Lord Castlereagh to Mr. Russell. Foreign Office, August 29, 1811. SIR, ALTHOUGH the diplomatic relations between the two gov. JGH ernments have been terminated by a declaration of war on the part of the United States, I have not hesitated under the pecu liar circumftances of the cafe, and the authority under which you act, to fubmit to the prince regent the propofition contained in your letter of the 24th, for a fufpenfion of hoftilities. From the period at which your inftructions must have been issued, it is obvious that this overture was determined upon by the government of the United States, in ignorance of the order in council of the 23d June laft, and, as you inform me that you are not at liberty to depart from the conditions fet forth in your letter, it only remains for me to acquaint you that the prince regent feels himself under the neceffity of declining to accede to the propofition therein contained, as being, on various grounds, abfolutely inadmiffible. As foon as there was reafon to apprehend that Mr. Fofter's functions might have ceafed in America, and that he might have been obliged to withdraw himfelf, in confequence of war being declared, from the United States, before the abovementioned order of the 23d of June, and the inftructions confequent thereupon could have reached him, meafures were taken for authorizing the British admiral on the American ftation to propofe to the government of the United States an immediate and reciprocal revocation of all hoftile orders, with the tender of giving full effect, in the event of hoftilities being difcontinued, to the provifions of the faid order, upon the conditions therein specified. From this statement you will perceive that the view you have taken of this part of the fubject is incorrect; and that in the prefent ftate of the relations between the two countries, the operation of the order of the 23d June can only be defeated by a refufal on the part of your government to defift from hoftilities, or to comply with the conditions expressed in the faid order. Under the circumftances of your having no powers to nego. ciate' I muft decline entering into a detailed difcuffion of the propofitions which you have been directed to bring forward. I cannot, however, refrain on one fingle point from expreffing my furprise, namely, that as a condition preliminary even to a fufpenfion of hoftilities, the government of the United States fhould have thought fit to demand that the British government fhould defift from its ancient and accustomed practice of impreffing British feamen from the merchant ships of a foreign ftate, fimply on the assurance that a law fhall hereafter be passed, to prohibit the employment of British feamen in the public or commercial fervice of that flate. The British government now, as heretofore, is ready to receive from the government of the United States, and amicably to difcufs, any propofition which professes to have in view either to check bufe in the exercife of the practice of impressment, or to accomplifh, by means lefs liable to vexation, the object for which impreffment has hitherto been found necefïary; but they cannot confent to fufpend the exercife of a right upon which the naval ftrength of the empire mainly depends, until they are fully convinced that means can be devifed, and will be adopted, by which the object to be obtained by the exercise of that right can be effectually fecured. I have the honor to be, Sir, your moft obedient humble fer'vt. (Signed) CASTLEREAGH. JONATHAN RUSSELL, Efquire, &c. &c. Mr. Russell to Lord Castlereagh. MY LORD, 18 Bentick Street, September 1st, 1812. I have learnt with much regret by your lordship's note, dated the 29th ultimo, which I did not receive until this morning, that the prince regent has thought proper to decline to accede to the proposition for a suspension of hostilities, contained in my note of the 24th of August. It has been matter of surprise to me that my view with regard to the revocation of the orders in council, on the 23d of June last, should have been considered to have been incorrect, when it appears by your lordship's note that the British government itself has deemed it necessary to give powers to the British admiral to stipulate for its full effect, and thereby admitted that a new act was required for that purpose. It now only remains for me to announce to your lordship that it is my intention to embark immediately at Plymouth on board the ship Lark, for the United States, and to request that permission may be granted, as soon as may be, for the embarkation of my servants, baggage, and the effects of this legation, and that the necessary passports may be furnished for my own and their safe conduct to that destination. I avail myself of this occasion to apprize your lordship that I am authorized by the government of the United States to leave Reuben Gaunt Beasley. Esq. as its agent for prisoners of war in this country, and to desire that every necessary facility may be afforded him in the exercise of that trust, by the British govern ment. I have the honor to be, &c. (Signed) JONA. RUSSELL. The right honorable Lord Castlereagh, &c. SIR, Mr. Russell to Mr. Monroe. London, September 3d, 1812. I enclose herein a eopy of a note received yesterday from Lord Castlereagh, which will acquaint you that I have obtained my passports to return to the United States, and that Mr. Beasley is permitted to remain here as agent for prisoners of war. Immediately on demanding my passports, I addressed to the consuls a circular, of which you will also find a copy inclosed. The Swiftsure packet sailed on the 31st of last month from Falmouth for America, and it is very probable that she takes out instructions suggested by the overture made here, but there is no reason to believe that they can be of a nature to satisfy the United States. SIR, I have the honor to be, &c. (Signed) JONA. RUSSELL. LORD CASTLEREAGH TO MR. RUSSELL. Foreign Office, September 2d, 1812. I have laid before his royal highness, the prince regent, your letter of the 1st instant, in which you announce your intention to embark immediately at Plymouth on board the ship Lark, for the United States. I have already had the honor of forwarding to you an admiralty order for the protection of that ship as a cartel, on her voyage to America; and I herewith inclose to you a passport for the free embarkation of yourself and family, in conformity to your request. The lords commissioners of his majesty's treasury will issue directions to the commissioners of the customs to give every facility to the embarkation of your effects. If, previous to your departure from England, you can point out to me any particular manner in which I can facilitate your arrangements, I beg that you will cominand my services. His royal highness has commanded me to signify to you, for the information of your government, that there will be no difficulty in allowing Mr. R. G. Beasley, as stated in your letter, to reside in this country as the United States' agent for prisoners of Letter from Admiral Warren to the Secretary of State, with his answer thereto. Admiral Warren to the Secretary of State. SIR, Halifax, Nova-Scotia, September 30, 1812. The departure of Mr. Foster from America, has devolved upon me the charge of making known to you, for the information of the government of the United States, the sentiments entertained by his royal highness, the prince regent, upon the existing. relations of the two countries. You will observe from the inclosed copy of an order in council bearing date the 23d of June, 1812, that the orders in council of the 7th of January, 1807, and the 26th of April, 1809, ceased to exist nearly at the same time that the government of the United States declared war against his majesty. Immediately on the receipt of this declaration in London, the order in council, of which a copy is herewith inclosed to you, was issued on the 31st day of July, for the embargo and detention of all American ships. Under these circumstances I am commanded to propose to your government the immediate cessation of hostilities between the two countries, and I shall be most happy to be the instrument of bringing about a reconciliation, so interesting and beneficial to America and Great Britain. I therefore propose to you, that the government of the United States of America shall instantly recall their letters of marque and reprisal against British ships, together with all orders and instructions for any acts of hostility whatever against the territories of his majesty or the persons or property of his subjects; with the understanding that, immediately on my receiving from you an official assurance to that effect, I shall instruct all the officers under my command to desist from corresponding measures of war against the ships and property of the United States, and that I shall transmit, without delay, corresponding intelligence to the several parts of the world, where hostilities may have commenced; the British commanders in which will be required to discontinue hostilities from the receipt of such notice. Should the American government accede to the above proposal for terminating hostilities, I am authorized to arrange with you, as to the revocation of the laws which interdict the commerce and ships of war of Great Britain from the harbors and waters of the United States; in default of which revocation within such reasonable periods as may be agreed upon, you will observe by the order of the 23d June, the orders in council of January, 1807, and April, 1809, are to be revived. The officer who conveys this letter to the American coast has received my orders to put to sea immediately upon the delivery of this dispatch to the competent authority; and I earnestly recommend that no time may be lost in communicating to me the decision of your government, persuaded as I feel, that it cannot but be of a nature to lead to a speedy termination of the present differences.. The flag of truce which you may charge with your reply, will find one of my eruizers at Sandy Hook ten days after the landing of this dispatch, which I have directed to call there with a fiag of truce for that purpose. I have the honor, &c. (Signed) JOHN BORLASE WARREN, and Commander in Chief, &c. &c. &c. The Secretary of State to Admiral Warren. DEPARTMENT OF STATE, SIR, You ftate alfo, that you have it in charge, in that event, to enter into an arrangement with the government of the United States for the repeal of the laws which interdict the fhips of war and the commerce of Great Britain, from the barbors and waters of the United States. And you intimate that if the proposition is not acceded to, the orders in council, repealed conditionally by that of the 23d June laft, will be revived against the com. merce of the United States. I am inftructed to inform you that it will be very fatisfactory to the Prefident to meet the British government in fuch arrangements as may terminate, without delay, the hoftilities which now exift between the United States and Great Britain, on conditions honorable to both nations. At the moment of the declaration of war, the prefident gave a fignal proof of the attachment of the United States to peace. Inftructions were given at that early period, to the late charge des affaires of the United States at London, to propofe to the British government an armiftice on conditions which it was profumed would have been fatisfactory. It has been feen with regret that the propofition made by Mr. Ruffell, particularly in regard to the important intereft of impreffiment, was rejected, and that none was offered, through that channel, as a bafis on which hoftilities might cease. |