[Inclosure in No.
625.]
The Marquis of
Salisbury to Mr. Phelps.
Foreign Office,
November 17,
1887.
Sir: I lost no time in referring to
the board of trade your letter of August 15, inviting the
cooperation of Her Majesty’s Government with that of the
United States with a view to tightening the burdens on
shipping and amending the laws relating to shipping, etc.,
and also asking for information as to whether any, and, if
so, what discrimination exists in this country against
vessels of the United States as compared with British
vessels or the vessels of any other country.
I have now the honor to state to you that I am informed by
the board of trade that there are no such discriminating
duties on United States vessels as compared with British
vessels in ports of the United Kingdom. Such indeed would be
contrary to the convention of commerce between this country
and the United States of July 3, 1815, clause II of which
stipulates that “no higher or other duties or charges shall
be imposed in any of the ports of the United States on
British vessels than those payable in the same ports by
vessels of the United States, nor in the ports of His
Britannic Majesty’s territories in Europe on the vessels of
the United States than shall be payable in the same ports on
British vessels.”
This stipulation, so far as the United Kingdom is concerned,
was carried into effect by the Act, 59 George III, chapter
54, clause viii.
It is, moreover, the general and longestablished policy of
the United Kingdom, apart from treaties, not to impose
discriminating duties of any kind, whether on ships or
cargoes: and even the coasting trade of the United Kingdom
is freely open
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to vessels of the United States as to other foreign vessels,
although the United States does not admit British vessels to
reciprocal privileges in her coasting trade.
As regards the request of the United States Government for
cooperation in reducing or lightening lighthouse or tonnage
dues on shipping between the ports of the British Empire and
those of the United States, I am informed by the board of
trade that the whole subject of lighthouse dues in the
United Kingdom is being inquired into, with the view of
ascertaining whether any revision or readjustment of those
dues can be made, but not with any intention on the part of
Her Majesty’s Government to abolish them.
The board of trade are also making inquiries as to whether
there are any ports in the United Kingdom where the
lighthouse dues in the trade with the United States are
lower than the tonnage dues now leviable in the United
States, so that, as regards these ports, British vessels
would be entitled to the reciprocal treatment promised in
the circular which accompanied your note; and as soon as I
shall have heard the result of those inquiries, I shall have
the honor of addressing a further communication to you.
I have, etc.,
