Vol.
Mr, Canning and Mr. Piiikney.
The following Icttcri rctcSfttea
tnbc frm Mr. Canning to M Pink
DCy, h made ht pjcarah In tnc
NcwYork OireiwV wliH iheae mtro
ductory rcmarki . y
AKT FACTSi 'which oughk never to b
f?nett Uihatihekicf Mr. Je
kn in raiM ihCmUrgo on the recinding
thf fJnts f Cottocatwoly comrauni
catstSia 'Mr. Canning by Mr. Finkuey in hu
INDIVIDUAL, capacity, in a verbal com.
nan rxttoR, aod with an exprwwon of a
bchel only, thit jJt gorernmcat would
raise the enncv IF the Umish govern
ment wjuU FltlT remove tneir obnox
ious Orders m Conncil. . ; '
m foe $econd Fact that Mr inkney,
(in reply to Mr Canninsa tequeit for.the
int3rou:Vn)Rateaonrervedly, that when
the Frettdea recommended the embirjo,
v imi no i a for mil ion of the pisiare of me
JJritiah Ordtra ia Couaai na cpmplained
Wc arc eTcn more astonished pi
the profliKatc falsehood of these as
xrtions, ostensibly penned by an A me
rean, than at the Hardinood of- the
Dritiih Minister, whom wc had du
ring the course of the last summer
occasion to detect in the most disin
genuous misrrpreschu.in and dis
tortion of facts. . 1 he coincidence 01
misrepresentation can only be ac
coun ed for by the asciiptionof the
letter as vrcll as the comment to the
vtt:JoTtig Xeviings. .. . .
The fjM-hxi of the fr I allega
tion wilUabufidmly appear" from-a
reference to the documents recently
published, from ?hich the following
extract will suffice.
Mr. Pinkucy, in htsnote to Mr.
Cannihgt bearing date the 23rd of
August, precisely a month anterior
to the date of Mr, C'a cxtraca dinar
Utter, say s , - - :
I bad the honor to ttate to ypa, sir, that
It astbMeniionof the lrsdeiit, in case
C. riritAin repealed bcr orders, as regarded
United State, to exercise the power
vcv.ed in him by tee &ct of the last session j
ef Coarreia. cnUtled "Un act to aatho i
rue in Fres'dent of the United States,
soder certain conditions, to suspend the
operation of the act layto an eraoargq on
all shipfand vessels in the ports and har
bors of the U. S. and the several supp.e
penary acts thereto' by suspending the
eraargo lav and its supplements, as re
jij Jj o. Br:tain. .
I am aatborised to give yoa this asscr
ance in the most .formal manner ; and I
tiitt that upon icparuat enquiry it will be
fcuiJ to reave no ludacemeot to persever
aue iu tht Urituh orders, while it creates J
tU raovt werful loduccnxnti of cquuy
ai.J pcicy toabar.don thenf. .
If Mr. Pinkney is to bp credited,
Mr. Canning has most egrciously
m'srtprtstnicoT htni-on this point.
Ann if on thi point, there is. equal
reaMjn to infer that he has equally
misrepresented hirrfori the. other
njy, stronger. For in this last in
stance, howurer unimport nt the Del
in dispute, let it be. recoil ec ted that
the uppouitiun in tbU tountiy had
taWen the ground contcndedlor by Mr,
C. who in this part, as in every other
of tUe controversy between the two ,
rovemments, appears most wonder-1
?uny to hJie co-ouerated -'Urith the
Amet'ican inlconttnts. Whether
the government of the 0. S. had a
pcifcci knowledge of the orders of
November 1 lib previous to the im
position of the embargo, is of no im
frportance ; but ctnain that they.
were in txis'.erxe .ime enqtigh" to
luvc reached this country before th'it
event, aAd that the government,' as
well as thr people, knew of thc"ir ex
istence, and enough of their contents
to justifywith other causesthe em
bargo. . . . f .
On tht general tenor of Mr. Can-
ntng's letter, it w ill lc but fair. for the
reader not to decide until Mr. Pin k-
ne)s answer shall appear. From
the late date ot Mr. C.'s note, it may
oc presumed th At . Mr. Pinkney's
rcpiy naa not teached the U. b. when
the documtnis were laid before Con
gress. Mr. Canning to Mr. Pihj,t accombanjir.r
turtntercf Srpemhrr 23, 13o3.
'ortign Oilice "
c- t i ' 25l8S :5'
btr-In laying before the king your
lcf.cr of theCJrd of August, and in
communicating i0 you the accompa
jiying answer, which I have received
his majesty's commands to return to
a : I confess I feel some little embari
rassmcnts from the repeated refer
ncC which your letter contains, to
hat has passed between us in con
versation. Ah emfcarrasment arising
in no degree (as you arc. perfectly a
ware) from any feeling of distrust in
yot4 personally, but from a recollec
tion of 'a" misrepresentation, which
took place in America of former con
ferences between5 us. You gave me,
on that account, the most satisfactory
proof that such misrepresentation did
not originate with you, by cominum
eating to jnc thM part ot your tn
patch, in which the conferences par
tlcularly referred to, were related
correctly ; but this very circumstance
which establishes your persona
claim to entire confidence proves, at
the same time, that a faithful report
of a conference on your part is not
aecurity against its misrepresenta
tion.
. It was for that reason, principally,
that after hearincr, with the most re
inectful attention, all that ydu had to
i
Etate to me, verbally, upon me auo
of the oresent overture, I felt
myself under the necessity of requir
ing as indispensable," a written
communication upon the subject
, It is for that reason, also, that as in
your written corrimunication you re
fer me to our late conversation lor
the " bearings and details" of your
proposal, I feel it necessary to reca
pitulate, as shortly as I can, what I
conceive to have passed in these con
versations beyond what I had record
ed in your letter. .
The principal points on which the
suggestions brought forward by you
in personal conference, appear to me
to have differed in some degree from
the proposal now stated by you in
writing are two the nrst. that in
conversation the proposal itself was
not distinctly stated as an overture
authorised bv your ebvernment, the
secondthat the beneficial consequen
ces likely to result to mis country
from the acceptance of that proposal
were pursued" through more am
ple illustrations'
In the first of our conferences, I
understood you to say little more dn
he authority of your government,
than that you were instructed to re
monstrate against the orders in coun
cil of the V th of January, and 11 th of
November 1807, but to add, as from
yourself, an expression of your own
conviction, that it these orders were
repealed, the President of the U. S.
would suspend the embargo with re
ap ct to G. Britain. .
Upon the consequences of such a
suspension of the embargo while it
would still continue td be enforced
gains'. Franccyou expatiated largely
Mill speaking, however, (as I un
derst-jod) your own individual senti
ments. ... - . v,
It was suggested by you, that A
Kmcrica would, in tha case, probably
arm htr merchant ships against ihe
aggressions of France, an expedient,
to which, you observed, it would be
perfectly idle to resort, against G.
Britain. Tire collisions of armed
vessels would probaoly produce war
nd the United States would thus
be brought into the very situation
in wnicn we must wisn to uiacc
them, that of hostility to France, c
virtual, if not formal alliance with G
Britain,
In our econd conference, you re
peated and enforced the arguments
calculated to induce the Briiish go
vernment to consent to the repeal o
the orders in council, and in this
conference, though not stating your
self 'O he authorised by your govern
ment formally to offer the '.suspen
sion of the embarzoas an immediate
cr isequencer of that repeal- yet you
did profess (as I understood you) a
-a"
I readiness to take upon, yourself to
make tnat offer, provided that. .
'should giye you beforehand an unbffi
cial assurance, that coupicd with that
offer so made, the .demand cf the
repeal of the orders'in council, of
January and November, 1807, would
be probably rescinded. . .
I, of course, declined to give. any
such previous assurances but as
you appeared to attach great impor
tance to this suggestion, and is I was
led. to think that a compliance with
-t-i.. i r . ..
iwrnigoL reueve you irorn a aimcuity
in' executing the ins tructtonsf of yoUr
government, , I consented to take a
few days to consider of it, and to re-
sene myde&nitive.aaswer until I
should see ou agahr;' :ci . .j ;
i never doubled jq my own mind,1
as to the incxpcdie ncy and , i mpor-
-
. L
1 priety of encouraging you to take an.,
unaumonsea siep uy an unomcaiai
promise that It should be well receiy-ed-but
in a-' matter of such delicacy
I was desirous of , either confirming
or correcting my.own "opinion by,the
opinion ofsothrs. ' . ' :
The result was, (Jthat in a third in
terview, which'twkplacci'shortly af
ter tht secondTIiad theonorto in-
torm you, mat aiier tne most mature
deliberation, I found it Impossible to
yield to your suggestion and that it,
therefore remained for you to frame
your proposition according to the in
structions of yotir government, as to
your own unbiassed discretion. '
My own share) in these several
conferences, beyond what was impli
ed in the above statement was very
small. I have (as you know) always
wished to refer the argumentative
discission of the subject of the orders
in council, to theomcial correspond
ence, which I have more than once
been taught to expect you to open
upon it, than to engage with you in a
verbal controversy, which, if confined I
to ourselves, would be useless if af
terwards to be reduced into writing
for the purpose of being communi
cated to our respective governments
superfluous.
But to the representations .which
you have repeatedly made against
the orders in council of January and
November, uas violating the rights
of the United States, and affecting
most destructively their best inter
ests, upon grounds wholly inadmis
sible both in principle and fact"
I have uniformly maintained the un
questionable right of his majesty to
resort to the fullest measures of re
taliation, m consequence of the un
paralleled aggressions of the enemy,
and to' retort upon that enemy the
evils of his own injustice, Sc have uni
formly contended that ' ifthird parties
softer from those measures, the de
mand of reparation must be made to
that power, which first violates the
established usages of war and the
rights of neutral states.
There was, indeed, one point, up
on which I was particularly anxious
to receive precise lniormation, ana
upon which, from your candor and
frankness, I was fortunate enough to
obtain it. The connecting together,
in your proposed overture, the sus
pension of the embargo and the re
peal of the orders in council as well
those of iNovember, as the preced
ing one of the 7th of January, might
appear to imply -that the embafg
had been the immediate consequence
of those orders, and I was, therefore,
desirous to ascertain whether, in fact,
the orders in council of Novembert
had been known to the governmen.
of the U. S. previous to the message
of the President proposing the em
bargoso as to be a' moving consider
ation to that message. I , had the sa
tisfaction to learn. from ydu, -that such
was not the fact that rirrrrors, in-
dccd,-mifcht have reached America
of some measure of further retalia
tion being in the contemplation of
the Briiish Government, that, per-
haps, (as I understood you) some
more severe and sweeping measures
might bavti been expected but that
the orders in council of the 1 1th of
November, .as having been issued,
there was no knowledge of in Ame
ricaat least, none in possession of
-the American government, at the
time of proposing the embargo.
Such, sir, is, (according to the best
of my recollection,) correctl v. the
substance of what has passed be
tween us,'at our several interviews,
previous to the presentation of your
oihcial letter ; and-such I have repre
sented to have been the substance of
what has passed on, those several oc-
CMrorpf ib the reports of our. confer-
.exc.ejr vtfii'clf jt has been my jduty to
make (a th;Rirrg, . , . .t
mitted, yqawill do.m'evtheluiticeto
oeneye errorynireuiion?!, ana
y6u may relv. ori m v. readiness to nut
lit right. : t hay4)iil5noltp.vi.'
? , ; ' GEORGE C A NNI NG.
FromtlezxceedinMtenigeacerM
In our last we laid before iour lteadrji
the 'ttuidtout letter. of MrCanniugl-'puba
tished by the emissaries of theritith go
vernnjem if not penned bv Mr. Canmnr
nimself) to div4e- the. people from, their
swvcrnracm Dy impressing upon tneit minas
absolute untTQths-.to:' animate faction, xtr
excite rebellion. Vft defy any an atten. 1
. r w I f ! ' J i,. - - - . . it.:- !
ii hi i iITiiii i '""iiiiii " in i -''"nil i - mir jfcl
tiyely Ito examine the letter, and consider
the place where )t first appeared f Boston J
and fjhe season J fits appearaYce (when the
government was about rigorously ro enforce
the embargo) and to doubt the 'inference
we.have drawn.-' t We have now the satis
faction ' of presenting 2krU.A fioi dot; fc, of
question," Like the famous attempt of Ge
net, this diplomatic artifice will recoil on
its authors. Mlie President yesterday laid
befor.e Congress the following , important
Messaob, which! by a great exertion v
are enabled to publish enure. j A short but
animated debate arcie in the House of Re
presentatives- on f.the proposition to pnnti
t ne Message, not trom anydiflerence of
opinion on thispoint, bpt from tbe univer
sal indignation ; felt at this, audacious feu
reign effort to interfere with our concerns.
This feeling was not expressed only by, the
Republican, but likewise by several Fede
ral Members of the House. Mr. Ket, in
particular, did himlelf great honor by the
manly terms inwhich he avowedhis abhor
rence of the. attempt. Five thousand co
pies wer ordered to be printed. The de
bate shall be given in our next. '
. - ;v ;.
To tbe Senate -and House-of Repretentatives
.i . dftbe U, States.
I communicate to Congress; Cer
tain letters tyhich passed betweeri the
British Secretary of Slate, Mr. Can
ningvand Mr. Pinkney, our Minister
Plenipotentiary at London. W.hen
the documents concerning the rela
tions between the United States ano
Great-Britain were laid before Con-
fgress .at the commencement bt the
session, the answer of - Mr. Pinkney
to the letter of Canning had not been
received, and a communication of
the latter alone would have accord
ed neither with propriety nor with
the wishes of Mr. Pinkney. When
that answer afterwards arrived, it
was considered that as what had pass
ed in conversation had been superce
ded by the Written anf formal cor -
respondemje on the subject, : he ! va
riance the statements oT what had
verbally passed was not of sufficient
importance to be made the matter of
sC distinct and special communication.
The letter of MrCanning, however,
having lately appeared in print, un
accompanied by that, of , Mr. Pink
ney in reply, and having a tendency
to make impressions not warranted
by the statements of Mr. Pinkney,
it has become proper that the whole
should be brought into public view.
Th : JEFFERSON.
Jan. 17, 1809. , '
.London; Sept. 24, 1808.
Sir I am now enabled to trans
mit to you a copy of Mr. Canning's
answer, received only last night, to4
my note of the 23d of August. -
This answer was accompa Jed by
ale'ter,' of which also a" copy is in-,
closed, recapitulating what Mr Can
ning supposes ta be " the substance
of what has passed between us at our j
several interviews previous to the pre
sentation of my official letter."
To the accompanying paper I think
it indispensable 'that I should reply
without delay Supporting with;po
IiteWss, brut with firmness, the state-
ments which .! have alraady had the
honor to make to you, of the conver
sations in -question, And. correcting
some errors uptn points, which, MiV
Canning has thought fit to introduce
into his letter, but which A had not
supposed it necessary to rhention iu
Retail in my dispatches. ; k
I shall nut detain Mr. At water with
a view to this reply ; . but will take
care to forward; a copy of It by an
early conveyances- My official note
and the answer; to it being perfectly
explicit, Mr. Canning's 'misappre
hensions (for such they are) of pe
vious verbal; communications pan
scarcely be very important in a pub
lic -view ; but it is, nevertheless, of
some consequence that, whatever
may be the object of his statement,
I should not majke myself, a party to
us inaccuracies, ov even a tacit au-
missibn of them. -;. - rv
; I do not perceive that a formal re
ply to the - , more official paper "can
now be of any advantage ; but I shall
probably take .occasion ' toH combine
with my;, rpiy-;to?.theC" one paper
so m e observations uthe ot hkr' ,
I V regret &hifjifr'i&
Hv,hiqh .1 have been instructed ta lay.
been .met by it ks;T had at first he en
lep! tc; expect. , ? hetdycrtureah
failvhqwever. to'pjfe tin "-a strong
iight the Just :.2toi Ubaieh timeius
y which our goyerhment;1s animfl
ed,vand in; other respects to beruder
ful and honorable to "otf r cauatryr y :
I Jive the the honor tor bewith
the highet . coneration! ;&Cv 'L
;:;,; ?.:L WmpInKNEY: ;
Hon. Jasl Madison. &c .' '. " i . " .. I -
Here follows the letter of Afr. Canning
to pLr. PklpiiWislienil our last J,
If, 'on examation, there" should appear to -f
berankyiriauon between the ciia-inal and ' !
the copy, we shall notice it in dur nextrl ? '
' i Grtat Cumberland Place, -
i.Rf I haye, the honor;tockmjwi
ledge ihe receipt of your khiwergc '-V
my officiaf note of the 23d of last
month, reltiFe? to the Bri tish' ordeifs
in council of .January and November ;
lipr, together with a statementof i -
the substance of what rbas passed
between us at our seyeral'intcrvie ws
previous to the presentation i of that - .
note." " ; : "' v: ;;- . .
Ij shall lose no time in transmitting -to
my 'governmeBt, copies of bdtli
these papersf upon the test pfwhithr::
I will take the liberty, m thecoursd :
of afejv days; to trouble you-with;., ; "
somepservatians. , j j ;.':';?. 5
,1 ha vef th e honor to be with t he
highest consideration, &c. ' .
.l' : Wm. PINKNEY.'
vtRt. Han. Geo. Canning, ifc. i . ,
: ".:vV '. London, Oct , 11 1805." .
Sir I have the honor to tra'nsw
mit' enclosed "3 copy of my reply to
Mr. Canning's letter to me, of (the
23d of theIast month, accompany ,
ing his official answer of yie iame
date to my note of the 2 Jd AugUst.
; I have, the honorxto'be, with, the
highest consideration , 8cc. r ! " t '
: ' : f . Wm. PINKNEY. ;
. Hon. Jas, Madison, ifc. y' j ; - j
to 'iCAmci:H J'-
' Great Cumberland Place,
, f :-,-,. 'Octo6et' 10. 188 ?
, SiR Iff my reply , to; the letter-1
which you dia me the honor 10 ad
dress -.to me , on the 2Sd of lasimomh
should be. of greater length tTian th .
occasion may be Ihonght, td require '
you vfll fani sure,, impute it to its .
rpal: causes an earnest desire on my
part, arising: from a freliris: of slnr-i
cere reject for yoa that he st ite-..
ment which am to give pf facta
deemed by you to be - important-,'
should be full as well as accurate. ;
I will riot fatigue yu, sir, with as-
StiraueeS that no person could ae lesst
disposed than . I am, to find fault with.
the bbject, of your .letterp which apv
pears io.De to guuru against all mis
representation of" what: has1 passdb
in cur, last interviews beycild what
you find recorded in my note;"- . Youi v
have told rrie, that I havepersonkl''!
ly, h'rf cxncerR in that onjecCand -,t:i
government has- as little? ..;! utwerW
standi, urdeed; that the clrcQrostance
which-has s.uggcsted a peculiar wJ
live for this prbceeding, wai one of-l'
those newspaper misrepresematvjns
which every day produces where thek
pre-ssjis freei,which had no credit
beget no consequence and -for which V
it is greatly to be feared !u:r exe
--dieQt:WUl''proVidej.'K'i!dy Of mjr,
conduct, when that cjreumstace ot '
curred, iti - giving yoai unsrlicitedt '
proofs that J had transmitted to Mr; .
Secretary' Madispn,"afajthfut report
of wrrjwhferences j;-- mistaken .f. by.?
public! rurnort orf private c6njcture.jb !
it is not necessary for me, to speak & A
for you haye . yourself done j justice
to it. - : yV, ::v:v:iv.,';j
i The motive, to which; Iani indebt-i-
ed for. the? honor of your, leitelap-a
pears -.W3 nave oeen nisii unieniajia. :
producing another effect; equ ilyjua.
exceptionable. ; But; ypU will, allow
me-fo say that, until th .receipt oft
that letter, X;h hQtbxen,apprised .
by the!siiglitest! '.mlfmation4tia4ii-
cuse that joU declined, pti, thiparti '
of his tajesty V goverhmentexv
two on&renes, in which Iliad heen,
suffered, if ot r.voUraged, to unfold" ,
Ih4l pduajly.,' a well)as oRr -it'-yttik-aiid
wit Ji per
feet frankness, io give art answer to (: (
Kmy verbal overuire .U,
At. our first intemew (on the 29th 4-
I Juue;prbal nfr
;not Hc$omeTvmc
ueiofJtti?rWAnc.ivpurp9er lop
whichrjtheY &df&r''.
or . ta&ing a. mors tprmotirjs
lmmeaiaieiy aoaeu inat you.presi
ed I did not ?.for that tht course.I)
. ! . ("Continued in tht last pageS);.
"rVf-
v
i ix
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