Cooper's Clarksburg register. [volume] (Clarksburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1851-1861, 1854-12-20
CLARKsBURG, WEDNESDAY. DECEMBER sotls so4..

! fisheries, and to reciprocal trade with th
British North American provinces, hav
been exchanged, and some of its anticipa
ted advantages are already enjoyed by us
although its full execution was TO abid
certain acts Of Legislation not yet fully per
formed. So soon as it was raEiIied, GFea
Britain opened to our commerce the fret
navigation of the river St. Lawrence, ant
to our fishermen unmoiested7aecess to th'
shores and bays from which they hat
been previously secluded, on the coasts o
her North American provinces; in return
for which, she asked for the introduction
free of duty, into The ports of the United
States, of the fish caught on Che same
coast by British fishermen. This being
i:ac .sc c4Hnenensation stipulated in the treaty
for privileges of the highest importancc,, :,
and value to the United States, which
were thus voluntarily yielded before it be-
came effective, the request seemed to me
10 be a reasonable one; but it could not be
acceded to, from want of authority to sus-
pend our laws imposing duties upon all
foreign fish. In the mean time. the Trea-
sury Department issued regulation for
ascertaining The duties paid or secured by
bonds on fish caught on the coasts Of the
British provinces, and brought TO our mar
kets by British subjects, after The fishing
grounds had been made fully accessible to
the citizens of the U. States. I recon-
mend 10 your favorable consideration a
proposition, which will be- submitted to
you, for authority to REFUND the duties and
cancel the bonds thus received. The pro-
yinces of Canada and New Brunswick
have also anticipated the full operation of
the treaty, by legislative arrangements,
respectfully, TO admit, free of duty, the
products Of the United States mentioned
in the free list of the treaty; and an ar
rangcment, similar TO that regarding Brit
ish fish, has been made for duties now
chargeablo on the products of those pro-
yinCes enumerated in the same free lis,
auI introduced therefrom into the United
| States; a proposition for retunding which
will, in my judgment, be in like manner
| entitled to your favorable consideration
There is difference OF opinion between
the United States and Great Britain, as to
the boundary line Of the Territory of
Washington adjoining the British posses
sions Of the Pacific, which has already led
to difficulties on the part of the citizens
and local authorities of the two govern
ments. l recommended that provision
be made for commission, TO be Joined
by one on the part of her Britannia Ma
jesty, for the purpose Of running and es-
tabishing the line in controversy. Ger
tain stipulatiops of the third and fourth
articles of the treaty concluded by the
United States and Great Britain in 1916,
regarding possessory rights of the Hud
sons Bay Company, aud property OF Pu
gGts Sound Agricultural Company, have
given rise to serious disputes, and it is
important to all concerned, That summa
ry means Of settling them. m.amicab!y should
be devised. | have reason to believe,
that an arrangement can be made on Just
terms, for the extinguishmeut of the
rights in question, embracing also, the
right of the Hudson Bay Company to the
navigation of the river Columbia and 1
therefore suggest to your consideration,
the expediency of making contingent
appropriation for that purpose.
France was the early and efficient ally
of the United States in their struggle for
independence. From that time to the pre-
sent, with occasional slight Interruptions.
cordial relations of friendship have exis-
ted between the governments and people
of the two countries. The kindly senti-
ments, cherished alike by both nations,
have led to extensive social and CONNER
cial intercourse, which, trust, will not
be interrupted or checked by any casual
event of an apparently unsatisfactory
character. The French consul at San
Francisco was, not long since, brought
into the United States district court at
that place, by compulsory process, as a
witness in favor of another foreign consul,
in violation, as the French government
conceives, of his privileges under our con-
sular convention with France. There
being nothing in the transaction which
could imply any disrespect to France or
its consul, such explanation has been
made, as hope will be satifactory. Sub
sequeutly, misunderstanding arose on the
subject Of the French government having,
as it appeared, abruptly excluded the
American minister to Spain from passing
through France, on his way from London
to Madrid But that government has
unequivocally disavowed any design 20
deny the right of transit to the minister
of the United States and, after expla,
nations to this effect, he has resumed his
Journey, and actually returned through
France TO Spain. L herewith lay before
Congress the correspondence on this sub
ject between our envoy at Paris, and The
minister of foreign relations of the Frenct
Government.
The position of our affairs with spair
remains as at the close of your last ses
sion. Internal agitation, assuming yer,
nearly the character of political revolution
has recently convulsed that country. Vh
late ministers were violently expelled from
= power, and men, of very different view
: in relation to its internal affairs, have sue
: ceeded. Since this change, there ha
: been no propitious opportunity to resume