DESPATCHES, REPORTS, CORRESPONDENCE, ETC. 669 



tional relations arising out of it, exist only between the Governments 

 of the United States and of Great Britain, and between those Gov- 

 ernments only can they be dealt with. If, in entering upon that 

 consideration of the subject which the United States have insisted 

 upon, the arguments contained in the Report of the Canadian Min- 

 ister should be advanced by Her Majesty's Government, I do not 

 conceive that they will be found difficult to answer. 



Two suggestions contained in that Report are, however, specially 

 noticed by Lord Iddesleigh, as being " in reply " to the arguments 

 contained in my note. In quoting the substance of the contention 

 of the Canadian Minister on the particular points referred to, I do 

 not understand his Lordship to depart from the conclusion of Her 

 Majesty's Government he had previously announced, declining to 

 enter upon the discussion of the cases in which the questions arise. 

 He presents the observations of the Report only as those of the 

 Canadian Minister made in the argument of points upon which Her 

 Majesty's Government decline at present to enter. I do not, there- 

 fore, feel called upon to make any answer to these suggestions; and 

 more especially as it seems obvious that the subject can not usefully 

 be discussed upon one or two suggestions appertaining to it, and 

 considered by themselves alone. While those mentioned by Lord 

 Iddesleigh have undoubtedly their place in the general argument, it 

 will be seen that they leave quite untouched most of the propositions 

 and reasoning set forth in my note to Lord Rosebery above men- 

 tioned. It appears to me that the questions can not be satisfactorily 

 treated aside from the cases in which they arise. And that when 

 discussed the whole subject must be gone into in its entirety. 



The United States Government is not able to concur in the favour- 

 able view taken by Lord Iddesleigh of the efforts of the Canadian 

 Government " to promote a friendly negotiation." That the conduct 

 of that Government has been directed to obtaining a revision of the 

 existing treaty is not to be doubted ; but its efforts have been of such 

 a character as to preclude the prospect of a successful negotiation so 

 long as they continue, and seriously to endanger the friendly rela- 

 tions between the United States and Great Britain. 



Aside from the question as to the right of American vessels to pur- 

 chase bait in Canadian ports, such a construction has been given to 

 the Treaty between the United States and Great Britain as amounts 

 virtually to a declaration of almost complete non-intercourse with 

 American vessels. The usual comity between friendly nations has 

 been refused in their case, and in one instance, at least, the ordinary 

 offices of humanity". The Treaty of Friendship and Amity which, in 

 return for very important concessions by the United States to Great 

 Britain, reserved to the American vessels certain specified privileges 

 has been construed to exclude them from all other intercourse com- 

 mon to civilized life and to universal maritime usage among nations 

 not at war, as well as from the right to touch and trade accorded to 

 all other vessels. 



And, quite aside from any question arising upon construction of 

 the Treaty, the provisions of the Customs-house Acts and Regula- 

 tions have been systematically enforced against American ships for 

 alleged petty and technical violations of legal requirements in a 

 manner so unreasonable, unfriendly, and unjust as to render the 

 privileges accorded by the Treaty practically nugatory. 



