GENERAL HISTORY. 



[3 



on board such vessels, can be con- 

 sidered as a hostile measure, or a 

 justifiable cause ot war. Some ob- 

 servations are then made on other 

 topics brought forward by the 

 American government as causes 

 for its declaration of hostilities, 

 and on its conduct in displaying at 

 such a period its subserviency to 

 the ambitious designs of the ruler 

 of France : and his royal high- 

 ness declares his resolution of per- 

 sisting in the public principles of 

 policy which Great Britain has so 

 long and invariably maintained, in 

 repelling injustice, and supporting 

 the general rights of nations. ( See 

 State Papers. J 



On February 18th, lord Castle- 

 reagh rose in the House of Com- 

 mons, and made a speech on the 

 subject of the negociations with 

 America which had been laid be- 

 fore the House, concerning which, 

 he said that the chief point 

 towards which their attention 

 would be directed, was, whether 

 it had been in the power of minis- 

 ters, by any exertion, to have pre- 

 vented themuch-to-be-deprecated 

 war in which we were now en- 

 gaged. After expressing the great 

 concern he himself felt at this oc- 

 currence, he said that the question 

 before the House was simply this, 

 whether in this war justice was or 

 was not on the side of Great Bri- 

 tain? and the proposition he meant 

 to ground on their decision in the 

 affirmative, was, thut an address 

 should be presented to the Prince 

 Regent, calling upon him to direct 

 a vigorous prosecution of the war, 

 with assurance of support from 

 parliament. He then entered on 

 a kind of commentary upon the 

 Regent's declaration above-men- 

 tioned, in which all the arguments 



were repeated concerning the jus- 

 tice of the measures on the part of 

 Great Britain that led to the hos- 

 tile termination, which had been so 

 often advanced during the nego- 

 ciations. One circumstance of fact 

 produced by his lordship may de- 

 serve to be recorded. The Ame- 

 ricans in their complaints against 

 this country, had assumed, that 

 Great Britain had impressed 15 

 or 20,000 of their citizens. But 

 upon particular inquiry by the 

 admiralty, it had appeared that 

 out of 145,000 seamen employed 

 in the British service in January 

 1811, the whole number claiming 

 to be American subjects was 3,500; 

 and as it had been found that of 

 the individuals advancing such 

 claim, only about one in four 

 could make it good upon exami- 

 nation, the real number would be 

 reduced to 16 or 1700. He asked 

 then, if the House could believe 

 that for such a consideration as 

 1700 sailors his majesty's govern- 

 ment would irritate the feelings of 

 a neutral nation, or violate public 

 justice. After stating the particu- 

 lars of the negociations preceding 

 the declaration of war, with a 

 view of showing that the British 

 ministry had not been wanting in 

 temper and due forbearance, and 

 also that they had not been defi- 

 cient in proper precautions against 

 a possible hostile termination ; his 

 lordship concluded with moving, 

 " that an humble address be pre- 

 sented to his Royal Highness the 

 Prince Regent, to acquaint his 

 Royal Highness that we have taken 

 into our consideration the papers 

 laid before us by his Royal High- 

 ness's command, relative to the 

 late discussions with the govern- 

 ment of the United States of Ame- 

 CB2] 



