254 



DIPLOMATIC CORRESPONDENCE AND FOREIGN RELATIONS, 



at Washington, and shall treat of and discuss the 

 mode of settling the different questions which have 

 arisen out of the fisheries, as well as those which 

 affect the relations of the United States toward her 

 Majesty's possessions in North America. 



I am confident that this proposal will be met by your 

 Government in the same cordial spirit of friendship 

 which has induced her Majesty's Government to ten- 

 der it, and I cannot doubt that in that case the result 

 will not fail to contribute to the maintenance of the 

 good relations between the two countries, which I 

 um convinced the Government of the United States, 

 us well as that of her Majesty, equally have at heart. 



On the 30th the Secretary replies by a ref- 

 erence to the preceding note, and says : 



I have laid your note before the President, who in- 

 structs me to say that he shares with her Majesty's 

 Government the appreciation of the importance of a 

 friendly and complete understanding between the 

 two Governments with reference to the subjects spe- 

 cially suggested for the consideration of the proposed 

 ^oint high commission, and he fully recognizes the 

 triendl 



The President is, however, of the opinion that, 

 without the adjustment of a class of questions not 

 alluded to in your note, the proposed high commis- 

 sion would fail to establish the permanent relations 

 and the sincere, substantial, and lasting friendship 

 between the two Governments which, in common 

 with her Majesty's Government, he desires should 

 prevail. 



He thinks that the removal of the differences 

 which arose during the rebellion in the United 

 States, and which have existed since then, growing 

 out of the acts committed by the several vessels 

 which have given rise to the claims generally known 

 as the " Alabama claims," will also be essential to 

 the restoration of cordial and amicable relations be- 

 tween the two Governments. 



He directs me to say that, should her Majesty's 

 Government accept this view of this matter, and 

 assent that this subject also may be treated of by the 

 proposed high commission, and may thus be put in 

 the way of a final and amicable settlement, this Gov- 

 ernment will, with much pleasure, appoint high com- 

 missioners on the part of the United States, to meet 

 those who maybe appointed on behalf of her Ma- 

 jesty's Government, and will spare no efforts to 

 secure, at the earliest practicable moment, a just and 

 amicable arrangement of all the questions which 

 now unfortunately stand in the way of an entire and 

 abiding friendship between the two nations. 



On the 1st of February Mr. Thornton sent 

 an approval of the suggestions of the President 

 through Secretary Fish, to include the " Ala- 

 bama claims " among the subjects to be con- 

 sidered; thus: 



With reference to that part of your note in which 

 you state that the President thinks that the removal 

 of the differences which arose during the rebellion 

 in the United States, and which have existed since 

 then, growing out of the acts committed by the sev- 

 eral vessels, which have given rise to the claims 

 generally known as the " Alabama claims," will also 

 be essential to the restoration of cordial and amicable 

 relations between the two Governments, I have the 

 honor to inform you that I have submitted to Earl 

 Granville the opinion thus expressed by the Presi- 

 dent of the United States, the friendliness of which, 

 I beg you to believe, I fully appreciate. 



I am now authorized by his lordship to state that 

 it would give her Majesty's Government great satis- 

 faction if the claims commonly known by the name 

 of the " Alabama claims " were submitted to the 

 consideration of the same high commission by which 

 her Majesty's Government have proposed that the 

 questions relating to the British possessions in North 



America should be discussed ; provided that all other 

 claims, both of British subjects and citizens of the 

 United StateSj arising out of acts committed during 

 the recent civil war in this country, are similarly re- 

 ferred to the same .commission. The expressions 

 made use of in the name of the President in your 

 above-mentioned note, with regard to the " Alabama 

 claims," convince me that the Government of the 

 United States will consider it of importance that 

 these causes of dispute between the two countries 

 should also at the same time be done away with, and 

 that you will enable me to convey to my Government 

 the assent of the President to the addition which 

 they thus propose to the duties of the high commis- 

 sion, and which cannot fail to make it more certain 

 that its labors will lead to the removal of all differ- 

 ences between the two countries. 



The reply of the Secretary, dated February 

 3d, was as follows : 



I have laid your note before the President, and 

 he has directed me to express the satisfaction with 

 which he has received the intelligence that Earl 

 Granville has authorized you to state that her Ma- 

 jesty's Government has accepted the views of this 

 Government as to the disposition to be made of the 

 so-called "Alabama claims." 



He also directs me to say, with reference to the 

 remainder of your note, that if there be other and 

 further claims of British subjects or of American 

 citizens growing out of acts committed during the 

 recent civil war in this country, 'he assents to the 

 propriety of their reference to the same high com- 

 mission ; but he suggests that the high commissioners 

 shall consider only such claims of this description as 

 may be presented by the Governments of the respec- 

 tive claimants at an early day, to be agreed upon by 

 the commissioners. 



On February 9th President Grant sent a 

 message to the Senate, in which were nomi- 

 nated the following gentlemen as the commis- 

 sioners on the part of the United States, viz. ; 

 Hon. Hamilton Fish, Secretary of State; Hon. 

 Samuel Nelson, Associate Justice of the United 

 States Supreme Court ; Hon. Robt. C. Schenck, 

 Minister to England ; Hon. E. Rockwood Hoar, 

 late Attorney-General of the United States; 

 and Hon. George H. Williams, United States 

 Senator from Oregon. 



On the part of Great Britain and Ireland 

 Queen Victoria appointed the members of 

 the commission, and designated them ns fol- 

 lows : George Frederick Samuel, Earl de 

 Grey and Earl of Ripon, Viscount Goderich, 

 Baron Grantham, a baronet, a peer of our 

 United Kingdom, President of our Most Hon- 

 orable Privy Council, Knight of our Most 

 Noble Order of the Garter, etc., etc. ; our 

 right-trusty and well-beloved councillor, Sir 

 Stafford Henry Northcote, Baronet, a member 

 of Parliament, Companion of our Most Hon- 

 orable Order of the Bath, etc., etc.; our 

 trusty and well-beloved Sir Edward Thornton, 

 Knight Commander of our Most Honorable 

 Order of the Bath, our Envoy Extraordinary 

 and Minister Plenipotentiary to our good 

 friends the United States of America; our 

 trusty and well-beloved Sir John Alexander 

 Macdonald, Knight Commander of our Most 

 Honorable Order of the Bath, a member of our 

 Privy Council for Canada and Minister of Jus- 

 tice and Attorney-General of our Dominion 



