£86' LON 
mingbSam, Sheffield, Manchefter, &c. and examinations 
relative to the fails alleged in thefe petitions went on re¬ 
gularly in both houfes, till they were interrupted by an 
event which we (ball fhortly have to record, and which 
probably had’a conliderable influence upon the final refult. 
A circumfiance having occurred tending to increafe 
the animofity of the Americans againlt this country, it 
became about this period a fubjeft of difcuffion in parlia¬ 
ment.—The prefident of the United States had fent a 
mepige to congrefs, afferting that an authorised agent of 
the Britilh government, Capt. Henry, had been fent by 
the governor of the Britilh territories of North America 
into the adjacent Rates, in order to foment difeontents 
for the purpofe of detaching them from the union. This 
heavy charge being tranfmitted in the American newfpa- 
pers, lord Holland rofe in the houfe of lords, April 28 ; 
and, after mentioning the fad. of the meffage, faid, that he 
hoped the noble lord oppofite would be able to fatisfy the 
public by a contradiction of the aflertion.—The earl of 
Liverpool had no he fi tat ion in anfwering, that no perfon had 
been employed by this government to foment difeontents 
in the United States, and that no intention exifted on the 
part of government to make any attempt to feparate the 
union. He faid that captain Henry w>as not employed by 
government at all ; and he fuppofed that fir James Craig 
could have employed him only to obtain information 
■with a view to the defence of Canada, in cafe of a war. 
Mr. Whitbread introduced the fubjeft in a fimilar man¬ 
ner in the houfe of commons, and was fimilarly anfwered 
by lord Caftlereagh, who faid that government had only 
heard, in a difpatch from fir James Craig, that an agent 
had been employed, announcing at the fame time that he 
had been recalled. Mr. W. faid that he was not fatisfied 
with this anfwer; and declared his intention of moving 
for the production of the governor’s correfpondence on 
this fubjeft. 
Lord Holland, who lead given notice in the houfe of 
lords of a fimilar motion for the production of papers, 
•fofe to fpeak to the point on May 5. He faid, the pro- 
polition he was about to fubmit to their lordffiips had no 
ceference whatever to the line of policy proper to be pur¬ 
sued with refpeft to the United States, but was grounded 
on the general relations of all civilized Rates; he could 
mot therefore underftand upon what objections an oppo¬ 
sition to his motion (which had been intimated) could 
be founded. It went to the crimination of no man or let 
of men ; but upon the neceffity of vindicating the govern¬ 
ment of this country from what he trufted was an un¬ 
founded charge made againft it. This charge was no lefs 
than that, while two friendly powers were engaged in ne¬ 
gotiation upon certain points of national importance, a 
member of the Britilh government had employed a fecret 
agent in the territories of the United States, not to pro¬ 
cure intelligence, which was a legitimate object, but for 
the purpofe of inducing fome of the Rates of the union to 
throw off their allegiance, and feparate themfelves from 
the reft. This charge originally came from an individual 
who avowedly betrayed the lecrets of his own employers. 
Lord II. proceeded to (how the diffionourablenefs of filch 
conduit, and the improbability that fir J. Craig would 
have lo employed Henry without infirudtions from his 
government, or tranfmitting to it the communications he 
had received ; and he adverted to the faft, that, when 
Henry claimed his reward, he prefented a memorial to the 
office of the noble fecretary of Rate referring to fir J. Craig 
for his conduft, and had in confequence received a letter to 
general Prevoit, the fucceffor of fir J. Craig, recommending 
him to a valuable office in the country which he governed. 
Lord H. concluded by moving an addrefs to the prince- 
regent, “ for tire production of copies of all the communi¬ 
cations made by fir J. Craig to his majefiy’s lecretary of 
Rate relative to the employment of Capt. Henry in a 
fecret miffion to the United States of America; alfoof the 
correfpondence between the fecretary of Rate and fir 
George Prevoft on the fubjeft of compenfations claimed 
0 O N, 
by Henry for his fervices; and alfo copies-of all Inftrue* 
tionsfent to fir j. Craig from the fecretary of Rate relative, 
to the employment of Henry in the United States.” 
The earl of Liverpool, in reply, began with repeating 
his former Rate men t, that the government here had no 
knowledge of the employment of the perfon in quefiion 
until many months after the tranfaftion. It was true that 
a perfon named Lavater, going in 1808 from Canada to. 
the United States on his own bufinefs, had, of his own 
accord, opened a correfpondence with the governor of 
Canada for the purpofe of conveying information ; and 
his lordfhip juRified this proceeding by a detail of the 
menacing attitude, with refpeft to the Britilh American 
poffeffions, then affumed by the United States. Sir J. Craig 
fent Henry thither in February 1809; not for the purpole 
of exciting dilcontent, but wholly for obtaining necefiary 
information. With refpeft to the remuneration of Capt. 
Henry, as he had a recommendation from fir j. Craig, 
backed by fome very refpeftable perfons in London, and 
it appeared that he had been really employed in lervices 
for which a remuneration had been promifed, he (the fe¬ 
cretary) had held it his duty to aft as was mentioned 
in the correfpondence with fir G. Prevoft. It was not 
afterwards deemed confident with delicacy to fay any 
thing which might in the lead have reflected upon the 
charafter of fir J. Craig, who had returned home from his 
government under a mortal diltemper, and had furvived 
but a few months. He could not approve the courfe 
adopted by the noble baron ; but thought it fliould be 
left to government to purfue the proper meafures to ex¬ 
plain and fet forth the fubjeft in its true light. Nor could 
lie approve the conduft of the American executive, which, 
without demand ing explanation, or making any notification 
to the Britifh minifier, had at once laid the gapers before 
congrefs. 
Earl Grey thought the quefiion was one of great impor¬ 
tance; and wifhed that the charge of communicating with 
fubjefts of the United States who were defirous of with¬ 
drawing themfelves from the union, had been authorita¬ 
tively denied. It had been admitted that the letters 
fpoken of had afterwards been communicated to the fe¬ 
cretary of date; but there was no evidence of any difap- 
probation being exprefled by him; the governor was only 
enjoined to be cautious in the employment of fuch agents, 
“for fear of involving the country in a quarrel with Ame¬ 
rica.” Under fuch circumflances, he thought the houfe 
was called upon explicitly to condemn the principle ; if 
they did not fo, they mull for the future be filent with 
refpeft to any fimilar breach of good faith on the part of 
France, or any other government. 
Vifcount Sidmouth faid he had never known a cafe fo 
greatly exaggerated. If it were even admitted that fir J. 
Craig had overfiepped the limits of firift political dif- 
cretion, there (till exilted no pretence to accul'e minifiers., 
who were completely ignorant of the tranlaftion. Sir 
James, in fact, in a moment of danger, had employed a 
perfon, to afeertain the dilpofitions of the inhabitants of 
the contiguous riifirifts, who was not direfted to excite 
difeontents, but to oblerve any difpofition that he might 
find favourable to the Bcitifn caufe. His lordfhip main¬ 
tained that publifhing the whole correfpondence would be 
attended with a ferious evil, as it would difclofe the names 
of thofe Americans who were reprefented as friendly to 
the Britilh caufe, or inclined to a change in their own 
government; and he intreated the houfe not to encroach 
on the funftions of the executive government, but to leave 
the affair to be fettled by mutual explanations between 
his majeffy’s minifiers and the American government. 
After fome other lords had fpoken on each fide of the 
quefiion, lord Holland rofe again to make obfervations 
upon forne points which had been urged by the lords op¬ 
pofite. He exprefled indignation at the conduit of mi- 
nifters in not attempting any direft defence, but feeking 
to flielter themfelves by throwing all the refponfibility 
upon the memory of lir J. Craig. Upon the whole, he 
