The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1810-01-13


Mr.. 'hrskine's communications have nee,
receiVed ny the AMERICAN Cove o
. upon the terms and spirit ot Mr.. Smith
snare OF the CORE spondence. q.
| Such observations Will be ccnuunica
tea more properly through the minister
/ whom ms majesty has directed TO procee cd
10 hmerioa; not on any special missio,
! (wh!ch Mr.. Erskine was not authorised {,
PROMISE exceptupon conditions not one o
WHICH he has Obtained; y but us the success
SCI al .hr. Erskinc, whom his majesty has
not lost moment in recalling" Here we
see The spirit with which this mission is in
stituted. and the object for which il is de-
signed. Afecfing,a tone Of complaint. q,
the manner in which Mr. Erskine's corn
mnn'cat'on had been received by the Anne
rican government, and at the 'skiril' OF
Mr.. Smiths share of the correspondence
Mr. Canning ins;nuates The dispeasure OF
his majesty, ard Jhat Mr.. jackson will com
mnhicate It. For he then tells MIR. Pink
heS. that " such cbsere ;,tions' will be com
hnn'cated hcre properly through Mr.. Jack
son. mat is, not respecting any reasons for
s.c dlSavowa', but upon the points wherein
Mr. Efsk'ne had acted in con ratlicton to-
his instructions> No. but to the instructions
which Mr.. &. had read to Air. Pnknev in
ecienSo, &c with which Mr.. Erskine was fur
hishod, and upon the other two points, the
manner. our government received the com
munications, and upon the ferns tT shirt of
Nr. Smiths share of the corrcspcndence.-
ms then. is the object for which Mr.. Jack
son Is TO be sent here. To chas,isc our go .
vernment for their rude manners and indie
pendent spirit. And We arc not permitted
To conjecture, that after he shall have ac-
compiished the primary object OF his mission,
ne VIII condcscend to treat with u.s. For
Nar. cahning, IN the next sentence assures
U.s. that THIS minister is not TO be sent on
= special mission, but as the successor of MIR.
iirskine." Mr.. Erskine as resident Minis
Ter had not full powers to treat, &c. MIR.
JACKSON AS MS successor, has then no power
to treat with US
S'r, ]! we turn 70 the extracts from Mr.
PInkney's letter to Mr. Smith, dated ,9S,h
May, 1909, we find that Mr. Canning tel
Mr. Plnkney that Nj. Erskine's INSTRUCTIONS
were founded on his own letters, stating the
conversations he had held with MIR. M ad.
son, Mr. G..iatin and Mr Smith, 81 VIII ch
they had agreed to the conditions con.ained
IN 'ne despatch. And here we detect Mr.
Canning III mistatcment. Mr. Erskine did
never communicate such information in his
letters. He never suggested that our 90
vernment would agree to The three condi-
tons. Nothing that passed in the converse.
tons alluded TO, would authorize him to max q
such suggestion. MIR. ErskIbe in q letter
TO the secretary OF State, dated 1st July
1909. speaking of The disavowal, says. "that
any V'ndication OF his Conduct (whatever he
might have 10 oher) would be Of no inDor-
tance. further. than it might tend to shew
that ITO intention existed Oh his part 10 prac
tee any deception towards the govern ment
of the u. s p" He could doubtless shew CO.
pies of the letters in which lie had detailed
the conversations, about which SIr Canning
speaks. and that he (Mr. Erskiue> had sta.
ted these correctly. If so, we Shall see that
these conversations neither authorised Mr..
Canning TO say or suppose that our govern
ment would submit tn The three conditions III
the despatch. And it iustifies the inference,
that other instructions were furnished 20 Mr..
ErsHine. .this inference berg correct &C
Counts for Mr. Erskine's declaration, that
he " conceived he had conformed to his ma
Jesty,s wishes; and to the spirit at least of
his instructions upon that subject" But
could he have thought he conformed to those
Instructions contained in the despatch Of the
Esd jan! Certainly not--he must refer 90
other instructions.
Now, sir, let us see what is stated, or IA.
thor what's not stated in the conversations
spoken OF by MR. Canning. The Secretary
OF STATE, III letter addressed to Nv Frs
klne, bearing late the 9th August, 1909 at
ter stating the three points contained ia The
despatch OF the Esd January, requests Mr.
f.rskine ito give such explanations, as his
candor wouid at once suggest, IN relation to
these imputed conversations" MIR. Frs
kine, in his answer dated the 18th August,
relSies the conversations which he had com
municated to Mr.. Canning. in which there
IS nothing to justly the assertion of the Bri-
tish minister, that it was understood i'm En-
gland, from these conversations, that the
Conditions mentioned in the despatch would
be acceptable to this country. Mr. Madison
Us represented to have stated "that every
opinion which he entertained respecting the
best interests of his cOuntry, led hirn to wish
that good understanding should take place
between g. Britain and the u. States, and
that he thought that the obvious advanta-
ges which would thereby result TO both coun-
tries, were sufficient pledge of the since
rlty of his sentiments" Nj, Eiskine. after
Stating the time when this conversation took
| place, adds" but j never considered hat
| Mr.. Madison meant, that the governme m o
! tile u. States would pledge themselves be
vond the proposition respecting the embar-
/ 90 az ahGve stated and as proposed to the
BRUSH government in August, 1908, "be
cause that was the extent of the power O
the President by the Constitution Of the u
states" 1t was not TO be expected, Ghat the
| british minister would require what r.,
| IreSiOent had no power to give, piedev, Il,
the course Congress would pursue in rela i
/ "n to the Two countries. Bat provision wa
! mac ~ law for suspendmg the non inter
| conF"e ''w, as related to England, open tn
.axfs a.