504 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1S09. 



said they would be ready to prove 

 that these men were deserters from 

 his Britannic majesty's ship. The 

 counsel for the prisoners objected 

 to the dela3\ The Chief Justice 

 stated, that the opinion of the se- 

 cretary of state had satisfied him, 

 that deserters from British vessels 

 ought not to be arrested or detain- 

 ed under the authority of the go- 

 vernment of the United States, for 

 the purpose of delivering them up 

 to the officers of the British govern- 

 ment ; he therefore ordered the pri- 

 soners to be discharged. The au- 

 dience expressed their approbation 

 of his decision by three loud and 

 tumultuous huzzas and execrations 

 of the tories, and carried of the de- 

 serters in triumph ! 



Lord Cnsilereagh's Letter to Air. 



Canning; and Mr. Cannings 



Answer, 



St. Jameses Square, 19/A Sept. 



Sir — It is unnecessary for me to 

 enter into any detailed statement of 

 the circumstances which preceded 

 the recent resignations. — It is 

 enough for me, with a view to the 

 immediate object of this letter, to 

 state, that it appears a proposition 

 liad been agitated, without any 

 communication with me for my re- 

 moval from tiie War Department ; 

 and that you, towards the close of 

 the last session, having urged a de- 

 cision upon this question, with the 

 alternative of your seceding from 

 thegovernment, procured a positive 

 promise from the duke of Port- 

 land (the execution of which you 

 afterwards considered yourself en- 

 titled to enforce) thav such removal 

 should be carried into effect. Not- 

 withstanding this promise, by which 

 1 consider you pronounced it unfit 

 that I «hould remain charged with 



the conduct of the war, and by 

 which my situation as a minister of 

 tlie crown, was made dependent 

 upon your will and pleasure, you 

 continued to sit in the same cabinet 

 with me, and to leave me not only 

 in the persuasion that I possessed 

 your confidence and support as a 

 colleague, but you allowed me, in 

 breach of every principle of good 

 faith, both public and private, 

 though thus virtually superseded, to 

 originate and proceed in the execu- 

 tion of a new enterprise of the most 

 ardent and important nature, with 

 your apparent concurrence, and os- 

 tensible approbation. 



You were fully aware that if my 

 situation in the government had 

 been disclosed to me, I could not 

 have submitted to remain one mo- 

 ment in office, without the entire 

 abandonment of my private honour 

 and public duty. You knew I was 

 deceived, and you continued to de- 

 ceive me. 



1 am aware, it may be said, 

 which I am ready to acknowledge, 

 that when you pressed for a deci- 

 sion for my removal, you also press- 

 ed for its disclosure, and that it was 

 resisted by the duke of Portland, 

 and some members of the govern- 

 ment, supposed to be my friends. 

 But I never can admit that you 

 have a right to make use of such a 

 plea, in justification of an act af- 

 fecting myhonour,nor that the sen- 

 timents of others could justify an 

 acquiescence in sucli a delusion on 

 your part, who had 3'ourself felt 

 and stated its unfairness. Nor can 

 I admit that the head of any ad- 

 ministration, or any supposed friend 

 (whatever may be their motives), 

 can authorise or sanction any man 

 in suci) a course of long and perse- 

 vering deception. For were I to 

 admit such a principle, my honour 



and 



