“I would beg to know (he continued) what course it was possible for me, after receiving this letter, to pursue? If his majesty’s government thus refused me redress, what must be my next step? The only thing I could do was, to bring a serious charge against Sir Stephen Shairp and Lord Leveson Gower; which I accordingly did, by addressing a complete statement of my case to the privy council, from whom I received the following answer:—
“ ‘Council Office, Whitehall, May 16, 1810.
“ ‘Sir,—I am directed by the lords of the council to acquaint you, that their lordships having taken into consideration your petition on the subject of your arrest in Russia, do not find that it is a matter in which their Lordships can, in any manner, interfere.
‘I am, Sir, &c.
‘W. Fawkner.’
“Having then understood that any remuneration which I might conceive myself entitled to, I could only procure through the medium of parliament, I applied myself to several members of parliament, to ascertain what line of conduct I ought to pursue in order to obtain that desirable end. These gentlemen told me, that I should make application to the chancellor of the exchequer—thus petitioning for leave to bring in a petition upon a subject which, being well founded, became a matter of right, and not of favour. In consequence, however, of this advice, I did write a letter to Mr. Perceval, from whom I received an answer dated Downing Street, 27th May 1810, as follows:—
“ ‘Sir,—I am desired by Mr. Perceval to state to you, in reply to your letter of yesterday, that the time for presenting private petitions has long since passed; and that Mr. Perceval cannot encourage you to expect his sanction in introducing into the house a petition which Mr. Perceval thinks is not of a nature for the consideration of parliament.
‘I am, &c.
‘Thomas Brooksbank.’