Page images
PDF
EPUB

should communicate freely through me with my Government, as the Prince Regent had suggested, upon whatever measure he might have it in contemplation to adopt, with the view to the defence of this country. Perhaps it would be well to suggest to me more precisely the wishes of our Government upon this subject, in order that I may endeavour to lead this Court towards them, and to check any measure hostile to their views, as far as I may be able, prior to its taking root. You will much oblige me by losing no time in shortly furnishing me with your instruction on this concluding part of my despatch of this date.

Ever yours, my dear lord, &c.,

CLANCARTY.

Lord Clancarty to Lord Castlereagh.

The Hague, April 17, 1818.

My dear Lord-No answer having reached M. de Nagell from the King to the letter written to his Majesty on Sunday last, I thought it right yesterday to speak in rather strong terms to his Excellency, and to urge an answer by which we might know precisely where we were respecting the proposed treaty for a mutual right of visit. This has produced the result stated in my despatch of this date, marked No. 38.

The King told M. de Nagell that he had laughed very heartily at my paper, and felt fully the weight generally of all the reasoning; but that the provisions, to which, by becoming an acceding party to the arrangements for the Rhine navigation in the Act of Congress, he had already assented, appeared to him totally to overturn the construction which the Minister of Justice had put upon the Loi fondamentale, if any regard was to be paid to consistency.

We have at length advanced one step: what difficulties we may hereafter have to encounter it is impossible to foresee, till we shall know with what mind M. Van Maanen shall enter upon the discussion. One thing, with respect to this, is in our

favour, and that is that the party will be much flattered by his employment as a Plenipotentiary; and, as his honour is saved by being overruled upon the principle, he will probably be desirous (perhaps for more reasons than one) of placing his name and seal to any treaty, and especially to one with us.

The latitude question, I fear, will be urged strongly, and therefore request as much latitude upon it as you can conveniently give, assuring you that I shall use it with the utmost caution, and (if at all to be admitted) allow of as little exception to the operation of the Treaty as will be consistent with hopes of success in the main object.

M. de Nagell acquainted me confidentially with a circumstance which he rightly said he knew would afford me pleasure, as marking that the Prince of Orange now felt the inconvenience of having admitted (as, when resident at Brussels, he had done) the refugee French into his society, and properly applied to his father for his advice under the disagreeable pressure which he now suffered from his own imprudence. On the late excursion of the King and Prince to that town, General Fagel was directed to meet them there from Paris. The Prince, early after their arrival, took the General aside, and, acknowledging his folly in having associated with such persons, asked him whether, in the late examinations into the attempt made against the Duke of Wellington, his name had transpired; whether in any way he appeared at all implicated or connected with any of the persons apprehended. R. Fagel answered frankly, that his Royal Highness's name had transpired and been used in a manner which had given him very considerable pain. The Prince was much agitated, wept much, accused his own imprudence, and avowed feeling all the discredit of having his name coupled with that of those who had been base enough to conspire against the life of his best friend. He then went immediately to the King, when he acquainted his Majesty with his conversation with General Fagel, reprobated his own conduct, as having given rise to the supposition

of his having been the protector of a set of miserable assassins, and threw himself upon his father for his advice. The result is that he has written to the Duke of Wellington, by R. Fagel, in the same sense, and proposed, as soon as his Grace should return to Cambray, to visit him there, when he shall be able more fully to lay before him the whole of his conduct. I trust this will be a wholesome lesson to the young man, and what he now feels will lead him as well to be more guarded as also to a better selection of his friends in future.

The King and Prince are now the closest friends. The latter has desired to see all the interrogatories in the possession of this Government, and called upon the King this morning to solicit his permission for this purpose, which has been granted, and they are now in his Royal Highness's possession.

Nagell tells me his advices yesterday from Paris contained a report of the King of Portugal's death. You will probably know, before this shall reach you, what faith is to be placed in this rumour. Farewell.

Yours, my dear lord, &c.,

CLANCARTY.

Lord Clancarty to Lord Castlereagh.

The Hague, May 5, 1818.

My dear Lord-I hope you will approve of our Treaty: it is a better one in substance than, during part of its negociation, I could have expected to obtain. Its redaction, I know, might have been amended; but I was loth to keep the matter open on points of style, and thereby to risk fresh impediments on points of substance.

I again solicit you on the subject of presents: either by the means I proposed, or by some other, I conjure you not to lose this opportunity of conciliating Van Maanen, and, at the same time, of keeping Nagell firm to our interests. An exception might well be made to your rule, on the ground of sacrificing to humanity, in all treaties where such a concession is made

as that of a right of visit for the prevention of the traffic in slaves-at all events, when Brougham has declared that this concession was cheaply purchased from Spain by £400,000, you are not likely to be much quarrelled with for a single £1,000 for a snuff-box.

I send you a copy of Lord K's Memoire to the French Chamber of Peers. A more thorough pattern of impudent falsehood and Jacobinical mystification has seldom been presented. Even his very Apology is a falsehood; for he no more wrote the French in which this work is composed than I did. A plain, simple statement of the real facts, conveyed in a letter from the Duke of Wellington to M. de Cazes, and by him communicated to the Committee of Petitions, has completely overturned this composition, so worthy of his lordship's signature, and elicited a very proper Report from the Committee to the Chamber. Of this Report, as well as of the Duke's letter, you are probably already possessed, through more direct sources than through me: I would otherwise endeavour to obtain and send them: they were read to me with much exultation by the Minister of Justice here, with whose sentiments they thoroughly coincide.

The Envoy from the United States to this Court is about to return in ill health through England to America, accompanied by his wife. His name is Eustis; he will be much regretted here: his lady, though not handsome, is a very worthy and amiable person. Any kindness you may be enabled to show them in their passage through London will oblige me. They are the only tolerable Yankees I ever knew. Farewell, my dear lord.

Believe me, &c.,

CLANCARTY.

Sir Henry Wellesley to Lord Castlereagh.

Madrid, May 25, 1818.

My dear Lord-I have little to add to my despatches of this day's date, excepting the expression of my concern at

being obliged to trouble your lordship with my disputes with M. de Pizarro, arising entirely from his ungovernable temper, of which I have frequently had reason to complain. I have of late had no personal communication with him, but shall resume it in consequence of his last note, which I am willing to consider as a sort of apology for the intemperance of his for

mer one.

I have been particular in stating what has passed upon Mr. Macdermott's case, because the royal order for setting Mr. Meale at liberty will probably make some noise in England, and your lordship may possibly not object to stating the sentiments of the Prince Regent's Government upon the whole subject to the Duke of San Carlos, in order that they may be conveyed to M. de Pizarro.

I have the honour to be, &c.,

H. WELLESLEY.

Lord Clancarty to Lord Castlereagh.

The Hague, May 26, 1818.

My dear Lord-You will receive the ratifications by this conveyance. I wish I could have sent them in a more complete state, by transmitting the Declaration of this Government as to the place of residence of its mixed court of justice along with them. On meeting for the exchange, however, I found this could not be the case. Nothing formal is done here without the previous decree of the King: the King is at Loo, and, by some neglect somewhere, this decree authorizing the Declaration is not yet arrived. Upon the assurance, however, from M. de Nagell that it would be ready before the next mail day; that the Declaration should bear date the 25th instant, the day of the exchange: that the place would be Surinam; and that, if necessary, before its receipt, you might consider and act upon it as such, I thought it better to conclude the business, so as to expedite the despatch of the ratifications of this Court to England, in order that they might arrive sufficiently early to admit of the treaty being laid before Parliament

« PreviousContinue »