PERIOD FROM 1871 TO 1905. 723 



rights under the treaty. In case of delegation Secretary of State 

 for Foreign Affairs would prefer there should be umpire. I inferred 

 he would prefer a member of diplomatic body at Washington speak- 

 ing English. Wished me to ask if you would prefer to this arrange- 

 ment the offer of a lump sum. I communicated to him as you directed 

 your No. 109. 



LOWELL. 



Mr. Lowell to Mr. Evarts. 



[Extract] 



No. 130.] LEGATION OF THE UNITED STATES, 



London, February #, 1881. (Received March 5.) 



SIR: Immediately on receiving your dispatches numbered respec- 

 tively 109 and 110, which reached me during the forenoon of the 

 15th, I addressed a note to Lord Granville, asking for an interview. 

 In reply, he appointed 3 o'clock next day (the 16th) and at that hour 

 I accordingly saw him at the foreign office. I carried with me copies 

 of both dispatches, but said nothing about No. 109, because the read- 

 ing to him of that was left to my discretion, and I thought it wiser 

 to be guided by the tone and results of our conversation. I merely 

 communicated the fact of new outrages and the natural feeling pro- 

 duced by them. After the reading of the dispatch (No. 110), Lord 

 Granville said that he " regretted the tone of it as more exacting than 

 he had hoped it would be, and hardly in unison with the conciliatory 

 course of Her Majesty's Government." The ground of this hope, he 

 gave me to understand, had been the friendly terms of your telegram 

 of 12th June last. I answered that I had no reason to believe that 

 the tone of the dispatch indicated any diminution on the part of the 

 United States of amicable feeling, but was the expression only of a 

 natural impatience at excessive delay. I added that, though I had no 

 information as to how much weight my government would attach to 

 the allegations of Professor Hinde, yet that they had been brought 

 before Congress by Mr. Springer, would be generally believed by the 

 fishermen, and would tend to exasperate public opinion, already 

 impatient. 



Lord Granville said * * * that at first sight there seemed to be 

 propositions in the dispatch with which Her Majesty's Government 

 would be inclined to agree. The proposal to refer the question of 

 damages to you and Sir E. Thornton, or to two persons delegated by 

 you and him, seemed to him to be a good one. But on the whole 

 matter he must consult his colleagues before replying definitely. He 

 added that he had no objection to the reservation by each government 

 of their opinions as to their respective rights under the treaty. It 

 might be hoped that such questions would be set at rest both by the 

 agreement which might be come to as to damages to be paid to Amer- 

 ican fishermen, and by the regulations to be established for the 

 future. 



I replied that I had certainly no intention to precipitate discussion, 

 but wished to impress on him the great importance of the right of 

 strand fishing, referring hi illustration to the concession of a part of 

 the shore to France. 



