680 CORRESPONDENCE, ETC. 



patch and by cable, Sir Julian Pauncefote gave me to understand he 

 should send me more definite information on that point yesterday. 



I presume that his silence arises from Lord Salisbury's continued 

 illness. It is possible a note may arrive after the closing of the bag. 

 Whenever it comes I shall send you the substance of it by cable. 



It is proper for me to state, in addition to what I wrote you on Sat- 

 urday, that Sir Julian Pauncefote intimated that they would probably 

 be able to receive the opinions of the law officers of the crown very 

 shortly, so that with the additional delay of reconsidering the matter 

 in the foreign office, we might rely upon having a reply certainly 

 within a month from the present time ; but he preferred I should make 

 no positive statement on this point until I should hear from him 

 again. 



I have, &c., W. J. HOPPIN. 



Mr. Hoppin to Mr. Evarts. 



No. 150.] LEGATION or THE UNITED STATES, 



London, February 14, 1880. 



(Received February 24.) 



SIR: Referring to my Nos. 143 and 147, of the 7th and 10th in- 

 stant, I have the honor to inclose herewith a copy of a note which I 

 received late in the evening of the 13th instant from Sir Julian 

 Pauncefote, desiring me to convey to you the regrets of Her Majesty's 

 Government for their unavoidable delay in answering your note in 

 relation to the Fortune Bay claims. It will be observed that he 

 gives the same reasons for his delay, and announces the same intention 

 to expedite the action of the government here in this matter, which 

 he stated to me at our interview on the 7th instant, and which I 

 had the honor to communicate to you in the dispatches above men- 

 tioned and in my telegrams of the llth and 13th instant. 

 I have, &c., 



W. J. HOPPIN. 



[Inclosure.] 



Sir Julian Pauncefote to Mr. Hoppin. 



FOREIGN OFFICE, February 12, 1880. 



SIR: With reference to the telegram addressed to you by Mr. 

 Evarts relative to the Fortune Bay question, a copy of which you 

 communicated to me, I have the honor to request that you will con- 

 vey to Mr. Evarts the regret of Her Majesty's Government at the 

 delay which has unavoidably occurred in answering the claim of the 

 United States Government. On receipt of the report upon the case, 

 which had been called for from the Government of Newfoundland, it 

 was found necessary to refer certain points to the law officers of the 

 crown for their opinion, and owing to the great pressure of business 

 after the Parliamentary recess, and on the reopening of the law 

 courts, as well as from the voluminous character of the documents 

 submitted to them, they have been unable up to the present time to 

 complete their examination of the case. 



They will be immediately requested to expedite their report, and as 

 early as possible after the receipt of it I shall not fail to make known 



