The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1809-08-11
IdlPERIdL PARLIAMENT,
House. OF CouMous, June IS:
TREATY WITH AMERICA.


| HOUSE OF CouMoHs, June 49,
Z TREATY WITH AMERICA.
Lord II. PETTY rose, pursuant to his notice,
| to move Tor Certain papers relating to the
attack on the Chesapeake, in addition to
those already on their table. The INSTRUCT
ohs given to Mr. t.rskinc, on that subject,
he thought ought to be produced, as well as
the communication he must necessarily have
made to government, explaining the motives
tor his recent conduct, for without them. no
Judgment could be formed of the degree in
which he had violated his instructions, on
indeed of the general conduct Of the Ame-
rican government. IL was necessary that
the House should be informed of the instruc
tons given to Mr. Erskine on The subject of
the aitacE .;'n the Chesapcaka lie would,
therefore. make that the subject of a mott
on. If the right hon. gentleman opposite.
from Information which lie might possess,
but which he (Lord II. Petty, } had not, should
state to the House. that the instructions ci-
ven TO that gentleman could not be made
pubic without detriment to the public SER
vice, he would not press his motion for the
present but the communication from Mr..
E.rskine, In Which ne assigned his motives
Tor making those arrangements with Anne
RIGA. which had excited so much attention
he thought of such Importance, that it OUGHT
to be immediately laid ON their table. The
noble Lord concluded by moving, "that there
be laid before the House copy of the in
structions given to Mr.. Erskine ON the sub.
Ject OF the attack OH the Chesapeake, rs al
50 any communication that his Majestv's mi
nis,ers might be possessed of from Mr.. Frs
kline, explaining his motives for ma king
the late arrangements with America"
MIR. CANNING thought the reasons he
should give for not concurring with the mott
on, would be satisfactory to the noble Lord. II
had been rumored abroad, that Mr. Erskinc
had not departed from his instructions he
thought twas proper to prove to this coun-
try, to America and to the world, that such
report was not founded in fact. The fact.
whether the arrangements he had made
were or were not in conformity to the instruc-
ton he had received, was not the point in
question. How far those arrangements might
be improved might be hereafter the subject
OF consideration. The papers already pro-
duced, were, he thought, suifi cient to sub
stantiate the fact of Mr.. Ersk;ne's having
gone beyond his instructions The proprie.
ty OF giving those instructions, might become
a political question but that the arrange
mepts he had made were unauth orized by the
instructions he had received, the documents
already before them, he thought, completely
established. When the intelligence of The
arrangements entered into with America first
came over, not transmitted by the minister
to government, but through the medium of
the American papers, and by them imme-
dlately laid before the public, it only remain
ed for minister's to acknowledge a treaty
the conc' ision of which the instructions ri
ven by them did not authorize, or disavow
1t altogether. 1t had accordingly been STA
ted by them, that it was not sanctioned bv
the instructions they had issued but nothing
had hepn Will
of Mr.. Erskine, that could be avoided, while
they did justice to themselves. 1t had been
said, thatprobably Mr.. Erskine had received
some verbal assurances from the American
government, which, in his own opinion, might
Justify him In concluding such treaty He did
not know what verbal assurances he MIGHT
have received (; but that verbal assurances
should be taken i'll a case of such importance,
he thought, was more than any government
could expect, or than any ministers would
consent to. OF the three points laid down
as the price of the repeal of our orders in
council, not one had been obtained by the
treaty concluded by Mr. Erskine. Even the
SINE qua non OF our propositions had not
been gained. With respect to England's.
beng left at liberty to capture American
vessels trading to the ports Of our enemies.
the accepting that a Concession was merely
courtesy on our part. Whatever might be
the laws OF America with respect to the bel
ligerent powers, Great Britain could enforce
her right of capturiDg neutral vessels trading
with her enemies when in state Of block
ade, and capture them she would
The instructions given to Mr.. Erskine, in
respect to the "Non-IDtercoursc and Non
Importation acts" had two distinct branch
cs. TWAS not enough that those acts ceas-
ell to remain in force against England, but
1T was further to be stipulated that they
should remain in force against France, and
those powers who were under her influence.
1t might be said that Great Britain was put
out from the number o. those to whom those
acts were to extend, while France remained
one OF them. But IL should be remembered
the Non intercourse and Non Importation
acts were but temporary measure -
lhey were to expire on the goth MAY -
Through the treaty, therefore, concluded by
Mr.. Erskine, we might be made to pay for
the repeal OF it, by recalling our Orders IL
Council, while France would enjoy the adj
vantages resulting from it for nothing at all
1t was therefore necessary that some pledge
should be given that those acts would be re
tnewed,and continued in force against France.
| otherwise, while we paid all the exDcnce,
our enemies Digat reap half the benefit
For America, by the treaty concluded was
not bound to Continue those acts against
France, and perhaps at the present time
her ports were as open TO the French as TO
the English. Was it to be supposed his ma
lJesty's ministers could agree to withdraw