The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1808-04-08
(coNTINUED.)
Washington, March 17th, 1908.

should be given to those views of Justice anC.
moderation, by which his conduct has been
regulated through the whole of the unfortu-
nate transaction, whence the present differ
ences have arisen and of the disappoint-
ment with which he would learn the frustra-
ton of his just and equitable purposes have
felt 1t incumbent upon me, on the receipt of
the letterwhich you did me the honor to ad-
dress to me on the 5th inst. to apply to this
matter the most ample and serious considera-
ton. 1t is with the most painful sensations
OF regret, that ind myself OH the result of
it, under the necessity of declining to enter
into the terms of negotiation, which by di-
rection of the President of the United States,
you therein offer. ! do not feel myself COM
petent, in the present instance, to depart
from those instructions, which i stated ia
my letter of the Goth Of January last, and
which preclude me from acceding to the con-
dition thus proposed. az,
! i should add, that am Absolutely prohi-
hlted from entering upon matters unconnect-
ed with the specific object am authorized
TO discuss, much less can thus give any
pledge concerning them. The condition sug-
gested, moreover, leads to the direct infer
ence, that the proclamation of the President
of the United States of the 2nd of July, j So7,
is maintained either as an equivalent for re-
paration for the time being, or as a compulsi-
on to make it.
/. 1t is with the more profound regret, that
feel myself under the necessity of declaring.
that am unable to act upon the terms thus
proposed as it becomes my duty to inform
you, in, conformity to my instructions, that
OH the rejection Of the demand stated in my
former. letter, on the part of his majesty, my
mission is terminated.-Anda as his majesty s
government in providing me with those in
structions; did not conceive that after the
~,
affair of the Chesapeake was made known
to this government, the state of any transac-
tions pending or unterminated between the
two nations, could justify the perseverance
in the enforcement of the Presidents proc
lamation, ] can exercise no discretion on
this point &c.,. a 49,
AS on former occasion detailed, though
infinitely, the motives for that demand, on
. the part ofhis majesty, which I, with so much
concern, learn to be deemed inadmissible by
the government of the United States, should
here abstain from an exposition of them
which visibly can have no further effect up
on the negotiation, if did not deem it es-
sential that they should not be left under a.
ny rnisapprehension, which /, might be able
to remove. l shall therefore take short
review of the transaction which has given
rise to these discussions, in order the more
correctly to determine the soundness of
the principles upon which that demand is
made. -. ..
Certain deserters from his najesty's navy,
many of them his natural born subjects, ha-
wing entered into the service of the u. States
were repeatedly and fruitlessly demanded
by the British officers, of the recruiting Off
GERS of the u. States but were retained in
| their new service. AS it was a matter of
notoriety that several Of these deserters
were on board the frigate of the ". States,
the Chesapeake, they were demanded of
that frigate on the high seas, by his maies-
TVS ship Leopard, and all knowledge of their
presence oa board being denied, she was at
tackled, and four Of them, one avowcdly a
native Englishman, were taken out of her.
Without being deferred by the considerati-
on OF how far circumstances hostile in their
/ nature, had provoked, though they undoubt-
eddy by no means justified, this act of the
British officer his majesty's government di-
rected that 4 positive disavowal Of the right
OF search asserted in this case; and of the
act of the British officer, as being unautho-
rzed; and promise of reparation, should
be conveyed 10 the American minister in Lon
don, before he had made any representation
by order ofthc u. 5.
This disavowal made on the second of Ru-
gust last, was transmitted by him to his 90
vcrnment, before the sixth of that month
but before Mr.. Monroe had received his
orders to demand reparation, his majesty
learnt, with what surprize il is needless t.
dwell upon, that the President Of the Uni
ted States had interdictcd by proclamation,
bearing date the I'd of July, 1907, the entry
( ct al their ports 20 the whole of his navy
this surprise was certainly INCREASED, when
IN the letter delivered By that minister, tc
require red,ess for the wrong, although il
went into details uuconnected with 1t moi
/ Only no concern was expressed on the part