Viscount Ingestriewished to ask whether there would be any objection to produce the correspondence between the lieutenant commanding the Express packet and Commodore Douglas, and between Commodore Douglas and the British Government, upon the subject of the insult committed by a French officer upon the British flag at Vera Cruz. The noble Lord at the head of the Admiralty had not given any very precise answer to the questions put to him upon the subject; he (Lord Ingestrie) should therefore be glad if the Government would produce the correspondence which had taken place upon it.
§ Mr. Charles Wooddid not know that there would be any objection to produce the correspondence moved for by the noble Lord, if any such correspondence existed; but, in point of fact, no correspondence whatever (as far as the Government knew) had taken place between the lieutenant and Commodore Douglas upon the subject. Having been informed by the noble Lord of his intention to put the question, he had brought down with him an extract from the only communication which the Government had yet received—an extract from a letter written by Commodore Douglas, in which that gallant officer said—"I have also received a satisfactory explanation from the French admiral upon the subject of the pilot taken out of the Express, which was entirely a mistake on the part of his Royal Highness the Prince de Joinville, and the Rear Admiral has informed his Government of it." That was the only explanation the Government had received. It had been their intention upon the first report of the transaction to have made a representation upon the subject to the French government; but having reason to expect a full account of it from Commodore Douglas, they had thought it better to defer taking any further step till that account had been received.
Viscount Ingestriewas not prepared to say that what might be satisfactory to Commodore Douglas would be satisfactory to the House of Commons. When so great an insult had been committed upon the flag of England it was only right that the House should be placed in possession 812 of the fullest and most complete information on the subject. He should wish to know whether there were any British ship of war upon the station at the time, and whether the pilot, upon the fact being known that he was improperly seized, had been immediately released? No greater cruelty could be inflicted upon a man than that of compelling him to guide a hostile force to the attack of his own countrymen.
§ Mr. Charles Woodreplied, that there certainly was a ship of war at Vera Cruz at the time, the Satellite commanded by an officer of higher rank than the lieutenant of the packet It was not in his power to say what had become of the pilot, because the Government had received no information upon the subject.
§ Subject dropped.