The Statesman.
London, England, 1812-05-06 00:00:00

AMERICAN PRESIDENFS MESSAGE.

Lord HOLLAND rose, and observed, that he.
fore he entered on any particulars of a subject that
must interest and agitate the feelings of every Eng.
lishman, he thought it proper to state, that he could
by no means imagine any possible ground on wl‘ich
the least objection could be made to the production
of such information as he was desirous to obtain.
Since he entered the House, however, he had heard
that some objection would be made. It was not for
him to ascribe, or impute motives relative to the
Conduct of other persons ; but he was utterly and
completely at a loss to account for that disposition
in Ministers, which could incline them to resist )
' motion) for jnfo►mation on a subject in which► the
honour of the Government and of the country i;

deeply and-essentiaily involved. There was no man
more cordially inclined than himself to make wry
fair and amicable concession to America, The R..
tiers in Council became with him an object of cosi•
parative indifference to the high consideration of lt•
tional honour, probity, and fair dealing involve:l is
the preknt question. When he first came to ;Le
House with the impresslop which such s subject a 3(
calculated to excite in his mind, he intimated to 11. e
House, and to the Noble Secretary of State opposilvt
his firm belief, that the whole skim was fottodell in
fiction, falsehood, and males oletitT. That opinion
he still wished to entertain and cherish ; ladders.
meats so specious had since appeared, lh.a timugit
was still most unwilling to give them rrodit,ll.! c‘mli
not withhold from them a due attention :nal 3 prof"
examination. The charge urged by the Ptesidest
the American States,_ in hit Message' to the
gress, accused the Government of this count,y
having employed Captain :boar, in a z•ai)r.ci:y
• office not warranted or justifiab4t! by the taw
Lions, nor by the inure cioar sail (Anions I:p.ki r•iri-
• ness and just dealing. To etrpl,---s. any agent let
porpcse merely of obtainiog information wis p.r-
fectly fair And warrantable, and had the
of all Governments in its favour but such r.s;ci—y
as bad been by the American President a,-;•,*
by the British Government to Crdtain floury,
no defence or justification in the laws .74f
or in any honourable code. To enable
exonerate not only themselves but the English rl'
tion from the foul imputation hold out
both, by the charge 'u which he lind
object of the inotion which it was his intention
submit to the nonce. 11:: could will v.i h that
subject had been brought befox their I,orth;hilis
; his Alajesty's Ministers, as well as for the'', cua ~,.•
(lit as for the honour of the country. Had su,•
eject been so introduced, a confident hope mit,ht 1.0
entertained that the country's honour alight
fectually vindicated.. He :4:11 clung to the 1"):',•
that national credit would come clear out from t•.l'
I enquiry, but suspicion rested heavily on the
istances. Captain Henry, if the statement be entil.'“
to any credit, was employed not for the fair and t
1
gitimate purposes of procuring information, but 10
the unwarrantable, pernicious, and execrable porpo.,v
of exciting disaffection and disunion among
States of Lnerica of urging and exciting them
the hope and proinises of foreign aid to rebel a
their legal Government. .What would their LW'
ships have thought, if (luring the amicable negocin-
flogs which were on foot with France, General !t'
dreossi had been sent to Ireland with a secret cor-
mission to excite dissections) or if one atom recent