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ceived from him a note respecting the slaves carried away from the United States after the ratification of the peace. A copy of it is enclosed; to reply to it at present would be to no purpose. I shall wait for your further instructions."

Copy of a Letter from Lord Castlereagh to Mr. Adams. April 10, 1816.

THE undersigned has the honour to acknowledge the receipt of Mr. Adams's note of the 17th of February, claiming, on behalf of the United States, all such slaves belonging to their citizens as had been carried away by the naval commanders of the British forces, from places within the United States, subsequently to the peace between the two countries.

The grounds upon which his majesty's government felt themselves compelled to withhold their acquiescence in the claim of the United States, as preferred in Mr. Adams's former note of the 9th of August, have been already fully explained by lord Bathurst in his communication of the 2nd of October: It does not, therefore, appear to the undersigned to be requisite again to discuss at any length. the construction of the first article of the treaty of Ghent. Agreeing entirely in the arguments urged by earl Bathurst on this subject, the undersigned can never admit that construction of the article to be the true one which would apply to the restoration of slaves a different rule from that applicable to private property; or which, admitting that the restoration of private property, slaves inclusive, is to be subjected to some limitations, applies to it a different degree of limitation from that conveyed in the words immediately preceding.

His majesty's government have always been ready to admit the most liberal construction of the article in question. They have never pretended to resist the claim of the United States to indemnification for slaves or private property belonging to their citizens, which can be proved to have been in places directed to be restored by the trea ty of Ghent, at the date of the exchange of the ratifications and to have been afterwards removed. But they do and must ever deny that the United States can have any claim to property not actually in the places which, by the stipulations of the treaty, were to be restored at the time specified therein, because such a claim is utterly inconsis

tent with the provisions of the treaty, and is equally unsupported by any thing which passed in the discussion of that treaty, or even by the original projet of that treaty as offered by the American negotiators.

That projet, indeed, required that the places should be restored without carrying away any private property. If it had been then intended to provide for the restoration of all private property originally captured in the places, instead of prohibiting its removal, the article would have positively enjoined the restoration. What had been previously removed could not become the subject of the prohibition, for not being in the place to be restored, it could not be carried away. Under this projet, therefore, a removal previous to the ratification of the treaty, was admitted to bar the claim of the United States, without reference either to the distance to which the property had been removed to, the actual state of the property, whether on ship board or on British territory, or to the length of time which had elapsed since its removal.

The undersigned, therefore, considers it impossible to maintain that the insertion of the words, "originally captured in the said places which shall remain therein upon the exchange of the ratifications of this treaty," (words which must be admitted, at least, of a restrictive nature,) can have given to the original proposition of the American plenipotentiaries a greater latitude than it originally possessed.

The undersigned trusts that the government of the United States will, upon these considerations, not be disposed further to urge the general claim to indemnification which was the subject of Mr. Adams's former notes. Animated with a sincere disposition to act towards all powers with the strictest justice and good faith, his majesty's govern. ment will be most happy to attend to any representation on the part of the United States which may have for its object the restoration or indemnification for the loss of property of her citizens actually removed from places within the territory of the United States, subsequent to the ratification of the treaty of Ghent. But, at the same time, the undersigned cannot consider any property which had been, previous to the ratification of the treaty, removed on ship board, as property forming a subject of such representation.

The undersigned begs to renew to Mr. Adams the assurances of his high consideration. CASTLEREAGH.

Extract of a Letter from the Secretary of State to Mr. Adams, dated May 21, 1816.

"SHOULD the British government persevere in its construction of the first article of the late treaty of peace, respecting slaves carried off in violation, as we presume, of its obvious import, the President is willing to refer the question to the decision of some friendly power, which you will propose. A reference is suggested, by provisions in the treaty, applicable to anticipated differences in other instances; indeed, where such differences exist, no better mode can be adopted for settling them in a satisfactory manner. In this instance, the interest is too important to be neglected. It is impossible that the opinion of the British government can be more decided than that of the United States. There is no reason, therefore, why the United States should yield to the opinion of Great Britain, more than that Great Britain should yield to that of the United States."

Extract of a Letter from Mr. Adams to Lord Castlereagh," dated Sept. 17, 1816.

"4th. SLAVES, carried away from the United States by British officers after the peace.

"As the construction given by his majesty's government to the first article in the treaty of Ghent, in reference to the slaves carried away from the United States, by British officers, after the ratification of the peace, is so directly at variance with the construction which the American government think alone applicable to it, the undersigned has been further instructed to propose, that this question should be submitted to the decision of some friendly sovereign. This reference is suggested by provisions in the treaty of Ghent itself, applicable to the contingency of differences in other instances; and it is conceived, that when such differences exist, no better mode can be adopted for settling them in a satisfactory manner."

Viscount Castlereagh to Mr. Adams. Sept. 28, 1816. SIR,-I very much regret that the absence from London,

at this season of the year, of several of the Prince Regent's ministers, will preclude me from returning as early an answer to your note, of the 17th, as I should wish, under the sense I entertain of the great importance of the several objects to which it invites the attention of this government.

I have myself obtained the permission of the Prince Regent to make a short excursion to Ireland, on my private affairs; but I shall certainly return to London by the middle of November, and shall lose no time as soon after that period as my colleagues shall be reassembled, to bring the various objects referred to in your note under their deliberation.

I request you will accept the assurance of the high consideration with which I have the honour to be, &c.

John Quincy Adams, Esq. &c.

CASTLEREAGH.

MESSAGE

FROM THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES TO THE SENATE, RELATIVE TO CORRESPONDENCE WITH SPAIN. FEB. 22, 1817.

I TRANSMIT to the Senate a report of the Secretary of State, complying with their resolution of the 20th instant. JAMES MADISON.

REPORT.

THE Secretary of State, to whom was referred the resolution of the Senate of the 20th instant, requesting "the President to lay before the Senate a copy of the correspondence between the government of the United States and the government of Spain, relative to the subjects of controversy between the two nations, except such part as he may deem improper to disclose," has the honour to submit to the President the accompanying papers, marked A, B, and C, as containing the information which is supposed to be wanted. All which is respectfully submitted, JAMES MONROE.

Department of State, Feb. 22, 1817.

( A. )

Copy of a Letter from the Secretary of State, to the Chevalier de Onis. Department of State, Jan. 14, 1817.

SIR,-Having understood, in our late conference, that you would not agree to an arrangement, by which Spain should cede her claims to territory, eastward of the Mississippi, unless the United States ceded their claims to all the territory westward of that river, and that even then, your agreement would be restricted to a recommendation to your government, to adopt an arrangement to that effect; it is deemed unnecessary to make you any further proposition, or to prolong the negotiation on the subject of limits.

I have now to request that you will have the goodness to inform me, whether you are willing to enter into a convention to provide compensation for spoliations, and for the injury resulting to the United States, from the suppression of the deposite at New Orleans.

I have the honour to be, &c.

JAMES MONROE.

TRANSLATION.

Mr. Onis, to the Secretary of State. Jan. 16, 1817.

SIR, have received your official letter of the 14th inst. in which, you are pleased to make known to me that, having understood, in our last conference, that I would not accede to an arrangement by which Spain should cede her pretensions to the territory east of the Mississippi, if the United States did not relinquish theirs to the west of that river, and that even in this case my accession would be limited to recommending to my government the adoption of this project, it appeared to you useless to make me more propositions to prolong the negotiation on the subject of limits between the two governments; and you only desired to know, if I was disposed to sign a convention to provide compensation for the injuries occasioned to the United States by the cruisers of his majesty in the late war, and for those which resulted to the United States from the suppression of the deposite at New Orleans.

In answer to this letter you will permit me to observe, that in the conference referred to, I had the honour to exhibit to you the full powers of my sovereign, in which, be authorizes me to negotiate, adjust and sign, a treaty or convention with the United States, in which should be ar

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