Papers Relating to the Foreign Relations of the United States, Transmitted to Congress with the Annual Message of the President, December 2, 1872, Part II, Volume II

No. 62.
Sir E. Thornton to Earl Granville.¹

Washington, May 27, 1872. (Received June 8.)

[From British Blue Book “North America” No. 9, (1872,) p. 25.]

My Lord: I have the honor to inclose copy of a note, dated the 25th instant, from Mr. Fish, and its inclosure, which I received yesterday at half past 1 p.m. It transmits copy of a resolution of the Senate, which was agreed to at half past 8 p.m. of the 25th instant, and which recommends to the President the negotiation with the British Government of an Article supplementary to the Treaty of Washington of May 8, 1871, to be ratified afterward by the Senate in the terms thereinafter mentioned.

Mr. Fish had, during the night of the 25th instant, given me what he believed to be the words of the Article as adopted by the Senate, but he could not guarantee their being correct. I thought it best, however,, to telegraph them at once, though conditionally, to your Lordship, and they afterward turned out to be the exact words adopted by the Senate.

Your Lordship is aware that the whole of the discussion has been carried on in secret session, and as much annoyance was felt at the unauthorized publication by the New York Herald of the confidential documents which had been sent to the Senate on the 13th instant,. Senators have been generally extremely reticent as to what has passed in the secret sessions.

From the best information, however, which I can obtain, I should imagine that the Committee on Foreign Relations, by a vote of 6 to 1 agreed to report an Article very nearly in the words in which it has been finally adopted by the Senate. It was reported to the Senate on the 22d instant, and was discussed on that and the three following days for several hours; the session on the 24th instant lasted for eight hours,, finishing at 11.45 p.m. The majority by which the inclosed resolution was passed, has been variously stated, but I am inclined to think that the numbers were 43 to 8. It is said that several Senators were absent, and that some of those who were present refrained from voting.

I have, &c.,

EDWD. THORNTON.

[Inclosure 1 in No. 62.]

Mr. Fish to Sir E. Thornton.

Department of State,
Washington, May 26, 1872.

Sir: I have the honor to inclose a copy of a resolution of the Senate of the United States, expressing its willingness to advise and consent to the adoption of a supplemental Article to the Treaty of Washington of May 8, 1871.

I have, &c.,

HAMILTON FISH.

1. The substance of this dispatch was received by telegraph on the 27th of May.