HISTORY OF EUROPE. 



253 



CHAP. XVII. 



History of the Dispute between Great Britain and the United States of 

 America. — Naval and Colonial Affairs of Great Britain — In the 

 Mediterranean'— In the West Indies — The East Indies, and on the 

 Coast oj" Germany. — Meeting of the British Parliament. — Indisposi- 

 tion of the King. — During this, the Prince of Wales appointed Re- 

 gent of the Kingdom. 



IN our last volume* a general 

 sketch was given of the rela- 

 tions between Great Britain and 

 the United States of America, 

 about the middle of the year 

 1809. But it may, perhaps, be 

 expected that someaccount should 

 be given of the circumstances, and 

 means, by which so extraordinary 

 " a transaction as that between the 

 British resident and the American 

 government was brought about. 



A treaty of amity, commerce, 

 and navigation, was concluded by 

 the British and American plenipo- 

 tentiaries, in December, 1 S06. The 

 British government readily ac- 

 quiesced in it ; but it was rejected 

 by the American president. To- 

 wards the close of 1S08, it was 

 known that the choice of a new 

 president to succeed Mr. Jefferson 

 had fallen upon Mr. Maddison. 

 A non-intercourse act, in respect 

 of Great Britain and France, was 

 substituted soonafterfor a general 

 embargo ; by the operation of 

 which the American commerce, 

 and the revenue dependent on it, 

 had been nearly annihilated. But 

 in case of either France or Eng- 



land revoking its hostile edicts, 

 the trade supended might be re- 

 newed with the nation so doing. 



In this alteration of circum- 

 stances, and the spontaneous de- 

 claration of the new government 

 of their wish to come to a right 

 understanding with England, our 

 resident minister f in America, 

 thought he saw an opportunity of 

 effecting what several preceding 

 negociators had not been able to 

 accomplish. He represented to his 

 court what he was perfectly con- 

 vinced of himself, that the new 

 president would bring with him to 

 his high office very different senti- 

 ments from those which were 

 known to animate Mr. Jeflerson : 

 that Mr. Maddison could not be 

 accused of having a bias towards 

 France ; that he was, on the con- 

 trar)', an admirer of the British 

 constitution, in general well dis- 

 posed towards our nation, and en- 

 tirely free from any enmity to its 

 general prosperity. The communi- 

 cations made to him by the presi- 

 dent, and other leadingmembers of 

 the American government, Mr. 

 Erskine believed to proceed "from 



* Hist. Eur. p. 288. 



t Mr. David Erskine. Mr. Rose, who had been sent to negociate a peace with 

 the Americans, returned to Entfland in the spring of 1808, re tn/ecta. He was 

 •ucceeded by Mr. Erskine. 



