tenderness for a Flag of Truce, upon which the Undersigned forbears

to comment.

Of the particular incident asserted by Captain Barrie, the Undersigned has no cognizance; but so far as this part of that Officer's Narrative may be understood as intending an imputation upon American Officers, or the American Government, of disrespect to the sacred character of a Flag, the Undersigned will only remind Lord Castlereagh of the repeated offers made by the Government of The United States during the War, and by the American Plenipotentiaries at the Negotiation of the Peace, to punish every infraction of the most liberal Laws of War, on their part, and to indemnify, as far as possible, every Sufferer under them. It was in the power of Great Britain to have accepted these offers, on the single condition of reciprocity.

The correctness of 2 of the Documents transmitted by the Undersigned to Lord Bathurst, and marked A and B, is admitted by Captain Barrie. He declares that he never received the Document marked D, a circumstance acknowledged in Mr. Downman's Memorial, and accounted for by the statement, that before a Vessel could be procured to bear the Flag with this Letter, the British Vessels had left the Chesapeake.

With regard to the violation of the Flag of Truce, and the taking and carrying away of the Slaves, Captain Barrie states, in general terms, that he has no recollection of any Slaves ever having been received on board any Flag of Truce, during the time he was entrusted with the command of the Chesapeake Squadron, and that if such a circumstance did occur, it was without his knowledge or authority.

The fact of the violation of the Flag, and of the taking and carrying away of the Slaves, is testified in the Papers transmitted to Earl Bathurst, by the Depositions, upon oath, of 4 Witnesses; and His Majesty's Government did not consider the transaction as duly investigated, or that justice had been done to the complaining Party, merely because Captain Barrie had stated the fact not to be within his recollection or knowledge. It was mentioned in Lord Bathurst's Note, that a Communication would forthwith be made to Admiral Cockburn, for the purpose of obtaining further information upon the subject, with which, it is added, he must have been acquainted, as it appears that he had arrived in the Chesapeake before the Surgeon's Mate was restored.

The Undersigned can urge no objection to any source of information to which His Majesty's Government may deem it expedient to resort, for ascertaining the facts to their own satisfaction. But he thinks it proper to suggest, that there are other sources which might also tend to the elucidation of the facts. Perhaps Captain Barrie could indicate the name of the Officer by whom he sent the Flag. Mr. Jeffery, the Surgeon's Mate, whose restoration was the object of the Flag, and who actually returned with it, might give some light upon the subject. The Captain and Officers of the Havana must be supposed to have known some

thing of the affair. But, independently of the recollection of all Officers, themselves so materially and so pointedly interested in the result of the inquiry, from the Documents transmitted by the Undersigned, it appears that 1 of the Slaves made his escape from the Island of Bermuda, and returned to his Master. Information respecting the others might, then, be easily obtained by the British Government from Bermuda. That the Slaves were taken, the Undersigned believes cannot admit of a doubt. How they were disposed of, is a question interesting to the solicitude which His Majesty's Government have felt upon an allegation, which has been considered as implicating the character of British Officers. The violation of a Flag constitutes, in this instance, an aggravation which seems to call, with peculiar energy, for a complete and unequivocal investigation. The Undersigned is persuaded that His Majesty's Government will feel it to be due, to the complaint of the Individual, to the honour of their Officers, and to their own sense of justice. He has the honour of renewing, &c. Viscount Castlereagh.

JOHN QUINCY ADAMS.

(19.)—Mr. Adams to the Secretary of State.

(Extract.) London, 30th March, 1816. I HAVE the honour to enclose Copies of a Note which I have received from Lord Castlereagh, with a Report from Sir George Cockburn to the Secretary of the Admiralty, Mr. Croker, concerning the taking and carrying away of Mr. Downman's Slaves. You will not fail to perceive that the Admiral, like Captain Barrie, disclaims all knowledge of the transaction whatever, and that the effort and tendency of both their Letters, is to excite doubts with regard to the truth of Mr. Downman's statement in his Memorial to the President. I have no doubt it will be easy, and beg leave to suggest it may be very important to Mr. Downman, to furnish additional evidence of the facts, and particulars which may lead to the disclosure how and why the transportation, in broad day, of 11 Slaves to the British Squadron, and by them to Bermuda, could be effected without the knowledge of either of the British Commanding Officers. The Hon. James Monroe.

JOHN QUINCY ADAMS.

(20.)—Viscount Castlereagh to Mr. Adams.

Foreign Office, 26th March, 1816.

THE Undersigned has had the honour of receiving Mr. Adams' Note of the 11th instant, respecting the Slaves asserted by Mr. Downman to have been carried away from his Estates by a Flag of Truce, contrary to the usages of War.

The Undersigned has now the honour of transmitting to him a Report which has been recentlyreceived from Rear-Admiral Sir George

Cockburn, and as soon as the further Reports which the Admiral has promised to make upon the arrival of Captain Hamilton at the anchorage off St. Helena, shall be received, the Undersigned will not fail to communicate it to Mr. Adams, being not less anxious than himself upon a case in which a Flag of Truce is stated to have been violated.

The Undersigned begs to renew, &c.

John Quincy Adams, Esq.

SIR,

CASTLEREAGH.

(Enclosure.)—Admiral Cockburn to J. W. Croker, Esq.

Northumberland,

St. Helena Roads, 9th February, 1816. WITH reference to Mr. Barrow's Letter of the 3rd of November last, and its enclosures, respecting certain Slaves stated to have been carried away from the American shore, within the Chesapeake, by a British Flag of Truce, in the month of December, 1814, I lose no time in begging you to acquaint their Lordships, that I have no knowledge whatever of such transaction, nor is mention made of any such in my various Documents of that period; though His Majesty's Ships then in the Chesapeake, and on the adjacent Coasts, were all acting under my immediate orders, and consequently made all their Reports

to me.

Mr. Downman's Memorial to Mr. Madison induces me, however, to mention to their Lordships that, from my first entering the Chesapeake, in March, 1813, until the conclusion of the War, the said Inland Navigation was never left without several of His Majesty's Ships; and when I quitted it in December, 1814, with a part of the Squadron, I left there 3 Frigates and 2 Sloops under the orders of Captain Clavelle, of the Orlando, with whom communications from the land were held, by means of Flags of Truce, from one extremity of its shores to the other, as will appear by 2 of the paragraphs extracted from Letters I received about the same period from that Officer, (herewith enclosed); and the first paragraph will show (in reply to a part of Colonel Chawning's Letter, that it was not uncustomary to trust the Tender in question (which was the one attached to and manned from the Havana) up the Rappahannock River with hostile views. After the Proclamation which was issued on this subject, the Slaves were constantly coming at all risks to our Ships and Tenders, our Boats, &c. for protection, which occasioned our Squadron to be very frequently visited by Americans, under Flags of Truce, asking the restoration of these unhappy People, under various pleas; and I cannot help thinking that, if the transaction in question had really taken place, as set forth by Mr. Downman, it would have come before me, either through Captain Clavelle, or through some other channel, previous to my quitting the Station, as I

thing of the affair. But, independently of the recollection of all Officers, themselves so materially and so pointedly interested in the result of the inquiry, from the Documents transmitted by the Undersigned, it appears that 1 of the Slaves made his escape from the Island of Bermuda, and returned to his Master. Information respecting the others might, then, be easily obtained by the British Government from Bermuda. That the Slaves were taken, the Undersigned believes cannot admit of a doubt. How they were disposed of, is a question interesting to the solicitude which His Majesty's Government have felt upon an allegation, which has been considered as implicating the character of British Officers. The violation of a Flag constitutes, in this instance, an aggravation which seems to call, with peculiar energy, for a complete and unequivocal investigation. The Undersigned is persuaded that His Majesty's Government will feel it to be due, to the complaint of the Individual, to the honour of their Officers, and to their own sense of justice. He has the honour of renewing, &c. Viscount Castlereagh.

JOHN QUINCY ADAMS.

(19.)-Mr. Adams to the Secretary of State.

(Extract.) London, 30th March, 1816. I HAVE the honour to enclose Copies of a Note which I have received from Lord Castlereagh, with a Report from Sir George Cockburn to the Secretary of the Admiralty, Mr. Croker, concerning the taking and carrying away of Mr. Downman's Slaves. You will not fail to perceive that the Admiral, like Captain Barrie, disclaims all knowledge of the transaction whatever, and that the effort and tendency of both their Letters, is to excite doubts with regard to the truth of Mr. Downman's statement in his Memorial to the President. I have no doubt it will be easy, and beg leave to suggest it may be very important to Mr. Downman, to furnish additional evidence of the facts, and particulars which may lead to the disclosure how and why the transportation, in broad day, of 11 Slaves to the British Squadron, and by them to Bermuda, could be effected without the knowledge of either of the British Commanding Officers. The Hon. James Monroe.

JOHN QUINCY ADAMS.

(20.)—Viscount Castlereagh to Mr. Adams.

Foreign Office, 26th March, 1816.

THE Undersigned has had the honour of receiving Mr. Adams' Note of the 11th instant, respecting the Slaves asserted by Mr. Downman to have been carried away from his Estates by a Flag of Truce, contrary to the usages of War.

The Undersigned has now the honour of transmitting to him a Report which has been recentlyreceived from Rear-Admiral Sir George