That in or about the month of April or May 1800, subsequent to the interruption of the proceedings of the Commissioners at Philadelphia, Lord Grenville made the following Propositions to the Claimants, which his Lordship thought were stated to them in the same manner as the Questions in 1794; viz. First: A renewed Commission, in conformity with the Treaty of Amity. Second: Or, to accept a sum of Money in lieu of the Claims under the 6th Article of the Treaty of Amity. millions, would be a fair sum to be demanded from the United States, for the loss which their laws or judicial practices in breach of the Treaties had brought upon the Creditors. And afterwards, on 4th May 1801, Mr. Macdonald, in answer to certain verbal enquiries, made a further communication to Mr. Hammond, Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, that he imagined a fair execution of the Treaty of 1794 would have made good about two millions of the sums claimed. cure their just demands, and stating, that if that was not done, their only resource would be to throw themselves, by an application to Parliament, upon the justice of the Nation, for fulfilment of the 4th Article of the Provisional Treaty with America, and of the 6th Article of the Treaty of Amity; or if, for political reasons, the execution of these Articles on the part of America should not be rigorously executed, that compensation should be made to the Claimants by Great Bri tain. That other communications were made That various communications, in conse- in the year 1801 to his Majesty's Governquence of these Propositions, took place ment by the Claimants, urging his Mabetween the London and Glasgow Com-jesty's Ministers to take measures to promittees or Agents of the Claimants and Lord Grenville; in some of which the Claimants expressed their wish for a stipulated sum to be paid to them, finally to put an end to the whole business; and with regard to the amount of the sum (they stated) they were more at a loss from not knowing the exact amount which had been claimed under the 6th Article of the Treaty of 1794, or the manner in which the different claims had been made up with regard to interest, &c.; but, from what they were informed of the amount being about Five Millions, and allowing that some part might be cut off, either from being improperly claimed or not sufficiently ascertained, both of which might be better known to his Majesty's Ministers (as they stated) and deducting such payments as might have been made on their debts before the ratification of the proposed agreement, they were willing, on obtaining the guarantee of the British Government, to accept of Two Millions and an half sterling, rather than those claims should continue as a subject of contention and a source of discontent between the two Countries, or that they should experience the hardships and vexations which they had reason to expect in the prosecution of their debts in that country. That his Majesty's Ministers declined advising his Majesty to guarantee to the Creditors the payment of any sums which the American Government might agree to give in liquidation of their demands. That in or soon after December 1800, during the negociation which led to the Convention between his Majesty and the United States in January 1802, Mr. Macdonald, at the request of the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, communicated to him, that he conceived. a sum between a million and an half and two That a Convention was signed on 8th January 1802, between his Majesty and the United States of America, whereby the United States engaged to pay, and his Majesty consented to accept, for the use of the persons described in the said 6th Article of the Treaty of 1794, the sum of 600,000l. sterling, in satisfaction and discharge of the Money which the United States might have been liable to pay in pursuance of the provisions of the said 6th Article; which was thereby declared to be cancelled and annulled, except so far as the same might relate to the execution of the 7th Article of the said Treaty. And it was further agreed, that the Commissioners appointed in pursuance of the said 7th Article, and whose proceedings are therein and hereinbefore mentioned to have been suspended, in consequence of difficulties having arisen in execution of the 6th Article, should immediately reassemble and proceed in the execution of their duties. That the said Convention was first communicated by Lord Hawkesbury, then Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, on the 14th day of January 1802, to the Committee of London Claimants. And they, by letter dated the 19th of that month, and the Committee of Glasgow MARCH 25, 1812. [cxcviii cept only a sum of 25,2847. 14s. 1d. which had been previously paid in the year 1798. excvii] Report on American Claimants Petition. That the said Convention was concluded That in March 1803 the Claimants presented a Memorial to his Majesty's Government, and had an interview with Mr. Addington, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and thereby protested against the proceedings of Government in accepting the said sum of 600,000l.; whereupon Mr. Addington said he considered their tase to be a hard one, so much so, that he had no objection to the Claimants applying to Parliament or to his Majesty's Government; but that he meant to give no opinion upon the merits of the case, and that as the losses were not ascertained, he did not conceive that Parliament would then entertain a Petition-To which the Claimants acceded, laying in their claim that such acquiescence should not be considered as barring them from bringing forward their case at a future time. And accordingly the Claimants did not then present any Petition to Parliament. That an Act of Parliament was passed in April 1803, for the apportioning, dividing and distributing the said sum of 600,000l. amongst the several persons who should be found entitled to receive compensation out of the same; and Tho mas Macdonald, Esquire, Henry Pye Rich, Esquire, and John Guillemard, Esq. were thereby appointed Commissioners, whose adjudications were to be final. That the Commissioners so appointed were the same persons who had acted as the British Commissioners and the Fifth Commissioner at Philadelphia under the Treaty of 1794. And claims were made by the King's Subjects in general of various descriptions, to the amount of 5,408,7667. 6s. And the Commissioners made adjudications thereon, to the amount in the whole of 1,420,000l. which were not completed until the 19th May 1811. That such adjudications proceeded on an estimate in every case, from the various materials before the Commissioners, of the loss which they conceived had been sustained by the respective parties, and did not comprehend any losses excepting those which America was bound to compensate under the 6th Article of the Treaty of Amity; besides which, it appeared from the materials before the Board, that the British Creditors had sustained great losses for which the United States were not bound to give compensation under the 6th Article of the Treaty of Amity, in furtherance of the 4th Article of the Treaty of Peace. That the Commissioners having thus made adjudications in favour of various Claimants, to the amount in the whole of 1,420,000l. have apportioned and divided amongst those persons the above-mentioned sum of 600,000l. together with the further sum of 59,4931. which had been made as interest by investing the said principal sum in Exchequer Bills previous to its being divided amongst the Claimants; and the difference between the 659,4931. so divided, and the 1,420,000l. so adjudged, together with interest on such difference, from the 1st day of June 1804 (to which day the interest on the sums adjudged, had, by order of the Commissioners been cal culated) constitutes the sum for which the Petitioners make the present application. 25 March 1812. INDEX INDEX TO VOL. XXII. INDEX TO DEBATES IN THE HOUSE OF LORDS. Administration; Lord Boring-| East India Company's Charter, | Peasantry of Ireland, 234, 393, don's Motion respecting an Badajoz, Vote of Thanks for the Bank of England, 148, 235, 247, Bank of Ireland, 1130 107, 235, 246, 320, 502, 1077 Gold Coin and Bank Note A- Henry, Mr.; his Secret Mission Irish Distilleries, 153, 857 Chinnery, Mr. his defalcation, Mutiny Bill, 23 Donoughmore, Lord; his Mo- Offices in Reversion Bill, 151, Orders in Council, 107, 245, 858 104 Roman Catholics of Ireland, 45%, Toleration Act, 149, 234 Vote of Thanks to the Earl of Wellington, Lord; Vote of INDEX TO DEBATES IN THE HOUSE OF COMMONS. |