DESPATCHES, REPORTS, CORRESPONDENCE, ETC. 135 



delay to a reluctance to decline any proposition which you had made, 

 by the order of your Government, for the arrangement of an interest 

 of such high importance to both nations, and to the difficulty of 

 obtaining all the information necessary to guide this Government in 

 the decision. 



I have the honor to be, &c. JAMES MONROE. 



The Right Hon. CHARLES BAGOT. 



No. 25. 1816, December 31 : Letter from Mr. Bagot to Mr. Monroe. 



WASHINGTON, December 31, 1816. 



SIR: I have had the honour to receive your letter of yesterday's 

 date, acquainting me that neither of the propositions which I had 

 submitted to your consideration, upon the subject of providing for 

 the citizens of the United States engaged in the fisheries some ade- 

 quate accommodation for their pursuit upon the coast of His Maj- 

 esty's territories, having been found to afford the essential con- 

 veniences which are desired, you are compelled to decline them. 



The object of His Majesty's Government, in framing these proposi- 

 tions, was to endeavour to assign to the American fishermen, in the 

 prosecution of their employment, as large a participation of the con- 

 veniences afforded by the neighbouring coasts of His Majesty's 

 79 settlements as might be reconcileable with the just rights and 

 interests of His Majesty's own subjects, and the due admin- 

 istration of His Majesty's dominions; and it was earnestly hoped that 

 either one or the other of "them would have been found to afford, in 

 a sufficient degreej the accommodation which was required. 



The wish of His Royal Highness the Prince Regent to extend to 

 the citizens of the United States every advantage which, for the pur- 

 poses in view, can be derived from the use of His Majesty's coasts, has 

 no other limit than that which is necessarily prescribed by a regard 

 to the important considerations to which I have adverted. His Royal 

 Highness is willing to make the utmost concession which these con- 

 siderations will admit; and, in proof of the sincerity of this disposi- 

 tion, I have received His Royal Highness's instructions to acquaint 

 you that if, upon examination of the local circumstances of the 

 coasts, which I have had the honour to propose, the American Gov- 

 ernment should be of opinion that neither of them, taken separately, 

 would afford, in a satisfactory degree, the conveniences which are 

 deemed requisite, His Royal Highness will be willing that the citizens 

 of the United States should have the full benefit of both of them, and 

 that, under the conditions already stated, they should be admitted to 

 each of the shores which I have had the honour to point out. 



In consenting to assign to their use so large a portion of His 

 Majesty's coasts, His Royal Highness is persuaded that he affords an 

 unquestionable testimony of his earnest endeavour to meet, as far as 

 is possible, the wishes of the American Government, and practicallv 

 to accomplish, in the amplest manner, the objects which they have in 

 view. The free access to each of these tracts cannot fail to offer 

 every variety of convenience which the American fishermen can re- 

 quire in the different branches of their occupation; and it will be 



