Augustus Foster

Augustus John Foster was born in 1780, the son of John Thomas Foster and Elizabeth Hervey, later Duchess of Devonshire. His early diplomatic service took him to Naples and then Washington, where he was secretary of legation from 1805 to 1807. After serving as chargé d'affaires in Stockholm, he returned to the United States as minister in 1811. ^{1, 2}

He entered a dispute over neutral commerce during the Napoleonic wars. Britain wanted the United States to abandon restrictions on British trade; American officials demanded relief from the Orders in Council. Foster also protested the American occupation of West Florida. These exchanges with James Monroe left the central commercial disagreement unresolved. ³

Foster did secure a settlement of the Chesapeake affair. On 1 November 1811 he renewed Britain's disavowal of the unauthorized naval attack and offered to restore the seized sailors and compensate them and their families. Monroe accepted. Two surviving seamen were subsequently returned to the American frigate in Boston. That redress settled one grievance, but relations continued toward war in 1812. ³

Returning to Britain, Foster entered Parliament for Cockermouth. He served as minister in Copenhagen from 1814 to 1824 and Turin from 1824 to 1840, then retired. He began compiling Notes on the United States of America from his earlier observations. His papers, including correspondence, diaries, and a draft of the Notes in five volumes, are preserved at the Library of Congress. He died on 1 August 1848. ²