No. 260.
Mr. Fish
to General Schenck.
Washington, January 28, 1875.
Sir: Your No. 674, under date of December 29, 1874, has been received. It forwards a communication addressed to me by the special delegates of the British Foreign Antislavery Society and the Universal Alliance, constituting an international antislavery committee, calling my attention to an accompanying memorandum inviting an appointment [Page 590] on the part of this Government of a delegate to a conference to be held in London on the 1st of February, with a view of renewing, by a diplomatic act, the declaration of the Congress of Vienna, dated February 8, 1815, in reference to the slave-trade, and the resolutions of the Conference of Verona, dated November 28, 1822. You also transmit a copy of a note addressed by the delegates to you, and of your reply.
This Government has at all times evinced a strong interest in the purposes which this conference proposes to advance but the date of the receipt of the invitation (January 26) makes it impossible to take part in the conference, were it the practice of this Government to participate in international conferences of the nature proposed. It is understood to be one convened on the suggestion of either private individuals or of associations of private persons.
You will, therefore, notify the parties forwarding the in closures to you of the date of their reception by this Government, and assure them of the strong desire of this Government that their efforts to prevent the traffic in slaves may meet with all success.
Your action in forwarding the requests is approved.
I am, &c.,