20 THE TREATY OF WASHINGTON. 



tlie United States disposed to meet with perfect cor- 

 resi:)ondence of good-will the advances of the British 

 Government. 



OVERTURES BY GREAT BRITAIN. 



Accordingly, on the 2Gtli of January, 1871, the 

 Bi-itish Government, through 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 questions between the two 

 Governments aftecting the British possessions in 

 North America. 



To this overture Mr. Fish replied that the President 

 would with pleasure appoint, as invited, Commission- 

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

 liberations of the Commissioners should be extended 

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

 ferences growing out of incidents of the late Civil 

 War: without which, in his opinion, the proposed 

 Commission would fail to establish those permanent 

 relations of sincere and substantial friendship between 

 the two countries which he, in common Avith the 

 Queen, desired to 'have prevail. 



The British Government promptly accepted this 

 proposal for enlarging the sphere of the negotiation, 

 w ith the result, as we have already seen, of the con- 

 clusion of the Treaty of Washington. 



