APPENDICES TO THE ORAL ARGUMENTS BEFORE THE PERMA- 

 NENT COURT OF ARBITRATION. 



1355 APPENDIX (A). 



NOTES FROM LETTERS AND DESPATCHES OF LORD CASTLEREAGH, VOL. II, 

 3RD EDITION, PUBLISHED IN LONDON, 1853. 



Lord Cftstlereagh to His Majesty^s Commissioners appointed to 



negotiate at Ghent. 



FOREIGN OFFICE, July 28, 1814- 



MY LORD AND GENTLEMEN : The Government of the United States 

 of America having appointed Commissioners to treat directly for 

 peace with Great Britain, the Prince Regent lias thought fit to ap- 

 point Commissioners on the part of His Britannic Majesty for the 

 like purpose, and I have the satisfaction to acquaint you that His 

 Royal Highness has been pleased to entrust to you the service in 

 question. It has been agreed that these discussions shall take place 

 at Ghent, to which town you will repair with the least practicable 

 delay. I enclose the necessary full powers; and am commanded by 

 the Prince Regent to convey to you, the following instructions for 

 the direction of your conduct. 



The enclosed treaties will put you in possession of the relations, as 

 far as they have been reduced into positive stipulations, which have 

 existed between the two States since the independence of America 

 was recognised by this country. You will observe that these instru- 

 ments have ceased to be binding in consequence of the war. The state 

 of possession, as thereby settled, must however be considered as the 

 territorial arrangement which would revive upon a peace, except so 

 far as the same may be modified by any new treaty. 



You may assure the American Commissioners that the British 

 Government, whatever sense it may entertain of the causes of the 

 rupture, is sincerely desirous of a permanent adjustment of all dif- 

 ferences, and that this desire is not abated by the successful termina- 

 tion of the war in Europe ; and that, with this view, you are author- 

 ised to meet with frankness and conciliation whatever propositions 

 the American negotiators may be prepared to offer, for terminating 

 the war which has been declared by their Government. 



So far as the Prince Regent's Ministers can anticipate the nature of 

 the approaching discussions, they appear to class themselves under 

 the four following heads: (1), the questions mainly affecting our 

 maritime rights and strength, and especially the undoubted right of 

 the Sovereign of these realms to claim and enforce in war the alle- 



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