Portland gazette and Maine advertiser., 1810-02-19


cial letter to the Secretary Of S'ate.-What
was the consequence The lecretaIy Of fate
| addref1ed letter the next week TO the Britiih
miniiter plenipotentiary. The letter was fhort
but very ineligible. Gentlemen are requef
| ted 70 attend to the whole.
Philadelphia, Dee Is, 1871.
Mr.. Jsfossn Secretary IF state 10 Mr.. Ham
nerd, Ihiai'fer P!enipofentiary Of Great Britain.
SIR, have laid before the PEeiidenr of
the United States the letters Of Nov. SOth and
Dec. 9th with which you honored me and in
conlequence ihereof, and particularly of that
part of your letter Of December oh, where
you fay that you are fully authorized to enter
into a negotiation for the purpofe of arrarG :
ing the commercial intercCurie 5etweeR the
two countries. have the honor 10 inform
you that am ready to receive cemmunica
ton of your full powers for that purpole at
any tiHie you fhall think proper, and to pro-
coed immediately to their object. have &c.
9TH JEFFERSON"
Su ch was the principle aud fuch the style
! Of diplomatick propriety under the admins
tratiou of PRECEDENT Warrington. The Britilh
minister plenipotentiary returned an anlwer
the following day. | will read every part Of
It as find it, that gentlemen may Judge on a
fair view Of the whole.
PHILADELPHIA, Dec. IA, 1871.
Mr.. Hammond Afiailey P!eaipofenti.Iyy If Great
Britain, 70 mr.. Js6s.foa, S.s'sfary Of Sf1fs.
{" SIR,
In aniwer to your letter of yesterday,
Car only repeat what have before ltated in
my frit conversations with you after my arri-
va and iubiequen5ly in my letter of the 9th
q TINS mont p; viz that have no ipecial COM
milton empowering me to conclude any setiuaive
! arrangement upon the luhje6 of the CONNER
! ell mtercuurie Between Great Britain and the
/ United Sta.es. But that | conceive Ayief
fully compe. ent 10 enter into d negotiation with
ihh cover hment for that purpole, ID the diff
cutIlon Of the principles which may lerve as
the bahs and continue the ltpu!ations of any
iuch dehuitive arrangement.
This opinion Of my competency is found
ed upon my inltruction5 Insimuch as they are
10 reguize my perional conduct. and upon
the conviction thar tile latter of credeRce from
bis majeity invelted ME with general pfea,es-
fsafity character, which had the honor Of
Prelenting to the PreGdent of the United States
and his coniequent recognition of me IN that
character, are authorities decidedly adequate
to The commencement Of preliminary nego-
ci4tICn.
have the honour TO be,
With fentiments Of great refpeci,
Sir,
Your mott obedient and
Humble lervsRt,
GEO: HAMMOND"
The coucle of corr ref pondence had now
lhown, thar the Britilh minifter plenipoten-
hat, Frfc g. ,,L, q
as Degotiator, becaule he had prs!ented his let
ter OF crcdence 10 The Pielident of the United
States and been received accordingly, and be-
caufe TOO he had inRru6tons TO regulate his
Perional conduct, bur which he did not think
proper to communicate, and which he does
not appear TO have been at liberty % commu-
nicate 10 the American government.
If the letter Of credeuce could be regarded
as authorizing The negotiation, it had already
been Preieued 70 the preGdent of the Quilted
STATES. That this did aot conltitute the COM
petenr authority, therefore, mutt have been
decided by the predent, beyond controversy,
az tie date of the letter which invited The
! Britiih MN ,er pleniPotentiary to commu-
nica,e hi. tail powers
y Il Is now 40 be TecoeGted that in bis letter
of the seth of November the miniRer had
meDtioreI his beng mhru6fed 10 enter into
F! q fculIlJDs with reipeEt 70 articles OF defui-
: tive trcaiv, which bad been concluded, but
no. fully c1ccuted. According to his own de-
! cilion, he wasted competent authority 10 con-
| ciude dehrItive commercial arrangement be
I tween the TWO countries and according 10 the
declnou % he IRA i'reGdent If the United
1 ST.. = undou Ntcd he wan ed the competent
! authority 10 negotiate iuch arrangement
! any opinions espFeiied by he minifer in his
| letter. of the 9th aud i4th December could
not he fuppo-ed TO reverie decilon deiber-
a.ey iorm,d y PreGdeut Warrington and
cuntroveriiai correspondence relative 70 fuch
7 opinions might be worie than ulelels. OF
! courle, It wCuic accord with exped:eHce as well
/ as diplomatic dec0rum TO abftain from remark
! ing on thofe letters in future correspondence
! But 10 discus the respective claims and CON-
! plants might Contribute 10 di4in4 knowI-
, edge Of the affairs, and undoubtedly me mnif-
/ ter might enter into luch diicuiIions No diff
; cuiIlons however multiplied. could constitute
! a stipulation fos any thing 20 be done on the
part of Ike government of either country. Ac-
! cordlpgy, il is worthy Of oblervation, that the
I letter of the 18th of Dec. from The Britifh
/ miniaer plenipotentisry is sot mentioned in
| the letter Of the nenr day from the Secretary
of State, who acknowledges the muifers let
| ter OF the 3Oth of November without feealing
to recollea any thing of The intervening cor
relpondence. Twill now ltate the INTRODUCED
/ nv part Of this letter from the Secretary of
| State.
| P6iEad Iebia, De-. IS, 1891.
(" mr.. 7rFyjoR, Secretary II STATE, 4 Mr.. Ham
nroad, 14i7iqey Pie4ipottatiary # C'ezs- Byita..
"SIr,
| lam 70 acknowledge the honor of your let
! ter Of Nov 3Oth, ard TO express the fatisfac-