No. 307.
Mr. Lowell
to Mr. Blaine
.
[Extract.]
Legation of
the United States,
London
,
March 5, 1881.
(Received March 17.)
No. 138.]
Sir: Referring to my dispatch No. 130, of the 22d
ultimo, I have the honor to report that immediately on receiving your second
cipher-telegram I had an interview with Lord Granville and informed him that
my government was willing to entertain his proposal of a lump sum in
satisfaction of the Fortune Bay claims. In the conversation at which Lord
Granville first made the suggestion, I had asked him what he would consider
a fair offer. He told me that two or three thousand pounds, at most, seemed
to him quite high enough. I told him that no such offer would be entertained
for a moment by my government, and that I thought he should consider less
the intrinsic value he might be inclined to set upon the claims than the
larger questions at issue between the two countries, and the interests which
would be furthered by a liberal settlement tending to allay natural
ill-feeling.
He asked me in turn what in my own opinion would be an offer that would have
any chance of acceptance. I replied that I had no intimation of your views
on the point, and no authority to make even a guess, but that if I were
called upon to decide the question myself, I would not accept less than five
times the highest amount he had suggested, I afterwards explained to him
that in my estimate I had omitted to include the interest on the original
claims. He seemed to look upon my estimate as extravagant, and said that in
any event it would be necessary for him to consult his colleagues before
coming to any conclusion.
On receiving your third cable telegram I wrote at once to Lord Granville,
asking an interview. He replied, making an appointment for such interview at
four in the afternoon. He then told me that he was ready to offer £15,000 in
compensation for the Fortune Bay claims and the two inclosed in your No.
109. I replied that I had reason to believe that you would accept £16,000,
provided that the money could be at your immediate disposal, but that I had
no authority to accept less. He said that he thought the offer he had made
an almost [Page 507] absurd one, considering
the nature of the claims, adding, “You will not suspect Mr. Bright of any
unfriendly feeling towards the United States, and he thinks we are already
making far too large an offer.” I answered that the mere question of damages
to be paid for specific acts of violence to our fishermen was not the only
nor the most important consideration. He alluded to what I had said at our
last interview, and said that it was precisely such general considerations
that had been influential with the cabinet in obtaining their consent to so
large an offer.
On receiving your fourth telegram, on the morning of 26th February, I sought
an interview with Lord Granville at his house, when I communicated it to
him, and agreed upon an interview at the foreign office in the afternoon. At
this interview he gave me the answer in writing which I cabled to you on the
26th. As this took entirely new ground, I of course told him that I could
not give the assurance he asked for without consulting my government, which
I would do without delay. As I had no authority, I did not think it prudent
to argue a question which by so doing I might only embarrass.
Immediately after the reception of your fifth telegram I again called on Lord
Granville at his house, asking him to allow the importance of my business to
be my apology for my unseasonableness. I said I was prepared to give him the
assurance you authorized me to give, that the sum would be accepted in full
of claims hitherto presented to either government, and that you knew of no
others nor had the Government of the United States entertained any such. He
informed me that he must adhere to the terms stated in his note to me, dated
26th February, adding that he held the money at your disposition on your
accepting those terms. That there might be no chance of misapprehension, on
my return to the legation I at once sent him a note couched in the exact
terms of your telegram.
On receiving your last telegram I called on Lord Granville at his house, and
acquainted him with its purport, reading to him the more important passages.
He asked me if I would allow him a copy, and accordingly later in the day I
sent him one, with a note explaining that part of the translation was
conjectural, the telegraph having blundered in some few words, though not
enough to affect the general meaning. The important part of what he said to
me I have already communicated by telegram.
* * * * * * *
I may add that Lord Granville at our last interview assured me that he had no
knowledge of any new interferences with our fishermen, except in the case of
the Moro Castle and the Minnesota, both of them of very trifling
importance.
I inclose copies of such correspondence as has passed between Lord Granville
and me in the course of this affair.
I have, &c.,
[lnclosure 1 in No. 138.]
Mr. Lowell to Lord
Granville.
Legation, &c., London
,
February 22,
1881.
My Lord: I have the honor to inclose herewith
copies of the affidavits* of the
masters [Page 508] of two United States
fishing vessels detailing the acts of violence by which they have been
prevented fram exercising their rights of fishing in certain
Newfoundland waters, and which are mentioned in the instruction from Mr.
Evarts which I had the honor of communicating to your lordship
yesterday.
I have, &c.,
[Inclosure 2 in No. 138.]
Mr. Lowell to Lord
Granville.
Legation, &c., London
,
February 22,
1881.
Dear Lord Granville: Would it not be well if
the two new claims which I mentioned to you (the affidavits concerning
which I send with this) were lumped with the others and submitted to Mr.
Evarts and Sir. E. Thornton?
I understood your assent of course as applying only to the Fortune Bay
matters, but if you agree with me I will telegraph to that effect.
* * * * * * *
Faithfully, yours,
[Inclosure 3 in No. 138]
Mr. Lowell to Lord
Granville.
Legation, &c.,
February 24,
1881.
. Dear Lord Granville: May I ask to see you a
moment at the foreign office this afternoon at three? I have an
important telegram the substance of which I should be glad to
communicate. It may settle the whole matter.
Very sincerely, yours,
[Inclosure 4 in No. 138.]
Lord Granville to
Mr. Lowell.
Foreign
Office
,
February 25,
1881.
Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge the
receipt of your communication of the 22d instant inclosing copies of the
affidavits of the masters of two United States fishing vessels detailing
the acts of violence by which they have been prevented from exercising
their rights of fishing in certain Newfoundland waters, and I have to
state to you in reply that I have forwarded copies to Her Majesty’s
secretary of state for the colonies.
I have, &c.,
[Inclosure 5 in No. 138.]
Mr. Lowell to Lord
Granville.
Legation, &c., London
,
February 26,
1881.
. My Lord: I have the honor and pleasure to
acquaint your lordship that I received early this morning a cable
message from Mr. Evarts in which he states that although the offer made
by Her Majesty’s Government for the settlement of the fishery claims is
not quite up to his expectations he nevertheless accepts it, assuming
that the amount can presently be at his disposal for immediate
distribution.
I have, &c.,
[Page 509]
[Inclosure 5 in No. 138.]
Lord Granville to
Mr. Lowell.
Foreign
Office
,
February 26,
1881.
Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge the
receipt of your letter of this day informing me that you have received a
telegraphic message from Mr. Evarts in which he states that although the
offer made by Her Majesty’s Government for the settlement of the fishery
claims is not quite up to his expectations he nevertheless accepts it,
assuming that the amount can presently be at his disposal for immediate
distribution; and I have to state to you, in reply, that Her Majesty’s
Government are ready to hold the sum of £15,000 at the disposal of the
Government of the United States on receiving your assurance that it is
accepted in full of all claims arising out of any interruption of
American fishermen on the coast of Newfoundland and its dependencies up
to the present time, and without prejudice to any question of the rights
of either government under the treaty of Washington.
I have, &c.,
[lnclosure 7 in No. 138.]
Mr. Lowell to Lord
Granville.
Legation, &c., London
,
March 2,
1881.
My Lord: I have the honor to acquaint your
lordship that having inquired of Mr. Evarts by telegraph, of the nature
of the assurance that I might give your lordship upon the receipt of the
proposed indemnity in the Newfoundland fishery transactions, I received
from him an answer by cable late last evening to the following
effect:
The assurance I may give is this: That the sum paid is accepted in full
of all claims arising out of any interruptions of American fishermen on
the coasts of Newfoundland and its dependencies, up to this time
presented to either government, and without prejudice to any question of
the rights of either government under the treaty of Washington.
I am also permitted to say to your lordship, in giving this assurance,
that as a matter of fact, no other claims than those inclosed in the
Fortune Bay list, and those named in Mr. Evarts’ dispatch No. 109, which
I have shown to your lordship, are within the knowledge of my government
for presentation or for its own consideration.
I have already communicated to your lordship, orally, the substance of
this cable message at the interview which I had the honor of having with
you this morning. I understood your lordship to say, in answer to this
communication, that Her Majesty’s Government adhered to the terms they
had finally offered; that is to say, that the sum of £15,000 should be
considered as received in full of all demands arising out of the
interruptions of American fishermen on the coasts of Newfoundland up to
date; otherwise that you would prefer to fall back upon the plan of a
reference already suggested.
I sent a telegram to Mr. Evarts this morning informing him of your
views.
I have, &c.,
[Inclosure 8 in No. 138.]
Mr. Lowell to Lord
Granville.
Legation, &c., London
,
March 3,
1881.
My Lord: Referring to our conversation of this
afternoon, I have the honor to inclose herewith, a copy of the telegram
from Mr. Evarts, the substance of which I had the honor of communicating
to your lordship on that occasion. You will observe that in one or two
places the translation from the cipher is conjectural.
I have, &c.,
Translation of a cable telegram in cipher from Mr. Evarts to Mr. Lowell,
received at 25 Westburne Place, March 3, 1881, 6.30 a.m.
[Page 510]
[Inclosure 9 in No. 138.]
Lord Granville to
Mr. Lowell.
Foreign
Office
,
March
3.
My Dear Mr. Lowell: I told you just now that I
knew of no claims other than those mentioned by you. On coming to the
office, I find that I was quite right in saying that there were no
claims, but I find information was received some months ago, of some
interruption having taken place with regard to the Minnesota, and
another vessel, of whichI will send you the particulars, which will show
you that they are not of any importance, even if the claims were
preferred.
Yours sincerely,
