20 THE TREATY OF WASHINGTON. 



tlie United States disposed to meet witli perfect cor- 

 rcspoudencc of good-will the advances of the Britisli 

 Government. 



OVF.RTUUES DY GREAT IIRITAIN. 



Accordingly, on the 2(3th of Jannary, 1S71, the 

 British Government, throngh Sir Edward Thornton, 

 formally proposed to the American Government the 

 appointment of a joint High Commission to hold its 

 sessions at Washington, and there devise means to 

 settle the various pending rpiestions between the two 

 Governments allVcting the British possessions in 

 North Arvicrica. 



To this overture ]Mr. Fish r(»i)lied that the President 

 would with i)leasure appoint, as invited. Commission- 

 ers on the part of the United States, provided the de- 

 liberations of the Commissioners should be extended 

 to other dilVcrences, — that is to say, to include the dif- 

 ferences growing out of incidents of the late Civil 

 War: without which, in Ids opinion, the proposed 

 Commission would fail to establish those permanent 

 relations of sincere and substantial friendship between 

 the two countries which he, in common with the 

 Queen, desired to have prevail. 



llie British Government promptly accepted this 

 proposal for enlarging the sphere of the negotiation, 

 with the result, as we have already seen, of the cou- 

 elusion of the Treaty of Washington. 



