No. 317.
Mr. Lowell to Mr.
Bayard.
Legation of
the United States,
London, April 4, 1885.
(Received April 14.)
No. 961.]Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of
Mr. Frelinghuysen’s instruction No. 1088 of the 3d of March last, inclosing
the act of Congress of that date, providing for the restoration of the Alert
to Her Britannic Majesty, and directing me to communicate this act to Lord
Granville.
On the 17th of March I obeyed this instruction, and in my letter to his
lordship I adopted Mr. Frelinghuysen’s language as being peculiarly
felicitous and appropriate.
I have now received Lord Granville’s reply, by which you will observe that
Her Majesty has accepted the return of the Alert in the most cordial and
friendly terms, and expressed the wish that the vessel should be delivered
to the authorities at Halifax, Nova Scotia.
I inclose a copy of the correspondence.
I have, &c.,
[Inclosure 1 in No. 961.]
Mr. Lowell to Lord
Granville.
Legation of the United States,
London, March 17,
1885.
My Lord: Your lordship will recall the
circumstances under which the Alert was presented to the United States
by Her Majesty’s Government in February, 1884. A devoted band of
observers under the command of Lieut. A. W. Greely, of the United States
Army, having advanced to an exposed point in the high polar region, and
there established a scientific station as part of a general
international scheme of Arctic observation, was, through the unfortunate
wreck of the Proteus, deprived of expected relief and left to its own
unaided resources in retreating from the post it held. At a time when
the fate of those brave men was in more than doubt, and when the
Government and people of the United States were putting forth every
exertion towards the relief of the unfortunates, Her Majesty’s
Government, in a spirit of generous friendship, as signal as it was
gratifying, offered to this Government, as a gift, the Alert, a vessel
built and equipped especially for the dangerous service of the Arctic
seas. As the gift was offered, so was it received—an earnest of the good
fellowship which has so often made the two peoples one in the pursuit of
a common aim.
Her mission of usefulness safely ended, it has been decided by the
Congress of the United States, on the recommendation of the President,
to give even greater emphasis to the good will so manifested on both
sides by restoring the Alert to Her Majesty.
In obedience to my instructions I inclose herewith a copy of that part of
the act which directs the return of the vessel to Her Majesty’s
Government, and I take the earliest opportunity to communicate it to
your lordship, and to express at the same time the deep sense of the
friendship which inspired the gift and which inspires the return of the
vessel, crowned with the successful achievement of a noble purpose.
At the earliest practicable moment the Alert will sail for England, and I
am instructed to inquire of your lordship at what port or place it may
best suit the convenience of Her Majesty’s Government that the vessel
shall be delivered up, in order that I may communicate the answer by
telegraph to the Department of State.
I have, &c.,
[Inclosure 2 in No. 961.]
Lord Granville to
Mr. Lowell.
Foreign
Office, March 31,
1885.
Sir: Referring to my letter of the 20th
instant, I have the honor to state to you that the lords commissioners
of the admiralty have referred to the Queen your communication of the
17th in which you announce that it has been decided by the Congress of
[Page 448]
the United States on the
recommendation of the President, to restore the Alert to Her Majesty’s
Government after the successful completion of her voyage undertaken for
the relief of the Arctic expedition under the command of Lieutenant
Greely, and in-, quire at which port it will be convenient that the
vessel should be delivered up.
The lords commissioners of the admiralty have informed me that they have
received the Queen’s commands to express Her Majesty’s acceptance of the
gift. The Queen is satisfied that this act of the President and Congress
of the United States is calculated to give greater emphasis to the good
will manifested on both sides during this transaction, and Her Majesty
entirely shares and reciprocates the sentiment so happily expressed by
his excellency, that such friendly acts are an earnest between the two
peoples of the good fellowship which so frequently makes them one in the
pursuit of a common aim.
The lords commissioners of the admiralty observe that whereas the Alert
though specially strengthened for ice navigation, was, owing to the
urgency of the case, handed over to the representatives of the United
States Government as a mere hull, she will now be returned to Her
Majesty completely fitted for Arctic service, which, like the return of
Her Majesty’s ship Resolute, in 1856, is characteristic of the
completeness with which the Government of the United States carry out
their generous intentions.
This condition of the ship has enabled the lords commissioners of the
admiralty to propose to the Queen that the Alert when returned should be
employed on a service of scientific research of much importance to
commerce and navigation for which her state of preparation renders her
eminently suitable.
Her Majesty having signified her gracious approval, it is the intention
of their lordships to lend the Alert to the Government of the Dominion
of Canada for the purpose of exploring Hudson Straits and Bay.
With this end in view, I have the honor to state to you in reply to the
last portion of your letter, that Her Majesty’s representatives should
receive the Alert from the United States Government at Halifax in Nova
Scotia, where suitable preparation shall be made for the purpose, and
from which place she will be ready to set out for her new service in the
spring.
I have, &c.,
[Inclosure 3 in No. 961.]
Mr. Lowell to Lord
Granville.
Legation of the United States,
London, April 4,
1885.
My Lord: I have the honor to acknowledge the
reception of your lordship’s note of the 31st ultimo, informing me that
Her Majesty would be pleased to accept the return of the Alert, and
stating the cordial and friendly manner in which Her Majesty
reciprocates the action of my Government in this matter.
I shall take great pleasure in sending, by the earliest opportunity, a
copy of this correspondence to the Department of State.
I have, &c.,
