Report of Society's Meetings. 227 
duties upon principal American imports was as much as 
the colonies would be inclined to grant. This he at once 
declared to be quite inadmissible, and adhered to his 
request for a 50 per cent, reduction. I assured him that 
the loss of revenue would be so great that the colonies 
could never consent to it. After a protra6led interview 
on Saturday, 14th November, in which all the arguments 
bearing on the question were exhausted, the further con- 
sideration was adjourned. Discussions were renewed in 
the following week. General Foster produced his 50 
per cent, reduction list, which however did not now 
contain the item of tobacco. This was an important 
concession, but the proposed schedule as it stood would 
still have caused a loss to British Guiana alone of £90 000. 
I again urged the impossibility of accepting this, and 
General Foster at last suggested dividing the schedule into 
two parts ; the one being a 50 per cent. ; the other a 25 per 
cent, schedule. By the 27th November the Barbados 
delegates had arrived. They cordially supported me in the 
proceedings I had taken, and after some further interview 
tjie three schedules as finally agreed were provisionally 
accepted. I obtained through Sir Julian Pauncefote the 
consent of the Governors in reply to telegrams stating 
amounts to be given up under the schedules, and I left 
Washington on December gth, feeling confident that in 
the hands of Her Majesty's Minister, the remaining 
official steps would be taken without delay, and the 
matter carried through to a satisfactory conclusion. 
I have confined this rather hurried paper exclusively 
to British Guiana. There are many interesting points 
relating to the other colonies which might be discussed. 
My relations with General Foster were always very 
EE2 
