The Statesman.
London, England, 1810-01-08 00:00:00

4

1

i
w
r

ii

i,
II

\

'ORTANT DOCUMENTS, •
RELATIVE T!) Tmc
NCEi betzormi GREAT BRITAIN
and AlltatLCA.

—"lir' 4
• No. VT.
SMITH TO 118.- P/NCKNEY.
Depa rumen of Seat, Nov. 23,1309. .
letters in thisorrespuntlencu %kb
I n already traMnitted to you, Sufi •
4ce ttt4 disappointlavent that was felt,
:hat he bad nut been Os make
to this Government either the frank ex-Planation;
44r the liberal propotrition.., which the occasion
Invoirettly required. Instead of this obvious course
or proceeding, it was in the outset perceived that
his object wAs to bring its to resume the saihjeets
.1 the arringements of April, in a way that would
i ?tidy that we were aware that the arranAement
was not Winding nn hi.; Government, because Node
smith a knowledge on our part that Mr. Frs.
kit. had no atitir,rily to make it, and thus
t 4, convert the revitonsibility of his Goternmeot
for the disavowal, into a reproach on this
for its eondoet in the transaction disavowed.
In the first instance it was deemed hest rather to
repel his observations stwiment.stively, than to
meet them a,4 au offensive insinuation. This for.

tpc.ir.tnca had not the expected effect of restrain.
jog him from a repetition of the offence; and
even on his fartkr tosion3tionc, -nothing more

utas•done than to.premooish him of the inadmissi-
bility of so indecorous a nuarge of proneeding.
This also being without effect, nothing remaine.l
bpi the step finally taken, and there was the less
hesitation ire shettingthe door to further °itone.
wales for insulting insinuatiens, as the disclosures
Ise had made, and the spirit of his discussions, had
se entirety alitit it to the hope of any favourable
restilt frets his mission.
I will not ilertil on his reluctance to give up
the soicertainties of verbal for the precision of
*Wow itiscossien ; nor on the manner or the
Ouse of his denial that he had given any room at
‘ll- for a statement, which, in order to guard
against the misconceptions incident to verbal con.
feretices, I had placed before him in writhing,
with a request that he would point out any itlaC-
curacira, and to which he did untsilhen object
otherwise than by intimating, that he could not
-have made the statemeut with the particular area
which seemed to be supposed. Nor Will I dwell
on the various instances in which partial or incon.
sistent views of the subject have taken place of
its real merits. But it may not he amiss to make
some observations on the correspondence, as` it
relates to the justification of his Gorernlnent,
i•i having disavowed the act of his predecessoi.
With • respect to the Orders in Council, the
ground of the disavowal is the difference between
the arranaement and the printed dispatch of Mr.
Canning to Mr. Erskine of the 23t1 of January.
According to this dispatch then, the arrangement
failed in three points. •
let. In not relinquishing the trade of the United
States with enemies colonies.
With respect to this point, it is not necessary
at this time to discuss the right of that trade. It
Is SU irldell t to remark, lit, that as the trade is ad.
witted• to have become, its the view of Great Uri-
tain, of little practical importance, why has it
h en made aground of the disvowal, and especi-
ally, as important considerations only could, upon
principles of pulilic• I iw, have jeshilied a measure
of so serious a character? 2tl, That as the colonial.
trade is a subject no wise connected either with the
Orders in Council, or with the affair of the Chu-
. sapeake, why has it been permitted to frustrate
an arrangement relating to those sobjecta„ and to.
those only ? 3d, Twat as this condition is allowed
to have ocigiiiated into supposition, that it would be
. ngeeeable to the Antorican Government, why has
• it been persisted in after the error was made
known by the representation of Mr. Erskine to
his Covet-tenant, that neither this nor the other
c•iiitlitions of tle:alispatch of thetad January were
• attainable here?
2d. Anether point in the dispatch, and not in
the arraugement., is, that the British trays, might
capture our trade to ports prohibited by the
United States.
This rendition too appears to have had its ori-
gin mite mistake of your meaning in a conversa-
tion with Mr. Canning, as noted by yearself, and
in an inference thence deduced as to the disposi-
tion of this GoveviiMent. But this double mistake
inlet have been brought to light in time to have
beets corrected in the mew mission. In urging it,
_ Air. Canning has taken a ground, furbishleis by
those principles of (it:denim, which' regulate and
mark the proceedings of Governments towards
each other. In his dispatch, the condition is stated
to be for the purpose of securing the bona fide
intention of America to -prevent 4ser eiksitoefross;
trailing with Frante and certain other powers. Its
other words, to secure a pledge to that effect against
the main fide intention of the United States. Arid
this dispatch too was authorised to he Communi-
cated in extense to the Goveruinent of which such
inguage was used. Might it not have been res.
venally expected that such 4 condition and such
observations would at least, on such an occasion,
have been given up by a Government willing to
a/101,th the way to an amicable settlement of exist.
log differences?
In his zeal to vindicate his Government, Mr,
• Jackson too has attempted a gloss us this most
extraordinary idea of calliug• on a fortto love.
reign'', not indeed tia make laws for nay lotto
• what is equivalent in principle, to supply a int),
posed inability to execute thesis. Ile calls.such an
interposition of his Government tint an execution
of the law of Congress, but of a corniigh binding
as a public law oil both parties, and whit* both
would have a common interest in swing duly exc.
cured. On his °wk• principles there ought to be
,
a iefiprocity, nut only in the execution er the
goinpact, but in thWehligatioti anefiuteresureaol4,
big from it. Besides, where there is a reciprocity
1t compacts between nations touching attributes
of sovereignty, there is always at much of love-
reignty gained as is parted with, so that there be
sao loss nor indignity on either side.
3d. The remitting point in the dispatch, nut
retired by the arrangement, is that which required,
teat *bast our pinbibitory laws should be repealed

DIFFERE.,
MR.
Stn—My
Jackcni
rienly evin(
on rintlinz th
to thic Grivoi