Staunton spectator, and general advertiser. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 183?-1849, 1841-12-02


knew better what was done and doing in til
Pnvy Council. What is the business of
foreign Minister abroad, but to find out wha
! is doing? | will venture to say that,
| Christopher Hughes had been at London a.
our Minister, he never would have written
such letter. He would have known tha
there was no order of Council to authorize
hostilities and that no hostilites could take
place withou,an order of the Privy Coun-
Gil speak from experience, when say thai
Mr.. Hughes would have been informed OF
such orders in Council, had they been issued
and of course would not have been frightened
by every newspaper explosion of popular
wrath, into Il belief that the grave and respon-
sible Council of the Nation had rcsor.ed to
such an extremity at such moment.
''There was one memorable case of the adj
dress OF Mr.. Hughes in procuring documents
of the profoundest secrecy. Mr.. SraGord
Charming came to me one day, and said that
he had permission to read TO me paper of
great importance, cmanaling from his Govern
ment in their negotiations with the European
alliance. He read the paper accordingly, and,
when nc had finished, asked him if he
would let me have it for half an hour, that
might lay it belorte the President, Mr.. Monroe,
for his perusal. lie said he was forbidden to
let it go out OF his own hands, bnt that if de-
sired, he would go with me TO the Presidents
House, and read it to him. This declined,
but contentcd myself with making, from me-
mory, verbal statement of its contents to
Mr.. Monroe, and within three DAYS after re-
ceived a copy oil that same paper from Chris
topher Hughes The next time Mr.. Claiming
came 10 the Department, said to him that he
need not to have been so straight laced about
that despatch which he would not allow me
to take for half an hour TO the President for
his perusal, for we now had copy of it. He
was amazed. A copy of it? he said. He
clapped his hands on his two wastcoat pock-
cts, took the key of his desk ont of one of
them, held il up, and said That is the key to
good lock, and that paper has been under
that lock and key ever since received ii
except when in my own hands. ! said, do
not suspect any one about you. We are not
in the habit of purchasing secret papers from
domestcs or secretaries. We have got ii
from great distance.
Yes, | had copy of that document, perhaps
the most secret as well as the most efficient
of the diplomatic papers which passed be-
tween the parties to the Holy Alliance, and il |
was procured with many others Ey Mr.. |
Hughes, by no improper arts and al no cost
of secret service money but by the art of max
ing friends by his social qualities wherever he
goes. mention this to show what ought to be
the qualities Of public Minister abroad. If a
Minister is in the habit Of friendly, social in
tcrcourse with the other members mthe dlplo-
matte corps at the same court, with an ordina-
ry portion of sagacity, he has the key TO all
their secrets. say it from long knowledge
and experience. How was it when this panic
letter was written to the Commodore Of the
American squadron What did the American
Minister know of the system Of policy, for
eign or domestic, of the British Cabinet3 The
letter itself proves that he was as blind to it
as beetle; that he was ignorant of the first
letters of their alphabet If he had known a
ny thing OF it he would not have disgraced
and his country by the exposure of his
ignorance. say this not from any personal
feelings towards that gentleman, although ]
have not been all aJmirer ofsome OF his diplo-
matte exhibitions heretofore, as the journals
of this House may show; but | have looked
to this transaction entirely upon its merits "a
lone, and say that those letters written to the
Commodore of the squadron IN the Mediter-
ranean, and theirconsequences, have been dis
graceful TO the nation; and |, for one, hold
the man responsible for it, and say he was
not doing his duty, or that he neglected some
of the most important parts of his duty as a
public Minister. But this is somewhat of
depression, and yet intimately connected with
this Mcleod question Of peace and war; for
what must the Privv Council and Her Majes-
ty Queen Victoria herself, who dare say, all
woman as she is has more FIRE i'll her heart
than ever TO have sat down and written
letter like that--what must that Privy Coun-
Gil have thought when they first heard Gift!
Thay would say, God grant this man may re-
main here as ,jonathan's minister till the end
of time; we may be sure he never will know
any thing of our real intentions, and will al
wavs have becoming reverence for the ter
rors Of the eye of the British eagle, and blum
dering rashness enough to put out the eyes of
his own.''
---~-s-Ss~zsr---------y--~-
A RICK lNDIAN.-The Eoston Notion CO.
pies short article with this caption, from