3.56 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1812. 



has not arisen from any means 

 which were in existence at the 

 time when you were in office, and 

 which there had been then any in- 

 disposition or objection to direct to 

 that object, but it has grown out of 

 events which have subsequently 

 occurred, and which may place at 

 the disposal of government means 

 which were at that time unavoid- 

 ably applied to another service. 



As this letter is merely explana- 

 tory, I will not give you the trouble 

 of returning any answer to it; but 

 I am sure you will see the justice 

 and propriety of considering it as a 

 part of the correspondence which 

 has passed between us en the sub- 

 ject to which it relates. 



I am, &c. 

 (Signed) Liverpool. 



Marquis Wellesley, K. G. 



No. 6. 

 Copy of Lord Wellesley's Reply to 

 Lord Liverpool's Explanatory 

 Letter of the 19th May, 1812. 



Apsley-hou se. May 2 1 , 1 812. 



My dear Lord, — Although you 

 have had the goodness to dispense 

 with my returning any answer to 

 your letter of the 19th inst. some 

 further observations on my part 

 may, perhaps, contribute to pro- 

 Bcote the professed object of that 

 letter, by explaining and correct- 

 ing whatever may appear doubtful 

 or erroneous in the course of our 

 recent correspondenc e. 



When you informed me, that 

 your opinion upon the cjaims of 

 the Roman Catholics remained un- 

 changed, and that you were not 

 aware of any change in the opinion 

 of your colleagues on that subject, 

 I certainly concluded, that the po- 

 licy which has been pursued during 



the present session of parliament, 

 would be continued by the new 

 cabinet. Subsequent reflection sa- 

 tisfies me, that such a conclusion 

 was j ust and reasonable ; nor can I 

 admit, that I have fallen into any 

 misapprehension of that system of 

 policy, when I have described it 

 as consisting, not only in the de- 

 nial of any present relief to the 

 Roman Catholics, but even a pe- 

 remptory refusal to consider the 

 state of the law which affects their 

 civil condition. 



Whatever may be the different 

 character or complexion of the 

 opinions of the several members 

 of the present cabinet, the practi- 

 cal result has been to pursue the 

 course which I have described, 

 during the present session of par- 

 liament ; and your explana,tion on 

 this point closes with an admission 

 that you are all agreed to continue 

 the same policy in the present mo- 

 ment. 



No suggestion is made of the 

 time or circumstances, in which 

 any alteration of this system of po- 

 licy can be expected ; no prospect 

 is afforded of any conciliatory pro- 

 ceeding, which might tend to open 

 the way to an amicable settlement; _; 

 and, while a desire of hearing spe- ■ 

 cific propositions of security is pro- 

 fessed, the very consideration of 

 the question is denied to parlia- 

 ment, and is not pursued by any 

 other authority. 



This statement is no misappre- 

 hension of the tenor of your ex- 

 planatory letter ; and in such a 

 state of the practical consequences 

 of the united councils of the pre- 

 sent cabinet, it may be deemed 

 superfluous to analyze individual 

 sentiments. 



This task (however useless with 



regard 





