2310 NORTH ATLANTIC COAST FISHERIES ARBITRATION. 



I availed myself of this opportunity to mention, as a topic con- 

 nected with the Commercial Treaty, the Order in Council equal- 

 izing the duties in England on certain goods imported and 

 1395 exported in British and American Vessels, and pointed out the 

 want of reciprocity which existed in this Country, no cor- 

 responding measure having been adopted by the Executive of the 

 United States. Mr. Monroe was disposed at first to assign as a reason 

 for this, that the Order in Council referred to had never been 

 officially communicated either to Mr. Adams or himself, but after- 

 wards added that the Powers which the President possessed on the 

 subject, derived from the Act repealing the discriminating duties, 

 passed at the close of the last Session of Congress, could only be 

 exercised towards another Nation in the event of an equalization on 

 its part of the duties on Tonnage as well as goods, the former of 

 which were not mentioned in the Order in Council. He observed 

 however, that Congress was on the point of assembling, and that as a 

 consequence of the Ratification of the Treaty, the duties both on 

 Tonnage and Goods would be equalized in the two Countries. I 

 endeavoured to impress upon Mr. Monroe the justice of the claim 

 which it might be expected would be made for a remission of the 

 Extra duties levied in the United States on British goods, subse- 

 quently to the date on which the Order in Council went into opera- 

 tion in England with respect to American cargoes. 



I next proceeded to fulfil the instructions on the subject of the 

 fisheries contained in the Dispatch No. 10, by recapitulating to Mr. 

 Monroe what had passed between us on that point during the sum- 

 mer, recalling to his memorv the note which he had addressed to me 

 respecting the conduct of rtis Majesty's brig Jaseur, and my reply, 

 and informing him that the language which I had held had been 

 approved of by His Majesty's Government. In order to make the 

 communication as clear and distinct as possible, I then read to him 

 the two concluding paragraphs of Earl Bathurst's dispatch. 



In reply Mr. Monroe made very few remarks, but they tended to 

 show that his opinion respecting the claims of the United States in 

 consequence of the peculiar character attributed by them to the 

 Treaty of 1783, remained unshaken. He expressed a desire of avail- 

 ing himself of the first convenient opportunity to converse further 

 on the topic, but gave me to understand that Mr. Adams had been 

 directed to negotiate in London an arrangement between the two 

 Countries respecting the forces to be maintained on the Lakes, the 

 intercourse on the frontier, and other subjects connected with the 

 North American Provinces, amongst which this claim of the United 

 States might be included. 



During this interview after acquainting him with the steps taken 

 by His Majesty's Government towards the execution of the Articles 

 of the Treaty of Ghent relating to boundary, I requested to know 

 whether any similar measures had been adopted by the United 

 States. He informed me that two Commissioners, Mr. Holmes of 

 Massachusetts and General Peter B. Porter of New York, had been 

 already appointed, and that a third would be named in a few days. 

 I have, &c. 



ANTHONY ST. JNO. BAKER. 



To the Right Honble. Viscount CASTLEREAOH, K. C., 



(&c. <&c. 



