HC Deb 04 April 1856 vol 141 cc473-9
VISCOUNT GODERICH

said, there appeared in the newspapers of this country a short time ago certain documents which purported to be copies of a despatch addressed by Mr. Crampton, our Minister at Washington, to Mr. Marcy, the American Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. He would read that supposed or real despatch to the House. It was dated the 27th of February, 1856, and was couched in the following terms:— Washington, Feb. 27, 1856. My dear Sir,—Observing that some misapprehension seems to exist as to the offer made by Lord Clarendon to Mr. Buchanan to submit the points regarding the interpretation of the Clayton Bulwer Treaty, upon which the two Governments disagree, to arbitration, I think it well to send you the enclosed despatch, which I received from Lord Clarendon on the subject in December last. I regret not having made you this communication before, but the truth is, that the last paragraph of the despatch escaped my attention until I referred to it lately; and as I was aware that the negotiation of the question regarding Central America was in Mr. Buchanan's and Lord Clarendon's hands, I considered the despatch as meant merely for my own information as to what was going forward upon a subject in regard to which I inferred you were already informed. Believe me yours very faithfully, JOHN F. CRAMPTON. P. S.—I send the original despatch, which I will beg of you to return to me, but I have no objection to your taking a copy of it. J. F. C. Hon. William L. Marcy, Secretary of State. The following was the despatch of Lord Clarendon to Mr. Crampton referred to in the foregoing:— Foreign Office, Nov. 10, 1855. Sir,—Mr. Buchanan having, in the course of conversation, a few days ago, adverted to the impression that would be created in the United States by the non-settlement of the Central American question, I again assured him that England had no wish to extend her influence or to obtain any territory in that part of the world; and I reminded him that, as the difference between this country and the United States turned solely upon the interpretation of the treaty of 1850, I had offered on the part of Her Majesty's Government to submit the case to the arbitration of a third Power, but that he had declined the offer. Her Majesty's Government, I said, would still abide by that offer, and thought it would be the fairest and most amicable manner of arriving at a settlement of the question. Mr. Buchanan said he would make it known to his Government, and you are instructed to communicate this despatch to Mr. Marcy. I am, with great truth and regard, Sir, Your most obedient humble servant, CLARENDON. J. F. Crampton, Esq., &c. It was of great importance to the public interests that instructions of that nature should be strictly obeyed, and it must be the desire of Mr. Crampton himself that correct information on the subject should be given to the House and the country. He therefore wished to ask the noble Lord at the head of the Government whether the document purporting to be a despatch by Mr. Crampton was authentic, and whether an interval of two or three months did occur between the receipt by Mr. Crampton of the despatch of Lord Clarendon, dated the 20th of November, 1855, and the communication of its contents to the American Government?

MR. GLADSTONE

Sir, I wish to make a few observations before my noble Friend the First Lord of the Treasury answers the question which has been addressed to him. I do not propose to say a single word upon that portion of the American question with which the name of Mr. Crampton is more immediately connected, namely, that which relates to the recruiting within the limits of the United States; because, as regards that branch of the subject, we have been told in distinct terms by Her Majesty's Government that it is still in their hands, and has not yet arrived at a conclusion. But what I desire to do is to call the attention of the House to the position in which it is placed with respect to the other portion of the American question, namely, that which relates to Central America. It appears—in a form not indeed official but perfectly authentic and indisputable—that in the month of September last Lord Clarendon made a communication to the American Minister in which he intimated that, on the side of the British Government, the correspondence might be considered as concluded. That communication from Lord Clarendon was followed by a similar one from Mr. Buchanan, which appeared likewise to wind up the correspondence on the part of the Government of the United States. On one of the first days of the present Session a question was put to my noble Friend at the head of the Administration with regard to the production of the papers relating to Central America. The answer of my noble Friend on that occasion was general, and did not intimate that any papers on either branch of the American question would immediately be produced. But a few days later the subject was revived, and then my noble Friend stated that, although that portion of the question which related to the recuiting was still in the hands of the Government, yet that portion which referred to Central America, and which had been the subject of a separate correspondence with the Government of the United States, had been concluded, and that, consequently, the papers might be produced to the House. That answer was given by my noble Friend about two months ago, and within a week or so after the opening of the Session. Now, let the House observe the position in which we are placed with respect to this important question. I certainly am the last man who would wish to interfere with the discretion of the Government as to the time of producing papers upon a great political subject; but my noble Friend told the House in the beginning of February that the time had arrived when the documents relating to the Central American question ought and should be produced, and yet to this hour we have seen or heard nothing of those papers. A few days ago, indeed, after a long delay had taken place, another question was addressed to my noble Friend upon the production of those despatches, and we were then told that the Foreign Office had been so much occupied of late with other matters that it had not been possible to prepare them. That was, I think, in the commencement of the present week, and still we have no definite prospect before us as to the time when these documents are to be laid before us. Now, I do not propose to give an opinion upon the question whether the papers should be produced or not; but I do confidently say that their production ought not to be delayed from week to week and from month to month, because persons in the Foreign Office are much occupied with other matters. The subject is a great deal too important to allow any obstacle of that kind to intervene; and what I would put to my noble Friend and to the House, with great confidence, is this, that either the papers ought to be produced, or else we ought to understand—and, I confess, it would be far more agreeable to me to hear this than even to have the papers—that, although the correspondence of last year was concluded, yet the subject has not passed from the hands of the Government; that no ultimatum, so to speak, with respect to Central America, has been exchanged between the two Governments; but that Ministers still entertain the hope that by friendly communications with the American Government the question may be brought to an amicable and satisfactory conclusion. For, Sir, it appears to me that this House will incur a very heavy responsibility if, after we have been told that the Government has ceased to deal with a question of this nature, we do not demand information with regard to it. Where the responsibility of the Government ends there the responsibility of the House of Commons begins. And what happens? While we thus go on from month to month—while Parliament is silent on the question—though I do not want the voice of Parliament to be heard as long as the Government feels that an amicable arrangement may be concluded—while our mouths are kept shut from the want of official information, other voices go forth—other voices which, I must say, have sounded a note the most opposed to wisdom, to justice, and to peace, as well as to those friendly—I would almost venture to say affectionate—relations that I am sure every man in this House would wish to see prevailing between Great Britain and the United States. It is believed, or at least rumoured, that the Minister who has recently arrived from America is armed with instructions and powers that will enable him to deal in a friendly spirit with this question, and I sincerely trust he will be met in a corresponding spirit by our Government. Do not let my noble Friend suppose that I am anxious for the production of the papers to which I have referred if the matter is still in the hands of the Government. What I want is this, that if he and his colleagues have done with the question we should be informed of all the steps they have taken, in order that we may be in a position to judge of our own duty. I have spoken of the unwise and inflammatory language that has been held in other quarters by what are taken to be organs of national opinion. I may also speak of rumours that I think are calculated to create uneasiness in the mind of every Member of this House. For example, there is a rumour—unauthentic, and I hope untrue—that additions have been made, or are about to be made, to the military force in Canada. I hope that before any additions are made to the military force in British North America, in the present state of our relations with the United States, this House will have an opportunity of uttering its voice with regard to those relations; for I am convinced that whenever the voice of this House is heard it will be so in a manner calculated to promote the interests of peace and good neighbourhood between the two countries. I think my noble friend will feel the fairness of what I have stated, namely, that if he and his Government have done with this question the House ought to be put in immediate possession of the papers; but I would far rather hear from him that he has not done with the question; that, in the present state of the diplomatic arrangements of the two countries, there is a possibility or likelihood of further communications taking place between the Governments; and that he still entertains the hope that, as regards the contested claims in Central America, a perfectly good understanding may be established between Great Britain and the United States.

VISCOUNT PALMERSTON

Mr. Speaker, my right hon. Friend having been in office knows as well as any man what is the organisation of the various Governmental departments, and how the business in each of them is performed. He knows as well as any man that those departments, efficient as they may be for general purposes, are not calculated to deal quickly in extraordinary and unexpected circumstances; but yet my right hon. Friend has blamed the Government, and the Foreign Office especially, for not having produced these papers at an earlier period. My right hon. Friend has referred in a slighting manner to the other business which the Foreign Office has lately had to transact. [Mr. GLADSTONE: No, no !] I beg my right hon. Friend's pardon, but he did. Now, the House must be aware that a most important and difficult negotiation has just been taking place, in which the Foreign Office has been the department chiefly engaged. It cannot either forget that from the commencement of the Session there was, for a time, a great pressure upon the Foreign Office for the production of the papers relating to the siege and capitulation of Kars. The collection of those papers required great care and attention on the part, not of persons holding an inferior position in that department, but on the part of those holding the higher positions in that office, and those papers have been laid before Parliament. As regards the papers connected with the Central American question, I can only say that they are nearly completed; and I trust to be able, in a very few days, to lay them before Parliament. I must say, with regard to this subject, that I entirely decline to follow the example or to be led by the exhortation of my right hon. Friend into entering into the discussion of a question the circumstances connected with which have not yet been laid before this House, and I am content to wait for the judgment which the House may pronounce when it has before it materials upon which to form an opinion. With regard to the question of my noble Friend (Viscount Goderich), I can only say that I believe the document to which he has alluded is a correct copy of the communication made by Mr. Crampton to Mr. Marcy upon the instructions which he had received from Lord Clarendon; but, at the same time, I think that it must be obvious, even from what my noble Friend has read, that no inconvenience could accrue to the public service from any accidental delay, because the instructions upon the part of Lord Clarendon had already been communicated to Mr. Buchanan, at that time the Ambassador of the United States in this country; and I think that that will be seen from the papers which will be shortly laid before this House with regard to the Central American question.