STATE PAPERS. 



3^7 



arrangement which might be at 

 once consistent with their own 

 honour and duty, and honourable 

 and satisfactory to us. 



That with respect to Lord Cas- 

 tlereagh, it was fair that it should 

 be distinctly understood, that the 

 situation iu which he stands both 

 in this government, and in the 

 House of Commons, was to be 

 preserved to him. 



That with respect to official ar- 

 rangements, he (Lord L.) would not 

 have been the bearer of any propo- 

 sition to me, but one which was un- 

 derstood as comprising my friends. 

 In answer to a question put by me. 

 Lord L. stated, that his colleagues 

 were desirous, that he should be 

 appointed to the office of First 

 Lord of the Treasury ; and that 

 this desire was known to the Prince 

 Regent, when his Royal Highness 

 commanded Lord Liverpool to un- 

 dertake this communication. 



Lord Liverpool added, that he 

 was ready to answer any other in- 

 quiry that I might wish to make; 

 or to clear up any thing that he 

 might have imperfectly explained. 

 I said, that I thought it better to 

 receive his communication just as 

 he gave it to me ; and to defer 

 making any remark, or giving any 

 answer whatever, until I should 

 have communicated it to my friends; 

 Lord Liverpool himself undertak- 

 ing to see Lord Wellesley. 



I would only, therefore, ask — 

 Whether I was to consider the opi- 

 nion and policy of the government 

 H8 remaining altogether unchanged 

 .ttponthe question relating to the 

 laws affecting the Roman Ca- 

 tholics i 



Lord Liverpool answered, that 

 Ws owr. opinions upon this subject 

 tonained unchanged ; and that he 



was not aware that those of his 

 colleagues had undergone any 

 change. 



I then wrote this minute in Lord 

 Liverpool's presence ; which he 

 read over, and suggested such cor- 

 rections as appeared to hira neces- 

 sary for making it perfectly ac- 

 curate. 



(Signed) George Canning. 



No. 2. 

 Minute of Conversation between 

 Lord Wellesley and Lord Liver- 

 pool, 17th May, 1812. 



Apsley-House, 17th May, 1812, 

 I past 5 p. m. 



Lord Liverpool came to me im- 

 mediately after his visit to Mr. 

 Canning, and remained with me 

 for about half an hour. Soon after 

 Lord Liverpool's departure, 1 re- 

 ceived the annexed paper from Mr. 

 Canning. 



Lord Liverpool's conversation 

 with me was substantially the same 

 as that which is described to have 

 passed with Mr. Canning. Any 

 difference which appeared, arose 

 necessarily from my questions and 

 observations, which were made 

 without knowledge of what passed 

 between Lord Liverpool and Mr. 

 Canning. After receiving Lord 

 Liverpool's verbal communication, 

 nearly in the terms stated by Mr. 

 Canning, I inquired (1st.) what 

 was to be the policy of the go- 

 vernment with relation to the Ro- 

 man Catholics ? To this question 

 Lord Liverpool returned the same 

 answer stated in Mr. Canning's 

 paper to have been returned to a 

 fcimilar question. 



2dly, I observed t6 Lord Liver- 

 pool, that he was apprised of my 

 opinion, that our efforts in the 



Peninsula 



