No. 166.
General Schenck to Mr. Fish.
London, June 9, 1873. (Received June 25.)
Sir: When your No. 386 was received Lord Granville had gone out of town for the Whitsuntide vacation. He did not return until the day [Page 378] before yesterday, (Saturday.) To-day I have had an interview with him at the foreign office and brought to his notice the discrepancy between my report, made to you in my No. 395, and the instructions which appeared to have been given to Sir Edward Thornton.
I remarked to his lordship that it was certainly our understanding that the protocol reciting the several acts of legislation passed to carry out the provisions of Articles XVIII to XXV, and of Article XXX, was to be signed by you and Sir Edward at Washington.
Lord Granville at once asked me if I had received any cable telegram on the subject. I answered no, and he thereupon showed me one to himself from Washington announcing that the protocol had been signed there on the 7th. This, of course, put an end to any questions about the matter.
His lordship agreed that what I had written to you on the 20th of May last was a correct account of what had passed between him and me, and did not give any clear explanation, or even seem clearly to understand how it was, that a different view had been taken, but only referred in a general way to the confusion which comes sometimes from having to use and mix telegraphic messages and written dispatches in correspondence on any subject.
I have, &c.,