by their Lordships receiving, through this Office, such Accounts and Statements as they shall desire, upon points connected with the Official duties of the Commissioners; it being very essential to the convenience of public business, that the Commissioners should keep to the Instruction which they have already received, "to address to this Department alone all Despatches reporting their proceedings, or requesting Instructions"-which Instructions should, according to the same principle, be conveyed to them only through the Foreign Department. I am, &c. The Secretary to His Majesty's Treasury. JOSEPH PLANTA. JUN. (Enclosure 3.)—George Harrison, Esq. to Joseph Planta. Jun. Esq. SIR, Treasury Chambers, November 15, 1824. HAVING laid before the Lords Commissioners of His Majesty's Treasury your Letter of the 22d ultimo, relative to the 75th Section of the Act, 5th Geo. IV. Cap. 113, directing that the Commissary Judges. and Commissioners of Arbitration, under the Acts respecting the Abolition of the Slave Trade, are to transmit from time to time to this Board, a List or Return of all Cases which shall have been adjudged in their respective Courts; I have it in command to acquaint you, for the information of Mr. Secretary Canning, that their Lordships concur in opinion with him, that it will be expedient that all Communications between the Members of the Mixed Commission Courts, and the Government of this Country, should be made through the Secretary of State; and their Lordships therefore request Mr. Canning will instruct them to transmit to him the Accounts required by the 75th Section of the Act above referred to, in order that he may forward them to this Board; My Lords being of opinion that the Accounts in question should be sent home by the Commissioners, at the periods prescribed by the Act of Parliament, I am, &c. Joseph Planta, Jun. Esq. GEO. HARRISON. (Enclosure 4.)—Joseph Planta, Jun. Esq. to the Secy. to the Treasury. SIR, Foreign Office, November 20, 1824. I HAVE received and laid before Mr. Secretary Canning, your Letter of the 15th instant, relating to the 75th Section of the Act of the 5th George IV. Cap. 113; and I am directed by Mr. Canning to acquaint you, for the information of the Lords Commissioners of His Majesty's Treasury, that he has instructed His Majesty's Commissioners under the Treaties for the Suppression of illegal Slave Trade, to the effect recommended in your Letter above referred to. I am, The Secretary to His Majesty's Treasury. JOSEPH PLANTA, JUN. No. 10.-His Majesty's Commissioners to Mr. Secretary Canning. (Received March 7.) (Extract.) Sierra Leone, December 30, 1824. WE beg leave to acknowledge the receipt, on the 26th instant, of your Despatch dated November 20th, 1824; enclosing three Copies of an Act passed in the last Session of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, for amending and consolidating the English Laws, relating to the abolition of the Slave Trade; enclosing also, for our further information and guidance, in respect to the 75th Clause of that Act, the Copies of a Correspondence which had passed between the Office for Foreign Affairs and His Majesty's Treasury. We shall not fail to pay due attention to the Clauses of the Act of Parliament, which you have done us the honour to send to us, that may relate to our Situations, bearing in mind that we are to address our Correspondence to the Department alone over which you, Sir, preside. The Right Hon. George Canning. E. GREGORY. D. M. HAMILTON. No. 11.-D. M. Hamilton, Esq. to Mr. Secretary Canning. (Extract.) (Received March 7.) Freetown, Sierra Leone, January 15, 1825. WITH extreme regret I perform the melancholy duty of communicating to you the death of my Colleague, Mr. Gregory, His Majesty's Commissary Judge. This most unhappy event took place on Sunday evening last, after his having suffered a protracted illness during the last five weeks, from the endemic fever of this Country; which unfortunately has generally assumed, with those it has attacked, more than usual severity during the last three months.-His Majesty has been deprived, by the death of this gentleman, of a valuable Officer, whose study and attention was solely directed to a faithful and impartial discharge of the official duties of the important station to which he was appointed. In consequence of the death of Mr. Gregory, I have, in the capacity of Governor and Principal Magistrate of the Colony, assumed the Office of Commissary Judge, ad interim. I can assure you, Sir, that it causes me much regret, that under the present unfortunate circumstances, I am not able to withdraw my request for leave of absence which I made to you under date of the 1st of November last. I have only about 14 days since become convalescent from another very dangerous attack of the endemic fever of this Country. These frequent attacks have left me no other chance of recovery, than a change of climate for some months. The Right Hon. George Canning. D. M. HAMILTON. No. 12.-Mr. Secretary Canning to Daniel Molloy Hamilton, Esq. SIR, Foreign Office, April 4, 1825. THE Despatches of His Majesty's Commissioners at Sierra Leone, marked and numbered as in the margin of this Despatch, have been duly received and laid before the King. I have to express to you His Majesty's approbation of the zeal and diligence, with which the Commissioners have executed the duties committed to their charge, since the date of those Despatches, the receipt of which I acknowledged in my Despatch to them, of the 6th of April 1824. Daniel Molloy Hamilton, Esq. I am, &c. GEORGE CANNING. No. 13.-Mr. Secretary Canning to D. M. Hamilton, Esq. (Extract.) Foreign Office, April 5, 1825. I HAVE received your Despatch (marked General) of the 15th of January, 1825. I regret to learn the death of Mr. Edward Gregory, His Majesty's Commissary Judge at Sierra Leone. The public service has lost in Mr. Gregory, an Officer whose conduct was marked by an earnest and unremitting desire to do his duty. His Majesty's Government will lose no time in the selection of an Individual to fill the situation vacant by the death of Mr. Gregory. D. M. Hamilton, Esq. GEORGE CANNING. SIERRA LEONE. (Separate.) SIR, No. 14.-D. M. Hamilton, Esq. to Joseph Planta, Jun. Esq. (Received June 21.) Sierra Leone, March 1, 1824. I HAVE the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your Letter of the 18th of October last, acquainting me, that Mr. Secretary Canning had determined to recommend to His Majesty, my confirmation in the Office of His Majesty's Commissioner of Arbitration in the Mixed Commission Courts at this Place, vacant by the death of Mr. Fitzgerald: for this intention of Mr. Secretary Canning towards me, I beg most respectfully to request of you the favour, to return him my most grateful acknowledgments. Jeseph Planta, Jun., Esq. I have the honour to be, &c. D. M. HAMILTON. No. 15.-His Majesty's Commissioners to Mr. Secretary Canning, (Received June 20.) SIR, Sierra Leone, March 22, 1824. WE beg leave to inform you, that we yesterday received your Circular Despatch of the 31st of January last, reminding us, by His Majesty's Command, that in the computation of the period of Service, after which a Pension may be granted to us, that period only can reckon during which we are upon service at our post; and stating further, that one half only of the Salary attached to our present situation, can be granted to us during the period at which we may be absent from our post. We beg leave, Sir, respectfully to offer our thanks for this communication, and we have the honour to remain, &c. The Right Hon. George Canning. E. GREGORY. No. 16.-Edw. Gregory Esq. to Mr. Secy. Canning.—(Rec. June 21.) I HAD the honour to receive yesterday your Despatch (marked Separate) of the 6th of February 1824, in which you condescendingly inform me, that His Majesty had been graciously pleased to appoint Daniel Molloy Hamilton, Esq. to be His Majesty's Commissioner of Arbitration, and James Woods, Esq. to be Registrar in the Courts of Mixed Commission at Sierra Leone, for preventing illegal Traffic in Slaves. I had the honour to receive with your Despatch, His Majesty's Commissions, appointing Mr. Hamilton and Mr. Woods to these situations. I have delivered these Commissions to Mr. Hamilton. Mr. Hamilton and myself will concert the mode of his entering regularly upon his Appointment. I have unreservedly communicated to Mr. Hamilton, for his information and guidance, the Instructions which were addressed by His Majesty's Secretary of State to Mr. Fitzgerald and myself. I have the honour to be, &c. The Right Hon. George Canning. E. GREGORY. No. 17.-Edw. Gregory, Esq. to Mr. Secy. Canning.—(Rec. June 21.) (Extract.) Sierra Leone, April 19, 1824. Mr. Hamilton proposes to have the honour of informing you that, by the unhappy event of the death of Sir Charles Mac Carthy, he has assumed the Government of this Colony. Mr. Hamilton has done me the honour to offer to appoint me to the situation of a Member of His Majesty's Council in this Colony. As I have not apprehended that this Appointment will interfere with my functions, under the Treaties for preventing illegal Slave Trade, I have deemed it my duty to His Majesty to accept the Appointment. I beg leave, Sir, respectfully to state that, should it meet with your approbation, I should feel highly honoured, if His Majesty should graciously be pleased to confirm me in my Seat in the Council. The Right Hon. George Canning. E. GREGORY. SIR, No. 18.-Lord Howard de Walden to Edward Gregory, Esq. Foreign Office, August 6, 1824. I AM directed by Mr. Secretary Canning to send to you, for your information, the Copies of two Letters which have passed between the Colonial Department and this Office, by which you will perceive, that the necessary directions have been given, in compliance with the request expressed in your Letter of the 19th of April last, addressed to Mr. Canning, for confirming you in the Seat in the Council at Sierra Leone, to which you had been appointed by the Acting Governor of that Colony. I am, &c. Edw. Gregory, Esq. HOWARD DE WALDEN. (Enclosure 1.)—Joseph Planta, Jun. Esq. to R. Wilmot Horton, Esq. Foreign Office, July 3, 1824. SIR, I AM directed by Mr. Secretary Canning to send to you the accompanying Copy of a Despatch which Mr. Canning has received from Mr. Gregory, His Majesty's Commissary Judge at Sierra Leone, soliciting that His Majesty would be graciously pleased to confirm him in his Seat in the Council of Sierra Leone, to which he had been appointed by the Acting Governor of that Colony: and I am to request, that, in laying this Letter before Earl Bathurst, you will add, that so far as this Department is concerned, Mr. Canning sees no objection to the granting of Mr. Gregory's request. R. Wilmot Horton, Esq. I am, &c. JOSEPH PLANTA, Jun. (Enclosure 2.)—Adam Gordon, Esq. to Joseph Plantą, Jun. Esq. Downing Street, August 5, 1824. SIR, In the absence of the Under Secretary of State, I am directed by Earl Bathurst to acknowledge the receipt of your Letter of the 3d ultimo, transmitting the Copy of a Despatch which had been received from Mr. Gregory, His Majesty's Commissary Judge at Sierra Leone, soliciting that His Majesty would be graciously pleased to confirm him in his Seat in the Council of Sierra Leone, to which he had been appointed by the Acting Governor of that Colony; and to acquaint you, in |