946 CORRESPONDENCE, ETC. 



on the 31st of May, and received on June 10th his reply, and copies 

 of this correspondence were duly sent to you. 



Yesterday Sir Lionel West handed me, and without comment, the 

 following copy of a telegram to him from Lord Salisbury : 



"If Secretary of State will formally propose the appointment of 

 commission as suggested by him in his correspondence with Sir 

 Charles Tupper, Her Majesty's Government will agree with great 

 pleasure. 



" SALISBURY." 



and I have just telegraphed you to the following effect : 

 " PHELPS, Minister, London: 



"Sir Lionel West handed to me yesterday telegram from Lord 

 Salisbury agreeing to the negotiation suggested by me informally in 

 correspondence with Sir Charles Tupper, after his visit to this capital, 

 and requesting me to make formal proposal, which will be forwarded 

 to you at once. 



"BAYARD." 



By reference to my personal letter to you of May 31, which inclosed 

 a copy of my letter to Sir Charles Tupper of that date, you will per- 

 ceive that I did not propose the appointment of a " commission," but 

 used the following language in reference to the proposed negotia- 

 tion: 



" Your visit and invitation to negotiate here was entirely welcome, 

 and of this I endeavored to impress you. 



" Conversation with the President has confirmed these views, and 

 now it remains to give them practical effect. 



"Great Britain being the onlv treaty-making party to deal with 

 the United States, the envoys of that Government alone are author- 

 ized to speak in her behalf and create her obligations. 



" I presume you will be personally constituted a plenipotentiary 

 of Great Britain to arrange here, with whomsoever may be selected 

 to represent the United States, terms of arrangement for a modus 

 vivendi to meet present emergencies, and also a permanent plan to 

 avoid all future disputes. 



" It appears to me that as matters now stand the colony of New- 

 foundland ought to be represented and included, for a single arrange- 

 ment should suffice to regulate all the joint and several interests 

 involved. 



" I should, therefore, be informed speedily, through the proper 

 channels, as to the authorization and appointment by the Imperial 

 Government of such representatives. 



******* 



" I am prepared, therefore, to meet the authorized agents of Great 

 Britain at this capital at the earliest possible day, and enter upon 

 negotiations for a settlement of all differences." 



By reason of the action of the Senate on April 15, 1886, in regard 

 to the recommendation of the President for the appointment of a 

 joint commission to take into consideration the entire question of fish- 

 ing rights of the two Governments and their citizens on the coast of 

 British North America, the formation of a joint commission was not 

 again proposed by me, but in the discharge of his constitutional func- 

 tions negotiations with a view to a settlement were not abandoned, 



