58 t COKKESPONDENCE, ETC. 



assurance of the British government that it was not intended to 

 capture American fishing-vessels, except under precisely the same 

 circumstances as those which have been acted on of late years. 



Some progress was made by Mr. Webster, before his death, in 

 preparations to negotiate with Mr. Crampton on the fisheries, and 

 on the subject which the colonies and Great Britain are desirous of 

 connecting with it — I mean commercial reciprocity between the 

 United States and the British provinces. The President is still 

 desirous that this negotiation should proceed, and it will be taken 

 up as soon as possible. He is, however, of opinion, as the two sub- 

 jects have no natural or necessary connexion, that it will not be 

 advisable to endeavor to include them both in one treaty. What- 

 ever agreement may be made on either of these subjects by treaty 

 will probably require a law to carry it into effect; and the requisite 

 legislation is much more likely to be effected by keeping each sub- 

 ject by itself, unembarrassed by the difficulties of the other. 



In this state of things, it is not worth while to renew the general 

 discussion of the occurrences of last summer. There are, however, 

 some remarks in the despatch of Lord Malmesbury to Mr. Crampton 

 which, in justice to this government, to Mr. Webster, and I may add 

 to myself, require some reply. 



Lord Malmesbury expresses the " sincerest regret that such a pub- 

 lication (as Mr. Webster's of the 20th July) should have been made, 

 without what appears to her Majesty's government sufficient inquiry 

 into the circumstances of the case," and intimates that this govern- 

 ment was hardly justified in supposing that any measures offensive 

 to the United States could have been intended by Great Britain. It 

 must be recollected, however, that Mr. Webster's notice was designed 

 solely as a warning to our fishermen not to incur a risk which was 

 for the moment supposed to be great and imminent. This interest is 

 one of too much magnitude to be left exposed even to possible danger 

 of serious injury. However great our reliance on the friendly inten- 

 tions of the English government, we had official notice, and that a 

 very short notice, that a more efficient armed force was ordered to 

 the fishing-grounds to act against French and American fishermen. 

 The encroachments complained of by the colonists, and which caused 

 this step to be taken, had never been represented to this government, 

 nor was their precise nature known. Under these circumstances, it 

 was quite natural to believe, and it certainly was believed, that some 

 new and decisive measures of repression were about to be adopted, 

 against which it was important that our fishermen should be warned 

 without a moment's delay. 



It is necessary to bear in mind, as a chief source of uneasiness and 

 occasional irritation on this subject, that, while the views of the home 

 government in reference to the fisheries have generally been liberal. 

 and founded on a comprehensive survey of the best interests of the 

 two countries, those views have been steadily, and but too successfully 

 met, as I shall show hereafter, by a colonial influence of an opposite 

 character. 



Lord Malmesbury objects to a remark of Mr. Webster, that " with 

 the recent change of ministry in England has occurred an entire 

 change of policy " in reference to the fisheries; and he observes that 

 " the question of protecting British subjects in the exercise of their 



