The Statesman.
London, England, 1812-02-14 00:00:00

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• which was before every body else, and therefore never
gave opposition to such a motion. The papers be-
fore the House at present came down to the end of
Mr. Erskine's mission. To that Gentleman had sue.
seeded as Ambassador to America Mr. Jackson, who
had not carried en`the negociations between the two
countries in such a manner as to conciliate America.
So far from it, after he had been there a short time an
open rupture broke out, and the weal of that Minis-
ter was theconsequence. He would not move for
the correspondence between Mr. Jackson and the
American Government, as that business was goue by,
and he had nrewish to revive it, as to recal it to me-
mory Auld do no good. To Mr. Jackson, after a. long
time, succeeded Mr. Foster. The mission of Mr.
Foster had commenced inauspiciously, and in pro.
'muting it, he had not given things an auspicious
turn ; and it had at length terminated most unfor-
tunately for both countries, He felt himself com-
-pelled to say, that nefflier the instructions nor the
conduct of Mr. Foster had had the effect long de- I
sired; that of conciliating America. There was
another correspondence of which he had to speak,
he meant the correspondence between the Marquis'
Wellesley and Mr. Pinkney. That correspondence !
bad commenced in January,• 1800, and terminated'
in February last year, on Mr. Piukney's quitting
the country. Mr. Pinkney was a nran of sound
sense, and had uniformly appeared to be actuated
by a sincere desire to conciliate the Government of
this country. lle,had always approached Ministers
with proper diplomatic deference, and with the pro. I
per feelings of an enlightened statesman.
_Firm to ,
‘kis purpose, yet conciliating in his manners he had
• never rite,' is point of time. A want of punctual*.
ly was in no instance to be charged to bins, and the
mode in which he had endeavoured to accomplish I
theobject of his mission, was in every respect en- I
titled to praise. But he was very much afraid that
Pinkney had net been treated with the same
•puuctilious respect which had marked the deport-
ment of that Gentleman towards the English Minis-
ters. At the time the correspondence between the
.Marquis Wellesley and Mr. Pinkney commenced, it
was known that there was a great soreness in Artie-
sic*" in consequence of what• had Occurred in the
course of the mission of Mr. Jackson. The first let-
ter which Mr. Pinkney bad occasion to *rite to
Lord Wellesley, was on the cue of America, with a
reference to the occurrences alluded to. On the
subject of the pendingpegociations, it was known
there was a remarkable sensibility in America as to
the parties by whotp they were to be eonductcd.—
After the termination of Mr. Erskine's mission, and
'he unfortunate (as it proved) substitution of Mr.
Jackson, it might have been hoped that the English
Government would have been particularly careful
that no want.of decorum should give a new offence.
What was the conduct of Ministers? Why, on the
' Jan. 1109, Mr. Pinkney wrote on the subject of
appointing a new Minister to America, and to this
letter no answer was given by the English Govern.
vont till the 14th March. On this subject Mr.
Pinkney, in his'dispatches, had only observed—" I
was prepared to expect some delay, but I did not
mtpect a delay like this." Lord Wellesley gave an
answer on this subject on the 14th March. On the
15th, Mr. Pinkney wrote again to Lord Wellesley
en the subject of the English system of blockade, a
*abject most interesting to America. After waiting
more than a fortnight, an answer was retoraed to
this on the% of the following month. On the 30th
of April, be (Mr. Pinkney) wrote again on the sub-1
ject of the Berlin and Milan Decrees, but to this
letter he received no answer. On the 3d of May,'
Mr. Pinkney wrote to Lord Wellesley, complaining
of the practico of forging ships' papers in London,
and of making an open traffic of them. A traffic
more infamous and more dishonourable could not es-
ist, and consequently a more serious and a more se-
tem charge could not be made against any govern-
went. Yet notwithstanding all this, to Mr. Pink-'
nay's communication on the subject no answer was
returned. On the 9.3 d of June, Mr. Pinkney wrote !
again, referring to his letter on the 30th of 'April
on the subject of the Berlin and Milan Decrees, to
which no answer had been returned. To this letter!
no answer was given. On the 7th of July, Mr.
Pinkney wrote again on the subject of the delay in
appointing a Minister. To this letter no official an-
swer was returned. A personal communication as it
was called (a private note) was all the notice taken
of it. On the Bth of August, Mr. Pinkney wrote
ogle, referring to his (Mr, P.'s) letters of the 30tht
of April and 23t1 of June, on the subject of the
Berlin and Milan Decrees, requesting an answer,
lout to this letter also no answer was returned. On !:
the 23d of July he wrote again, and again no answer i
was returned. On the 15th of August he wrote .
again on the subject of the revocation of the Berlin
and Milan Decrees, and demanding an answer.. To ,
this letter an answer was returned on the 31st of the !'
same month. On the 15th of September he wrote"
again to Load Wellesley, .on the subject of the hl
ade of Elsineur by Sir James Saunterer, and on the
circumstance of American seamen having been taken
out of certain vessels. On December G, he received
an answer to this *letter, as far as it related to the
blockade, saying nothing on the subject of Ameri-
ean seamen taken out of 'vessels. With I
re-
spect to them, nothing appea to have been done
by Government, but they were afterwards released t-
hy the Admiralty. Nothing bad ever excited his
surprise so much as the cosidint of Ministers at this •
.period of the negociation. It was known to the
whole worW, that one elf the most difficult points to
be adjusted between Great Britain and America, was
.that relating to the seizure of American seamen.—
Surely, then, when an opportunity offered of doing
that which America wished, and which Ministers
admitted to be no more than justice, it might have
been expected that they would eagerly embrace it,
with a view of conciliating America. This might '
surely have been expected from a Minister, 'who
knew how fetal to this country a rapture with Ame.
rica must prove. This, however, was not done,4
though, by the bye, Mr. Pinkney was apprised of
the circumstance of the American cairns being
milted to be just, yet, instead of eagerly embnaking
such an opportunity to conciliate, an answer was
Coldly and reluctantly given, and the Secretary of
State for the Foreign Departmint could not trouble
. himself to put pen to paper on the subject, till a
very considerable period had elapsed. On the 21st
day ag,Scpseusber, Mr. Pinkney wrote again,' jt.