MISCELLANEOUS. 1257 



"I cannot but think the late despatches from the colonial office had 

 not attracted, to a sufficient degree, the attention of the principal 

 minister of the crown; for I see matter in them quite inconsistent 

 with the arrangement made in 1845 by the Earl of Aberdeen and 

 Edward Everett. At that time, the Earl of Derby, the present first 

 minister, was colonial secretary. It could not weU have taken place 

 without his knowledge, and, in fact, without his concurrence and 

 sanction. I cannot but think, therefore, that its being overlooked is 

 an inadvertence. 



"The treaty of 1818 was made with the crown of England. If a 

 fishing vessel is captured by one of her vessels of war, and carried to 

 a British port for adjudication, the crown of England is answerable; 

 and then we know w T hom we have to deal with. But it is not to be 

 expected that the United States will submit their rights to be adjudi- 

 cated upon in the petty tribunals of the provinces; or that we shall 

 allow our vessels to be seized on by constables, or other petty officers, 

 and condemned by the municipal courts of Quebec and Newfound- 

 land, New Brunswick or Canada. No, no, no! (Great cheering.) 



"Further than this, gentlemen, I do not think it expedient to 

 remark upon this topic at present. But you may be assured, it is a 

 subject upon which no one sleeps at Washington. I regret that the 

 state of my health caused my absence from Washington when the 

 news came of this sudden change in the interpretation of the treaties." 



The President answered the resolution of the Senate on the 5th of 

 August, and, in transmitting the documents requested by that body, 

 he observed that the steam-frigate Mississippi, Commodore M. C. 

 Perry, had been despatched to the coasts of the British possessions 

 "for the purpose of protecting the rights of American fishermen under 

 the convention of 1818." These documents were speedily published. 

 Many of them are of great value. Soon after their publication, 

 debates upon the subject of the fisheries were renewed. Our limits 

 allow us to notice the speech of Mr. Seward alone, delivered on the 

 14th of August. 



He is supposed to have expressed the views of the government, or 

 to have made authorized explanations, upon several important points 

 which he discussed. To correct whatever misapprehension existed 

 relative to the British naval force on the fishing grounds, he said: 



"Let us now see wiiat force it is that has been sent into the field of 

 the dispute. There is the Buzzard, a steamer of six guns, and the Ber- 

 muda, a schooner of three guns, sent to the straits of Belleisle and on 

 the coast of Newfoundland, where we have an unquestioned right of 

 fishing, and where there is no controversy. Then there is the Devasta- 

 tion, a steamer of six guns; the Arrow and the Telegraph, of one gjun 

 each; and the Net-ley, of two guns, hi the Gulf of St. Lawrence: making 

 in the whole seven vessels, with a total of 31 guns, sent by the imperial 

 government into these waters. If you add to this force the flag-ship of 

 Vice Admiral Seymour, (the Cumberland,) with seventy guns, there 

 are, altogether, one hundred and one guns. This is the naval force 

 which has been sent into the northeastern seas. 



"Now, I desire the Senate to take notice what force was there before 

 this great naval force was sent. Last year there was the flag-ship, the 

 Cumberland, commanded by the same Sir Charles Seymour, with 

 seventy guns; a frigate of twenty-six guns; two sloops of sixteen guns; 

 and one steamer of six guns: making in the whole sixty-four guns, 



