DESPATCHES, REPORTS, CORRESPONDENCE, ETC. 293 



No. 6. 1817, March 22: Letter, Viscount Castlereagh to Mr. Bagot. 



FOREIGN OFFICE, 'March 22, 1817. 



SIR, Your despatch No. 2 of the 7th January, in which you report 

 the result of your negotiation with the American Government, on the 

 subject of the fisheries, has been received and laid before the Prince 

 Regent. 



His Royal Highness regrets that the very liberal accommodation 

 which you were authorized to offer for the purpose of carrying on 

 their fishery has not at once been accepted. 



It is satisfactory, however, to observe that nothing has been done 



on the part of the American Government pending these discussions 



which can indispose this Government to receive from that of 



177 the United States, and to consider in the spirit of conciliation, 



any suggestion which they may have to offer, by which the 



accommodation intended to be afforded may be better effectuated 



without leading to consequences inconsistent with the interests of 



Great Britain. 



The Prince Regent fully approves the motives which induced you 

 to decline receiving any counter projet from the American Secre- 

 tary of State. 



Undoubtedly no negotiation could be entertained which might, in 

 its form, seem to imply any doubt on the part of this Government 

 as to the sovereign rights of Great Britain, but as Mr. Monroe per- 

 suades himself that the British Government upon further inquiry, 

 might, without prejudice to its own interests, accede to the proposi- 

 tion, which he was desirous of making to them through you, His 

 Royal Highness authorizes you to learn from the American Govern- 

 ment the precise extent and nature of the accommodation which it 

 seeks to obtain. 



As soon as you shall forward to me the proposition in question, 

 which you will express a hope may be framed in such a spirit of 

 moderation as not to impose on this Government the necessity of 

 meeting it with a refusal, I shall lose no time in submitting the same 

 to the favourable consideration of His Royal Highness. 



In the meantime I think it right to apprize you, and of this it may 

 be desirable that the Government of the United States should be 

 aware, in order that any unpleasant collision may be avoided, that 

 the orders for the exclusion of American fishermen from our ter- 

 ritorial jurisdiction in North America and Newfoundland are in full 

 force, and will continue to be acted upon. 



If therefore any unnecessary inconvenience has resulted or should 

 result to the American fishery in the ensuing season, from the rejec- 

 tion of the liberal proposals with which you were charged, this in- 

 convenience at least is not fairly attributable to the British Govern- 

 ment, the proposition for affording to the Americans every reason- 

 able accommodation having been opened by you to the American 

 Secretary of State, as far back as the month of July in the last year. 

 I am, &c. 



CASTLEBEAGH. 



92909 S. Doc. 870, 61-3, vol 7 24 



