Mr. Seward to Mr. Ford
Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your note of yesterday upon the subject of the delay solicited by the Japanese government for the payment of the outstanding balance of the Simonosaki indemnity. In reply, I have the honor to inform you that some time since this department received a [Page 206] despatch from Mr. Van Valkenburg, the United States minister in Japan, accompanied by an application from that government upon the subject. Mr. Van Valkenburg was informed in answer that the President was not indisposed to accede to the request, but that as the term fiex for the payment was contained in an article of a treaty which has been approved by the Senate, the President alone had no authority to extend the time. Mr. Van Valkenburg was consequently furnished with a power to negotiate and conclude an additional article, providing for the extension referred to, and was instructed to embrace in it the same terms upon the subject which might be offered to the Japanese government by the other parties to the original treaty. Sufficient time has not since elapsed for further information in regard to the matter to have been received from the United States legation in Japan.
I avail myself of this occasion, sir, to offer to you the assurances of my very high consideration.
Francis Clare Ford, Esq. &c., &c., &c.