[Confidential]
Mr. Adams to Mr. Seward.
Sir: After a careful examination of your despatch of the 28th of March (No. 1952) marked confidential, I made up my mind at once to attempt to come to some sort of understanding with Lord Stanley as to the precise nature of the difficulties in the way of a speedy arrangement of the questions between the two countries. To that end I had an interview with him on Saturday last.
My first purpose was to learn from him, if possible, the character of the latest report made to him by Sir Frederick Bruce of the objections made to his latest proposition of the 9th of March. This was with the view of fixing in my own mind the exact extent of the obstacles alluded to by you to his lordship’s position as last modified, which I, of course, presumed to have remained in your mind after full consideration of that document. His lordship very readily conceded to my wishes, and, having sent for Sir Frederick’s latest letters, it turned out that he had exercised a discretion freely given him as to the time and manner of delivery of that despatch so far as to postpone it a little while. I infer that possibly it has not been sent to you even now, though the delay may not probably last many days longer.
This discovery changed the whole current of my thoughts; for it had seemed to me that his lordship in that letter had actually waived all former demands to restrict the terms of the arbitration, with the single exception of excluding the question of the recognition of belligerency. Hence I had no grounds for pressing him to further action until we should know on this side your views of this latest movement of his. I therefore contented myself with a slight allusion to the reasons suggested by you for urgency, and expressed a hope, now that I had received authority to consult with him more fully than heretofore, to resume the subject, after I should have ascertained how far your course might have been modified by seeing his paper.
Inasmuch as you seem to desire an expression of opinion from me, I take the liberty to observe that, in regard to what appears to me the only obstacle to arbitration left, the question of recognizing belligerency, it may admit of doubt whether, even if it couldd be susceptible of submitting to umpirage, the doing so would be advisable for us. To some extent the concession of a possibility that the exercise of that sovereign right of a state could be drawn into question, might have the effect of tieing our own hands in future cases. As it is, the very agitation of that question in America to which you allude as connected with the inchoate Irish insurgent movement has the effect of undermining the foundation of our claim to complain in the present instance. It must be obvious to you that the adoption of the propositions pressed in Congress must have the necessary effect of weakening our chances of getting any valuable result at all from arbitration; for, if we follow the suit of England when the respective positions come to be reversed, I do not perceive how we do not, pari passu, come to justify her conduct.
I have the honor to be, sir, your obedient servant,
Hon. William H. Seward, Secretary of State, Washington, D. C.