ALABAMA CLAIMS. 173 



dismissed, yet it does not appear that any of the 

 guilty parties, sucli as Laird,^i\Iiller, Thomas, Frioleau, 



the 23cl jiiul 25tli or 2Gtli of July, was on the evening of ]Mon- 

 day, llic 2Hl\\ of July, Avhcn lie was Rummoncd by the Atlor- 

 ney-(icncral, HirW. Athcrton, to consider thcui in consultation, 

 and •when the advice to be given to the (Government was agreed 

 upon." Sir Jl. Palmer thinks it his duty to add, that '' no Gov- 

 ernment ever had a more diligent, conscientious, and laborious 

 servant tlian Sir W. Atherton ; and that it is in the last degree 

 unlikely that he would liave been guilty of any negligence or 

 unnecessary delay in the consideration of papers of such im- 

 portance." 



"We tluis learn that in the latter part of June, as the Amer- 

 ican Counsel had 8»i])posed, Sir John Harding was unable to 

 attend to the business of the Government. Xext, we are in- 

 formed that the ]iapers might have been sent to his jirivate 

 house, to remain there unattended to ; but it is iwt asserted (hat 

 they iccre so sent in fact. Nay, we are left to conjecture that 

 they migid have been sent to the house of Sir WiUiani Ather- 

 ton ; but it is not .asserted thutt they irerc. Indeed, Sir KoundcU 

 ]*almer speaks of "the delivery at (heir private house," mean- 

 ing apparently " liouses." Next, we arc asked to believe that, 

 because of the death of "Sir J. Harding and his wife," and that 

 of "Sir W. Atherton and his wife," no means exist to explain 

 iljc fatal delay in this case, by reason of which so much loss 

 and shame have been brought on Great Britain, 



Was it ever before imagined that the death of an Advocate- 

 General or au Attorney-General, and their wives, should leave 

 a Government wholly without means of knowledge on such a 

 subject, or should be ])ut forward to explain such delay of ac- 

 tion on the part of ^linisters? 



Who carried the papers to the house cither of Sir John 

 Harding or Sir William Atherton, or both? AVhy did Lord 

 Russell permit six days to elaj>se without inquiring for the an- 

 swer to his reference Avhen every hour was pressing for action ? 

 Who brought the papers away from the jilace in which they 

 were, whether the house of Sir J.Harding, or the house of Sir 



