No. 519.
Mr. Bell
to Mr. Bayard.
The Hague, January 11, 1887. (Received January 24.)
Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of the Department’s No. 78 of December 23, 1886, inclosing two marked copies of the Congressional Record, Vol. 18, No. 13, reporting the proceedings in the House of Representatives, on December 20, in relation to a proposition to expand the duty on tobacco of the wrapper class, and instructing me to communicate one of them to the minister of foreign affairs.
Immediately upon its receipt I called upon his excellency, the minister of foreign affairs, and, adhering to the sense of your instructions, handed him one of the marked copies and invited his attention to the marked passages.
At the same time I called his attention to the fact that although the matter was one affecting the legislative action of the Government, it nevertheless afforded the State Department great pleasure to be able to announce a result which may have been influenced by a public recommendation of the Executive and which certainly should tend to enlarge the good relationship which the Government of the United States was at all times anxious to maintain with the Government of the Netherlands.
His excellency seemed greatly pleased at the attention shown to him, and remarked that, although he had heard the result of the action on what he termed the “Hiscock bill,” he had not read the particulars of the debates in Congress and that it would give him great pleasure to do so.
[Page 889]He also referred to having read with interest and satisfaction the paragraph in the President’s message in relation to the matter.
In conclusion he requested me to convey his sincere thanks to the Secretary of State and his high appreciation of his courtesy.
I have, etc.,