Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1809-08-15
Foretgn
ENGLAND.
IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.
House of Commons, June Is.
TREATY WITH AMERICA.

tice, TO move for certain papers relating
to the attack on the Chesapeake, in addi-
ton to those already on their table. The
instructions given TO Mr.. Erskine on that
subject he thought ought to be produced,
as we'll as the communication he must ne.
cessarily have made to government, exc
planning the motives for his recent conduct,
for without them, no Judgment could be
krmed of the degree in which he had vie
'oIated his instructions, or indeed of the
general conduct of the American .govern-
ment. 1t was necessary that the house
should be informed Of the instructions
given TO Mr. Brskine on the subject Of
the attack on the Chesapeake, he would
therefore make that the subject Of mo-
ton. If the right hon. gentleman oppo.
site, from the information which he might
spossess, but which he (Lord III. Petty had
not) should state to the house, that the
instructions given to that gentleman could
not be made public without detriment to
the public services ; he would not press
his motion, for the present, bat the COM
manication from MIR. Erskine, in which
he assigned his motives for making those.
arrangements with America, which had
excited so much attention, he thought of
such importance, that it ought to be i'm.
mediately laid on their table. The noble
lord concluded by moving, " that there be
laid before the house copy ct the in
slruetions given 10 MIR. Erskine on the sub
je6t OF the attack on the Chesapeake, as
also any communication that his malesty's
ministers might be possessed OF from Mr..
Etskine explaining his motives for making
the late arrangements with America
Mr.. Canning thought the reasons he
should give for not concurring with the
snotiOn, would be satisfactory To- the noble
lord. II had been rumoured abroad that
Mr.. Eeskinc had not departed from his in.
giruetions, he thought i,was proper to
prove to this country, TO america and to
the world, that such report was not foun.
ded in fact. The fa6l whether the ar.
engagements he had made, were or were
not in conformity TO the instructions he
had received, was not The point in cues
ton. How far those arrangements might
be improved might be hereafter the sub
iect Of consideration. The papers alreaa
dy produced were, he thought, sufficient
to substanliate the fact OF MIR. Erskine's
having gone beyond his Instructions The
prophecy ofgivIng those instructions m ght
become political question, but that the
arrangements he had made were'unauthor-
ised by the instructions he had received,
the documents already before them, he
thought completely established. When
the intelligence of the arrangements en-
tered INTO with America 6rst came over,
not transmitted by the minister TO govern
meDl, but through The medium of The h-
mericaO papers, and by tbem immediate
ly laid before the public, it only remained
Tor ministers to acknowledge treaty,
The conclusion of which the instructions
given by them did not aulhorise or disa.
VOW it altogether. II had accordingly been
stated by them, that it WAS no; sanctioned
by the instructions they had issued; but
nothing had been said with respect to the
conduGt Of Mr.. Erskine that could be avoi.
ded while they did Justice 10 themselves.
IL had been said, that Proosbly Mr.. Err
ssine had received some verbal assurances
from the American governmenl which, 10
his own opinion, might Justify him in con-
Guiding such iIeay. lie did not know
what verbal assurances he might have re-
ceved; bot that verbal assurances should
be taken III a case Of such Importance,
he thoughtWas more than|any government
could expe6t, 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 bad been obtained by the
treaty concluded by Mr.. Erskine. Even
the sine qua non OF our propositions had
not been gained. With respecl to Eng
lands being left at liberty to capture A
iuerican vessels trading to the ports OF our
enemies, the accepting that concession
was merely courtesy on our part. What
ever might be the laws OF America with
respect to the belligerent powers, Great
Britain could emo &c her rights oil capiur-
ing neutral vessels trading with her enc.
mics when in state OF blockade, and
capture them she would.
The Instructions given to MIR. Erskine,
with respect to the "non-in eTcourse and
non-importstiun ael," had two distinct
branches. II was enough That those acls
cessed TO remain in force against England,
but il was further to be stipulated that
they should remain 10 force against France,
nader har IN