Mr. Foster to Sir Julian Fauncefote.
Washington, February 21, 1893.
Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your note of the 20th instant, communicating to me the official text of the order in council issued by the Government of the Dominion of Canada, prescribing the modified tolls to be applied during the season of 1893 to certain named food products passing eastward through the Welland and St. Lawrence River canals.
In view of the assurances I have received through you that this order is in full substitution of the expired orders of 1891 and 1892 in regard to the canal tolls upon the same products, and involves the abandonment of all provisions as to rebates or against transshipped goods, and in conformity with the promise heretofore made to you, I have the pleasure to inform you that the President will forthwith issue his proclamation suspending, so long as the present dominion order in council shall remain in force, the provisions of his proclamation of August 18, 1892, by which retaliatory tolls were imposed upon certain described traffic passing through the St. Mary’s Falls Canal.
Permit me to express my gratification that this understanding in the mutual interests of the commerce of the United States and Her Majesty’s Dominion of Canada, has been thus reached in season to become operative upon the opening of navigation in the canals in question.
I have, etc.,