No. 172.
Mr. Robeson to Mr. Fish.
Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letters of the 29th of March, and 6th of April last, in relation to the wish of the British government, as expressed through Sir Edward Thornton, the British minister, that our Government should co-operate with Her Majesty’s in an effort to secure an abrogation by the Imaum of Muscat of the provision of the treaty between him and Great Britain, by which the right is reserved to the Imaum to transport domestic slaves, by sea, within certain limits of his territory.
The Department, in pursuance of your suggestion, will give instructions to the first vessel of the United States Navy proceeding to or returning from the Asiatic station, to touch at Zanzibar or Muscat and [Page 214] inform the Sultan or Imaum, or his authorities, that the Government of the United States looks with solicitude to the abrogation of the clause of the treaty referred to, and hopes his enlightened government will consider seriously the propriety and advantage of doing so, or if the clause should be abrogated before such visit, to express the satisfaction that the Government of the United States has in congratulating the Imaum on his humane and statesman-like conduct, in suppressing what has been converted or supposed to have been converted into an abuse.
Very respectfully, &c,