NEGOTIATIONS AT WASHINGTON IN 1816-17. 39 



citizens of the United States, the essential accommodation which is 

 desired; neither having been much frequented by them heretofore, 

 nor likely to be in the future. I am compelled, therefore, to decline 

 both propositions." 



On the following day Mr. Bagot replied by note under date of 

 December 31, 1816, suggesting as his third proposal — 



that if, upon examination of the local circumstances of the coasts, 

 which I have had the honor to propose, the American Government 

 should be of opinion that neither of them, taken separately, would 

 afford, in a satisfactory degree, the conveniences which are deemed 

 requisite, His Royal Highness will be willing that the citizens of the 

 United States should have the full benefit of both of them, and that, 

 under the conditions already stated, they should be admitted to each 

 of the shores which I have had the honor to point out.^ 



This proposal was likewise declined by Mr. Monroe, who stated 

 with respect to it in his note to Mr. Bagot of January 7, 1817 : 



Having stated, in mj letter, of the 30th of December, that, accord- 

 ing to the best information which I had been able to obtain, neither 

 of those coasts had been much frequented by our fishermen, or was 

 likely to be so in future, I am led to believe that they w^ould not, when 

 taken conjointly, as proposed in your last letter, aft'ord the accommo- 

 dation which is so important to them, and which it is very satisfactory 

 to find it is the desire of your Government that they should possess. 

 From the disposition manifested by your Government, which corre- 

 sponds with that of the United States, a strong hope is entertained 

 that further inquiry into the subject will enable His Eoyal Highness 

 the Prince Regent to ascertain that an arrangement, on a scale more 

 accommodating to the expectation of the United States will not be 

 inconsistent with the interest of Great Britain. 



In the mean time, this Government will persevere in its measures 

 for obtaining such further information as will enable it to meet yours 

 in the conciliatory views which are cherished on both sides ^ — 



That Mr. Bagot's authority under his instructions was not suf- 

 ficiently extensive to enable him to negotiate on a basis satisfactory 

 to the United States, is evident from the statement made by Lord 

 Castlereagh in his note of May 7, 1817, to Mr. Adams, after the close 

 of this negotiation, that — 



it appears that the American Secretary, in February last, had it in 

 contemplation to offer, for the consideration of the British Govern- 

 ment, some specific proposition on the subject, which Mr. Bagot did 

 not then feel himself authorized to take, ad referendum but which he 

 has since been instructed to receive, and transmit for the information 

 of his court." 



"WTiat the proposition here referred to was, does not appear and it is 

 of interest to note as a significant feature of this negotiation that no- 



» Appendix, p. 292. * Appendix, p. 293. "Appendix, p. 295. 



92909°— S. Doc. 870, 61-3, vol 1 11 



