Laird Brothers to Her Majesty’s Treasury.
Sir: We beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter of 21st instant, in which you inform us that her Majesty’s government, after duly weighing all the circumstances of the case, are unable to consent to the trial trip of one of the vessels, the El Tousson, taking plaee, as proposed by us.
We beg to state that we did not propose that the trial trip should take place under any other conditions than were set forth in their lordships’ letter of the 19th September, unless, from information received since the date of that letter, their lordships should think it no longer necessary to place a force of seamen and marines on board to protect our property; on the contrary, if her Majesty’s [Page 410] government still apprehend any attempt, we will gladly avail ourselves, as already stated in our letter of 21st September, of any protection her Majesty’s government may think necessary to defeat any such attempt.
We therefore respectfully renew our application to make the trial trip in the course of next week, or within any other suitable time.
We are, sir, your obedient servants,
George A. Hamilton, Esq.