No. 32.
Earl Granville to Sir E.
Thornton.
Foreign
Office, May 6,
1872.
[From British Blue Book “North America” No. 9, (1872.) p.
7.]
Sir: With reference to my other dispatch of
this day’s date, I transmit to you herewith, for your information, a
copy of a revised draught which I gave confidentially to General
Schenck, after consultation with the Cabinet.
I pointed out to him that we had left out the sentence objected to by
him, “without prejudice,” &c, on condition that no converse
proposition should appear in the answer from Mr. Fish.
That we had omitted the whole of the sentence objected to by Mr. Fish,
“Her Majesty’s Government adheres,” &c
That we had left out the words, “in similar cases and in similar
circumstances,” and have further modified the sentence as to the
principle which will bind both nations for the future.
That we had adopted General Schenck’s last paragraph.
General Schenck said he would telegraph the revised draught this evening,
but would give no opinion on it.
I am, &c.,
Inclosure in No. 32.
Draught of letter from Earl Granville to General
Schenck, as given to General Schenck by Earl Granville, May
6, 1872.
Sir: I have laid before my colleagues the
dispatch addressed to you by Mr. Fish on the 16th ultimo, of which
you furnished me with a copy on the 1st instant.
I informed you in my letter of the 20th of March last that Her
Majesty’s Government, in communicating to you the grounds on which
they hold that the claims for indirect losses are excluded from the
scope and intention of the reference to the Tribunal of Arbitration
at Geneva, did not wish to commence a diplomatic controversy, but
merely to comply with the desire substantially expressed by the
Government of the United States to be advised of the reasons which
had prompted the declaration made by me on behalf of Her Majesty’s
Government on the 3d of February.
Her Majesty’s Government are still of the same mind, and although
they cannot admit the force of the partial rejoinder which Mr. Fish
has made to that statement of their reasons, they agree with Mr.
Fish in seeing no advantage in the continuance of an argumentative
discussion on the subject.
It will, however, be understood that if I do not review the matter of
Mr. Fish’s dispatch it is not from an assent to his positions, but
from the hope that a way may be found to avoid further
controversy.
In the full expectation, therefore, that an arrangement satisfactory
to both countries will be accepted by the Government of the United
States, I proceed to state the views of Her Majesty’s
Government.
Her Majesty’s Government are ready to engage that, in the event of
the Government of the United States agreeing that the Arbitrators
are not to have regard in any award that they may make to the claims
for indirect losses, viz, the transfer of the American shipping, the
increased premiums of insurance, and the prolongation of the war,
Her Majesty’s Government will, on their part, agree that the view
which they have heretofore presented of such claims shall be their
principle of future action and conduct, and they are ready, in
pursuance of the recognition of such principle, to give assurance to
the United States, that, if Great Britain should at any time
hereafter be a belligerent while the United States are neutral,
Great Britain will never advance any claims inconsistent with that
principle; such an engagement for the future being reciprocally
given by both parties. The notes which are exchanged on this subject
to be presented to the Tribunal of Arbitration, and entered on its
record.
