572 CORRESPONDENCE, ETC. 



[Inclosure. ] 



Department of State, 



Washington, April 12, 1SG6. 



The Secretary of State to whom was referred a resolution of the 

 House of Representatives of the 10th instant, in the following words: 

 " Resolved^ That the President of the United States be respectfully 

 requested to inform this House what steps have been taken to protect 

 the rights and interests of American citizens in the fishing grounds 

 adjacent to the British provinces, and whether any legislation or 

 other action, on the part of Congress is, in his judgment necessary 

 to secure these rights and interests in consequence of the abrogation 

 of the reciprocity treaty of 1854," has the honor to report : 



That the Secretary of the Navy has, by the President's direction, 

 taken preparatory measures for sending seasonably a naval force to 

 the fishing grounds adjacent to the British North American prov- 

 inces, which force, it is believed, will be adequate to protect the rights 

 and interests of American citizens against any unlawful violence. 



It is proper to state, however, that this department has reason to 

 believe that there are at present no good grounds for apprehending 

 any collision or any necessity for the employment of force. 



The attention of the President, and also the attention of her 

 Majesty's government, has been directed to the question, whether 

 negotiation or legislation could be advantageously employed in ad- 

 justing the differences which have heretofore existed between the 

 United States and Great Britain concerning the fisheries. The meas- 

 ures taken in that regard are not sufficiently matured to render it 

 expedient or beneficial to suggest any form of special action by 

 Congress at the present time. 



Respectfully submitted : 



William H. Seward. 



The President. 



Mr. Adams to Mr. Seward. 



No. 1194.] Legation of the United States, 



London, May 3, 1866. 

 Sir: Immediately after the reception of your despatch No. 1737, 

 of the 10th of April, I applied to Lord Clarendon for an interview, 

 and obtained one on Tuesday. I then submitted to him the draught 

 of a protocol on the fishery question, premising with some observa- 

 tions as to the probability that he might already have been prepared 

 in a measure for an immediate decision by his information received 

 from Sir Frederick Bruce. His lordship said that such was not the 

 fact — the thing was wholly new to him. On a first glance he rather 

 liked the proposal, but he could not give any opinion without con- 

 sultation with his colleagues; he must, therefore, take it ad referen- 

 dum, and would let me know the result at an early day. I then gave 

 him a copy, since which I have had no further intelligence from him. 

 But last evening I casually met with Mr. Cardwell, the head of the 

 Colonial Office, and he at once referred to the matter with great 

 satisfaction; said that he had already himself suggested something 

 of the same kind, and intimated that Lord Clarendon would soon 



