JB/044/137/001

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Morning Chronicle, Feby 4, 1824. House of Commons, Feby 3d

Mr Canning.... "I am particularly desirous of saying
something regarding the Treaty with the U.S. to which indeed my
Noble friend adverted, but the documents he supposes on the Table of this
House found their way into the America Newspapers. In the beginning
of the last session a proposal was received from the U.S. to join
by treaty in putting an end to the the illicit Slave trade by conceding
to each force an immaterial and limited right of search. The treaty
for this purpose was drawn up by the Minister of the U.S. and in
the course of nexation negotiation negociation it received at our hands some alterations of
minor importance. By the constitution of the U.S. the power of ratification
does not lie in the Executive Minister but in the Exr Mr and
the Senate in conjunction: of the inconvenience of such a regulation
this case affords a proof; but such being the fact, we have no reason
to complain that though the ratification had been given by his
Majesty, it was refused by the U.S. except on the condition of
an alteration. What is singular is, that one of the changes changes
proposed, and that the most material was in the original draft of
the treaty. I need only say of it that it was an alteration which
withdrew all the reciprocity on which that treaty was founded. The
stipulation had been that search should be permitted to American
ships in the West Indies, and the British Indies on the coast of
America. The Government of the U.S. withdraws the last so that the
mutual right of search would be conceded in our possessions in
the W. Indies, but denied on the coast of the U.S. As a matter of
justice to the W. Indies it was impossible to acquiesce in this
proposal, since it would admit by implication that the slave laws
were evaded by our colonists which I deny and were not
evaded by the Americans on their own coast. The course we took was
this: The U.S. had made an alteration which we could not admit,
and we proposed to cancel the first treaty and sent out
full powers to negociate another treaty verbatim like the
former, with the single exception of the word America. The
refusal to ratify such a new treaty on the part of the U.S.
I really think could not stand the test of public discussion.
By raising the offence of slave trading into piracy we gave
a test of our sincerity which admits of no contradiction.
It seems to me therefore that after a little cool reflection
the Americans will feel that they have no voice but to adopt
the course we have recommended. I have much satisfaction
in adding that the whole discussion was carried on with the
utmost amity and I have myself not the slightest doubt that the
personal feeling of the Executive of the U.S. is entirely with this entry."

Identifier: | JB/044/137/001"JB/" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 44.
Date_1		Marginal Summary Numbering
Box	044	Main Headings	constitutional code
Folio number	137	Info in main headings field
Image	001	Titles	morning chronicle, feby 4, 1824
Category	copy/fair copy sheet	Number of Pages	1
Recto/Verso	recto	Page Numbering	f63
Penner		Watermarks	j whatman turkey mill 1829
Marginals		Paper Producer	jonathan blenman
Corrections		Paper Produced in Year	1829
Notes public		ID Number	13922
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