by that of October 31st, (No. 24,) to inform you that he had been dismissed from his employments, and succeeded in them by Don José Pizarro.

"I herewith submit to you copies of my correspondence with this new minister."

"He has not replied to my note of 25th October, respecting Morillo's blockade proclamation."

Don Luis de Onis to the Secretary of State. Philadelphia, October 26, 1816.

SIR, His excellency, the viceroy of the kingdom of New Grenada, communicates to me, under date of the 2d of September last, that tranquillity being restored throughout the whole kingdom of Santa Fé, and all its provinces having submitted to his majesty's government, the commander in chief, Don Pablo Morillo, has thought fit to raise the blockade which he had established on those coasts, the causes having ceased which obliged him to impose it; and that in consequence of this determination, the beforementioned viceroy has been pleased to open the provinces of that kingdom, and particularly the port of Carthagena, to the commerce of the powers in amity with his majesty, under the regulations specified in the printed papers, which I have the honour to transmit herewith.

I hope, sir, that you will be pleased to bring this to the knowledge of the President, that he may see the disposition of his majesty to favour the commerce of this republick in every thing that may be compatible with the security of his dominions, and that comports with his interests. I renew my respects, &c.

LUIS DE ONIS.

Extract of a Letter from Mr. Erving to the Secretary of State, dated Madrid, March 10, 1817.

(PROCLAMATION OF MORILLO.)

"On this affair I wrote on the 26th September, 1816, and was answered October 17th, that an "informe" should be taken of the admiraltazgo, I wrote again on the 25th October, and remain without any answer."

MESSAGE

FROM THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES TO CONGRESS, RELATIVE TO BRITISH DUTIES ON IRON IN BARS AND BOLTS. FEB. 12, 1818.

I LAY before the House of Representatives copies of two communications received at the department of State, from the minister of Great Britain, and submit to their consideration the propriety of making such legislative provisions as may be necessary for a compliance with the representations contained in them.

By the express terms of that compact, it was, when ratified by the two governments, to be in force for the term of four years from the day of its signature. The revocation of all the discriminating duties, became therefore, the obligation of both governments from that day, ard it is conceived that every individual who has been required to pay, and has paid, any of the extra duties revoked by the convention, has a just and lawful claim upon the respective governments for its return. From various accidents, it has happened, that both here and in Great Britain, the cessation of the extra duties has been fixed to commence at different times. It is desirable that Congress should pass an act providing for the return of all the extra duties incompatible with the terms of the convention which have been levied upon British vessels or merchandise after the 3d of July, 1815. The British parliament have already set the example of fixing that day for the cessation of the extra duties of export, by their act of 30th of June last, and the minister of the United States in London, is instructed to require the extension of the same principle to all the extra duties levied on vessels and merchandise of the United States, in the ports of Great Britain since that day. It is not doubted that the British government will comply with this requisition, and that the act suggested may be passed by Congress with full confidence that the reciprocal measure will receive the sanction of the British parliament.

JAMES MONROE.

Mr. Bagot, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, to Mr. Monroe, Secretary of State. Washington, November 18, 1816.

SIR,-I have the honour to call your attention to one of

the provisions of an act of the United States'. Congress, passed on the 27th of April last, entitled "An act to regulate the duties on import and tonnage," which appears to have originated in some misapprehension of the real nature of one of the principal manufactories of Great Britain, and which has had an operation, not only very prejudicial to the British manufacturer, but contrary, as it should seem, to the spirit and intent of the 2d article of the commercial treaty.

By the 2d article of the commercial treaty between Great Britain and the United States, it is stipulated "that no higher duties shall be imposed on the importation of any articles, the growth, produce, or manufacture of his Britannick majesty's territories in Europe, than are, or shall be, payable on the like articles, being the growth, produce, or manufacture of any other foreign countries."

By the act of the United States to which I have referred, it is, among other things, enacted in the 6th section, that upon importation into the United States, iron in bars and bolts, except iron manufactured by rolling, shall pay a duty of 45 cents per cwt.; and that in bars and bolts, when manufactured by rolling, and anchors, it shall pay a duty of 150 cents per cwt.

It was probably not known that the bar and bolt iron, manufactured in Great Britain is, in the last process, rolled; whereas, the same article, both in Sweden and in Russia, instead of being rolled, is, in the same process, hammered; but when the iron is manufactured into bar or bolt, whether by rolling or hammering, it is in precisely the same process of manufacture, and is, in every respect, applicable to the same purposes of use, and ulterior manufacture, and consequently is, to all intents, a "like article." But by the inequality of the duties which have been imposed, it seems to have been imagined, that rolled bar and bolt iron is in a stage of manufacture beyond that of hammered iron, and you will observe, that this supposition is strengthened by the circumstance of its being classed with anchors, which are in a state of complete and finished manufacture, and are worth 351. per ton in the British market, whilst bar and bolt iron is only worth 117. per ton.

It is to be assumed, that whenever duties are imposed on any foreign article in a graduated scale proportioned to its manufactured state, it is intended that the duty should be regulated by that state alone, and not by the process by which it is brought to that state. Iron in a certain

state of manufacture is to be charged with a certain duty -the means of bringing it to that state, whether by hammering or rolling, is not to be had in consideration; for if it were, the effect would be to force each nation to use exactly the same process, and, what certainly never could have been intended, to check and punish the application of ingenuity and improvement.

Considering, therefore, that the bar and bolt iron manufactured in Great Britain, is, according to the true spirit and intent of the 2d article of the treaty of commerce, in every respect, a "like article" with that manufactured in Sweden and Russia, it is hoped that such measures will be taken by the government of the United States, as will allow of its admission to importation at the same rate of duty, and will place the British manufacturer in that state of equality, in respect to foreign nations, as may accord with the undoubted intention of the late treaty of commerce between the two countries. I have the honour to be, &c. CHARLES BAGOT.

Mr. Bagot, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, to Mr. Adams, Secretary of State. Washington, December 8, 1817.

SIR,-In my letter to the Secretary of the department of State, of the 9th of July, 1816, I had the honour to point out the difference of the periods at which effect had been given in the two countries, to the convention of the 3d of July, 1815, and to request that all discriminating duties of a nature similar to those described in his royal highness the Prince Regent's order in council, of the 17th of August, 1815, which might have been levied between the date of that order, and the 22d of the following December, upon goods imported into the United States in British built ships might be refunded.

No mention having been made in his royal highness's order in council of alien tonnage duties, they were not adverted to in the application which I had then the honour to make; but as it was known that they had in fact been remitted by Great Britain, the American legislature, in strict observance of the spirit and intention of the convention, included them in the act passed on the 3d of last March, authorizing the Secretary of the Treasury to cause repayments to be made of certain alien duties. By this act, however, it was only provided that the alien tonnage duties levied upon British ships in American ports, sub

sequently to the 17th of August, 1815, should be refunded, whereas, the same duties levied upon American ships in British ports, were remitted from the date of the signature of the convention.

In order, therefore, that his majesty's subjects may partake of the full benefit of the reciprocity intended by the convention, I have the honour to request, that remission may also be made of the amount of the alien tonnage du. ties which may have been levied upon British ships in the ports of the United States, between the 3d of July and the 17th of August, 1815. I have the honour to be, &c. CHARLES BAGOT.

MESSAGE

FROM THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES TO CONGRESS, RELATIVE TO THE FOURTH ARTICLE OF THE TREATY OF GHENT. FEB. 25, 1818.

THE Commissioners of the two governments, under the fourth article of the treaty of Ghent, having come to a decision upon the question submitted to them, I lay before Congress copies of that decision, together with copies of the declaration signed and reported by the commissioners to this government. JAMES MONROE.

Declaration of the Commissioners under the Fourth Article of the Treaty of Ghent. New York, Nov. 24, 1817.

SIR, The undersigned commissioners, appointed by virtue of the fourth article of the treaty of Ghent, have attended to the duties assigned them, and have decided that Moose Island, Dudley Island, and Frederick Island, in the bay of Passamaquoddy, which is part of the bay of Fundy, do each of them belong to the United States of America, and that all the other islands in the bay of Passamaquoddy, and the island of Grand Menan in the bay of Fundy, do each of them belong to his Britannick majesty, in conformity with the true intent of the second article of the treaty of peace of 1783.

The commissioners have the honour to enclose herewith their decision.

In making this decision, it became necessary that each of the commissioners should yield a part of his individual opinion; several reasons induced them to adopt this measure, one of which was the impression and belief that the