Mr. Whit-breadrose to put a question to the right hon. gent. respecting our relations with the United States. They had been given to understand in the Regent's Speech, at
§ where he used to work, and that he used to give him some of his provisions; and he began to mend, as' he thought, and about a week ago he was taken worse, and continued so till he died; and that he sometimes asked for particular things, water-gruel and mutton-broth, and which he gave him; that he sometimes took them, and sometimes could not.; and he. believes he had every thing he asked for that it was in his power to give him, and that he continued in his clothes till his death; that he used to be very often fretting about his wife, who was ill, and for that reason he could not see her; and that he had a soldier's cloak, and another coat, and several waistcoats on.
§ "Elizabeth Brannan, on her oath, saith, That she lives a servant with Mrs. Champion in the said prison, and that about a week ago she went up into Kauffman's room, and saw a man lying in bed there, which she believes to be the said Thomas Culver; and he said he was starving, that he wanted a bason of coffee; and she said she would speak to her mistress to make him a bason; and her mistress did so: and she took it up to Culver, and two crumpets; this was about ten o'clock in the morning; and he drank the coffee, but did not eat the crumpets; and about six o'clock in the afternoon she took him up some tca, and he drank it; and about nine o'clock the same night she took him up some barley water, and he was calling out for the watchman; and she asked him what he wanted with him, and he said he wanted half a pint of stout; and she went to the watchman, and told him of it; but whether he took it or not she does not know; she says there was a fire in the room; this was about three days before he died.
§ "Nathan Settle, a prisoner in the said prison, on his oath saith, That when the said Thomas Culver came into the said prison, he was apparently well, and that he was taken ill some weeks after, and that he then got better and relapsed again, and that he continued ill till he died; that he saw him twice during his illness; that 112 the opening of the session, that the nego-ciations so long pending were likely to have an amicable termination; there were, however, rumours then afloat, of a very opposite tendency; if he had been rightly informed, the American minister had had his audience of leave, this day, of the Prince Regent, preparatory to his
§ the day before he died, he saw him in bed in Kauffman's room, and that whilst he was there the doctor came, and he asked him how he did, and he said he was very bad; and the doctor said he saw he was worse than when he saw him last; and then Mr. Canfield said he had given him some things, and had appointed a man to sit up with him; he said he did not complain he was in want of any thing.
§ "Robert Hay, a prisoner in the said prison, on his oath saith, That when Culver first came into the prison he was apparently well, and was taken ill soon after; and that one day he met him in the yard, and he asked him how he did, and he said he was starving; and he took him to his room and gave him some pork and mutton, which he did not then eat, but took away with him; and that he frequently saw him afterwards, and he always complained of being in want, and said he had not then had a mouthful of bread for two days; this was about a month before he died.
§ "William Hammerton, a prisoner in the said prison, on his oath saith, That about a fortnight after Culver came into the prison he saw him, and he asked him if be had some broken victuals, and said he should be glad of it, for he had not had any victuals for two days till just then, when Mr. Flay and Mr. Alman had given him a bit of pork; and that be was apparently well; but he was afterwards told he bad some bacon at the same time in his bag; and about two months ago he saw him take up a bono in the yard, which had just been thrown down, and put it to his mouth.
§ "Thomas Brade, a prisoner in the said prison, on his oath saith, That he was in the prison when the said Thomas Culver first came in, and that he was then apparently well, and in about a week or a fortnight after he was taken ill, that he desired a surgeon might be sent for, and a surgeon was sent for, who attended him, he believes, three or four times in the course of that week, and gave him medicines; he says he appeared to him to have died for want of proper attendance. 113 quitting this country, and thus putting a final and not an amicable termination to his mission. If this were the case, he wished to ask the right hon. gent. if it was his intention, under such circumstances, to advise his royal highness to direct the necessary papers respecting that negociation to be laid upon the table of that House?
The Chancellor of the Exchequersaid, it was true that the American minister had that day had his audience of leave, but that the negociations were finally broken off, he had yet to learn of the hon. gent. Though the American minister was about to leave this country, he was not quitting it under such circumstances as the hon. gent. supposed. He would leave behind him a charge d'affaires to carry on a diplomatic correspondence, and so far from the negociations between the two countries being interrupted, a gentleman had just been appointed envoy extraordinary to. America. There was nothing in the manner in which the American minister, now about leaving this country, took his departure, that could give reason to any one to suppose such an interruption had occurred. Under these circumstances, he saw no reason for advising the Prince Regent to cause any papers on the subject to be laid before the House, which would not otherwise be produced.
§ Mr. Whitbreadwas glad to hear an answer so contradictory of what he had understood to be the case, but confessed, at the same time, that it was not sufficiently satisfactory to his mind, and that he must, therefore, reserve to himself the right of giving notice on some early day, of a motion for the necessary papers on this subject.