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be), or, that you immediately restore the former mode of government, giving the supreme command to some of the most respectable of the inhabitants of the island. It was indispensably necessary, and was your duty, long since to have sent an account of your proceedings to government, which I now recommend you not to delay. I also recommend your destroying the battery now erecting, taking the guns off the island, and desisting from training the inhabitants to arms, which can only tend at present to their disadvantage, they being still the subjects of our enemies, therefore not liable to be attacked by those, and may hereafter enable them to turn against Great Britain. Nor can I conceive from the statement you have made of their attachment to you, that such measures are at all necessary, either for the safety of your person or property.-Having thus, according to my duty, acquainted you with my sentiments, and pointed out the line of conduct that I conceive you, as a British subject, ought to adopt, I shall not interfere farther than by requesting to be acquainted with your future intentions, for

the information of the right honorable the lords commissioners of the admiralty. You are wrong in supposing that I wish to cast any stain upon your character, either as an Englishman or a man of honor, nor can I believe you would intentionally commit an act which would reflect disgrace upon the British government. I am also far from doubting the word of Mr. Jorgensen, or from throwing any reflections either on his former situation, his character, or conduct; but his not possessing any written document to certify that he has permission from government to be on this island, and his having appeared in Havnfiord Bay, on board his Majesty's ship under my command, in the undress uniform of a post captain, oblige me to insist on his immediate return to Great Britain, unless you can satisfy me you have permis sion to bring him here.

I am, SIR,

Your most obedient and humble Servant,

ALEXANDER JONES,

Captain of His Majesty's Sloop, Talbot.

To Samuel Phelps, Esq., English Merchant,

Reikevig, Iceland.

N° 7.

COPY OF A LETTER

FROM MR. PHELPS TO CAPTAIN JONES.

SIR,

Reikevig, August 23rd, 1809.

The convention or agreement, which we entered into yesterday with the chief justice and the bailiff of this island, will, perhaps, preclude the necessity of my giving you a circumstantial account of every particular and minute transaction which has taken place here since my arrival, of which I have kept a regular journal, for the purpose of laying the same before his Majesty's ministers, together with original documents. The accounts and papers are voluminous, and it would take a considerable time to copy them: it was, moreover, impossible to do it in the time required by your letter of the 20th instant. The journal papers and documents I hold are necessary for my justification, and it may be of considerable utility to me to retain them; but, as I am totally unacquainted with the laws and articles of war

(farther than what I learn from having read the Margaret and Anne's letters of marque), I will readily deliver up all these papers and journal to you, if you will give me an order so to do, and a receipt for the same; as will also Captain Liston his journal and papers. I must, however, beg leave to correct some errors or mistakes, which appear to exist, according to your letter of the 19th instant. -As to my having declined giving you a statement of my transactions here, this I certainly did not intend; but, as the charges made against me from common report only, as stated in the first conversation I had the honor to hold with you, were of a serious nature, and such as I knew to be unjust and untrue, I wished the whole transactions and complaints to be stated in writing, to prevent misinterpretation. Perhaps this request of mine was not correct or consistent with the respect due to a British officer; if so, I can assure you no such disrespect was intended.I took the liberty of writing you a letter (in haste) dated the 16th, and another the 17th instant. Of the first I had not time to take an exact copy; but it appears by your letter of the 19th instant, that some words in one

particular passage were left out, which were intended by me to have been added. I refer you to the public proclamations, to prove to you that the error in my letter proceeded from the hurry of writing: therefore I must beg leave to correct it.-You state in your letter of the 19th instant, that I have not only in your opinion transgressed the laws of Great Britain, but of all nations, by assuming an authority which no one has a right to assume, namely, that of declaring the island "free, neutral, and independent:" here should have been added, "of Denmark;" for so the proclamation is translated to me.-The only hostility I have committed is against the Danes. -You will find, Sir, by every true information you can obtain on shore, that I have never in any respect interfered in the government or change of government here, farther than by giving my advice and consent to Mr. Jorgensen in matters in which my trade was concerned, or in measures that I was bound to pursue, according to the instructions in the letters of marque, or to instruct Captain Liston so to do; namely, not to compromise in any manner with our enemies. As far as I have gone, I shall not have the business

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