File No. 711.4216L/98

The British Ambassador to the Secretary of State

No. 144

Sir: With reference to your note of May 16 forwarding a complaint by the Mayor of Warroad respecting the height of the water in the harbour of that town, I have the honour to inform you that [Page 302] a despatch has now been received from the Governor General of Canada, to whom the matter was immediately referred, stating that all the logs have been removed from the dam at the outlet of the Lake of the Woods so that at the present time all the water that the outlet is able to discharge is passing through. Rainy and Namakan Lakes, however, are full to overflowing and are discharging a very large quantity of water into Rainy River. This water cannot be stored as all reservoirs are full and it is impossible to do more than is now being done to alleviate the conditions of which complaint is made.

I have [etc.]

Cecil Spring Rice