The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1808-05-19

also to proceed in discussion of the other
objects Of the negotiation, and eventually COM
Guided treaty; it being understood, from.
what we had frequently stated, that if our
government should disapprove the arrange
ment relative to impressment, the whole
would fall Whit. Thus the United States
enjoyed the advantage of being at liberty to
accept or reject the arrangement, while on
the British government it was binding
With one party it was a project, with the
other a treaty. There was in truth nothing
unreasonable iii this circumstance, as the
British commissioners, acted III the pre-
sence OF the cabinet, consulted and took its
instruction on every point, while our distance
from our government rendered such re-
currence to it impossible. This advantage
however proceeded from the nature of the
transaction; it was not the effect of finesse
on our part. We advanced in the negotia-
ton, and concluded treaty in a firm belief,
that although it fell short of what we had
expected 20 obtain, it was nevertheless, in
the then state of affairs, such one as the.
United States might adopt with credit and
(, advantage. / have no doubt that the Bril-
| fish commissioners entertained still greater
confidence in such resf.s. The circum-
stance of Our finally agreeing to sanction the
arrangement rather than break off the ncgo-
tiation, ut which issue we had frequently
stood, in the progress of it, was calculated to
make that impression. But it was much
strengthenedb by knowledge, that the whole
arrangement would expose them to verv
severe and probably successful attacks from
the opposition, while they had no expecta-
ton that it would be popular in the country.
By your letter of Feb. Sd, 1907, i'm reply
to ours Of Nov 18th, 1906, the course which
the government resolved to pursue was an
nounced. b. tive were informed, tina. The
President disapproved the informal arrange
ment proposed by the British commissioners
relative to impressment, and was resolved
to enter into no treaty with the British gov
lernment, which when limited to, or short of
strict right on every other point, should in
clute in it no article on that particular one
that III case such an article could not be OBJ
tanned, we should terminate the negotiation
without any formal compact whatever, but
with a mutual understanding, founded on
friendly and liberal discussions and 'explana-
tons; that in practice each party would en-
tirely conform to what should be thus ,nfor
| maily settled between them And we were
authorised to give assurances, in case such
az! arrangement should BE satisfactory iii sub
stance, that as long as it shoGld be respected
practice particularly on the subjects of ieu-
trail trade!Se impressment the president would
earnestly, and probably successfully. recon-
mend it to Congress not to permit the nom
importation law to go into operation and in
the mean time, that he would exercise the
power vested in him by an act of congress,
If no intervening intelligence forbade it, of
suspending its operation till the meeting of
congress, who. being in session, would have
an opportunity of making Que provision for
the case & hnally, that if a treaty, which did
not provide for the interest of impressment.
should nave been concluded before the receipt
hot Latte tysa Sl.N Il III
British commissioners of the reasons why il
would not be ratified, and invite them to en-
ter again ON the business with view to sucb
a result as was desired.
BY this letter, the ARRANGEMENT wh,ch We
had sanctioned, comprising the Informal one
relative to impressment, and that bv treaty
on the other topics, was rejected and in liei,
of it, we were instructed to enter into an III
formal understanding or arrangement of the
whole subject, and as was to be Inferred from
the fair import OF tho letter, on the same
conditions 1t was the more to be presumed
that the government was willing to accent
in the mode which it proposed, the conditi,
ons which we might be able-to obtain in the
other, from the consideration, that the latter
were under its view ut the time the instruc-
tons were given, by the paper of tho British
missioners OF November Sth, and orr let
ter OF the 18th, and the certainty with which
it, as well as we, must have been impressed
that more favorable could not be expected
In defending myself against the imputati
on of having sacrificed the rights of our sea-
men, l shall be permitted to derive support
from the conduct of the government itself in
the same interest Under that impression.
have to remark, that consider the con.
duct of the government as furnishing the
most ample vindication Of that of the Ame-
rican commissioners The government was
equally willing to enter into some Arrange
ment which should preserve the peace of the
country, although it should not accomplish
the object which had been SC ardcnt!y desi
red. The only difference between the plan
which we sanctioned, and that which it pro-
posed. was that the whole arrangement
should be informal. Had the administration
resorted to war as a preferable alternative
or been willing to leave the business unset
tied, its policy and example might have been
plead against us but in Offering to accent
the same conditions in an informal mode; &
to withdraw, in some form, the non-importa-
ton law as motive to it, it showed that the
considerations which had been respected by
us, bad as much weight with it.
But the conduct of the administration fur
nishcs other strong arguments in favor of
the arrangement proposed by the American
commissioners. BY engaging to observe the