upon the trial of John
Bellingham for the ;murder of Mr. Vera-vat, that i
the Prisoner, in his defence, endeavoured to justify
that atrocious act on the ground of his Majesty's
Golet-lament having refused to compensate him for
the injuries and oppression he states himself to have
suffered In Russia, definer the time I had the honour
of representing his Majesty in that country. He
complained particularly of my conduct, and that of
Sir Stephen Sbairp, his Majesty's Consul-General, as
having sanctioned, by our silence and neglect to in-
terfere in his behalf, the unjust treatment, as he con-
sidered it, of the Russian Government.
I was subpcenaed by the Prisoner to attend the
trial •, I did attend, and expected anxiously to be
called upon, to slate, upon oath, all I could recol-
lect of the circumstances of his case in Russia. In
thin expectation, h.wever, 1 was disappointed; my
testimony was not called for ; and, after haling
heard the most serious accusation of gross neglect of
duty and want of common humanity, brought for.
ward by the Prisoner, against myself and Sir Stephen
ISlmirp, I had not the opportunity afforded me of
i publicly refuting those charges. Although I anf
perfectly aware that the assertions of a man, stand-
ing in the situation of Bellingham, can, unsupported
by any other testimony, have no weight whatever
with the sober and reflecting part of the Public, yet
II should be wanting, I think, to the interests and
honour of the Government of this country, as well
as to my own character and reputation, if I did nail
endeavour to do away any possible misapprehensiom
upon this subject, by as ample a statement of the
circumstances, as my memory, of transactions which 1
passed some years ago, will allow me to furnish.
As you, my Lord, are at the head 'of that depart.
ment, under which I was' employed, 1 conceive it to ;
be my duty to address this statement to your Lord-',
ship. . 1
I n the year 1805, I remember receiving a letter from
John Bellingham, complaining of his being detained
in prison at Archangel, and claiming my protection,
against what he conceived .to be the injustice of the
constituted authorities of that port; I remember that
immediately upon the receipt of this letter, I con-
sulted with Sir Stephen Shairp, who agreed not only
to write a letter to the Governor-General, requiring
an explanation of the circumstances of which Bel-
lingham complained, but also to his own mercantile
correspondents, British Residents at Archangel, for
their opinion of the conduct of the Russian Govern-
ment towards the Complainant.
It appeared from these enquiries, that Bellingham
having been engaged in commercial business with the
house of Dorbecker and Co. pecuniary clainurwere
made by each party against the other, and that these
claims had been by the Governor-General referred
for decision to four merchants, two British mer- i
chants being appointed on the part of Bellinghatn,l
and two other persons on the part of Dorbecker :1
By the award of those Arbitrators, Bellingham was
declared to be indebted to the assignees of Dorbecker
the sum of two thousand roubles. This sum *Bing-
ham, notwithstanding this decision, refused to pay.
It also appeared from the communications received
from Archangel, that a criminal suit had been insti-
tuted against Bellingham, by the owners of a Rus-
sian ship which had been lost in the White Sea. They
accused him of having written an anonymous letter •
that had been received by the Underwriters in Lon.
don, in which letter it was stated, that the insurance
of that ship was a fraudulent transaction ; and pay-
meat for the loss of her had been in consequence re-
sisted.
No satisfactory proof was adduced against
Bellingham, and he was acquitted of this charge.— I
But before the termination of this suit, he attempted II
to quit Archangel, and being stopped by the Police,
whom he resisted, he was taken to prison ; but was
soon after liberated, in consequence, I believe, of a
second application to the Goveruor from Sir Stephen
Shairp.
About this period (quitted Russia; and I have no
recollection of hearing any thing more of John Bel.
lingham, till after my arrival at St. Petersburgh upon
my second embassy. He came running into my house
one evening, and solicited me to allow him to remain i
all night, in order to avoid being retaken into cus- l I
tody by the Police, from whom he had escaped. I
complied with this request, though I could not, up-
on ally ground, assume to myself the power of pro. I
tecting him from legal arrest. It appeared that the I
award of the Arbitrators of Archangel had been con.
firmed by the Senate, to which body Bellingham bad •
appealed; and he was in consequence delivered over
to the custody of the College of Commerce (a Tribu- '
nal established for the special purpose of taking cog.
nuance of commercial matters relating to British
Subjects, and whose authority was recognized
in the Commercial Treaty between the two Coun- !
,tries), there to remain till he discharged the
debt of the two thousand roubles. This custody I
was not very strict, for he was allowed to walk
wherever he pleased, attended by a Police Officer be-
longing to the College. lie came frequently to my
house, and at various times received from my Private !
Secretary small sums of money, to support him dur.
ing his confinement. Confined as he was by the I
legal authorities of the Country, I could on no pre- I
Itence make any application for his release; but I
remember well, in conversation with the Minister for
Foreign Affairs, expressing my, personal wish that,
the Russian Government, seeing no prospect of re:l
covering the sum of money required from him, would
liberate him from priton, on couditiou of his imme-
diately returning to England.
Very soon after this conversation, all diplomatic
intercourse ceased betweeu the two was; and the
course of public events necessitated my quitting
Russia in the abrupt manner with which your Lord-
ship is well acquainted. I am, my Lord, with great
respect, '
Your Lordship's most obedient humble Servant,
(Signed) GRANVILLE LEYESON GOWN,.
The Viscount Castlereagh. &e. &e. Ike. T
Last Saturday's Gazette contained the Gcrlifeale
of Mr. COLNAGUIE and Dr. MILNE, stating the va-
lue and perfection of the Works forming the Prizes
in Dr. THORNTON'S Botanicil Lottery,
_which the
Act of Parliament directed to be dens preparatory to
the Drerting of thet_Lettery.