154 CORRESPONDENCE, ETC., 



Britain, in the way of the renewal of the Intercourse between The 

 United States and the West Indies, according to the foregoing Propo- 

 sition made by Mr. MacLane, will thereby be removed. 

 The undersigned. &c., 



ABERDEEN. 

 Louis MACLANE, Esq. 



Mr. Van Buren to Mr. McLane. 



DEPARTMENT OF STATE, 



Washington, 5th Oct., 1830. 



SIR, Your Despatch of the 20th August was, on the 3d instant, 

 received at this Department, and, with its, contents, laid before the 

 President. 



You will perceive by the enclosed Proclamation, and Instructions 

 from the Treasury Department to the Collectors of Customs, that 

 the President has adopted, without reserve, the construction given 

 to the Act of Congress of the 29th of May, 1830, by Lord Aberdeen 

 and yourself, by accepting the assurance of the British Government, 

 with the accompanying explanations, as a compliance with its requisi- 

 tions, and by doing all that was necessary to carry the proposed ar- 

 rangement into complete effect on the part of the United States. By 

 virtue of the President's Proclamation, and the operation of the Act 

 of the Congress above referred to, our restrictive Acts are repealed, 

 and the Ports of The United States opened to British Vessels coming 

 from any of the British Colonial Possessions mentioned in both Sec- 

 tions of the Act, upon the terms stated in that Act, and in the ac- 

 companying instruction. The President does not doubt that, having 

 thus given effect to the arrangement on the part of this Government, 

 that of Great Britain will, without delay, do what is necessary on its 

 side to remove all existing obstructions to the renewal of the inter- 

 course between The United States and the British Colonial Possessions 

 referred to, according to the proposition submitted by you and ac- 

 cepted by that Government. He allows himself also to expect that 

 the circumstance that the ports of The United States are forthwith 

 open to British Vessels, whilst the opening of those of Great Britain 

 must await the action of the British Government, thus producing 

 temporarily an unequal operation, will induce His Majesty s Govern- 

 ment to give to the matter its earliest attention. 



The President has derived great satisfaction from the candor and 

 liberality which have characterised the conduct of His Majesty's 

 Ministers throughout the negotiation, and particularly in not suf- 

 fering the inadvertencies of our Legislation, attributable to the haste 

 and confusion of the closing scenes of the Session, to defeat or delay 

 the adjustment of a question, with respect to the substance of which, 

 and the interest of the 2 countries, in its adjustment, both Govern- 

 ments are now happily of one opinion. He cherishes the most lively 

 anticipations of the solid benefits which will flow from the trade that 

 is about to revive, as well as of the benign influence which the satis- 

 factory removal of a long standing and vexatious impediment to the 

 extention of their commercial intercourse is calculated to exercise 

 upon the relations between the 2 Countries. It is his wish that you 



