File No. 841.001G29/4.

The Secretary of State to the British Ambassador.

No. 1145.]

Excellency: Upon its receipt I had the honor to lay before the President Mr. Innes’s note of November 28 last in which he was so good as to make known to me that it would be pleasing to His Majesty the King to receive as his guest on the occasion of His Majesty’s coronation, the 22d of June next, a representative of the President of the United States to attend the ceremony.

The President, highly honored and gratified by this courteous consideration of His Majesty, has charged me to inform you in reply to the inquiry of Mr. Innes’s note that it will be most agreeable to him to meet the pleasure of His Majesty and that to this end he has selected Mr. John Hays Hammond, one of our distinguished citizens, as ambassador on special missions to represent the Government of the United States at the ceremony attending the coronation.

Maj. Gen. Adolphus W. Greely, United States Army, retired, and Bear Admiral Charles E. Vreeland, United States Navy, representatives of the War and Navy Departments, respectively, will accompany Mr. Hammond to assist him in this mission, and Mr. William Earl Dodge, of New York, will attend Mr. Hammond as secretary of the special embassy. I have, etc.,

P. C. Knox.