The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1809-12-05

fusion 20 tnis latter circumstance dlspenses
me from farther noticing the effects which
you describe as being produced npon the U.
States by the circumstances OF this agree
ment How far they are irrevocable. it is not
Tor me to determihe--but the word irrcta
ra6ie seems to imply. that less had been
sustained on the occasion by the public or
by individuals of this country So far AS His
Majesty could be by possibility supposed an
swerable tor such an eventual loss, he has,
as have before stated, taken the utmost
precau,ion 20 avert it.
AS to the expectation entertained here,
that the explanation of His Maicssy's share
in this transaction should be made through
me. Knight content myself with simply CD
serving, that / w.s not provided with in
structionst 10 thar effect because it was known
that the explanation in question hat already
been gwen But it accor1is with the sent,-
nents OF His Majesty towards this country
to observe also, that he considered, that as
some time must necessarily elapse between
my appointment and my entrance on the du
ties ot my Ministry, it would be more
friendly ,node of proceeding 10 state without
delay, and through the channels have al
ready mentioned, the motives that compel
led His Majesty to disavow the agreement,
than to leave the American government in
uncertainty IN these respects, till the una
voldaby prosracted pcriod of my arrival in
America. | say this in regard to the origi-
nal notification of His Majesty' = determine
tion, and of the motives Of Ii, which being
already made, it could rot be supposed in
London that repetition OF them would be
expected FROM me; and of Course no such
case has been foresccn in my Instructions
But it, beyond this anv incidental explana.
tinn or discussion should be wished for by
this government, came fully prepared to
enter into them. even consider them to
nave taken place between us. / have Ger.
taihly derived great satisfaction from The Sc
veral hours, which we have spent in confer
ence upon these subjects. because they have
enabled me to remove some misunderstood
ings, and to refu,s many misrepresentation,
which You yourself informed me of. in re
gard to the conduct of the British go.ern
ment. consider sueh mutual cxplana ions
as highly beneficial to a right understanding
or the views and interests of. the two eoun-
tries. ard should with much pleasure have
renewed them, if you had not informed me
that the President had been pleased to pre-
scribe another and different mode of con
Quoting ous negotiations. rii a. 49,.
l will nevertheless avail myself of that
mode which he still permits to repeat to YOU
that his Majesty has authorised me, notwith
his former Offer OF satisfaction for the affair
OF the Chesapeake vas received, to renew
that which Mr.. Erskine was instructed to
make. Won have said that you So fully un
derstood the particulars of that offer that |
deem 1t unnecessary to recapitua,e them
mere: regret that, since they were so clear
iy understood by you, you should not yet have
been enabled TO state to me either in ou1.
personal communications, or in the letter
which | am now answering, whether they
are considered by the President as satisfac
tory, or whether they are such as he ulti.
mately means TO accept. You seem not so
distinctly to have understood ,he form of
proceeding in this affair, which | took the
liberty OF suggesting, as likely to lead to a
satisfactory result, without however, at all
preciudng any other method which might
appear preferable toyou. My proposal was,
not to communicate a note tendcrinr salts
faction. but to agree with Won before hand
upon the terms of declaration on the part
OF his Majesty, which sheuid actu1iiy eipe
the sati@tdc.ion (the conditions IF which |
informed you that l was authorised to carry
into immediate executioD) and of a counter
declaration to be signed by you on the part
OF the United States for the purpose of ac-
cepting such satisfaction. l expire SLY sta
ted that this interchange of official docu.
ments was not meant by me as the means
OF conveying TO each other our respective
sentiments that l understood to be, as ia
usual. the object of our conferences and I
imagined that the papers To be signed by us
respectively, would be the result of those
sentiments So communicated, and that by
being reciprocally corrected, and modified
and simultaneously delivered, they would
form one compact by which the two couu-
tries would be equally bound. This course
OF proceeding rs COnformable to the practice
OF the courts of Europe on similar occasions.
You did not at the time appear to object to
1t you even requested me to come the next
day, prepared with draft or proiet of q
paper, framed i'll pursuance to these ideas ;
and although you desired to refer the subject
to the President for his appreciation. do not
find in your letter either an expression of
his sentiments upon it, or the substitution of
any other form that might be more agreea
BILE to him, than the one which have pro-
posed.
l touch with considerable and very sincere
reluctance upon that part of your letter, in
which you state that l had not assigned
any reason whatever why the reasonable
terms of satisfaction rendered and accepted
have not been carried into effect
believed that had observed to YOU, in
the words of my instructions, that if His
Majesty were capable of being actuated by
any desire to retract an offer of reparatjon
which he had once made, His Majesty might
be well warranted in doing 50 both by the
form III which his accredited Minister had
rendered that reparation, and by the man.
ner in which that tender had been receiv-
ed. believe that calculated this obser
walton by reference to the particular ex
pressOns, which made the terms of salts
faction appear to be unacceptable even to