366 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1812. 



letter of yesterday, had I not 

 thought it necessary to see Mr. 

 Canning, before I troubled your 

 lordship with any answer to your 

 observations on our respective mi- 

 nutes. 



Having carefully examined those 

 papers, and compared them with 

 our view of the points to which 

 they refer, we have drawn the in- 

 closed paper for your lordship's 

 information, and have authenti- 

 cated it by our respective signa- 

 tures. 



I have the honour to be, with 

 the greatest respect, iny lord, 

 your lordship's faithful humble 

 servant, 



(Signed) Wellesley. 

 The Earl Giey. 



No. 14. 



Paper signed by Lord Wellesley 



and Mr. Canning. 



The variance in point of phrase 

 in the two propositions as stated 

 by Lord Wellesley and Mr. Can- 

 ning in their minutes of confer- 

 ence arises from this circumstance, 

 that Lord Wellesley and Mr. Can- 

 ning went to their respective con- 

 ferences without having thought it 

 necessary previously to reduce 

 into a written form the communi- 

 cations which they were to make, 

 being in full possession of each 

 other's sentiments upon the sub- 

 ject of them. 



The two minutes were written 

 by them as containing the sub- 

 stance of their respective commu- 

 nications ; that of Mr. Canning in 

 Lord Liverpool's presence; that of 

 Lord Wellesley immediately after 

 his return from Lord Grey. 



There does not appear to Lord 

 Wellesley and 3Ir. Canning to be 

 any substantial variance in the 

 first proposition. 



The word "early" in Mr. Can- 

 ning's minute might be exchanged 

 for the word " immediate," used 

 by Lord Wellesley, without in any 

 degree altering the sense : as, 

 with a motion actually pending in 

 the House of Commons, which 

 (but for the events that have re- 

 cently taken place) would have 

 come on this very day, the object 

 of which was, to compel the exe- 

 cutive government to take the 

 subject of the Catholic question 

 into consideration, it cannot be ne- 

 cessary to say that Mr. Canning 

 has no wish to defer that conside- 

 ration. On the other hand, consi- 

 deration by the executive govern- 

 ment is the object which it is Lord 

 Wellesley's intention to recom- 

 mend : nor does he conceive any 

 further parliamentary proceeding 

 to be necessary or practicable this 

 session than such as might be suf- 

 ficient to insure, either by com- 

 pulsion upon a hostile administra- 

 tion, or by pledge from a friendly 

 one, the consideration of the ques- 

 tion during the recess with a view 

 to its being brought before parlia- 

 ment, by the recommendation of 

 the crown, early in the ensuing 

 session. *,. ,' 



A committee to inquliffeintb the 

 state of the laws has been already 

 negatived in both houses this ses- 

 sion. 



A "conciliatory adjustment" of 

 the claims of the Irish Catholics 

 is the object which Lord Welles- 

 ley and Mr. Canning have equally 

 at heart : and it enters equally 

 into both their views, that to be 

 *' conciliatory" 



