and in compliance with their request for a conference, shall be happy to receive them at the Chartreux to-morrow at 12 o'clock. The undersigned request the American plenipotentiaries to accept the assurance of their high consideration.

GAMBIER,

HENRY GOULBURN,
WILLIAM ADAMS.

GHENT, Nov. 30th, 1814.

Protocol of a conference, held the 1st December, 1814, at Ghent.

At a conference held this day, the American plenipotentiaries proposed the following alterations in their project, as amended by the British plenipotentiaries.

1. In article 1st, strike out the alteration consisting of the words "belonging to, and taken by," and preserve the original reading, viz. "taken by either party from the other."

This alteration was objected to by the British plenipotentiaries, and after some discussion, reserved by them for the consideration of their government.

2. Transpose alteration consisting of the words "originally captured in the said forts or places, and which shall remain therein upon the exchange of the ratifications of this treaty," after the words "public property."

Agreed to by the British plenipotentiaries.

3. Article 2d. The term to be fifteen days in the Channel, in the North Seas, in all parts of the Atlantic ocean to the equinoctial line or equator, and in all parts of the Mediterranean. Two months in the Atlantic ocean, to the latitude of the Cape of Good Hope, and three months in all other parts of the world.

In lieu of this alteration, the British plenipotentiaries proposed the following, viz. "That all vessels and effects which may be taken after the space of twelve days from the period of the exchange of the said ratifications, upon all parts of the coasts of North America, from the latitude of 23 deg. north, to the latitude of 47 deg. north and as far eastward in the Atlantic ocean as the 65 deg. of west longitude from the meridian of Greenwich, shall be restored on each side. That the term shall be thirty days in all other parts of the Atlantic ocean, as far eastward as the entrance of the British Channel, and southward as far as the equinoctial line or equator, and the same time for the Gulf of Mexico and all parts of the West Indies. Forty days for the British Channel and the North Seas. The same time for all parts of the Mediterranean, and one hundred and fifty days for all other parts of the world, without exception." Which was reserved by the American plenipotentiaries for consideration.

4. Article 3d. After the words "all islands within twenty leagues

of," insert" any part of" and substitute "points" for " point,” after the words "to be drawn due east from the."

Agreed to by the British plenipotenitaries.

5. Article 3d. Strike out the words "whereas claims have been made by the government of the United States to certain islands in the Bay of Fundy," and insert, "whereas the severals islands in the Bay of Passamaquoddy, which is part of the Bay of Fundy, and the island of Grand Menan, in the said Bay of Fundy, are claimed by the United States, as being comprehended within the aforesaid boundaries."

Agreed to by the British plenipotentiaries.

6. Article 7th. In the alteration, consisting of the words "or of the sovereign or state so referred to as in many of the preceding articles contained," substitute "any" to " many.'

Not insisted on; the British plenipotentiaries consenting to substitute the words "the four next" for the marginal words " many of the."

7. Articles 3, 4, 5, and 6. Provide that the decisions of the commissioners shall be made within a limited time.

Objected to by the British plenipotentiaries.

8. Article 8th. Substitute, after the words "to the westward of the said lake so far as," the words "their said respective territories," instead of the words "the territories of the United States." Agreed to by the British plenipotentiaries.

[9. Article 8th. Strike out from the words " and it is further agreed," to the end.

Reserved by the British plenipotentiaries for the consideration of their government.

10. The American plenipotentiaries also proposed the following amendment to Article 8th, viz. "The inhabitants of the United States shall continue to enjoy the liberty to take, dry, and cure fish, in places within the exclusive jurisdiction of Great Britain, as secured by the former treaty of peace; and the navigation of the river Mississippi, within the exclusive jurisdiction of the United States, shall remain free and open to the subjects of Great Britain, in the manner secured by the said treaty; and it is further agreed,` that the subjects of his Britannic majesty shall at all times have access, from such place as may be selected for that purpose, in his Britannic majesty's aforesaid territories, west, and within three hundred miles of the Lake of the Woods, in the aforesaid territories of the United States, to the river Mississippi, in order to enjoy the benefit of the navigation of that river, with their goods, effects, and merchandise, whose importation into the said States shall not be entirely prohibited, on the payment of the same duties as would be payable on the importation of the same into the Atlantic ports of the said States, and on conforming with the usual custom-house regulations."

This amendment was left with the British plenipotentiaries for considération.

The American plenipotentiaries also intimated their willingness to omit Article 8th altogether, if that course should appear more advisable to the British plenipotentiaries.]

The American plenipotentiaries further proposed, in conformity with their note of November 30th, indemnifications for ships detained in British ports on the breaking out of the war, and afterwards condemned; which was resisted by the British plenipotentiaries.

After much discussion on this point, the conference was adjourned.

Protocol of Conference on December 10th, 1814.-Ghent. The Protocol of the preceding conference, held on the 1st instant, was settled.

The British plenipotentiaries stated that their government could not consent to omit the words in article 1st, "belonging to either party and taken by the other," unless some modification should be introduced, either by excepting from mutual restitution all those territories which are made by any articles of the treaty the subject of reference to commissioners, or by excepting the Passamaquoddy Islands alone.

Received by the American plenipotentiaries for consideration.

[The British plenipotentiaries then stated, that with respect to the 8th article, their government offered, in lieu of the American proposals, to retain the amended article as far as the words " Stony Mountains," and to insert the following stipulation:

"His Britannic majesty agrees to enter into negotiation with the United States of América respecting the terms, conditions, and regulations, under which the inhabitants of the said United States shall have the liberty of taking fish on certain parts of the coast of Newfoundland, and other his Britannic majesty's dominions in North America, and of drying and curing fish in the unsettled bays, harbours, and creeks, of Nova Scotia, Magdalen Islands, and Labrador, as stipulated in the latter part of the 3d article of the treaty of 1783, in consideration of a fair equivalent, to be agreed upon between his majesty and the said United States, and granted by the said United States for such liberty aforesaid.

"The United States of America agree to enter into negotiation with his Britannic majesty respecting the terms, conditions, and regulations, under which the navigation of the river Mississippi, from its source to the ocean, as stipulated in the 8th article of the treaty of 1783, shall remain free and open to the subjects of Great Britain, in consideration of a fair equivalent, to be agreed upon between his majesty and the United States, and granted by his majesty."]

Received by the American plenipotiaries for consideration.

In the 7th article the British plenipotentiaries proposed, after the words "all grants of land made previous to," to omit the words

to that time," and insert "previous to the commencement of the war;" so that the line would read "all grants of land made previous to the commencement of the war."

Agreed to.

دو

The British plenipotentiaries proposed the insertion of the following article relative to the slave trade.

"Whereas the traffic in slaves is irreconcileable with the principles of humanity and justice, and whereas both his majesty and the United States are desirous of continuing their efforts to promote its entire abolition, it is hereby agreed that both the contracting parties shall exert every means in their power to accomplish so desirable an object."

Received for consideration.

The British plenipotentiaries proposed the following provision: "That the citizens or subjects of each of the contracting parties may reciprocally sue in the courts of the other, and shall meet with no impediment to the recovery of all such estates, rights, properties, or securities, as may be due to them by the laws of the country in whose courts they shall sue."

Received for consideration.

The British plenipotentiaries proposed in the preamble to the project of the treaty to omit the words "Admiral of the White Squadron," and insert "late Admiral of the White, now Admiral of the Red," in lieu of them.

Agreed to.

The American plenipotentiaries stated that possibly doubts might arise as to the geographical accuracy of the words at the beginning of the 8th article-" a line drawn due west from the Lake of the Woods along the 49th parallel of north latitude."

It was agreed that an alteration should be made to guard against such possible inaccuracy.

The American plenipotentiaries proposed the following alteration in the draft delivered to them by the British plenipotentiaries, relative to the manner of filling up the blanks in article 2d: "Extend the term of 12 days to 50 degrees north latitude, and to the 36th west longitude; include the British and Irish channels in the term of 30 days; include the Baltic in the term of 40 days; instead of term of 150 days, insert 60 days for the Atlantic, as far as the latitude of the Cape of Good Hope; 90 days for every other part of the world south of the equator; 120 days for all other parts of the world." The conference then ended.

Protocol of Conference on December 12th, 1814.

The Protocol of the preceding conference, held on the 10th instant, was settled.

[After much discussion relative to the 1st and 8th articles, the conference ended by the American plenipotentiaries undertaking to return an answer, in writing, to the propositions brought forward by the British plenipotentiaries, at the last conference.]

American Note, No. 8, written after the Conference of 12th of December, 1814.

Ghent, December 14th, 1814.

The undersigned, having considered the propositions offered, in the conference of the 10th instant, by the British plenipotentiaries, on the few subjects which remain to be adjusted, now have the ho. nour of making the communication which they promised.

The first of them relates to the mutual restoration of the territory taken by either party from the other, during the war. In admitting this principle, which the undersigned had repeatedly declared to be the only one upon which they were authorized to treat, the British plenipotentiaries had, at first, proposed an alteration in the article offered by the undersigned, limiting the stipulation of restoring territory taken during the war, to territory belonging to the party from which it was taken. The objection of the undersigned to this alteration was, that a part of the territory thus taken being claimed by both parties, and made a subject of conference by the treaty, the alteration would leave it in the power of one party to judge whether any portion of territory taken by him during the war, did or did not belong to the other party, laying thereby, in the very instrument of pacification, the foundation of an immediate misunderstanding, the moment that instrument should be carried into execution.

The British plenipotentiaries have now proposed to omit the words originally offered by them, provided, that the Passamaquoddy Islands should alone be excepted from the mutual restitution of territory.

The consent of the undersigned to this solitary exception, if founded on the alleged right of Great Britain to those islands, might be construed as an implied admission of a better title on her part, than on that of the United States, and would necessarily affect their claim. The only ground for the exception consists in the allegation of the British plenipotentiaries that Great Britain had, during some period subsequent to the treaty of peace of 1783, exercised jurisdiction over those islands, and that the United States had subsequently occupied them, contrary to the remonstrances of the British government, and before the question of title had been adjusted.

Under these considerations, the undersigned, unwilling to prevent the conclusion of the treaty of peace, will take upon themselves the responsibility of agreeing to the exception proposed, with a provision, that the claim of the United States shall not, thereby, be in any manner affected. The undersigned have accordingly prepared a clause to that effect, and which provides, also, that the temporary possession may not be converted into perma nent occupancy. They had agreed to the alteration proposed by the British plenipotentiaries in the mode of reference of the several boundaries and territory in dispute, under the expectation that the